Crazy Little Thing Called Matchmaking by Maggie Van Well
Title: Crazy Little Thing Called Matchmaking
Author: Maggie Van Well
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: CLP Blog Tours
Published: February 19, 2015 by Booktrope Publishing
Is it possible to find two loves in one lifetime?
Dubbed “The Child Whisperer” by his peers, twenty-nine-year-old Jake Harris is a lollipop-sucking, video game-playing pediatrician, who moves to Seashore Cove, Long Island to start a family. What he finds is an immediate attraction to his new nurse, Kate, and a list of reasons why he has to keep his distance.
Kate Henderson is a grieving widow with two teenage boys, struggling to keep her head above water. She knows exactly why she must fight her growing desire for the new doctor, and nothing is going to change that.
But Kate’s sons think Dr. Jake is the perfect match for their mother. When they put their heads together, the duo comes up with crazy little schemes in the hopes of igniting a spark.
The teenagers succeed in throwing them together but is it enough to make their mom and the doctor tear up their lists and take a chance on love?
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Why I Read This Book:
I love being involved with Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours and am always enjoy checking out the latest novels they promote. The description of this novel sounded like my kind of story; contemporary romance with humor.
My Review:
Crazy Little Thing Called Matchmaking is a heart warming, emotional and humorous story about a widowed woman named Kate whose life gets turned upside down when she meets her younger and remarkably sexy new boss. Pediatrician Dr. Jake Harris has it all; exceptional looks, dynamic personality and the undeniable ability to charm his young patients. However, he’s missing a few things in his life that he desperately wants due to the less than desirable hand that life has given him. Their instant attraction to one another is not ideal for two co-workers but when Kate realizes that not only is he her hot boss, that he’s also her hot neighbor, she nearly loses it. Kate does her best to fight their attraction, while her two teenaged sons are doing their best to get the two of them together.
While Kate and Jake fight their growing attraction to one another, they’re both still dealing with emotional baggage from unfortunate circumstances that happened before they met. One of the strongest themes in this novel is the idea that everyone grieves on their own time, in their own way. No one can tell you how you should feel and how long it should take you to move on after tragedy strikes in your life. It’s also important to not feel guilty about moving on after a tragedy, even if someone else is still in their own grieving process.
I loved this story. It made me laugh and brought me through a range of emotions while learning about the hardships that these individuals had been through. How wonderful it must be to forget the list of all the reasons why something might not work and instead focus on all the reasons it will. The bedroom scenes in this novel don’t stop at the bedroom door, but I think that the scenes were written tastefully. They will make some women blush and others want more, but I think it was written well in tune with the story-line. Overall, I thought this was a well-written, thoughtful, and satisfying story.
Memorable Moments:
Kate studied the younger man who’d entered the room. Wearing a baseball cap, faded jeans, and a T-shirt, he fit into the stark hospital cubicle about as well as a spike-collared kitten in a doghouse.
No one can instruct you on how to grieve, Kate. It’s something you have to do on your own.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
About the Author – Maggie Van Well
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
Maggie lives on Long Island with her husband, four insane children (no idea where they get that from), and three entertaining Italian greyhounds: Rosie, Stripe, and Santa’s Little Helper (yes, that’s his real name). She also has two ringed-neck doves, because, ya know, who doesn’t like getting woken up at two in the morning by cooing?
She loves the ocean, and feels blessed to be able to go to the beach whenever she wants. She is addicted to café mochas, Godiva chocolate, and hidden object games. Seriously, there’s an intervention in her future.
Excerpt from Crazy Little Thing Called Matchmaking:
Kate returned to the dining room and collected the rest of the dishes. “The boys will be right back. They went to get dessert.”
Jake jumped up and gathered the wineglasses. “Why did you do that? I have dessert at my house.”
“Of course you do. Several different kinds of anything sugary, I’m sure.” She walked into the kitchen and placed the dishes next to the sink.
Jake leaned against the counter. “Thank you for inviting me.”
Kate busied herself with filling the dishwasher, attempting to ignore the adorable way he arranged the utensils into groups. “Well, I’m a little upset with myself. I usually would’ve invited a new neighbor over long before now. I shouldn’t have waited just because you’re my boss.”
“Hey, don’t forget lunch and coffee. Maybe someday soon I can return the favor.”
She smiled at his offer. “That’s not necessary.”
“I know.” His gaze felt heavy on her face, but she wouldn’t—she couldn’t—look at him. Because she knew if she did, gooey things would happen to her, making it hard to speak. “You’re a very generous and caring person, Kate.”
Great. After all that, she felt gooey anyway. Change of subject. Fast! “You don’t go out much?” She finally braved a glance at him.
He shook his head.
“Not even with friends?”
“I don’t have any out here.”
She ran the dirty casserole dish under the stream of water. “I hadn’t realized.”
Jake shrugged.
“Well, I can think of least one person who’d love to go out with you.”
He gulped. “W-who?”
“I’ll give you a hint. She wears bright red lipstick that’s hard to get off.”
“Oh, God.” He lowered his face into his hands.
Kate grinned. “That’s really sweet.”
“What?”
“The way you are with women. You have—I dunno—there’s kind of an innocence about you.” Finished with the pots, she reached for the coffee and set it up for dessert. “And you wonder why I treat you like a kid.”
“As your boss, I feel I should leave the conversation at that, but as a man, I must say there’s a point where my innocence ends.”
Kate raised her hands in submission. “Whatever you say, Doc.” She turned on the dishwasher. “The boys should be back soon. Do you want to sit by the pool?”
“Sure.”
After grabbing a few bottles of water, they settled into lounge chairs. Damn, why did he have to pick the lounge right next to her? His hand brushed hers as he placed his bottle between them on the patio. Heat radiated up her arm. She jerked it away, staring into the sky. Fluffy pink and lavender clouds. Pretty, but not enough to get her mind off how close Jake was.
“Kate, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“What’s a MILF?”
She gripped her bottle so hard it nearly burst. He can’t be serious. “You’ve never heard that term before?”
“I have, but I’ve never figured out what it meant.”
Relax, silly, you’re an adult. Stop acting like a shy teenager. “It means mother I’d like to, um…”
He quirked a brow. “Fuck?”
Narrowing her eyes, she studied the grin on his face. “You already knew, didn’t you?”
“I just wanted to see if you’d answer me.”
She unscrewed the bottle cap from her water. “That was a bratty thing to do.”
“Brattiness is for kids.” Jake swung his legs over the edge of the lounge and leaned closer to her. “I told you, there’s a point where the innocence ends.”
Her heart pounded as the sensual waves of desire washed over her. She fought like hell not to dump the contents of her bottle over his head. Or better yet, hers, if only to cool herself down.
“I can see that.” She focused her stare on the sky again. “Kiddo.”
Jake backed away with a sigh.
Crisis averted.
Wonderful review!