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Ms. Match
Waking up in a hotel room next to a nearly naked Gwen Christopher is a shocker for Paul Bennet. Hmm, one too many the night before? After all, he's rich, successful and looks more like one of his movie-star clients than their PR rep. Paul can have any woman he wants. Any woman - except Gwen's smokin'-hot sister. Taking plain-Jane Gwen out as a favour was supposed to be his ticket in. And okay, sure, Gwen's fun and smart and interesting - and absolutely amazing in bed. But she'd never fit in with his parties-and-paparazzi lifestyle. This is a total mismatch. So why's he so ready to dive back into bed with Gwen first chance he can?
Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2007
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About the author
Jo Leigh
273 books94 followersaka Samantha Beckett
Jolie Kramer began her career in 1975 as a reader in the Comedy Development department for 20th-Century Fox. She left Fox in 1977 to go on location with THE DEER HUNTER. She then worked as an auditor, associate producer and producer on such projects as WHEN SHE SAYS NO for CBS, BEULAH LAND for NBC, GREAT AMERICAN TRAFFIC JAM for NBC and CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR for Jozak Productions. In 1987 she became head of development for the McCarran Film Corp., overseeing a roster of twelve feature films. As a screen writer, she’s had a series idea purchased by Cinemax, and has worked as a script consultant on more than 50 screenplays. Currently, her screenplay APACHE TEARS was optioned by Northern Lights Productions in Canada.
Jo Leigh's first Silhouette novel, SUSPECT, was awarded BEST FIRST SERIES BOOK by Romantic Times Magazine, garnered the 1994 ROMANCE WRITER OF THE YEAR award from Pike’s Peak RWA, and was a finalist for BEST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL OF 1994 by Romance Writers of America. Her first Temptation novel, ONE WICKED NIGHT was a finalist for BEST SHORT CONTEMPORARY NOVEL OF 1998 by Romance Writers of America. She was invited to write one of the launch books for the Harlequin imprint, Blaze, with her book GOING FOR IT! Her 2006 Blaze RELENTLESS was a RITA finalist for BEST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE.
She also ghost-wrote GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL DOLL – THE ANNA NICOLE SMITH STORY for Barricade Books.
Jo teaches writing at workshops across the country and on-line, and is a frequent guest speaker at writing conferences. Her tape on Advanced Plotting from the Dallas Romance Writers of America conference is the best selling tape in RWA’s history.
Jo lives in an incredibly rural area of Utah where her many rescue dogs have room to run and play and her rescue cats are determined to win the International Shedding Award. She spends an inordinate amount of time reading about how the brain works, listening to music and trying not to kill the basil.
Jo's husband died of cancer on 13 June 2008, three years after they married, and whose medical bills are astronomical. Authors, editors, and bloggers have all donated a mess of items, from books to critiques to mentoring sessions to offer an item for the auction to benefit author Jo Leigh.
Jolie Kramer began her career in 1975 as a reader in the Comedy Development department for 20th-Century Fox. She left Fox in 1977 to go on location with THE DEER HUNTER. She then worked as an auditor, associate producer and producer on such projects as WHEN SHE SAYS NO for CBS, BEULAH LAND for NBC, GREAT AMERICAN TRAFFIC JAM for NBC and CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR for Jozak Productions. In 1987 she became head of development for the McCarran Film Corp., overseeing a roster of twelve feature films. As a screen writer, she’s had a series idea purchased by Cinemax, and has worked as a script consultant on more than 50 screenplays. Currently, her screenplay APACHE TEARS was optioned by Northern Lights Productions in Canada.
Jo Leigh's first Silhouette novel, SUSPECT, was awarded BEST FIRST SERIES BOOK by Romantic Times Magazine, garnered the 1994 ROMANCE WRITER OF THE YEAR award from Pike’s Peak RWA, and was a finalist for BEST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL OF 1994 by Romance Writers of America. Her first Temptation novel, ONE WICKED NIGHT was a finalist for BEST SHORT CONTEMPORARY NOVEL OF 1998 by Romance Writers of America. She was invited to write one of the launch books for the Harlequin imprint, Blaze, with her book GOING FOR IT! Her 2006 Blaze RELENTLESS was a RITA finalist for BEST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE.
She also ghost-wrote GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL DOLL – THE ANNA NICOLE SMITH STORY for Barricade Books.
Jo teaches writing at workshops across the country and on-line, and is a frequent guest speaker at writing conferences. Her tape on Advanced Plotting from the Dallas Romance Writers of America conference is the best selling tape in RWA’s history.
Jo lives in an incredibly rural area of Utah where her many rescue dogs have room to run and play and her rescue cats are determined to win the International Shedding Award. She spends an inordinate amount of time reading about how the brain works, listening to music and trying not to kill the basil.
Jo's husband died of cancer on 13 June 2008, three years after they married, and whose medical bills are astronomical. Authors, editors, and bloggers have all donated a mess of items, from books to critiques to mentoring sessions to offer an item for the auction to benefit author Jo Leigh.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 7, 2022
Feel-good story about a handsome, "shallow" hero who escorts the plain-Jane heroine on a pity date to score points with her hot sister. Heroine is defensive around him until they dance the night away. Hero is intrigued, but heroine still has a lot of hangups and makes him work for her friendship - and eventually her heart.
The pacing is great, the banter is fun, the sex scenes are hot. But the best part of all was seeing how the opposites that attract could make each other better people as well as bringing happiness to each other.
The pacing is great, the banter is fun, the sex scenes are hot. But the best part of all was seeing how the opposites that attract could make each other better people as well as bringing happiness to each other.
August 10, 2022
I read the glowing reviews. I read the book. I read the glowing reviews again to see what I was missing. But I can't bring myself to re-read the book.
