Book Review | A Match Made on Main Street

Book Review: A Match Made on Main Street by Olivia Miles

Title: A Match Made on Main Street (Briar Creek #2)

Author: Olivia Miles

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: NetGalley

Published: April 28, 2015 by Forever

This kitchen isn’t big enough for both of them…

If there’s anything Anna Madison knows, it’s how to turn life’s lemons into a lemonade cocktail served in a vintage glass. So when her beloved Briar Creek café burns down, she sees it as an opportunity to start fresh. But the only kitchen available to her is in the diner down the street—owned by her sinfully sexy ex.

If Anna thinks she can take over his greasy-spoon kitchen with her high-end cuisine, Mark Hastings is about to set her straight fast. Their breakup is his biggest regret—not that he’ll ever admit it to her. Nope, he’d rather show her exactly what she’s been missing. With desire set on a high simmer, their menu is about to get a whole lot spicier…

Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

My Review

A Match Made on Main Street is the second book in the Briar Creek series. Check out my 5-star review on book 1, Mistletoe on Main Street. This novel picks up with Grace’s sister Anna and her unexplained disinterest to the town’s notorious playboy and bachelor, Mark Hastings. Anna is a strong, confident and very independent woman, until an unexpected tragedy strikes. Anna is forced to accept the support of her tight-knit small-town community to help her back on her feet. Which leads her directly into the kitchen – and possibly the arms – of the last person she wants to spend time with. Throw in a bit of match-making with some interesting date choices and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster!

There were a few important themes threaded throughout the novel; the idea that friendship is the best foundation for true love, trying to live down one’s past, and learning to allow yourself to be vulnerable to love. I liked how Anna and Mark’s friendship was written into the story, from their past to present. It’s important to understand where someone is coming from in order to accept where they are going next in life. Keeping important things below the surface and having a lack of communication is generally a good way to screw-up a relationship. Sometimes people keep things bottled up because they’re too afraid to go after what they want and sometimes they do it because they’re trying to live down their past.

In Mark’s case, he pulls away from Anna because he cared so much for her. He wanted a relationship and a restaurant with her, but didn’t think he could do both. So instead of trying, he pulled away. He didn’t think he could be the man she wanted him to be, so instead of staying and trying, he just ran. It’s sad to think that someone could have such little faith in themselves to get in their own way of allowing themselves to truly love and be loved. But when you’ve been through some really tough times in life, you’re always preparing yourself and trying to protect yourself from letting it ever happen again. Whether it’s in regards to money problems, or being hurt by those you love, it’s difficult to not want to prevent yourself from repeating history. But sometimes it’s the things we do to protect ourselves that end up hurting us worse than we ever thought possible.

The novel also had a small theme of moving on past divorce and getting back into the dating world. It’s sad to see someone love another person that doesn’t deserve them or love them the same way and to be lied to and cheated on. Cheating is never acceptable, and it’s sad that so many women get cheated on by the one person they think they can trust completely. I imagine that this theme will lead us into the third book of the series as we will continue to follow Jane’s story as she searches for love.

A Match Made on Main Street was a wonderful story about life and love that kept me entertained the whole way through. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Memorable Moments:

She’d spent how many years avoiding the very thing she was being asked to do: date. Dating led to falling in love, and falling in love led to heartbreak.

The only person you could depend on in life was yourself. When you were in control of your own path, no one could come along and take it out from under you. At least that’s what she had thought until today.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

About the Author – Olivia Miles

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Olivia Miles is a bestselling author of contemporary romance. A city girl with a fondness for small town charm, Olivia enjoys highlighting both ways of life in her stories. She currently resides just outside Chicago with her husband, young daughter, and two ridiculously pampered pups.