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The Perfect Match
Ever since Sydney Armytage was a small girl, her ruling concern was her younger sister Meriel's happiness. Meriel was left motherless at birth, and Sydney watched over her anxiously as Meriel grew up to be ravishingly and dangerously beautiful.
Now at last the ideal man to lead Meriel into the haven of lawful wedlock had appeared. Sir Max Westbrook was handsome, witty, intelligent, charming--the very model of a gentleman. If only Meriel would see Max as Sydney did, instead of losing sight of his virtues in the swarm of her suitors. If only Sydney could stop looking at her sister's perfect match in a way that could ruin even the best-laid plans. And if only this most sensible older sister could force herself to put down the maddening rebellion of her own traitor heart...
Now at last the ideal man to lead Meriel into the haven of lawful wedlock had appeared. Sir Max Westbrook was handsome, witty, intelligent, charming--the very model of a gentleman. If only Meriel would see Max as Sydney did, instead of losing sight of his virtues in the swarm of her suitors. If only Sydney could stop looking at her sister's perfect match in a way that could ruin even the best-laid plans. And if only this most sensible older sister could force herself to put down the maddening rebellion of her own traitor heart...
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 6, 1983
79 people want to read
About the author
Norma Lee Clark
20 books6 followersPseudonym: Megan O'Connor
Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, Clark began her career in show business with the Pittsburgh Children’s Theater and later acted at the Rochester Arena Theater. In the late 1940s, she moved to New York to take the female lead in the Buck Rogers TV series, “Captain Video and His Video Ranger,” which ran 1949 to 1955.
Her marriage to lighting designer David Clark ended in divorce.
She is survived by husband, Dimitri Vassilopoulos, her two daughters, Megan Clark and Emily Carvajal, and two grandchildren.
Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, Clark began her career in show business with the Pittsburgh Children’s Theater and later acted at the Rochester Arena Theater. In the late 1940s, she moved to New York to take the female lead in the Buck Rogers TV series, “Captain Video and His Video Ranger,” which ran 1949 to 1955.
Her marriage to lighting designer David Clark ended in divorce.
She is survived by husband, Dimitri Vassilopoulos, her two daughters, Megan Clark and Emily Carvajal, and two grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 24, 2015
THE PERFECT MATCH was a most unusual traditional Regency romance. The story concerned two sisters: the older on-the-shelf Miss Sydney Armytage who wiled away her days on her father's country estate. She judged herself, unfairly, as plain in appearance. Her temperament was quiet when needed to be, kindly when dealing with her nosey neighbors and caring when she thought of her father and sister. She had loved once when she was very young but settled on the fact that she would assist her father when he became elderly.
Her pursuit at present was to see her younger sister, Meriel, make a good connection: THE PERFECT MATCH. As different as night is to day, Meriel was extremely pretty, absent-minded at times, tall, and content not to worry about daily matters. The family had just met Sir Max Westbrook; someone who had recently moved to their village and, in Sydney's mind, a good husband for Meriel.
Que sera, sera.....
This story could easily have been a dry, boring, cookie-cutter historical romance. Instead, Ms. Clark makes all of her characters interesting. Sydney and Meriel: two very different sisters. Sir Max: why did he choose Upper Chyppen as his home for the moment? Is Edward Trevellion a mama's boy or does he have a mind of his own? What about the effeminate-looking Morgan Leighton and why is he staying on? And the very shallow, vindictive Arabella Cole and her brother please-get-a-backbone Claiborne. There is even a that is introduced.
Though you have a good idea of who will be partnered with whom, THE PERFECT MATCH was an entertaining story. Formality reeked from the pages. Appearances, the right word and a proper look were all-important. Or were they? And the author added a deviousness to her malicious characters with their clipped, cruel taunts about others.
"Dear Claiborne, so droll. Do you know, Arabella, my pet," Tristan continued without lowering his voice in the least, "Claiborne sometimes has that vacuous look of a creature who has not yet discovered the functions of his thumbs."
Norma Lee Clark wrote 19 historical and/or Regency romances from the late 1970's until the early 1990's. None of her books are on Kindle. She also was an actress and longtime personal assistant to Woody Allen before passing away at the age of 75 from cancer in 2002.
A PERFECT MATCH is definitely for fans of traditional-style Regency romances. It was a character-driven story. With more depth than the norm, the only two downsides for me was it took until almost the end for Sydney and Max to vocalize their love for one another. And there was some slow reading at times; I wanted to jump into the book and push everyone along.