Here's what didn't work for me:
The hero has the hots for the heroine's gorgeous tease of a sister. The sister to sister thing (even though he never had intercourse with the tease) is pretty skeevy on its own. What makes it worse here is that it goes on for the first third of the book. And the gorgeous sister is better at the game than the hero: she's leading him around by his dick. So unappealing. (In the author's defense, this is a brave path where she shows us the full extent of the hero's shallowness before reforming him. Part of my problem is that the romance genre does such a poor job with attraction vs affection that watching him actively desire and admire the gorgeous sister for so long starts to read like romance to me.)
The heroine's siblings are blatantly rude and cruel to her. I have three problems with this, so we're going to have to break out the numbers:
1) They're doing it in front of the hero, who is a stranger to most of them. He doesn't leap to the heroine's defense, so no wonder they feel free to continue, but it seems an odd choice to put your mean girl face on display when meeting someone for the first time, no matter how pretty you are.
2) The motive for the cruelty is unclear. They're pretty so they're mean? It almost makes more sense that their cruelty is in response to the heroine's disdain, rather than the cause of it.
3) Instead of distancing herself from these toxic family members: "I'm working through things with my family. I don't know if I'll end up with any real relationships there, but I'm open. I'd given a lot of thought to moving away, but I tried to follow your example. To stand up and fight for a new life." Given the way they've treated her, I honestly think this is the wrong message. Separating from toxic, hurtful people you happen to be related to is not cowardice.
The heroine is a defensive jerk. She's dismissive and hostile to her beautiful siblings. (We're repeatedly told but not shown that they're shallow and stupid. All we're shown is that they're mean.) And she's ludicrously biased against all beautiful people as a result. Here's her theory on why her siblings are terrible people: "Mostly, I think what's lacking is compassion. It's not their fault. Compassion comes from pain. And while they've all had their ups and downs, not one of them has ever gone through hell and come out the other side, stronger for the experience." Judgey much, heroine? (And seriously? If her trip through hell was being the plain sister, maybe she's not the best judge of what constitutes suffering.)
Finally, while we accompany the hero on his journey from his shallow lifestyle to the pursuit of a more meaningful existence, we skip right over the heroine's development. At the end of the penultimate chapter, she's planning to move away from California to escape her family and painful memories of the hero. At the start of the next, she's going on a blind date arranged by her bff. We get the heroine's (self) diagnosis -- she hadn't let go of her childhood feelings of inadequacy for not being as pretty as her siblings -- but we don't really see the cure.
I'm so annoyed that the heroine's shallowness gets labelled as pain. So I'm going to have to give the book one star because it made me feel protective of stunningly gorgeous people, which I assume represents an absolute failure in its objectives.
Here's what didn't work for me:
The hero has the hots for the heroine's gorgeous tease of a sister. The sister to sister thing (even though he never had intercourse with the tease) is pretty skeevy on its own. What makes it worse here is that it goes on for the first third of the book. And the gorgeous sister is better at the game than the hero: she's leading him around by his dick. So unappealing. (In the author's defense, this is a brave path where she shows us the full extent of the hero's shallowness before reforming him. Part of my problem is that the romance genre does such a poor job with attraction vs affection that watching him actively desire and admire the gorgeous sister for so long starts to read like romance to me.)
The heroine's siblings are blatantly rude and cruel to her. I have three problems with this, so we're going to have to break out the numbers:
1) They're doing it in front of the hero, who is a stranger to most of them. He doesn't leap to the heroine's defense, so no wonder they feel free to continue, but it seems an odd choice to put your mean girl face on display when meeting someone for the first time, no matter how pretty you are.
2) The motive for the cruelty is unclear. They're pretty so they're mean? It almost makes more sense that their cruelty is in response to the heroine's disdain, rather than the cause of it.
3) Instead of distancing herself from these toxic family members: "I'm working through things with my family. I don't know if I'll end up with any real relationships there, but I'm open. I'd given a lot of thought to moving away, but I tried to follow your example. To stand up and fight for a new life." Given the way they've treated her, I honestly think this is the wrong message. Separating from toxic, hurtful people you happen to be related to is not cowardice.
The heroine is a defensive jerk. She's dismissive and hostile to her beautiful siblings. (We're repeatedly told but not shown that they're shallow and stupid. All we're shown is that they're mean.) And she's ludicrously biased against all beautiful people as a result. Here's her theory on why her siblings are terrible people: "Mostly, I think what's lacking is compassion. It's not their fault. Compassion comes from pain. And while they've all had their ups and downs, not one of them has ever gone through hell and come out the other side, stronger for the experience." Judgey much, heroine? (And seriously? If her trip through hell was being the plain sister, maybe she's not the best judge of what constitutes suffering.)
Finally, while we accompany the hero on his journey from his shallow lifestyle to the pursuit of a more meaningful existence, we skip right over the heroine's development. At the end of the penultimate chapter, she's planning to move away from California to escape her family and painful memories of the hero. At the start of the next, she's going on a blind date arranged by her bff. We get the heroine's (self) diagnosis -- she hadn't let go of her childhood feelings of inadequacy for not being as pretty as her siblings -- but we don't really see the cure.
I'm so annoyed that the heroine's shallowness gets labelled as pain. So I'm going to have to give the book one star because it made me feel protective of stunningly gorgeous people, which I assume represents an absolute failure in its objectives.
August 9, 2022
This book was a nice surprise! Paul is a PR rep and is used to living off his looks and charm. He's a rather shallow playboy who is living his best life in Hollywood. When the woman he is trying to get into bed asks him to find a date for her sister to an event, he winds up going as her date himself.
Gwen is used to being the black sheep in her family, she's a beautiful woman, but nothing compared to the supermodel looks of her siblings. When she meets Paul she determines he's as shallow as her family and gives him the brush-off. But they talk and get to know each other. They both know how to ballroom dance and have a great time on the dance floor. Paul is a complete gentleman and is funny and smart. Paul is equally surprised by how much he likes Gwen and how he can just relax around her.
