Member Reviews

Romance, clean, period;
Adeline and Evan's story was an interesting read. Seeing this story through Adeline's eyes as she struggles to save herself, her family, and help her friend was so heart-wrenching, lovely, sad, and tension filled.
Adeline, her job, her heart, her cares and concerns are so gorgeously portrayed. As she interacts with her foe, and soon to be friend and love of her heart, Evan, this was a beautiful story of two hurting hearts finding each other and 'being'. What a perfect fit for each other as they softened, spent time together, and finally shared secrets, sorrows, mistakes, and finally, hearts.
Beautiful setting and back story, well written side characters, and a lovely HEA made for a lovely read for me.

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(4.5 stars) - clear your schedule - you won't be able to put it down

The book cover is both fascinating and beautiful; it kept drawing my eyes to it to work out the details.

From the book's description, I thought it fairly certain that I would like it, but it was even better than I expected. The story pulls you in and doesn't let up until you reach the end The main characters are well written, likeable, and real. So real that I found myself scolding Addie, lol. It's hard watching her make mistakes that you know she's sure to regret. And she does. The climax is dramatic & emotional. It makes the resolution at the end so much more sweet (though I confess that I would have liked to know what happened to poor Mr Townsend - a book 2 perhaps?)

Clean romance level: passionate kisses

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The weather has been a little crazy the last couple weeks, but at least that has given me a great excuse to stay in pajama pants and read good books, right? (Do we really need a good reason for this though?) I loved Miss Adeline’s Match from @authorjoannabarker! It was such a sweet fun read. I wanted to shake my head and sweet Adeline at times during the book, but in the end I felt this was a great story of friendship, forgiveness and love. And Evan? He was just so perfect! 💗 If you haven’t had a chance to read anything by Barker before and you love clean regency romance you will be SO glad you found her when you do!

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I absolutely adored this book. I was immediately swept into the story and with characters so well written, I was invested in their lives and stories with no effort whatsoever. This book has made me a fan of Joanna Barker for sure!

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I loved this story! I rather enjoyed Adeline and Charity’s friendship, as well as the view from a woman who was gently bred but not aristocracy for a change. Her high-handedness with her friend was a bit much, but an enjoyable story. As an avid fan of Jane Austen movies, I also caught several lines that were identical or very similar to the films which was a bit of laziness on the authors side, but they were excellent lines so I can’t blame her! I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Adeline Hayes has been best friends with Charity Edgeworth since childhood. She is now Charity's lady's companion and is providing financial support to her ailing father and older sister with her earnings as a lady's companion. When Charity suddenly breaks her engagement without explanation, her father banishes both she and Adeline to her aunt's home far from London and society.

While in the country home of her aunt and uncle, the Beckett's, she meets Evan Whitfield, who is, at first, a disagreeable man, but as Adeline gets to know him better, feelings began to simmer between them. Addie is determined to help Charity to forget about her former betrothed by finding her another marriage proposal. What she doesn't realize is how much Charity still loves George. When Addie tried to control the circumstances and players, she finds herself in great trouble and without friends. Will she be able to mend the broken relationships or will she be alone in her misery?

I was given an arc copy of this book by NetGalley and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The story was well developed, as well as the characters. There is a happy ending an lessons to be learned. The story is clean without foul language and descriptive sex scenes and the emotion is palpable and makes for an enjoyable read. I willingly offer my honest review.

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I would like to thank netgalley and Covenant Communications for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that the MC was a lady’s maid and shows a different angle of society.

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This was such a wonderful slow burn of a regency novel! I absolutely loved the chemistry between Adeline and Evan! This novel definitely gave me some Pride and Prejudice vibes throughout and I definitely adored that. Adeline is a strong heroine with an undying sense of loyalty, but she definitely had some growing up to do in the this novel. I would have absolutely have given it 5 stars if I didn't feel like the author had taken her mistakes one step too far. It made me like her less as a character and made the forgiveness seem a bit unrealistic. However, that would be my only complaint about the novel. It was engaging, romantic, dreamy, and everything I want from a regency. Well done Joanna Barker!

