Strike a Match

No Match for Love #5

by Lindzee Armstrong

A broken widow who’s lost everything to a fire. The attractive fireman who broke the news. Can the ashes of their pasts hold their happily ever after?

Kate is finally free, and it only cost her everything she owns. When a house fire kills her abusive husband, she’s given a second chance at happiness—one she’s not about to waste. This time she’s being smart about love and enlisting the help of professional matchmaking firm Toujour. Surely they can succeed where Kate has always failed and find her the perfect man.

Taylor is a firefighter with a serious hero complex that’s earned him a string of dysfunctional relationships. Toujour seems like the perfect solution to his self-sabotaging behavior. But then he’s matched with Kate, the intriguing nurse he met on his very first fire.

After one uncomfortable date, they’re determined to forget the fire and go their separate ways—until Taylor saves Kate’s life. Their chemistry is undeniable, but past relationship fears threaten to tear them apart. Can the ashes of their pasts hold their happily ever after?

This is a sweet/clean contemporary romantic comedy novella that will delight readers who love Hallmark movies. Each book in this series by USA Today bestselling author Lindzee Armstrong can be read as a stand-alone.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Novella

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2016

About the author

LINDZEE ARMSTRONG is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty-five heartfelt romances. A RONE Award winner and two-time Whitney Award finalist, she writes stories filled with complex relationships, emotional depth, and playful humor. Fueled by Diet Dr. Pepper and fictional angst, she can win any Gilmore Girls trivia contest yet rarely remembers what she ate for breakfast. Lindzee believes every relationship has a story worth telling—and she's determined to write them all.

Reviews

[Julie Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire, death, loss, hurt, freedom, sorrow, anger, letting go, moving on, matchmaking, sparks, trucks, rebuilding, kids, scrubs, uniforms, food, peanuts, parties, shoes, clothes, safety, smiles, happiness, cute, cute, cute!

Those are a few words that describe this novella really well. When I picked it up it was listed as #1 in the series on Amazon, and if you know me, I love order and especially reading a series in order, or watching a tv series in order. I don't want to miss anything. Lol. My hubby loves to turn on Netflix, find a series(especially one that I'm in the middle of) and skip to the end and start watching it. A debate ensues, more like me asking him to go back to where I'm at and wait or watch it when I'm not around. He's wonderful and does wait for me but he wants to know the ending and then is happy even if he doesn't watch all the in between. I just can't miss any of the little details. Those are all little signs and they all build and reveal and weave together the whole story(especially murder mysteries). That's what I love about reading, and series especially because I get to have this beautiful tapestry woven together strand by strand until I have the full picture.

Ok, little tangent there but needless to say, I went forward and didn't go back to the beginning of the series even though I realized this was the end. I did do some digging to make sure this would work as a stand alone and it does. Except after this one I'm going back to the beginning. Hee Hee! I actually listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. I've listened to her narrate another book by Lindzee and thought she did a great job. I believe she's the same narrator for this whole series. I'm loving these audiobooks, I can listen to a book while I'm working and chauffeuring my family around(I spend a lot of time in my truck in the mornings getting everyone off to school).

Kate is trying to move on and has a lot of pain from her past that she's dealing with. She was a strong female character that I loved. There were a few moments that she got pretty straight forward with Taylor and called him out for something that she wasn't ok with. More so something that occurred in her marriage and she had since realized she didn't have to put up with that and she could choose very carefully what she wanted and how she was going to move forward with her life.

Taylor had some of his own battles he was dealing with and needed to learn and realize that he wasn't always right in his choices. But he was definitely a great hero and gave a great swoony aspect to this story of love and healing.

Content: Clean. Some sweet kisses. Some talk about characters being drunk and alcoholics and the effects that caused in their lives but nothing graphic.

I received an audiobook from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook the second time around. I'd forgotten parts of the story such as Taylor's alcoholic sister that he tries to help, not realizing that he's not helping but enabling her to continue in her unhealthy lifestyle.

Kate's emotionally abusive husband dies in a house fire and Kate feels relieved, yet guilty for not missing him. 18 months later Kate has a new job, a newly rebuilt house, and decides she's ready to start dating again. She turns to Toujour, a matchmaking service, to help her get back into the dating world.