Paul is a real sweetheart, but he is a shallow playboy. He dates and beds multiple women but never cheats on serious relationships. He schmoozes everyone around him and he's good at his job. But Gwen makes him want to be a better man. She makes him take a look at himself and want more from life. Gwen has a lot of insecurities and her family seriously sucks, so she sometimes misjudges Paul, but over the course of the book, she gives him a chance and the two become great friends and then more. I love a romance where the MCs have a strong foundation of friendship. where they honestly love just spending time together. The kisses and romance are like the cherry on top.
They have their black moment but get their HEA in the end.
Safety
Gwen is used to being the black sheep in her family, she's a beautiful woman, but nothing compared to the supermodel looks of her siblings. When she meets Paul she determines he's as shallow as her family and gives him the brush-off. But they talk and get to know each other. They both know how to ballroom dance and have a great time on the dance floor. Paul is a complete gentleman and is funny and smart. Paul is equally surprised by how much he likes Gwen and how he can just relax around her.
Paul is a real sweetheart, but he is a shallow playboy. He dates and beds multiple women but never cheats on serious relationships. He schmoozes everyone around him and he's good at his job. But Gwen makes him want to be a better man. She makes him take a look at himself and want more from life. Gwen has a lot of insecurities and her family seriously sucks, so she sometimes misjudges Paul, but over the course of the book, she gives him a chance and the two become great friends and then more. I love a romance where the MCs have a strong foundation of friendship. where they honestly love just spending time together. The kisses and romance are like the cherry on top.
They have their black moment but get their HEA in the end.
Safety
March 23, 2021
Ms. Match
4 Stars
A charming opposites attract romance with some super steamy scenes.
The hero, Paul Bennet, a gorgeous and successful PR executive, initially comes across as very shallow and superficial although he does have an understanding of his own shortcoming. After agreeing to accompany Gwen Christopher, his current flame's less attractive sister, to a family event, Paul finds himself relaxing and enjoying himself more than expected. Gwen brings out the best in him, and he decides that he wants to become a better man.
Gwen, the Plain Jane, heroine is intelligent and witty. She is a lovely person although she can be a bit judgmental at times. Like the hero, she also acknowledges her biases and realizes that there is more to Paul than a pretty face, and it is well-worth the effort of looking beyond external appearances.
My one small nitpick is the lack of an epilogue with Gwen's family
4 Stars
A charming opposites attract romance with some super steamy scenes.
The hero, Paul Bennet, a gorgeous and successful PR executive, initially comes across as very shallow and superficial although he does have an understanding of his own shortcoming. After agreeing to accompany Gwen Christopher, his current flame's less attractive sister, to a family event, Paul finds himself relaxing and enjoying himself more than expected. Gwen brings out the best in him, and he decides that he wants to become a better man.
Gwen, the Plain Jane, heroine is intelligent and witty. She is a lovely person although she can be a bit judgmental at times. Like the hero, she also acknowledges her biases and realizes that there is more to Paul than a pretty face, and it is well-worth the effort of looking beyond external appearances.
My one small nitpick is the lack of an epilogue with Gwen's family
December 13, 2018
A woman with a lifetime of insecurities, of feeling that she's never as pretty - as beautiful - as anyone in her huge family. A lifetime of dismissing that beauty, and thinking that there are no brains behind all that beauty, and that people gotten where they've gotten on looks alone. A woman more comfortable with being in her head, and being among friends rather than family, she trusts brains more than beauty.
A man where things have always been much happier dealing with super beautiful people, to the point where it's his job. In his private life, he's always been drawn towards beautiful women, and is critical and dismissive of those he didn't deem as pretty.
With that premise, we meet the h (Gwen) and H (Paul).
It was a well-written story, and I could almost see the scenes acted out in a movie. It's quite clear that Jo Leigh's screenwriting experience was an asset. I especially liked how she often had her characters interact with one another, and rarely were we in the character's heads. Thankfully so, because the times that we WERE privy to their private thoughts, were probably the weakest moments for me. I didn't like how we kinda just got the fast forwarded version of how Gwen and Paul improved themselves. I get that it's a tough process, and even long, but come one! It's almost cheating to not show the change!
I also didn't like that Paul was still dating and contacting Autumn, even while he was being friends with Gwen. At least have the balls to admit that you weren't interested in her anymore - gah!
At the end of the day, this would've made an amazing film, complete with music, cute expressions and all. But as a book? The angst level was just slightly lacking, hence my final rating, just shy of 5 stars.
A man where things have always been much happier dealing with super beautiful people, to the point where it's his job. In his private life, he's always been drawn towards beautiful women, and is critical and dismissive of those he didn't deem as pretty.
With that premise, we meet the h (Gwen) and H (Paul).
It was a well-written story, and I could almost see the scenes acted out in a movie. It's quite clear that Jo Leigh's screenwriting experience was an asset. I especially liked how she often had her characters interact with one another, and rarely were we in the character's heads. Thankfully so, because the times that we WERE privy to their private thoughts, were probably the weakest moments for me. I didn't like how we kinda just got the fast forwarded version of how Gwen and Paul improved themselves. I get that it's a tough process, and even long, but come one! It's almost cheating to not show the change!
I also didn't like that Paul was still dating and contacting Autumn, even while he was being friends with Gwen. At least have the balls to admit that you weren't interested in her anymore - gah!
At the end of the day, this would've made an amazing film, complete with music, cute expressions and all. But as a book? The angst level was just slightly lacking, hence my final rating, just shy of 5 stars.
March 2, 2010
The ugly duckling and the handsome prince has been done over and over again. But the importance and insecurity toward physical appearances is oftentimes romanticized in romance novels. In this one, it doesn't. The hero, Paul spends most of the book being enamored by the heroine's very beautiful sister yet unmistakeably drawn to the less beautiful heroine, Gwen. He even wishes that the heroine was prettier, because he liked her personality so much.