Her pursuit at present was to see her younger sister, Meriel, make a good connection: THE PERFECT MATCH. As different as night is to day, Meriel was extremely pretty, absent-minded at times, tall, and content not to worry about daily matters. The family had just met Sir Max Westbrook; someone who had recently moved to their village and, in Sydney's mind, a good husband for Meriel.
Que sera, sera.....
This story could easily have been a dry, boring, cookie-cutter historical romance. Instead, Ms. Clark makes all of her characters interesting. Sydney and Meriel: two very different sisters. Sir Max: why did he choose Upper Chyppen as his home for the moment? Is Edward Trevellion a mama's boy or does he have a mind of his own? What about the effeminate-looking Morgan Leighton and why is he staying on? And the very shallow, vindictive Arabella Cole and her brother please-get-a-backbone Claiborne. There is even a that is introduced.
Though you have a good idea of who will be partnered with whom, THE PERFECT MATCH was an entertaining story. Formality reeked from the pages. Appearances, the right word and a proper look were all-important. Or were they? And the author added a deviousness to her malicious characters with their clipped, cruel taunts about others.
"Dear Claiborne, so droll. Do you know, Arabella, my pet," Tristan continued without lowering his voice in the least, "Claiborne sometimes has that vacuous look of a creature who has not yet discovered the functions of his thumbs."
Norma Lee Clark wrote 19 historical and/or Regency romances from the late 1970's until the early 1990's. None of her books are on Kindle. She also was an actress and longtime personal assistant to Woody Allen before passing away at the age of 75 from cancer in 2002.
A PERFECT MATCH is definitely for fans of traditional-style Regency romances. It was a character-driven story. With more depth than the norm, the only two downsides for me was it took until almost the end for Sydney and Max to vocalize their love for one another. And there was some slow reading at times; I wanted to jump into the book and push everyone along.
May 15, 2019
Utterly charming and endearing!
Slow and encompassing in the ways of a traditional regency and especially so as it’s set in a small village, Upper Chyppen and the local gentry - get to play minor characters in the story with everyone’s pov included! But it’s well paced and never gets boring or bogged down - keeping 'traditionals' as standard!
*with Spoilers*
Slow and encompassing in the ways of a traditional regency and especially so as it’s set in a small village, Upper Chyppen and the local gentry - get to play minor characters in the story with everyone’s pov included! But it’s well paced and never gets boring or bogged down - keeping 'traditionals' as standard!
*with Spoilers*
January 13, 2018
You can find this review in English below.
Esta es la primera vez que leo a esta autora y no va a ser la última. En general me ha gustado su estilo. Fiel a la época que describe, personajes muy complejos y trabajados y una trama interesante donde tienen cabida varias historias a la vez.
Ha sido especialmente llamativo cómo nos muestra el punto de vista de cada personaje desde dentro del mismo. Nos abre las puertas para que los conozcamos en profundidad y son increíblemente realistas. A pesar de que hay buenos y hay malos, la autora no te deja encasillarlos tan fácilmente y, al final, no son más que seres humanos con sus virtudes y sus defectos. Me ha impactado. Suma a esto que todos y cada uno de los pensamientos son sinceros y creíbles y ya tienes la receta casi perfecta.
Pero, y para mí es un gran pero, la totalidad de la trama acaba recayendo en los malentendidos y/o la falta de comunicación. Y aunque al principio me pareció interesante y bien ejecutado, el hecho de alargarlo hasta el mismo final no le ha venido nada bien a la historia. El final se me ha hecho pesado, y el final debería ser lo mejor.
Aún así, ha sido refrescante leer sobre una familia normal, donde todos su miembros se quieren y quieren lo mejor para el otro. Que dialogan y que son buenas personas. Y que viven en una comunidad con una gran variedad de gente normal. ¡Ah!, casi se me olvida, y hay hasta tres felices para siempre.
:)
***
This is the first time I read something by this author and it will not be the last. In general I liked her style, true to the era she describes, with very complex and well thought-out background characters and an interesting plot where several stories can be accommodated at the same time.
It has been especially striking how she shows us the point of view of each character from inside them. It opens the doors for us to know them in depth and they are incredibly realistic. Although there are good ones and there are bad ones, the author does not let you pigeonhole them so easily and, in the end, they are only human beings with their virtues and their defects. It has impressed me. Add to this that each one of the thoughts are sincere and credible and you already have the recipe to an almost perfect romance.
