After a few horror books and intense reads this book was the perfect palette cleanser for me. I think my rating is reflecting my need for a simple, quick, fun story that I could escape into. The cover is a little misleading (I thought it was set in India). Keep in mind this is your typical formulated fairy tale - on a fictional island. I enjoyed Serena and found her likeable/genuine/confident. I did wish she was a little more diverse (she is described as a skinny/long model type). My favorite part was probably the secret cave scene.
If you are looking for a deeply descriptive complex storyline this is not it. But if you are looking to escape into a quick fun sexy rom/com this is a great choice.

I admittedly was drawn in by the cover of Love Match, and admittedly swayed by the plot. The novel tells the story of Serena McAllister who learns of her fiance's betrayal and in her desperation for something to hold on to, decides to join a harem in the hopes of writing a strong enough piece to secure her a staff position. She travels to Birin Island where she meets Prince Shailemon Sharma, or Shai - and the rest, as they say, is history.

While an overall enjoyable read, I found the characters a little too stereotypical and not well-fleshed out. The overall pacing and flow of the novel felt a bit choppy and disorganized as well, and while social media is certainly in many of our lives today, this medium felt a little overused in the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The story opens with Serena McAllister arriving on Birin Island to become a part of Prince Shailemon Sharma's coterie, a modern-day harem. Serena is a journalist and plans to uncover what's really going on at the coterie in hopes of landing a promotion at work, taking the coveted spot away from her rival. Meanwhile, the prince is dealing with his own conflicts, with the recent death of his father, the King, and the assumption that Shailemon will ascend to the throne. However, as sparks begin to fly between Serena and Prince Shailemon, our main characters must decide what's really worth it when love is on the line.

I requested this book because it felt a bit quirky and it did not disappoint. I don't care much if a romance is predictable or believable - it's fiction! What matters more is my pull to the characters, and how immersed I find myself in the story. I flew through this and I loved it. Even though it maybe felt a bit fast in terms of how quickly feelings developed, the characters addressed that, so even when it was a bit much, I was still able to enjoy it. I read this in less than 24 hours, and it was perfect for spring break. This would make a great beach read!

I made the mistake of requesting this book before checking the identity of the author. I take issue with a white author writing a story in which a white character criticizes another culture, in this case harems. Even with the research the author may have put in, it feels more like using another country's culture to write a "unique" romance plot vs actually examining harems and the culture within which they exist. I say this as someone who read a fantastic fantasy book by a native author that addressed harems. It can be done well; that was not the case here unfortunately.

I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it fell so flat. I wasn’t a fan of the insta-love between Serena and Shia and found Serena to be incredibly annoying. It was hard to feel she was a journalist. Overall I started skimming this one early on. This one was not for me

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

So when I saw this book on Netgalley, I wad really excited. The cover gave me the impression of a cute romance that I would devour in one sitting, but unfortunately that was not the case.

This is just my personal taste, of course, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style. I just felt like there were part of the book that were slightly too wordy for my preference. It actually took me a while to actually finish this book, because I was struggling with the writing at times.

However, I do think the plot was interesting, if slightly underdeveloped. It felt to me that there were aspects of the story that had too much explanation, while others didn't have enough.

Also, the insta-love thing isn't really my cup of tea and I thought it made the story slightly less believable. Again, all of this is simply my own opinions and preferences.

If you are looking for a fun and quick moving romance about an American woman finding love in a tropical place, then this is the story for you. I really wanted to love this book but I found the story so unbelievable and the characters' reactions to what what happening illogical. The story is of a young journalist, Serena, who goes undercover in to a modern day harem to write a piece about the treatment of women in these places. She is on a tropical island in the Pacific, brought into a palace, and lives along side the other women in the group who spend their days relaxing on the beach and shopping while sometimes taking drugs to relax even more. There is no background check or NDA for her to sign before she arrives. She is brought into the situation just by applying for this lavish position normally reserved with the daughters of other world leaders. The Prince only ever uses the women as dinner dates with foreign leaders, and most have never even met him. He has only been back a short time and was previously a successful businessman in London until he was called home when his father passed away. Though he is a successful and wealthy businessman he comes across as being sheltered and inexperienced with female behavior. There is a little drama between Serena and one of the other ladies in the palace, but otherwise everyone is very accommodating to her and keeping her happy. #Netgalley

I’d happily suggest this one but I’ll say it’s a touch long. I felt like it was a few chapters long and the point was still made. Serena was relatable, humble, provocative. The story feels like you’re also in Birin Island in the paradise McKinney crafts with words so well-written I almost packed a bag. Instead I’ll suggest this one to friends but warn them they might stay up all night.