This is so unlike how most romances have their heroes fall unbearably in lust with the heroines at first sight or at least interaction. Paul and Gwen start off as friends which develops into love. They even spend the first night they met in the same bed in only their underwear, with no sexual tension. Crazy, but really endearing.
Needless to say, I adored this book. I loved how the themes of beauty was presented, with brutal honesty, yet within the comforts of a neat tidy HEA.
I do have to mention that the Gwen's family was ridiculously stereotyped, but it wasn't really that important. It was kinda entertaining to read their opinions on who Gwen could date, but highly unrealistic (too much malice - family usually say things thinking that they are doing the ugly duckling a favor).
This is so unlike how most romances have their heroes fall unbearably in lust with the heroines at first sight or at least interaction. Paul and Gwen start off as friends which develops into love. They even spend the first night they met in the same bed in only their underwear, with no sexual tension. Crazy, but really endearing.
Needless to say, I adored this book. I loved how the themes of beauty was presented, with brutal honesty, yet within the comforts of a neat tidy HEA.
I do have to mention that the Gwen's family was ridiculously stereotyped, but it wasn't really that important. It was kinda entertaining to read their opinions on who Gwen could date, but highly unrealistic (too much malice - family usually say things thinking that they are doing the ugly duckling a favor).
April 14, 2017
Leído el 13/07/2010
June 15, 2011
Ms Match was an unusual blaze for me, for one the hero is lusting after the heroine's sister in the beginning and even in the middle and I didn't find it very conventional, it seemed different.
Paul is one of those PR people, handsome and successful and used to getting his own way in life because of his looks. He agrees to accompany Gwen to her family party when the guy he asked falls through.
Gwen is kind of the black sheep of her family. She is not as beautiful as the rest of her shallow family, is brainy and friendly. She doesn't like people who think that there beauty can get them anywhere. Surprisingly Paul and Gwen have a nice time at the party, they dance all night and Gwen shoots down the move Paul makes on her.
It took some to like Paul. He tries really hard to pursue friendship with Gwen though Gwen is not that welcoming. I liked Gwen, how fun and strong she was. She had confidence and knew her place in life while Paul didn't. I liked seeing his transformation. It was just not what I was expecting when I read the book.
Rating 3.5 stars
Paul is one of those PR people, handsome and successful and used to getting his own way in life because of his looks. He agrees to accompany Gwen to her family party when the guy he asked falls through.
Gwen is kind of the black sheep of her family. She is not as beautiful as the rest of her shallow family, is brainy and friendly. She doesn't like people who think that there beauty can get them anywhere. Surprisingly Paul and Gwen have a nice time at the party, they dance all night and Gwen shoots down the move Paul makes on her.
It took some to like Paul. He tries really hard to pursue friendship with Gwen though Gwen is not that welcoming. I liked Gwen, how fun and strong she was. She had confidence and knew her place in life while Paul didn't. I liked seeing his transformation. It was just not what I was expecting when I read the book.
Rating 3.5 stars
July 29, 2016
Perfect Match
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great story about two different people who turned out to be perfect together.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great story about two different people who turned out to be perfect together.
July 23, 2017
Paul Bennett, a PR guy in Hollywood, is a beautiful person attracted to an even more beautiful Autumn Christopher...but he can't seem to score with her. In an attempt to earn points, he agrees to escort Autumn's plain sister, Gwen to her family party. He is surprised to realize how much fun he had and sort of hurt when he realizes that Gwen doesn't really want to be his friend because she thinks he's shallow. So Paul sets out to change his ways, because he considers Gwen a person worth knowing and being friends with. Things heat up fast though, and Gwen, who always considered herself a confident, secure person, realizes that she isn't as strong as she thought and harbors serious insecurity about being good enough for Paul.
This was very cleverly done. I wanted to hate Paul because of how shallow he was...I mean he was pretty damn shallow when it came to Autumn. He spends the first half of the book becoming aroused by this woman's little games, reflecting on how hot she is and looking forward to doing anything to have sex with her. But in the end I couldn't hate him at all because he realizes what he's like and it's suddenly not good enough for him...he wants to be worthy of Gwen's friendship. Gwen, with her prejudice, was a bit easier to dislike, but then that was part of her character growth too. Even her security/insecurity was all part of it and I so appreciate that these characters grow and change and become better people. Normally, I hate separation angst - but it was so necessary in this story because Gwen realized that she wasn't strong enough for a relationship at that exact moment, and she had to get her head on straight again. Although, I wasn't 100% clear on why she didn't seek him out once she had. Paul and Gwen develop a real friendship and their turn to the carnal was very sexy. I really felt the connection between them. Most of all though, I like that this is about more than just two characters hooking up. It really is about prejudice and finding deeper connections with people and letting connections to different people mature you. An intelligent story in the genre with dynamic characters. A definite win...well, except for the cheesy Heinie (as in Heineken) jokes.
This was very cleverly done. I wanted to hate Paul because of how shallow he was...I mean he was pretty damn shallow when it came to Autumn. He spends the first half of the book becoming aroused by this woman's little games, reflecting on how hot she is and looking forward to doing anything to have sex with her. But in the end I couldn't hate him at all because he realizes what he's like and it's suddenly not good enough for him...he wants to be worthy of Gwen's friendship. Gwen, with her prejudice, was a bit easier to dislike, but then that was part of her character growth too. Even her security/insecurity was all part of it and I so appreciate that these characters grow and change and become better people. Normally, I hate separation angst - but it was so necessary in this story because Gwen realized that she wasn't strong enough for a relationship at that exact moment, and she had to get her head on straight again. Although, I wasn't 100% clear on why she didn't seek him out once she had. Paul and Gwen develop a real friendship and their turn to the carnal was very sexy. I really felt the connection between them. Most of all though, I like that this is about more than just two characters hooking up. It really is about prejudice and finding deeper connections with people and letting connections to different people mature you. An intelligent story in the genre with dynamic characters. A definite win...well, except for the cheesy Heinie (as in Heineken) jokes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2015
I like to read Harlequins now and then and often skim through them to the HEA. But this one I enjoyed every word. Paul (so nice to have a hero with a 'regular' name) is as superficial as he is handsome. But then he meets Gwen, who is pretty but not 'movie star pretty'. He slowly starts to realize that there's more to life than good looks and money. An improbable conclusion to come to when you live in LA! So it's a slow progression to love and there's no shying away from the quandry of the importance/unimportance of good-looks.
My only complaint with this book is how unbearably awful Gwen's family is, and yet she still visits with them? I found it hard to believe someone that intelligent would subject herself to that by choice...
My only complaint with this book is how unbearably awful Gwen's family is, and yet she still visits with them? I found it hard to believe someone that intelligent would subject herself to that by choice...
March 5, 2019
I am currently wearing my big happy sigh grin. This is a book I have read and reread a gagillion times or more since I first bought it. I don't know what it is about it....I've always been attracted to ugly duckling books, and this one turned out to be so much more. I LOVED Gwen and Paul. Just loved them. They always surprised me. And to watch them both grow and learn so much about themselves...it was satisfying. So many times it's only one side or the other that really grows and changes, but they both had a long ways to go in this one. This is my feel-good read...the one I pick up when I need a pick me up. The back of the book description is a bit misleading too...but if you have a penchance for ugly duckling books, then I highly recommend it.
December 23, 2015
Ugly duckling/handsome prince story that is almost 5 star worthy.
When you grow up "not pretty" in a family and society that values looks above all, you have to decide that character matters more. But sometimes, without realizing it, you fall into the same stereotypes that the looks-obsessed do and you assume that the beautiful people are all shallow and vain and you could never have anything in common with them. That's what happens to Gwen when her loveliest sister's guy takes her out once, for a favor. Then she realizes there might be more to him, and he realizes there's more to her...
But what I really liked about this book was that they both had to confront their own prejudices and decide if they wanted to move beyond them. Very well done.
When you grow up "not pretty" in a family and society that values looks above all, you have to decide that character matters more. But sometimes, without realizing it, you fall into the same stereotypes that the looks-obsessed do and you assume that the beautiful people are all shallow and vain and you could never have anything in common with them. That's what happens to Gwen when her loveliest sister's guy takes her out once, for a favor. Then she realizes there might be more to him, and he realizes there's more to her...
But what I really liked about this book was that they both had to confront their own prejudices and decide if they wanted to move beyond them. Very well done.
March 27, 2009
A fast steamy read, though as much as I liked it I found it hard to like Paul through most of the book as well as Gwen's entire family. I truly hope people aren't really that way even in SoCal.
But this is fantasy so all that aside, this book was good for a thrill and a few giggles along the way.
But this is fantasy so all that aside, this book was good for a thrill and a few giggles along the way.
December 3, 2008
This was a very sweet read. Her insecurities working hard against her and him being outside his comfort zone were great issues to work with. They had chemistry right from the beginning and you just knew it would never be about just sex.
November 23, 2024
I think this really encased how an “ugly” person might feel. As an ugly person myself, I understood the heroine. Yeah, she was ugly, but that did not define her, she just went through life like that. She did not need “pity” for her to feel better. She just accepted the way she looked. And I appreciate that, ‘cause one cannot change the way one face looks, unless you get plastic surgery, which needs tons of money. It’s not like losing weight. You need discipline and all, but plastic surgery? That’s another level. We just accept the way we look and that’s it…
And I love the fact that Gwen and Paul talked things through, the way they built a connection with their dialogue. I could see how they were bonding with each conversation :’)
Also, loved that they did not go straight to doing the deed. They had MANY opportunities where they were alone in a room, but emotional bonding was more important first 😭😭🤌
And I love the fact that Gwen and Paul talked things through, the way they built a connection with their dialogue. I could see how they were bonding with each conversation :’)
Also, loved that they did not go straight to doing the deed. They had MANY opportunities where they were alone in a room, but emotional bonding was more important first 😭😭🤌
September 26, 2022
Gwen Christopher is a normal woman, attractive, shapely, intelligent. Unfortunately the rest of her siblings are all ridiculously attractive (like they have all modelled for a time), so she has always been the Plain Jane of the family. She doesn't get them, and they don't get her. They also pity for being single.
Paul Bennett is a PR Rep in Los Angeles, almost as attractive as his movie star clients, he's lick, charming, and seen in all the best places. He has been actively courting Gwen's sister Autumn, who has been playing hard-to-get, wafting in from far-flung places, going out to dinner with Paul and teasing him before slipping from between his fingers, she likes the chase.
For reasons unknown, maybe just because she can, Autumn asks Paul to find a date for Gwen to a family party. When the friend he had earmarked has a sick mother at the last minute Paul steps into his place, naturally. However, far from being pathetically grateful that he has arrived to escort her to the party, Gwen is mortified; her siblings will immediately guess that Paul is an escort or a pity date and she doesn't need a date in the first place. Gwen accepts reluctantly and Paul fully intends to leave the party as early as he possibly can, until he finds that all of Gwen's siblings are just plain mean to her (as others have said, not sure why other than for the plot LOL). To counteract the meanness he decides to stick around and one thing leads to another.
The reason I liked this is because despite being a category romance (I assume 'Blaze' means steamy), it turned the 'She's All That' turning a plain girl into a beauty trope on its head. Gwen doesn't change her appearance one iota, it's Paul who realises that he is shallow, someone that Gwen has no interest in dating, which is a blow to his ego, but he realises that he has hundreds of acquaintances but no ride-or-die friends, unlike Gwen. The more time he spends with Gwen, the more he enjoys her company, their conversations, her humour and the more he realises that he isn't happy in his materialistic lifestyle.