But, and for me it is a big but, the whole of the plot ends up resting in the misunderstandings and/or the lack of communication. And although at first I found it interesting and well done, the fact of extending it to the very end has not done the story any good. I got bored towards the end, and the end should be the best.
Still, it has been refreshing to read about a normal family, where all its members love each other and want the best for each other. They are good people who live in a community with a great variety of normal people. Ah, I almost forgot! and there are up to three HEA´s.
:)
Esta es la primera vez que leo a esta autora y no va a ser la última. En general me ha gustado su estilo. Fiel a la época que describe, personajes muy complejos y trabajados y una trama interesante donde tienen cabida varias historias a la vez.
Ha sido especialmente llamativo cómo nos muestra el punto de vista de cada personaje desde dentro del mismo. Nos abre las puertas para que los conozcamos en profundidad y son increíblemente realistas. A pesar de que hay buenos y hay malos, la autora no te deja encasillarlos tan fácilmente y, al final, no son más que seres humanos con sus virtudes y sus defectos. Me ha impactado. Suma a esto que todos y cada uno de los pensamientos son sinceros y creíbles y ya tienes la receta casi perfecta.
Pero, y para mí es un gran pero, la totalidad de la trama acaba recayendo en los malentendidos y/o la falta de comunicación. Y aunque al principio me pareció interesante y bien ejecutado, el hecho de alargarlo hasta el mismo final no le ha venido nada bien a la historia. El final se me ha hecho pesado, y el final debería ser lo mejor.
Aún así, ha sido refrescante leer sobre una familia normal, donde todos su miembros se quieren y quieren lo mejor para el otro. Que dialogan y que son buenas personas. Y que viven en una comunidad con una gran variedad de gente normal. ¡Ah!, casi se me olvida, y hay hasta tres felices para siempre.
:)
***
This is the first time I read something by this author and it will not be the last. In general I liked her style, true to the era she describes, with very complex and well thought-out background characters and an interesting plot where several stories can be accommodated at the same time.
It has been especially striking how she shows us the point of view of each character from inside them. It opens the doors for us to know them in depth and they are incredibly realistic. Although there are good ones and there are bad ones, the author does not let you pigeonhole them so easily and, in the end, they are only human beings with their virtues and their defects. It has impressed me. Add to this that each one of the thoughts are sincere and credible and you already have the recipe to an almost perfect romance.
But, and for me it is a big but, the whole of the plot ends up resting in the misunderstandings and/or the lack of communication. And although at first I found it interesting and well done, the fact of extending it to the very end has not done the story any good. I got bored towards the end, and the end should be the best.
Still, it has been refreshing to read about a normal family, where all its members love each other and want the best for each other. They are good people who live in a community with a great variety of normal people. Ah, I almost forgot! and there are up to three HEA´s.
:)
October 19, 2012
I thought this was a fun "old school" regency, filled with endearing characters, as well as some silly characters. I liked our heroines Meriel and Sydney, both sisters were likable. There were some fun side characters, the obnoxious Bella and slimy Morgan. Both added quite a bit of amusement to the story. I do wish there had been a bit more focus or interactions betweeen Sydney and Max, they kind of got lost with everything else going on. Overall, a lighthearted tale thats style reminded me a bit of Austen.
Content: Clean.
Content: Clean.
May 18, 2023
In a competition of reality/credibility, this Regency romance bits most of the genre.
The atmosphere like in Austen's novels (and like the best of BBC period drama), slow love stories (without all those modern tendencies, which I like sometimes, but I know they are unrealistic - considering the era), and believable characters (deeply rooted in the epoch).
It was definitely charming, and character-driven - worth reading by each fan of the genre.
Yet, perhaps because I am spoilt by the other examples of the genre, I felt a little bit of a lack of spark or something that could have captivated me/sped my heartbeat a bit, etc. So not 5 stars but almost (4-4.5).
The atmosphere like in Austen's novels (and like the best of BBC period drama), slow love stories (without all those modern tendencies, which I like sometimes, but I know they are unrealistic - considering the era), and believable characters (deeply rooted in the epoch).
It was definitely charming, and character-driven - worth reading by each fan of the genre.
Yet, perhaps because I am spoilt by the other examples of the genre, I felt a little bit of a lack of spark or something that could have captivated me/sped my heartbeat a bit, etc. So not 5 stars but almost (4-4.5).
