I really wanted to like this book. The cover and the description sounded like a cute start to a romance and I’m a sucker for solid chick-lit. Unfortunately, this is not that book. It’s not even that genre! Love Match is a true romance novel that was challenging to get through. Luckily, it is a fairly quick read taking under 3 hours to complete reading. About 4% of the way in, we get this charming piece of insight into our character’s burgeoning love story:
“Her long chestnut hair flowed down her back in loose waves. The tan pencil skirt and white button-up blouse made her look like a 1950s secretary, but he liked the look and easily—too easily—envisioned her shimmying that skirt up over the curve of her hips. He cleared his throat as he lowered his folded hands over his groin.” For me, it seemed like a great story idea that was poorly executed. The dialogue is just a little too cheesy, the romance is just a little too fast, etc.. It just didn’t work for me but may work for someone looking for a light and steamy beach read.

I received a free copy of this book’s ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The blurb of the story had me hooked. As someone who loved watching Magnificent century (Turkish dizi ), I wanted to read about the harem in "Birin island". I really, really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case for me. The h is rude, she reminds me of a 90 days fiancé participant who leaves to another country, another culture, clouded with an air of superiority and who waits for it to be exactly like America. I went off track but great stupid show ! Recommend. This book? it ain't for me but can be your cup of tea.

Sorry x

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

I thought it was a cute read. I enjoyed the characters, the story flowed nicely.

I honestly looked forward to reading this book and was so pleased when NetGalley awarded me an ARC. I think I am one of the biggest fans of romance fiction in today’s market, and I enjoy reading these types of books, but this one was a great idea that did not translate to the page. I think it could have made an excellent story, but it didn’t deliver in the end. My main suggestion, if I were bold, would be that the author tone down the slapstick comments like “sleep-around-Sue” and the cartoonish cast of characters like Serena’s pot-smoking Mother. This book read more like a Disney fairytale with a little sex thrown in for good measure. I’m sorry it was not for me.

Serena's fiance has cheated on her one too many times, she's also up for a promotion at her job, she just needs a great story. After seeing an article about coteries, modern day harems, she decides to go undercover to get the scoop on them.

If you're looking for a mindless, quick read, this is it. It had the potential to be a much better story but lacked a lot of depth. A lot of it was just farfetched and unbelievable. I had a hard time believing that a prince, who is educated and has lived abroad, is in awe of an "American" and what he considers Americans to be. This is a great read if you want something quick that you don't really need to pay attention to.
Thanks to Netgalley and BHC Press for the ARC of this book.

Ah... I have got mixed feelings about this book. Its beautiful cover was the reason for my intrigue towards this book. I was extremely excited to see a cross-cultural love story which *might* feature India. Though I am well aware of why the author might've created a fictional Island but everything felt... generalized and flat.

I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Serena and Shai but their Insta-Love did not seem believable. Her actions, which should've come off as being cute and maybe even goofy turned out to be cringe-y. I have no idea how she is a professional journalist. Same with Shai, he seems to have roamed the world, met people from different countries, and has resided in London but is caught off guard by an American woman and her mannerism. There's something lacking that sort of rubs me off the wrong way. The story advances too fast and the characters lack depth so does the plot of a modern-day Harem in an imaginary island/country. (Could it not be a Harem, please?)

Though it's a sweet story. Cliche. Quick read. Lightens up the mood too but it needs some work done. I would've given it a 2.5 if it wasn't for the author's writing. I have to give it to her, There is essence in her words but lacks direction. Good luck!