Other people have commented (adversely) on the fact that Paul was pursuing Autumn while entering into a friendship with Gwen, I didn't have that problem. To me Paul viewed Gwen as only a friend, and when that changed he intended to tell Autumn, it just took him a long time to realise that he had nothing in common with Autumn because he was blinded by her looks.
Anyway, it was fun, it was charming, it gave me the warm fuzzies.
Paul Bennett is a PR Rep in Los Angeles, almost as attractive as his movie star clients, he's lick, charming, and seen in all the best places. He has been actively courting Gwen's sister Autumn, who has been playing hard-to-get, wafting in from far-flung places, going out to dinner with Paul and teasing him before slipping from between his fingers, she likes the chase.
For reasons unknown, maybe just because she can, Autumn asks Paul to find a date for Gwen to a family party. When the friend he had earmarked has a sick mother at the last minute Paul steps into his place, naturally. However, far from being pathetically grateful that he has arrived to escort her to the party, Gwen is mortified; her siblings will immediately guess that Paul is an escort or a pity date and she doesn't need a date in the first place. Gwen accepts reluctantly and Paul fully intends to leave the party as early as he possibly can, until he finds that all of Gwen's siblings are just plain mean to her (as others have said, not sure why other than for the plot LOL). To counteract the meanness he decides to stick around and one thing leads to another.
The reason I liked this is because despite being a category romance (I assume 'Blaze' means steamy), it turned the 'She's All That' turning a plain girl into a beauty trope on its head. Gwen doesn't change her appearance one iota, it's Paul who realises that he is shallow, someone that Gwen has no interest in dating, which is a blow to his ego, but he realises that he has hundreds of acquaintances but no ride-or-die friends, unlike Gwen. The more time he spends with Gwen, the more he enjoys her company, their conversations, her humour and the more he realises that he isn't happy in his materialistic lifestyle.
Other people have commented (adversely) on the fact that Paul was pursuing Autumn while entering into a friendship with Gwen, I didn't have that problem. To me Paul viewed Gwen as only a friend, and when that changed he intended to tell Autumn, it just took him a long time to realise that he had nothing in common with Autumn because he was blinded by her looks.
Anyway, it was fun, it was charming, it gave me the warm fuzzies.
October 8, 2017
3.5
This was a hard rating for me to decide because it's an easy read, and really, there's nothing majorly annoying about the H or the h. However, the underlying plot is skeevy.
Ok, the H is in fact, seeing the h's sister. She asks him when he calls her if he can get a date for her sister to take to their parents' anniversary. I might add that their relationship never progresses beyond her stringing him along but still... He agrees, figuring he'll score points with her, only the guy he gets to agree has to back out at the last minute so he does it himself.
The h, well, she's the family changeling. A brain who is merely attractive in a sea of beauty, and she has deep seated feelings of inadequacy when it comes to her looks, though she doesn't really acknowledge this.
They're both good dancers though, and the anniversary party is thoroughly enjoyed...as is the gin and tonic. They share a room - and just sleep it off(!).
He sees her sister not long after this, and is once again left unfulfilled. He calls another girl for a booty call. Ok, at this point I was not liking him very much. However, he finds himself constantly thinking of the h so starts insinuating himself in her life. She figures it's a game so pushes him away, or tries anyway. Chemistry is her downfall I suppose.
Eventually, he has a busy week and can't see her, her sister - in the dark about all this - decides to drag him to her niece's birthday party - the h sees about the time he realizes he's screwed...and the sister is understandably angry.
Of course, she refuses contact with him, deciding he fit in better with her family than she did with his world. They do a mutual mopefest, sister demands to know what she told him about her (well, nothing other than sister likes to string them along until they give up, then she'll sleep with them).
They do eventually get back together - he approaches her friend for help, and her friend sets her up on a blind date with him. She shows up on his doorstep to talk things out with him and he tells her he's the blind date. We never really see an epilogue so no idea how well she worked things out with her family. She said she was trying to bridge the gap, but the sister affected by all this was still at odds with her.
This was a hard rating for me to decide because it's an easy read, and really, there's nothing majorly annoying about the H or the h. However, the underlying plot is skeevy.
Ok, the H is in fact, seeing the h's sister. She asks him when he calls her if he can get a date for her sister to take to their parents' anniversary. I might add that their relationship never progresses beyond her stringing him along but still... He agrees, figuring he'll score points with her, only the guy he gets to agree has to back out at the last minute so he does it himself.
The h, well, she's the family changeling. A brain who is merely attractive in a sea of beauty, and she has deep seated feelings of inadequacy when it comes to her looks, though she doesn't really acknowledge this.
They're both good dancers though, and the anniversary party is thoroughly enjoyed...as is the gin and tonic. They share a room - and just sleep it off(!).
He sees her sister not long after this, and is once again left unfulfilled. He calls another girl for a booty call. Ok, at this point I was not liking him very much. However, he finds himself constantly thinking of the h so starts insinuating himself in her life. She figures it's a game so pushes him away, or tries anyway. Chemistry is her downfall I suppose.
Eventually, he has a busy week and can't see her, her sister - in the dark about all this - decides to drag him to her niece's birthday party - the h sees about the time he realizes he's screwed...and the sister is understandably angry.
Of course, she refuses contact with him, deciding he fit in better with her family than she did with his world. They do a mutual mopefest, sister demands to know what she told him about her (well, nothing other than sister likes to string them along until they give up, then she'll sleep with them).
They do eventually get back together - he approaches her friend for help, and her friend sets her up on a blind date with him. She shows up on his doorstep to talk things out with him and he tells her he's the blind date. We never really see an epilogue so no idea how well she worked things out with her family. She said she was trying to bridge the gap, but the sister affected by all this was still at odds with her.