Taylor, a firefighter, also a client of Toujour, is one of 3 guys matched up with Kate. What Kate doesn't realize until their first date, is that Taylor is the firefighter she met the night her house burned down and her husband died, but Taylor remembers her.

Kate is determined to leave the past behind and doesn't want any reminders of her deceased husband. What will it take for Kate to give Taylor a chance? Is Taylor willing to the necessary changes in his life for Kate to give him a chance?

This is a clean romance story. I really got into this book from the beginning and listened to it/read it in one evening. It was great that Brooke is Kate's counsultant at Toujour. Looking forward to reading more in the No Match For Love series.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. It had characters struggling through real life messes which made them perfectly imperfect. I kinda wish I could have had more of this story- a full book instead of a novella- but it was great addition to this fun series.

Content: Clean

[Cindy ✩☽♔ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, just shallow

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute, quick read with engaging characters. Loved it!

[Siv30 · Rating 2 out of 5]

למעט הספר הראשון (0.5) הספרים בסידרה הזו מסתברים כפשוט מאכזבים. ולא שחסר פוטנציאל לעלילה של הספר, אבל איכשהו הסופרת חוזרת ומפספסת הופכת זהב לקש.

הפעם זה סיפורם של טיילור, כבאי, וקיית אחות במקצועה. קיית סבלה מהתעמרות מילולית של בעלה רוב שנפגע בגבו בתאונה ואז מצא את מותו בשריפה. כשהיא מגיעה למקום השריפה היא משוחחת עם הכבאי שמצא אותו והוא מוסר לה על מותו.

שנה וחצי לאחר המוות, קיית נרשמת לסוכנות השידוכים טוז'ור ודרכם היא פוגשת בטיילור. למרות שקיית מסרבת להמשיך ולהיפגש עם טיילור החיים מזמנים להם מפגשים ולבסוף היא מסכימה לצאת איתו. עד כאן העלילה היתה סבירה, מה ששבר אותי שאחרי חודש שבו הם נפגשים 3 פעמים בערך, הצהרות האהבה עפות שם כמו יונים ששוחררו מהשובך. הצהרות די הזויות ביחס לעובדה שהם יצאו ל- 3 דייטים ושלא היה שום מגע מיני בינהם.

בקיצור הסידרה הזו מתגלה כאכזבה רבתית וסתמית.

[NaDell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read the other books in this series (actually didn't know it was part of a series until now), but this book stands alone. The characters are real and personable and well written.
The story is believable and easy to read and makes to root for the characters to find love with each other, despite the hurdles they go over.

[ach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked it. the style of writing, the story and the characters, i liked all of it.
No cheating or OW drama.
The h does go out on a date with another guy after she already went on a date with the H, but other than that there was no OM drama.
It was an enjoyable read.

[Bunnita (Worth Reading It?)]

It's your typical romance novel. Girl is down on herself while guy see her strength more than she does. With that being said, I liked it. I like watching Kate learn more about herself.

Like many women she tend to lose herself in relationships. I liked how she had to deal with the guilt of feeling relief that she wouldn't have to deal with her husband. It was a quick and enjoyable read for me.

[iamnotabookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strike a Match is part of the No Match for Love series. No Match for Love follows the matchmakers and the clients of a matchmaking company Toujour. I have read four books of the series. I have read and reviewed Meet Your Match. The two other books are Mistletoe Match and Miss Match. Though these books are part of a series, they are also stand-alone novels which can be read on their own.

What I like about Lindzee Armstrong's books are that they are all clean romances. Though I had my share of reading smutty stories, I still enjoy books which focus more on the development of the characters. I am sorry to say that there are just smutty stories are just that, not a lot of weight on the story but more on the steamy scenes. At first, they are entertaining but the next time, they lose their appeal because it was going nowhere or there was no plot at all. I would prefer stories with substance.

Strike a Match is the story of Kate and Taylor. Kate is a nurse and Taylor is a fire-fighter. They first met in a tragedy which was a turning point in Kate's sad and suffocating marriage life.