August 28, 2017
A lighthearted romance about two sisters, the older one thinks that she is a spinster and plots a match for the younger, beautiful one. I like this author so much but her books are difficult to find.
May 17, 2018
4.45 stars - pg13 (typical secular “clean” traditional regency with a few, fairly mild, objectionable bits)
The whole book is like sitting by the pond on a warm, slow, lazy, peaceful summer afternoon. Quite lovely . . . but not exactly riveting.
I almost think that with its feel and cast of characters it would make a better BBC period drama than a book: the Austen-like feel of the small village of Upper Chyppen --- the lending library --- the shopkeepers --- nosy, gossiping neighbors --- regular church attendance --- small-town dinners with always the same few acceptable, “lower” gentry guests (the vicar, the squire and his wife, etc.) --- the sparkling new gowns brought out in excitement for the dance at the nearby assembly hall --- the horrible, pretentious, self-centered Arabella and, Claiborne, her clueless buffoon of a brother who unwittingly spoils his sister’s conniving schemes over and over again --- the flamboyant Tristan Foxx with the rapier, nasty tongue, who has a rather perverted secret known only to Arabella who has no qualms to use it as blackmail --- Mr. Leighton, the slimy, icky, nut-job, narcissistic, sort-of-kind-of-villain --- the two sisters, Sydney and Meriel, our major and minor heroines, so very different in personality but equally likable --- the sisters’ doting, studious, good-natured, country-gent father who sees more and is wiser than we first assume --- there’s Edward Trevellion who may, or may not, be marriage material --- and last, but not least, Sir Max Westbrook, higher on the gentry scale, new to the area and causing quite the stir, he’s surely the perfect husband for one of our local young ladies?!
The romance didn’t really get moving until the last quarter of the book which, of course, was my favorite part. Had the story moved a bit faster, I would have probably given it five stars. (So far, my favorite book by this author is The Daring Duchess.)
For a much more proper review see Linda’s review
(Note to self: Some of Clark's other books are "darker" and less clean, so be careful when choosing.)
The whole book is like sitting by the pond on a warm, slow, lazy, peaceful summer afternoon. Quite lovely . . . but not exactly riveting.
I almost think that with its feel and cast of characters it would make a better BBC period drama than a book: the Austen-like feel of the small village of Upper Chyppen --- the lending library --- the shopkeepers --- nosy, gossiping neighbors --- regular church attendance --- small-town dinners with always the same few acceptable, “lower” gentry guests (the vicar, the squire and his wife, etc.) --- the sparkling new gowns brought out in excitement for the dance at the nearby assembly hall --- the horrible, pretentious, self-centered Arabella and, Claiborne, her clueless buffoon of a brother who unwittingly spoils his sister’s conniving schemes over and over again --- the flamboyant Tristan Foxx with the rapier, nasty tongue, who has a rather perverted secret known only to Arabella who has no qualms to use it as blackmail --- Mr. Leighton, the slimy, icky, nut-job, narcissistic, sort-of-kind-of-villain --- the two sisters, Sydney and Meriel, our major and minor heroines, so very different in personality but equally likable --- the sisters’ doting, studious, good-natured, country-gent father who sees more and is wiser than we first assume --- there’s Edward Trevellion who may, or may not, be marriage material --- and last, but not least, Sir Max Westbrook, higher on the gentry scale, new to the area and causing quite the stir, he’s surely the perfect husband for one of our local young ladies?!
The romance didn’t really get moving until the last quarter of the book which, of course, was my favorite part. Had the story moved a bit faster, I would have probably given it five stars. (So far, my favorite book by this author is The Daring Duchess.)
For a much more proper review see Linda’s review
(Note to self: Some of Clark's other books are "darker" and less clean, so be careful when choosing.)
January 21, 2019
It was well written but I couldn’t finish it. The villains were truly annoying and I suppose that the strength of my dislike shows the skill of the writer. There was one scene with Sydney and Meriel which was beautiful, I could see the scenery in my mind. Anyway I couldn’t finish it because I couldn’t stand the villains
November 9, 2018
2 1/2
Nothing special. Great setting. I just didn’t feel any connection with the characters.
Nothing special. Great setting. I just didn’t feel any connection with the characters.
September 30, 2009
A sweet regency romance. Easy read.
August 4, 2015
Darling book!
It is a darling book but, it was so preachy and so wordy, I can only give it 3 stars this time around
It is a darling book but, it was so preachy and so wordy, I can only give it 3 stars this time around
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews