The Heart Match

Maple Gardens Matchmakers #1

by Phillipa Nefri Clark

A long lost jade necklace. One chance to find it. And two hearts at risk.

Izzie Davis might be broke but she will never accept charity. Which is a problem, because the cute guy she met visiting Maple Gardens Assisted Living could solve all her financial woes with a click of his fingers. Keeping her mom’s fees up to date takes almost all her meagre income but she's seen what money does to some people and will never seek out wealth.

Bart Brown inherited more money than he knows what to do with, but the one person he’d love to spend it on happens to be a spitfire who sticks to her principles. The only way she’ll date him is if he promises he won’t ever spend money on her. His generous heart doesn't quite understand but she is worth the compromise.

But when the family heirloom Izzie's been desperate to buy back for her mom is up for auction, Bart wants to change the rules. And she has to decide if love matters more than principles because now there’s more at stake than a necklace.

Part Cinderella retelling, part billionaire romance, and a touch of enemies to lovers... all wrapped up in a clean and sweet contemporary romance with a swoony happy ever after.

About the series: Maple Gardens has the best of care for its residents. Staff who go the extra mile. And a small group of elderly friends who want nothing more than to see their loved ones find romance. Even if it takes a bit of a nudge sometimes. And a whole lot of meddling.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2022

About the author

Phillipa lives just outside a beautiful town in country Victoria, Australia. She also lives in the many worlds of her imagination and stockpiles stories beside her laptop.

She writes from the heart about love, dreams, secrets, discovery, the sea, the world as she knows it… or wishes it could be. She loves happy endings, heart-pounding suspense, and characters who stay with you long after the final page.

With a passion for music, the ocean, nature, reading, and writing, she is often found in the vegetable garden pondering a new story.

Reviews

[Brenda]

Maple Gardens Assisted Living was where Izzie had her beloved mother. It was expensive but Izzie was determined that her mother would be happy in her final years. When Izzie was visiting her mother one morning, she found her with Lawrence, a lovely man who couldn't talk. And the young man with Lawrence was his nephew, Bartholomew Brown, the man who'd gone from rags to riches when he'd inherited everything from his uncle. Sparks flew between the two of them, but Izzie knew she wasn't anywhere in Bart's league. Would he abide by Izzie's rules in order to stay by her side?

The Heart Match is the 1st in the Maple Gardens Matchmakers series by Aussie author Phillipa Nefri Clark and it was a delightful, heartwarming tale. At the crux of this one was a long-lost jade necklace; and the relationship between two people. A thoroughly enjoyable read which I recommend.

[Helen]

This is a delightfully sweet romance, one that had me feeling lots of emotions while reading, Izzie Davis meets handsome billionaire Bart Brown at the nursing home her mother is in and she has no intentions of getting to know him, but Bart has other ideas.

Izzie has led a life of frugal living, money means nothing to her after what her father did to her and her mother Margaret, but Izzie has a heart of gold and is working so hard to keep her mother well looked after and there is the searching she is doing for the jade necklace. Charity is something that is a no, no to Izzie but when she meets casino owner Bart Brown she is determined not to like him but that is not easy, I mean he is gorgeous.

Bart has been left a fortune from his uncle who is living in Maple Gardens nursing home, it is not the life he is used to but he is getting on with life and donating a lot of money to needy causes, when he meets Izzie at the nursing home he is determined to get to know her better.

This is a lovely story, a beautiful romance, Izzie does fall hard for Bart but there are issues with gifts and this causes a lot of problems for them because Bart wants so much to buy the woman he loves gifts, Izzie can be really stubborn and it takes a while before she sees that it is part and parcel of a loving relationship. Bart is such a wonderful hero, I loved him and his patience, and he is just what Izzie needs. I did very mush enjoy this story smiles from me and I do highly recommend it and I am looking forward to Isaac and Olivia’s story.

[Angela]

The Heart Match (Maple Gardens Matchmakers #1) by Phillipa Nefri Clark

Synopsis /

Izzie Davis might be broke but she will never accept charity. Which is a problem, because the cute guy she met visiting Maple Gardens Assisted Living could solve all her financial woes with a click of his fingers. Keeping her mom’s fees up to date takes almost all her meagre income but she's seen what money does to some people and will never seek out wealth.

Bart Brown inherited more money than he knows what to do with, but the one person he’d love to spend it on happens to be a spitfire who sticks to her principles. The only way she’ll date him is if he promises he won’t ever spend money on her. His generous heart doesn't quite understand but she is worth the compromise.

But when the family heirloom Izzie's been desperate to buy back for her mom is up for auction, Bart wants to change the rules. And she has to decide if love matters more than principles because now there’s more at stake than a necklace.


My Thoughts /

I needed to read a book written by Australian author, Phillipa Nefri Clark for a reading challenge, so chose The Heart Match, which is the first book in the Maple Gardens Matchmakers series.

This one is short, coming in at 209 pages and is described as a ‘sweet & swoony contemporary romance’. I’m not too sure about ‘swoony’ but it’s definitely a cute, (even though I hate using that word), romance story and an ideal palate cleanser between difficult reads.

Isobel (Izzie) Davis has lost her father and her mother, Margaret now resides in the Maple Gardens nursing home. It’s a little expensive, but Izzie knows her mother is happy there – the staff all go the extra mile for their residents and Izzie is reassured in the knowledge that her mother receives excellent medical care. So if Izzie has to go without sometimes and lead a frugal life, it’s worth it knowing that her mother is well cared for.

Bart Brown’s Uncle Lawrence has amassed a huge fortune during his working life. He has a talent for business and, for making money. But a recent illness has meant he’s had to step away from his business holdings and he has found himself a resident of Maple Gardens nursing home. Lawrence is Bart’s only remaining family member, and when his uncle moved into the nursing home, Bart found himself the heir to his uncle’s vast fortune.

When Isobel meets handsome billionaire Bart Brown at the nursing home, she has no intentions of getting to know him, but Bart has other ideas.

It was easy reading. The characters bright and bubbly; charming and endearing. The storyline, although twee and predictable was still engaging. It was heading straight to a 4-star finish. Except.

Except for the glaring grammatical errors and blinding spelling mistakes. Constantly using, Though instead of Thought and using the singular tense instead of the plural. Like a black bear in a snowstorm, they stood out and were haunting me from within their neatly typed pages. It’s not enough to run ‘spellcheck’ over a finished product; as this will not pick up words, that although are spelled correctly, are the wrong word. This would have to be one of my biggest gripes when reading. It’s not that hard to get right.

3 stars, she says, as she steps down from her soapbox.

[Craig and Phil]

Thank you Phillipa for gifting us a copy to read and review.
Romance can be interpreted many ways, it can be erotic, the formation of a relationship or subtly steamy.
The genre appeals to many and the diversity pleases me.
The cover will often reveal the level of sauciness and when I picked this up I knew it would be a subtle kind and I couldn’t wait to devour.
Set in America, it is the story of a struggling daughter that is keeping her mother in the best care facility she can.
Izzie has a firm grip on her moral compass and will not accept handouts.
Her determination to buy back a long lost family heirloom will challenge her and her ethos.
Bart Brown is the beneficiary of an estate so large it’s almost criminal.
His uncle who is also at the same health care facility has selected wisely knowing the traits, ethics and generosity of his nephew.
Bart lays eyes on Izzie and immediately wants what money can’t buy.
A Cinderella inspired story that will have the reader totally engaged and cheering for love as the two go down a rocky road trying to understand the parameters that cannot be crossed.
This great story is a good example how talented Aussie authors are writing for audiences across the globe.
I love mixing my genres and I picked this up at an apt time.
It was refreshing and entertaining.
Phillipa writes both Australian set and US set novels and is author we both enjoy here.

[Rachel]

A sweet romance with all the feelings. I enjoyed this book as Bart and Izzie search for a long-lost heirloom and fall in love while overcoming their fears and prejudices. An easy and fun read.

[Rekha Jindal]

I would rate the novel as 4 out of 5 as the novel " The Heart Match " is the full of romantic emotional that draws the attention to the readers deeply .the characters had left a deep impression on the mind of the reader.the characters. Olivia , Izzie Davis, Bart Brown,Darcy Margarette Elizabeth and Lawrence .the sweet story of love ,friendship revolves around the novel

Olivia was the mother of Izzie Davis who works dual toearn income .She worked in a coffee shop and her mother was a jeweller designer works for sale to be happened at jewellery shop .she was determined to sell her previous jewels but her daughter doesn't like her mother to work so she wanted to follow her own rules and regulation and she gave the best possible life to her mother .she make her mother started living in one of the best community Maple Ground Association where other residents also lived with her mother as her mother couldn't walk she usedwheelchair to moved here and there so she was dedicated towards her work and the society which she was living the nurses took care of the old aged people .Her mother met his friend ,Lawrence after so many days had got a feeling of admiration and affection for themen who couldn't talk but showed an emotional side of her towards the men who couldn't talk .it could be said love towards men but side by side couldn't be ignored the men. Where as the nephew of the men Bart Brown,who was young and handsome got a feeling of love towards her daughter and was the richest person as he inherited the wealth of his uncle .so she could do anything for the girl but the girl doesn't wanted charity for her family and doesn't want anyone 's wealth and possession .she always wanted to be an Independent and worked very hard to get her income which she spent on her mother.
One more love story was revealed here .Darcy who worked in the community of Maple loves Elizabeth and had confessed his likings and love towards the girl.
So the different characters sparks and chemistry of love was taken place between the lovers in the novel.

[Melissa Lewis]

The book started out so strong. Then, at about the 50% mark, something strange happened...It got mind-numbingly boring.
The two main characters Issie and Bart (Yeah, it took all I had to not think of "Eat my Shorts" or "Don't have a cow, man!" every time I read his name) Issie is poor, judgmental and has some unresolved Daddy issues. Oh! and she's "Not like other women" The author makes sure you remember that by repeating it every other chapter in some form or another. ...Bart... was a high school English teacher who came into a handful of casinos and billions of dollars. ...Bart, is "not like other billionaires." sure he drives a supercar, gets flashed by the paparazzi and goes to picnics in a limo, but he doesn't really enjoy the rich life...not really.
Things were going so well, they meet, they get shoved together for reasons, and they end up dating by the 45% mark. and the story just stops. It's no longer fun, just watching these two painfully try and figure each other out. Issie has issues with casinos and rich guys so it makes me wonder why she agreed to all of this so quickly.
Lots of melodrama follows. something small happens, BIG feelings everywhere. I ended up skimming the last 45 minutes of the book otherwise I would have DNF'ed it.
Strong start, but it fizzled out fast.

[JB]

good read

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. It was a good read. There was some conflict, but had that cozy mystery feel that you know what’s is happening all along. Enjoy!

[JAMES S MORRIS]

Excellent reading made you think about life .Could not stop reading until i read it all.Every one who reads will make them challenge their perception of life

[Lynn]

I found it hard to like Izzie. She was very prejudiced against Bart. She could have talked to him and explained her issues.

[Janene]

Review to come

[Dobby [on hiatus]]

DNF page 76, 36%

Not up to her usual standards.

[Cindy]

It took a while but Izzie finally came through with Bart. At times, Izzie was quite infuriating and her reactions seemed over the top.