January 18, 2021
Wonderful uplifting and hot romance
5 stars
Hot, successful and hunky PR man, Paul Bennett can have any woman he wants. Except for the one he really wants. In order to score some points, he agrees to take the girl's rather plain sister out for a night.
Gwen Christopher isn't as drop dead gorgeous as her sister and so Paul's more than a little surprised to wake up, near naked, in a hotel bedroom next to her so soon after they meet. Gwen may be fun, smart, interesting, exciting and downright amazing in bed - but she's not the kind of girl that he goes for. So why is suddenly being near her the only thing he can think of?
This story was a really fabulous read and I absolutely devoured the book from beginning to end.
Gwen wasn't your stereotypical 'plain-Jane' heroine. She knew she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous and didn't have any hang-ups about it. She was lively, interesting, exciting and I loved her! Paul too was a great character. Starting off as a shallow man, he transformed into someone we would all love to have. The way he fell for Gwen was delightful. Together the pair had good chemistry and there were some nicely sexy moments to the story too.
Overall, this story was a great tale of two people that shouldn't have been perfect for each other, but were. If you're looking for a fun, sexy and uplifting read then I would recommend this book to you. 5 stars.
January 2, 2024
Four and a half stars
MS. MATCH by Jo Leigh is a sort of ugly duckling story. Paul Bennet heads his own PR firm in the Los Angeles area. He’s been hotly pursuing Amber Christopher, and as a favor, ends up escorting her sister Gwen to a party. Gwen knows she’s the ugly duckling in her family of model-like swans, and she tries to let Paul off the hook. To both their surprises, Paul and Gwen have a terrific time and then decide spending some other time together wouldn’t be awful…
Ms Match does feel a touch representative of its time, but overall I really enjoyed Gwen and Paul and their very honest soul searching and their desire not to simply be okay with who they think they ought to be. They try to consider more deeply how attractiveness plays into attraction and “fit”. Jo Leigh’s story held my attention and made me think. A really good read.
MS. MATCH by Jo Leigh is a sort of ugly duckling story. Paul Bennet heads his own PR firm in the Los Angeles area. He’s been hotly pursuing Amber Christopher, and as a favor, ends up escorting her sister Gwen to a party. Gwen knows she’s the ugly duckling in her family of model-like swans, and she tries to let Paul off the hook. To both their surprises, Paul and Gwen have a terrific time and then decide spending some other time together wouldn’t be awful…
Ms Match does feel a touch representative of its time, but overall I really enjoyed Gwen and Paul and their very honest soul searching and their desire not to simply be okay with who they think they ought to be. They try to consider more deeply how attractiveness plays into attraction and “fit”. Jo Leigh’s story held my attention and made me think. A really good read.
February 28, 2021
Me gusto mucho esta historia, corta pero muy interesante, engancha, dos personas totalmente opuestas que entablan una amistad que se va haciendo cada vez mas intima.Una complicidad unica que te demuestra que la apariencia no lo es todo en la vida y que la belleza interior es lo que realmente valioso de una persona
December 26, 2017
good light read
October 16, 2020
This was nicely done. I liked it! The heroine was I think a badass even with all her insecurities. The hero was shallow at first but grew into someone likeable.
February 28, 2022
Real guilty pleasure for me to finish reading this Harlequin Romance 😂
Cliché plots but enjoyable FMC (even though we got the HEA,I still didn't feel convinced about MMC's love
Cliché plots but enjoyable FMC (even though we got the HEA,I still didn't feel convinced about MMC's love
August 14, 2022
Finally, a book that I can finished in one day. No filler, just scenes to show the hero’s and the heroine’s relationship development.
November 16, 2022
It was boring and the writing was too mediocre to care. The characters weren’t well-written either. Not for me!
March 14, 2017
This was pretty good quick read.
Paul is trying to get into gorgeous flight attendant Autumn's pants. But its pretty clear from the beginning that she's just leading him on because she enjoys the attention. In the hopes of getting laid by her in the future, he agrees to go to a family shin-dig with her less gorgeous sister, Gwen. At the party, Paul is shocked by how much fun he ends up having. Days later, he's still thinking about how relaxing it was to hang out with Gwen. So he tracks her down at her favorite bar and starts out on a quest to befriend her.
Paul is the main narrator of this book. Gwen also has a good chunk of the book from her perspective, but the story starts and ends with Paul's voice. This made for a really interesting story, because it became less about Gwen's hang ups and more about Paul's quest to transform his life. So instead of the heroine being sucked into the rich and powerful hero's life, its about the hero finding happiness in the heroine's life. It was nice to see Paul's transformation with Gwen acting as a kind of guide. Watching them develop a friendship and really getting to know each other before diving into a relationship was also great. This made them a lot more believable as a couple.
My problem with the book however was a pretty big one. The climax of the story was really contrived and the blow-up that happens as a result seemed really insignificant. It made their time apart look childish because of how small the problem that caused the fight was. This made for a really unsatisfying reunion. There was also the smaller problem I had with Gwen's family. They were really cruel towards her for no apparent reason. Making them all seem like a bunch of cartoon villains.
Despite this though, I enjoyed most of the book. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with a bit of a different plot.
Paul is trying to get into gorgeous flight attendant Autumn's pants. But its pretty clear from the beginning that she's just leading him on because she enjoys the attention. In the hopes of getting laid by her in the future, he agrees to go to a family shin-dig with her less gorgeous sister, Gwen. At the party, Paul is shocked by how much fun he ends up having. Days later, he's still thinking about how relaxing it was to hang out with Gwen. So he tracks her down at her favorite bar and starts out on a quest to befriend her.