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communication for an eARC!

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3.5 stars for this sweet, yet predictable romance. Adeline tries to help her friend Charity heal from a broken engagement while trying to find an appropriate match for her before rumors catch up with them. While her heart is in the right place, she is faced with decisions that place her future and Charity's at odds.
I knew how the story would go before I got more than a couple chapters into the story. The writing was good and the characters were likable.

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A beautiful story. An absolutely beautiful story. What a gem of a storyteller new author Joanna Barker has turned out to be. Her characters are human - they make mistakes even when they have the best of intentions. They’re stubborn and too outspoken and NOT PERFECT. It’s refreshing to find imperfect characters who recognize their faults and genuinely attempt to change.

This is a clean Regency romance where misunderstandings and misplaced assumptions abound, where families face different kinds of heartbreak, and where a Lizzie and Darcy-esque couple learn not to be perfect, but to understand one another perfectly.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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I really liked this book. My first book by Joanna Barker. I would read more from this author, and would recommend.

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Dang that was a well written regency proper romance. I loved it. Stayed up way too late to finish but it was worth it! What a great ending:} The book was so well rounded. The development of the story was excellent. This had some great characters. It felt a little Elizabeth and Darcy esque:} Adeline was complex and I loved reading her story. The author did a great job with Evan, deep and brooding with all the right reasons. With this book Barker has gone to my top author list. This has no religion and is very chaste with a friggen amazing kiss that is worth the wait.

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Such a moody vibe in this Regency romance, and I think much of it has to do with the winter setting! I felt transported and could practically feel the chill of the snow and wind. Adeline is an interesting character, unlike any lady's companion I've read in other stories- she is better at navigating Society than her charge/friend, Charity, and has a confidence that doesn't reflect her lower standing. I appreciated her witty retorts to the gossipy ladies who made Charity uncomfortable with their remarks. She also knew when it was prudent to rein herself or Charity in. She has a flaw of becoming manipulative, justifying that she's doing it because she sincerely wants what's best for Charity... but there are some personal motivations influencing her as well and her social juggling is bound to come crashing down. She and Evan (love that name) don't have the best first impression of one another, which makes it all the better as they get to know and fall in love with each other. I truly enjoyed seeing Evan's personality open up from a dour Mr. Darcy to an enchanted Mr. Knightley. There is plenty of emotion and angst as heartbreak, loyalty, secrets, and rejection play a role in each character coming to a place of understanding and forgiveness. Loved it and looking forward to more from this author!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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Charity and Adeline are best friends, but are not equals. Adeline’s family circumstances have put her in the unpaid position as Charity’s companion – an essential tag=along for an unmarried woman in search of a husband in 1800s England.

Charity has broken her engagement and Adeline has not thought of marriage for herself. They are shuffled off in disgraces and Adeline is assigned the task of finding a husband for Charity with the threat of her family’s eviction hanging over her.

Will Adeline be a successful matchmaker? Does she dare pursue any dreams of her own? Will Charity settle for the potential husband that’s emerged? Each of them dance between being demure and being forthright. Will one of them overstep the societal expectations for young single women of the era?

A captivating read. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Wow, I am so happy to have discovered this new author awhile back! I smiled all the way through her first book and this second one was just as enjoyable. I'm always on the lookout for sweet, entertaining and well-written regencies...and this one was all three. I especially appreciate how wonderfully the author writes in first-person. This is a charmingly romantic story with nice depth, too!

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Charity Edgeworth has recently broken her engagement to Mr. Henley, but she refuses to say why. Her father is furious with her because she has had two seasons to make a match. The gossips have had hurtful comments about it too. Mr. Edgeworth is a wealthy man and since Charity has a large dowry, he wants her to marry a titled man. Mr. Henley is heir to a Barony.

Charity’s companion is Adeline Hayes. The two young women have long been friends. Charity’s father is a country physician slowly sinking into dementia. The little money Adeline makes as Charity’s companion is being used to support her father and her older sister who takes care of him.