I admired Kate's character. I think she was portrayed honestly enough. If I were her, I would likely feel the same way about her husband. After what she'd been through, I don't think it was bad for her to feel that way. I think it would be so hypocrite of her to feel otherwise. I am glad that she was not portrayed a martyr though she had played that role quite awhile. She may just have called it kindness at that time. It was too much kindness and understanding on her part that she lost a part of herself.

Taylor, on the other hand, was someone shown as being too helpful to the point that he was being abused. He was indeed helping the wrong people and he was none the wiser until it was pointed out to him. I think it was a misguided concept of helping the needy because the needy person is not really needy at all but a parasite who was leeching all the kindness he can get from Taylor. I just didn't like the idea that even if he knew it, he still kept helping the person. I don't think helping was in anyway beneficial to that person. It was encouraging him to be irresponsible and selfish.

I am glad that in the end, the characters have resolved their issues. They have come to terms with whatever they need to confront -demons and skeletons in the closet and all. It was a good story. It has shown that sometimes helping means allowing a person to grow his/her backbone. Not to spoon-feed. To allow the person to grow on her own and take his/her initiative. That being happy for the change in circumstances or an end of a suffering, even if it was brought about by a sad event, is not a thing to be guilty of. Not all people know what you were going through so you can't expect them to understand how you feel. I think, as long as you are happy and you are not hurting anyone, it is okay. There is no reason to feel bad about being happy or to not deserve it.

I give the book 4/5 fire trucks. This story has reflected real situations in life. The story is not unique but it has explored a different aspect of loss and helping someone. It makes me think about helping the next person in need. I may have to ask myself if the person genuinely needs help or was he/she just taking advantage of my good and generous nature? I know a few people who will only remember that we are friends when they need something from me. It reminded of an edited version of a quote -What are friends for? Using each other. Yes, unfortunately, there are those that only use friendship as an excuse to benefit from someone. But I am not jaded, I have enough real and dependable friends who have always been there for me, whether I am happy or broke. The same as I am always there for them.

She needs someone who's going to be there for her, no matter what. Not someone with a misguided hero complex who's always rushing off to someone else's aid.
- Lindzee Armstrong, Strike a Match -


Thank you again, Lindzee Armstrong for the ARC.

[Deidra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall I was very pleased by this book. This book is a clean romance novella, that is the prequel in the “No Match for Love” series by Lindzee Armstrong. I listened to this book on Audible, narrated by Tiffany Williams.

As mentioned, this is a novella prequel to a series of books. This happened to be the first book in the series that I have had any experience with. As a novella, I expected it to be a bit faster paced; with a less depth in characterization and storyline. But I didn’t want to put this down, and kept listening to the book all the way through to the end.

I also enjoyed the characters that Lindzee Armstrong created in this novella. I am looking forward to getting to know the extra characters in this series, as I hope some of them are in the future books. For a novella, the main characters were well developed and I wanted them to succeed. I felt compassion for Kate and Taylor dealing with their own unique emotional situations. Kate dealing with the guilt over feeling free after the death of her emotionally abusive husband. Taylor dealing with his alcoholic twin sister.

I thought that the scenery and world that Lindzee Armstrong created here was well developed and descriptive. Nice description of the places the characters are interacting. The bowling alley, restaurants, fire station, and even the Toujour location we well described so you could get a clear picture in your head. I liked how you could feel the changes in the house from the time of the fire to the new house being built.

I listen to a great deal of books. A key to a good audio book is the narration. While a book can be well written and lovely; a poor narration can make it difficult and plodding to get through. Tiffany Williams does a great job at the narration for this novella. It is well paced and pleasing to listen to.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast-paced, more of a novella than a book. There are a lot of heavy issues dealt with for both the main characters, and I kinda felt that those issues were pretty heavy to be dealt with satisfactorily in such a short space of this story. Still, the characters are well-developed and have great interactions with each other. There are also some peripheral characters that were very well-developed and play a good role in the book. The matchmaker aspect of the series is very present in this story, unlike other stories in the series, where it's faded into the background or hardly mentioned at all. Overall, a great, entertaining, clean, and very quick read, though probably more 3.5 stars for me this time around.