This story starts off on a sad note with the main character having been betrayed, but things quickly pick up as she finds herself in a rivalry that leads her off in some very interesting directions! The setting is evocative and richly imagined, so much so that I could feel almost as though I had seen it myself! The pace keeps things moving along rather quickly and I only wished that the story had been longer so I would have had more time to savor it! While the main idea about Serena joining a modern-day harem sounds very wild and risque, things take a more wholesome turn later in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Selena just found out her fiancé was cheating on her. So she decides to fly halfway around the world to join a coterie on Birin Island. There, she meets the gorgeous hunk, Prince Shailemon and of course, it’s love at first sight.

I desperately wanted to love this one. I thought the cover was great and I enjoy a good royalty falls for commoner trope. But this wasn’t it, fam. I didn’t realize I liked slow burn as much as I did until I realized how fast this love story happened. It was almost comically fast. Actually, a lot of things seemed to happen too fast for me and without enough explanation. It’s well-written enough, though I could live without some parts of it. I actually stopped and laughed when 5’7” was considered tall for a woman and Selena said she “wasn’t used to men towering over her”. I mean, sure 5’7” is a little above average but it’s not freakishly tall. There were a few other comments like this.

The one thing that sort of saved this one is the steamier bits. They were pretty good and there were a fair amount of them. But honestly, this one really just didn’t do it for me. Which is a shame, because I adore that cover and the premise. It had a lot of potential for me!

2/5 stars

The cover of this book was what drew me in. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this story and ended up not finishing it.

While the writing itself is strong in Love Match is strong, the story felt a little directionless at times. The cover, which is what made me request this book, was a bit of a misnomer, as the story takes place, not in India, which the cover suggests, but on a fictitious tropical island. The inclusion of a joining a harem in this day and age without a critical eye felt problematic, and the stumbling upon a prince felt cliché. But again, on a sentence level, the writing is strong; the narrative just needed some shaping.

I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

this book was beautifully written and I'm so glad that I got it I love anything cultural especially India seems to fascinate me. The setting was beautiful and the characters very intense.

This was a cute story that was easy to read and went by fast. While I do think some of it was rushed, I really liked the banter between Serena, who reminded me of an American version of Bridget Jones, and Shai.

I loved this book so much! It was the first book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters and their story stick with you long after you finish the book.

I loved this book! It was so flowing and such a wonderful story. All the characters develop along with the story line. It keeps you in the story and keeps you reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

2 stars, was hoping for a meet cute type story, but this one was just all over the place.

Selena is the scorned ex-fiancé with Daddy issues who runs off to a fictional island to investigate modern harems or “coteries” undercover. Upon her arrival she literally runs into a window, meets Prince Shai and then instant love.

I can appreciate a story with a good plot, but this book is almost novella length, so there was a lot in a little amount and some plots that never resolved. It also had a bit of a dual personality between the first and second halves.

I think with some polish and a few more pages, the book would work better.

This was well written enough, but the insta love was too much for me. From the synopsis I had hoped to have an angsty, jealousy type situation for the heroine, but it's not. TBH, in was too far fetched to be really enjoyable. you would have to suspend belief a great deal. But it was a light, easy read and I imagine that readers who enjoy no drama will like it.

ARC/Netgalley

A tale as old as time... Girl’s fiancé cheats on her so she joins a modern day harem in hopes of furthering her career with an expose piece. The book follows a very short period of Serena McAllister moonlighting in Prince Shailemon’s coterie and focuses on both dealing with internal turmoil. Prince Shailemon must marry in order to be king. The big question is: Will he marry out of obligation or for a love match? While at times the back and forth on their feelings became a little too much, this was a solid read.

Love Match is a great read! Laire takes you on an enjoyable ride, one that you can see, smell, and almost feel the sun on your skin. I loved how the storyline was an original idea, it was very refreshing with all of the books out there now a days. The main charter goes undercover as part of an modern day harem, and it turns into a great romance story that unfolds. Laire has such a way with words you truly feel like you are right there. I have never read anything by this author. but after this book I am now hooked. I hope that there is more books with some of the other charters in the book to get their own.