Now, Mr. Edgeworth has decided to send Charity to stay with her Aunt Caroline at Crawthorne Hall in Leicestershire. Her aunt and uncle will be having a house party and her father wants Charity to meet someone there to marry. He tells Adeline that if she does not see to it that Charity marries, he will remove her ailing father from his house because Mr. Edgeworth owns it.

Charity does not care for social events for she would rather be reading. The first night of the house party, Charity meets Mr. Townsend with whom she has some interesting talks. Adeline meets Mr. Evan Whitfield who owns Rothby Manor and surrounding lands close to Crawthorne Hall. Adeline is taken aback as the man tends to be disagreeable and is said to enjoy his solitude.

As the party continues, we get to know the people attending and Adeline hopes that Charity has taken a liking to Mr. Townsend. But her own attraction to Evan Whitfield is one she knows can go nowhere as she is just a companion.

When Adeline takes it upon herself to make a serious decision that she has no right making, it blows up in her face with severe consequences. Now, she must learn from her mistake and do everything she can to redeem herself for it.

I really liked this story and the characters. Adeline tends to take her role of companion to the extreme and sometimes acts like Charity’s mother instead of her friend. However, the story is very good and the ending sweet. Enjoy this nice, clean romance.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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Wow! Wow! Wow! This book had me in tears multiple times. I absolutely LOVED Adeline and Evan. This story has so much depth. I loved the friendship between Adeline and Charity. I read it in 2 days into the wee hours of the morning. I can’t say enough about this book. I would DEFINITELY read this again! Joanne Barker has become a new favorite for me. Excellent job!

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It is not often that a front cover draws me in, but I was instantly captivated. Adeline Hayes and charity Edgeworth are best friends, but Adeline is being paid to be her companion, a necessity for Adeline as she finds herself working so that her sister can care for her father who appears to have dementia. Adeline also finds herself forced to make a match for Charity as her father expresses his disgust that the engagement between Charity and George Henley, has been broken. Forced to the country estate of Charity’s aunt, Adeline wonders what will transpire and then she meets Mr. (Evan) Whitfield, and it all becomes very interesting.
From the very beginning, I could not put this book down. I found myself immersed in the mystery behind Charity’s broken engagement and Adeline’s desire to help her friend. However, everything that Adeline does, seems to make things worse. Evan seems transfixed by Adeline but with the first-person narrative, the reader is never quite aware of Evan’s true feelings, making this all the more interesting to read. This is such a well-developed story, that I find myself wanting to start reading it again. I can’t praise it enough!
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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"Miss Adeline's Match" is a Regency romance. Charity's father wants her married off, so he threatens Adeline, her companion and best friend. If she doesn't get Charity married off to someone soon, her family will lose their house and income. Charity and Adeline go to a house party in the country, and, luckily, a kind, eligible man is available for Adeline's matchmaking schemes . There's also a handsome but frustrating man who tends to quickly (and wrongly) judge Adeline's motives. But he soon shows interest as he realizes she may not be the shallow socialite he expected.

I cared about what happened to the main characters. We learned very little about the minor characters, but the main characters had some back story and character development. Adeline meant well, but her role was to help Charity take the right actions to secure a match, and no one really appreciates someone constantly directing and correcting them. Adeline made some poor choices that nearly ended in disaster. While we're given several reasons for her major poor choice, I felt she needed a stronger reason to also break her word since it seemed somewhat out of character. Anyway, Adeline and Evan both matured into better people as they helped each other see their flaws and find a desire to improve.

There was no bad language or sex. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romance.

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I've enjoyed each of Ms. Barker's books so far and this one was an enjoyable read as well. I like her writing style. This book had an interesting story line and interesting characters and I found I felt strong emotions right along with them. I cringed as Adeline made judgement errors and felt crushed by her despair as things fell apart. I also felt joy right along with her. I felt terrible for George but also just a little skeptical that maybe he was hiding something and wondered at the alternating harshness and kindness of Evan. And I also felt Charity's sadness and anger. Peter was a delight. And having had parent's with dementia, I felt the sadness of losing a parent while they still live. That scenario is always killer to my heart. Lots of feels in the book. And a good read.
No sex, language or violence

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