Paul is the main narrator of this book. Gwen also has a good chunk of the book from her perspective, but the story starts and ends with Paul's voice. This made for a really interesting story, because it became less about Gwen's hang ups and more about Paul's quest to transform his life. So instead of the heroine being sucked into the rich and powerful hero's life, its about the hero finding happiness in the heroine's life. It was nice to see Paul's transformation with Gwen acting as a kind of guide. Watching them develop a friendship and really getting to know each other before diving into a relationship was also great. This made them a lot more believable as a couple.
My problem with the book however was a pretty big one. The climax of the story was really contrived and the blow-up that happens as a result seemed really insignificant. It made their time apart look childish because of how small the problem that caused the fight was. This made for a really unsatisfying reunion. There was also the smaller problem I had with Gwen's family. They were really cruel towards her for no apparent reason. Making them all seem like a bunch of cartoon villains.
Despite this though, I enjoyed most of the book. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with a bit of a different plot.
July 2, 2023
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. It's a fun little story about opposites attracting. Paul is the epitome of slick. He is goodlooking and knows it. His smile and charm will get him everything he wants. He lives the good life in LA, managing movie stars and sports stars, dating models and going to A-list parties.
Gwen is the "ordinary looking" girl in a family of beauty queens, she is not ugly, but pales in comparison to her good looking siblings and parents. Due to growing up with this excess of beauty, and seeing how easy everything comes to her good looking siblings, she has made a life for herself where she values depth instead of surface.
When the two are "forced" to go on a blind date, they each have a lot of preconceived ideas about the other. Gwen believes him to be shallow, stupid and no one worth knowing. Paul believes her to be uninteresting and dull...
Their reluctant courtship is kind of fun to follow, but readers should be aware that Paul does have sex (off page) with another woman, after meeting Gwne - they are only friends at the time though - and keeps up his pursuit of Gwen's very attractive sister for quite a while.
An epilogue would have been nice, as I would have liked to have seen Gwen tackle Pauls world - there were so many insecurities connected to that, I would have like dto have see her overcome them. And to have seen his feelings on the matter too. But all in all, it was very enjoyable and t also reminded me that I actually love these Harlequin stories, they are very much a quick snack in book form - and sometimes a snack is all you need.
Gwen is the "ordinary looking" girl in a family of beauty queens, she is not ugly, but pales in comparison to her good looking siblings and parents. Due to growing up with this excess of beauty, and seeing how easy everything comes to her good looking siblings, she has made a life for herself where she values depth instead of surface.
When the two are "forced" to go on a blind date, they each have a lot of preconceived ideas about the other. Gwen believes him to be shallow, stupid and no one worth knowing. Paul believes her to be uninteresting and dull...
Their reluctant courtship is kind of fun to follow, but readers should be aware that Paul does have sex (off page) with another woman, after meeting Gwne - they are only friends at the time though - and keeps up his pursuit of Gwen's very attractive sister for quite a while.
An epilogue would have been nice, as I would have liked to have seen Gwen tackle Pauls world - there were so many insecurities connected to that, I would have like dto have see her overcome them. And to have seen his feelings on the matter too. But all in all, it was very enjoyable and t also reminded me that I actually love these Harlequin stories, they are very much a quick snack in book form - and sometimes a snack is all you need.
March 5, 2017
This is SO much more than an ugly-duckling romance. First off, the h isn't an ugly duckling. That's made clear from the beginning. She's just not as beautiful as her sisters.
Second, and this is what's super important. The h is TOTALLY INTO BASEBALL. She likes other sports too, but baseball is her thing. There's a scene when she gets to meet the Dodgers and there's a lot of name dropping. I'm not usually a fan of that but I also love baseball and I can totally picture the scene. I can even guesstimate the year based on Nomar and Lowe. When they leave the clubhouse she's on cloud nine and I get it. I once lucked into staying at the same hotel as my team and got to try on a World Series ring.
But I digress.
If the baseball-loving h isn't enough for you, she's also well-adjusted with a good job, many friends, a science degree and is a trivia ace. Her family aren't very nice but she rises above that.
This book is fantastic even though the H is a bit of a dog with his "booty call" and lust for the sister. He's confused as to why he keeps thinking about Gwen since she's not like a model.
If you want a fun book, this is a great read. It's certainly better written than the vast majority of categories out there.
Second, and this is what's super important. The h is TOTALLY INTO BASEBALL. She likes other sports too, but baseball is her thing. There's a scene when she gets to meet the Dodgers and there's a lot of name dropping. I'm not usually a fan of that but I also love baseball and I can totally picture the scene. I can even guesstimate the year based on Nomar and Lowe. When they leave the clubhouse she's on cloud nine and I get it. I once lucked into staying at the same hotel as my team and got to try on a World Series ring.
But I digress.
If the baseball-loving h isn't enough for you, she's also well-adjusted with a good job, many friends, a science degree and is a trivia ace. Her family aren't very nice but she rises above that.
This book is fantastic even though the H is a bit of a dog with his "booty call" and lust for the sister. He's confused as to why he keeps thinking about Gwen since she's not like a model.
If you want a fun book, this is a great read. It's certainly better written than the vast majority of categories out there.
July 12, 2013
Paul Bennet agrees to take Gwen Christopher to her parents' 50th wedding anniversary because Gwen's sister, Annette, his girlfriend, couldn't go. In a family of stunningly beautiful siblings, Gwen is considered the plain child and she's constantly reminded of it. So when Gwen shows up with the handsome, successful Paul, her family thinks she really can't attract a man like that. As they proceed to dance, and drink, the night away, Paul realizes that Gwen has a lot to offer the right man. Too tipsy to drive home, they are forced to share a room and that leads to complications neither are ready to face. As time went on, Paul discovers depth to Gwen that he never expected and realizes that he had been taking looks for granted while passing off everyone else. Gwen, too, has to adjust her thinking about "beautiful people" that they are not all as shallow as her family.
Another good read from Jo Leigh!
Another good read from Jo Leigh!
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