***I received a copy of this book from the author as part of her review team in exchange for my honest review.***

[Elda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindzee Armstrong knows how to write a good, sweet, clean romance! And I love reading them! This one involves a fireman and a woman who lost her husband in their house fire. She used to be a rug for her husband to wipe his feet on but a year and a half after his death she has learned to respect herself more. She found her fireman through the Toujour Matchmaking service but their relationship gets off to a rocky start. With the help of Brooke, their matchmaking advisor, they learned to iron out their differences. This story really hit home with me because I was able to relate with widow. Many characters in Ms Armstrong's books are down to earth and real lifelike human beings which makes her stories believable and enjoyable to read.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

This novella introduces many heavy themes of abuse and enabling behavior, and the characters show an admirable amount of growth throughout the story

Read full review in the 2017 September issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this quirky series. Book two struggles with many surprises one after another. Kate and Tyler have to work at their relationship but it's worth the climb. I cannot wait to read book 3!

[Texas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Match #1 - This well written romance takes place eight years after they met in high school. The characters, from Meet Your Match, are still believable, the dialogue realistic and the plot well thought out, fun with a touch of sadness. Definitely, a great relationship romance.

Not Your Match #2 - Heartwarming. Another well written, funny romance with believable characters and an interesting plot. This book is just as hard to put down as the other books by the author. The author writes substantial stories that reflect real life; not the fluffy, cozy type of books that are so common.

Mix 'N Match #3 - Paris sounds like fun. Heartwarming. A well written, funny romance with believable characters, realistic dialog and an interesting plot. I couldn't put the book down until the last word. This author never disappoints and her work is substantial, not fluffy.

Meet Your Match #4 - Fun. Not my age group, but this is a cute story about how high school-aged Brooke became a matchmaker. Another well written, interesting story with believable characters and storyline. Has a preview of what the book is about, which I appreciate knowing before I read any book.

Strike A Match #5 - Heartwarming! A well written, interesting romance with believable characters and plot. The book never looses the reader's attention and can be read easily in one sitting.

Mistletoe Match #6- Heartwarming with humor. Another well written, substantial, interesting romance with believable characters and fun plot. This book is just as hard to put down as the other books by the author.

Match Me If You Can #7 - Heartwarming with humor. Another well written, substantial, interesting romance with believable characters and fun plot. This book is just as hard to put down as the other books by an author who writes substantial stories that reflect real life; not the fluffy, cozy type of books that are so common. I contacted the author to review her books.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series, it's sweet and keeps me entertained. Kate feels relief when her abusive husband dies in a house fire. Now 18 months later, she is ready to begin a new life, with a new home. Taylor, a firefighter is also looking for his future. The two sign up for a matchmaking service, and little do they know, they are a match! What Kate doesn't realize though is that Taylor is one of the firefighters that was at her house fire. Now what happens next is pivotal and not so expected. What I love about this series is it's not all roses and candy. Armstrong weaves in true feelings from life experiences and lets the characters work through them. Kate could at times for me be a whiny woman, not really wanting to move on, and leaving me frustrated. Taylor is too understanding! But together, I love how they each separately and together are living life. It may not work out as we expect all the way through, but it's real. I enjoy books like this.

Tiffany Williams continues her narration of the series with her warm and harmonious voice. I love her way of connecting with characters, as she brings out the personalities. It's evident in this one, as Kate is really conflicted and we can definitely feel her own frustration in the story. Williams is one of my favorites, and I can't wait til the next one.

[Tricia V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little romance story, but nothing to write home about. While I enjoyed seeing Kate and Taylor get to know each other, there wasn’t really much that jumped off the page at me. Don’t get me wrong, it was a cute story to read. It just didn’t wow me.

I feel the need to warn any potential readers about the emotional abuse that takes place in this story. While the actual abuse is done by Kate’s husband before he dies in the house fire, its effects are evident throughout the entire story. If you are uncomfortable reading about someone who’s still suffering from the effects of emotional abuse, this probably won’t be the right read for you. If you’re okay with reading about this stuff and are looking for a cute romance read, this one will do you just fine.

If you’re looking for a cute and quick romance to read, this read might do you well. I like a little more meat to my romances than this one had, which contributes to the fact that I didn’t love it as much as I could have, but that doesn’t mean you yourself won’t enjoy this read. Yes, I realize that this is a novella and therefore a shorter romance read, but I’ve read novellas that I’ve enjoyed because they have weight to them that I didn’t find in this read.

Full review here: https://phantomofthelibrary.com/2020/...

[Zara Quintana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Shorter Listen Romance as Standalone or in Series. I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom. This book is the first I have listened to in a series. It is actually book #5 even-though I have seen it referenced as book #1 somewhere in audio. I enjoyed this cute and heart touching romance so much that I looked up the others in the series and purchased some of the first audiobooks in the series with my KU upgrades. I get the impression that the related material is around the matchmaking service and not characters that you have to know all the history about to enjoy each book. Tiffany Williams narrates each of the books in the series. I enjoyed her performance in this audiobook and can expect to enjoy her performance in the others as well. I'm really currious about the other books by Lindzee Armstrong. I seem to have several of her ebooks in my library but haven't gotten around to reading them with my limited time, but see that I have discounted upgrades to ones that have audible and have added them to my wishlist. I recommend this audiobook and encourage others to check out the other books in the series and by this author.

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance, clean, Series, more of a 3.5.
This is a stand alone novel even though it is part of a series. Characters from other novellas appear in this read as supporting characters.
This was a fun read, although sad for the main character Kate who has had a difficult past. Taylor was a fun character, definitely giving, and generous, caring enough, but maybe too much with his sibling who is struggling with addiction.
This was a novella, so not as long, but still lots of fun details. They had some interesting miscommunications, particularly on their first date. Kate definitely struggled trying to get over her feelings regarding their initial meeting at the house fire.
Still a cute fall, they both were definitely honest, genuine characters that were heartfelt in their emotions. The fact that they both had some issues to work through, and that they both were willing to give a little to help the other process through the issues made this more appealing to me. People do make mistakes, being willing to work through them, and work with someone that you have an emotional investment in made this a better read for me.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate is a nurse with a difficult marriage as a burden. Her husband has a broken back and its healing has been quite difficult . When she goes back home from one of her night shifts, she finds her house burning down and a sexy firefighter telling her that her husband has just passed away. Her shock of losing everything is quite strong but at the same time she feels relieved that she no longer needs to take care of a man who has mocked her for so long. Time heals her wounds and after almost 2 yrs Kate is ready to date again and she decides to sign up for “Toujour”, an online dating agency . She is absolutely unaware of the fact that her perfect match has been the one who hasn't forgotten her from that horrible night. Her match is no other than that sexy firefighter who has decided to sign up himself for the online dating. Fate surely acts in a strange way. Taylor is indeed a sweet and devoting man, the perfect one who will steal her heart since their first date. This is a lovely read with pure feelings that will warm your heart. I highly recommend this book.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate felt guilty for feeling relieved when her abusive husband died in a house fire. A year and a half later, Kate was happy with her new life, job, and house. She was ready to start dating so she turned to Toujour Matchmaking Service to help her with it.

Taylor was also a client of Toujour and was one of the matches they picked for Kate. During their first date, Taylor realized that she didn't recognize him as being a firefighter at the fire where her husband died. She didn't want any reminders of that night so their relationship wasn't off to a good start.

With internet dating being so popular at this time, this book had a good start. But it didn't end there. The characters both had their own demons to live with. Kate with her guilt over not missing her husband and Taylor with his alcoholic sister who he was enabling without realizing it. Kate and Taylor had a lot of baggage to work though if they were going to make a go of it. Can they do it? This sweet romance is worth reading to find out.

[Donna Midgley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a feel-good story and I loved everything about this book!
Kate has been married for a while but it’s not a happy marriage. Her husband, Beau has always been controlling and she doesn’t seem to know what to do. She finishes work at the hospital and drives home to find her house on fire and the fire brigade are already there tackling it. Kate loses her husband that night.
The book fast forwards eighteen months and Kate is trying to get on with her life and start living again. Unfortunately, the past comes back to haunt her when she decides to sign up to a dating agency who then sets her up on a date with Taylor. Taylor knows who she is but she can’t quite place him until he tells her that he was one of the firefighters that was at her house the night her husband died and he was the one that told her.
The book is a lot of will they won’t they as there is a lot between them but I absolutely loved it and I love the characters. They were really easy to love.

[Caroline Woodhall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate was returning home from a long day at the hospital to find her house was in flames, she was told by a fireman that her husband beau had died in the fire. Kate and her husband didn't have a very good relationship since her husband broke his back not long after they got married.
Kate decided to try the dating agency in town after 18 months of loosing her husband and with the help of Brooke she picked Taylor out who she thought was familiar but couldn't place him, it wasn't until he said who he was when they were bowling that she was ready to go home but he talked her into staying.
Its a real heart warming story as they both have a lot of baggage and Taylor has a twin sister who takes him for granted all the time and he is always bailing her out of trouble through her drinking.
Great story's really well written.

[Janene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrator-Tiffany Williams: 5 stars

What I liked and my thoughts about this book:

• I liked how patient Taylor was with Kate. He was a great guy.
• The book brings to the fore front how devastating verbal abuse can be. That it leaves damage to those who are on the receiving end if it.
• This book also shows how detrimental enabling is to alcoholics. Sometimes, we enable alcoholics when we don't let them suffer the consequences of their actions. Why seek help, when someone always bails you out?
• This was a clean read and I appreciated that fact.

This was an enjoyable quick listen/read. If you like sweet matchmaking romances, I think you'll enjoy this one.

At my request, I was given a free copy of this audiobook from the author. I have voluntarily left my review and my opinions were my own.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I cannot get enough of it. Toujour is a matchmaking company that brings couples that I just adore together. Kate and Taylor are a perfect match. Kate has seen her share of bad relationships and it is ironic that her husband dies in a fire. Taylor is a firefighter who has had his fair share of bad relationships. Both of them turn to Toujour for a chance at love. Once they meet the fires really ignite. I love the chemistry between Kate and Taylor. They have a very sweet love, that is heartwarming. This was a fun listen that I could not put down.

Tiffany Williams has the perfect voice for this series. She brings out the sweetness of their relationship. Ms. WIlliams has a versatile voice and easily narrates both male and female characters with ease. Every time I hear a narration of Ms. WIlliams, I get lost in the story and feel as if I am a part of it.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever felt relief yet guilt at the same time or 1 now and the other in your next breath? Welcome to Kate's world. Years of abuse, not physically, but when she'd rather work hours n hours at the hospital instead of going home to Beau, something needed to change, then it did. A house fire caused by Beau who fell asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand.
Now a year and a half later, Kate is single (widowed), has a new home, a new job and new application submitted through Toujour, the matchmaking agency. Where she meets Brooke, the "best matchmaker" they have, who pairs her with Fireman Taylor, the twin of troubled sister Amy. Now both Kate & Taylor are the best at their jobs that they love, it's too bad they haven't been able to say the same about their love life(s).
Grab your copy and find out if they find their Happily Ever After together or individually or nothing at all.

[Barbi Huhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick fun read.
Kate is a nurse who comes home from a long hospital shift to find that her house has caught on fire and her husband has been killed. Fast forward a year later and she is somewhat ready to date again. She enlists a dating service to help her. Her first date is with Taylor, the fireman who told her husband was dead.
Throw in a peanut allergy for Kate and a drunk twin sister for Taylor and there are definite challenges. Plus, add in a few more first dates with Kate.
It all ends well but the challenges along the way make you feel for both sides and shake your head sometimes.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strike a Match by Lindzee Armstrong is a fun romance. At 138 pages, it is an easy to read, one sitting novella. Nurse Kaitlynn Monroe walks home from her shift at the hospital one night to find her home on fire and her husband dead. Eighteen months later, Kaitlynn now works at a pediatrician's office, has a new house, and is ready to date. She joins a matchmaking company for help. Her first date turns out to be Taylor Coleman, the fireman who had to tell her she was a widow. Are they meant to be a couple? This is a cute story with likable characters. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading other books in this series.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content: Clean; brief mention of stillborn baby, house fire resulting in death, abuse, alcoholism

Just need to say, not everyone who is in chronic pain is a monster. I enjoyed there being more depth to this one with the abuse and the duel sides of the grief. But then I felt we suddenly had an epilog. I actually jerked my head to look at the screen reading to me, because I thought something went wrong because it felt so abrupt. I'd have really liked it to be fleshed out instead of doing the wrap of chapter of "and all this happened." I guess still 4 stars because up until that, I was feeling it.