Thanks for the ARC, BHC Press, and NetGalley

It is a light and quick read which is great, read it in under 3 hours, if it had been longer it might have been a DNF for me. This just was not my cup of tea. For me this was a a lesson on not judging a book by its cover. I saw the cover and its description in Netgalley and thought it might be a cute story. First the cover does not match the story at all, this happens in a tropical island why is the cover or almost like a Taj mahal? Second this is a total romance disguised as a cute romance novel cover. I saw the authors other book alter and its cover clearly state that it is a more steamy romance that I was expecting. Not that its bad, it just did not fit the story for me here. The ending seemed just an unnecessary moment to throw extra steamy romance scenes when really the story was done and it just didn’t add anything to it. The concept is great and i was all for it, it might be far fetched but I was totally into it ( i love my hallmark movie style girl meets prince and fall in love in a day fantasy) yet somehow here it didn’t totally work for me. I don’t know if it was the writing or the characters but i never fully got into it. Also by the end of the book i still wasn’t clear as to the point of a coiterie and its difference to a harem. For it being the key point I think it glossed over it and involving some of the other female characters

This book was overall a very cute story! I waver between 2-3 stars, so I'm going with 2.5 just because of how light of a story McKinney wrote. After reading a few very dense books, a more "fun" story was what I needed and this one fit the bill. I enjoyed the snark from Serena and how it contrasted with the more serious tone of Prince Shai. Some of their banter made me laugh aloud and it was such a pick me up. The ending was what I expected, but honestly, I would have been upset if it hadn't been.

I do wish the book had not moved so quickly. I know many romance novels move very quickly and this one was no different, but it made it much less believable. I just can't see someone falling in love that quickly, especially after being through the things Serena went through. Many moments were cliché, but if you really enjoy those types of romancy moments, you'll like this book. I think if the book had been longer and the characters more flushed out, it really could be a higher quality book. Or perhaps if there had been one less plot twist; there were so many that it felt like they all were discovered and then wrapped up so neatly and quickly that I got a bit of whiplash.

Still, I'm glad I read this book. A cute story is what you need sometimes. Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read the electronic ARC.

This was a fun and quick read! While I did like the characters and enjoyed the story and their banter, I'm afraid it was missing the little spark for me, personally. However, this has drama, humour and rivalry and it's an entertaining story!

I thought this books was very easy to read and although I found the premise a little corny I found myself constantly coming back to this book. The story flows nicely and it was a quick 2 sitting read, but I did find the characters to be a little erratic in their actions and found some of the events that happened to be unbelievable. Although I wish that the story was a little more believable and I wished the characters were a little more likable, or that I could form a stronger connection to them, I found myself really enjoying this read.

I loved the concept of the plot, but the delivery fell short. Everything felt like the epitome of a cliche, and I longed to see more development and consistency from the characters. It did make for an easy fast read, however.

I received a copy of this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Although the heroine was likable and the scenery intriguing, Their relationship proceeded too quickly and I found it to be less than believable. The premise itself was very far-fetched..

"Love Match" by Laire McKinney, was an easy read.
Serena, a journalist, signs up to be a member of a royal coterie. She wants to investigate the culture to see how women are treated. What she finda3, however, changes her perspective on everything.
I liked Serena's character. She was funny and flawed, which made her relatable. Shai, was the total opposite, but not in a bad way.
The setting was fun, but hard to believe. Everything really just fell into place with no hiccups. Definitely followed the typical romance plot line.

Oh, I had high hopes for this. mainly because of the cover - it immediately drew me in and looks like it would fit in perfectly with all of the other bestselling contemporary romance books these days. But I guess it's true what they say - don't judge a book by it's cover. Because the story inside is not what the cute cover promises it to be.

This starts off rough. None of the information in the synopsis is actually in the book. Serena joining the ‘harem’ is on the first page. Sure, there are some mentions of a cheating boyfriend and work, but it's only in passing. There's no build up, no lead in, and no backstory as to the reasons behind Serena's actions.

Also, Serena is supposed to be a professional adult, yet she acts like an immature teenager. She's childish, disrespectful, says the most bizarre things, is not as funny as the author thinks she is, and is just not a MC who is enjoyable to read about. She's also a terrible journalist. She goes into this with so many preconceived notions and glaring biases that she can't even do her job properly.

Next is the problematic situation of a white person writing about harems. I was willing to give the story the benefit of the doubt, maybe the author did extensive research, but it doesn't feel that way at all. It feels as if the she is using other countries traditions as a gimmick for a romance plot. And creating a fake country that has these customs doesn't excuse that (especially when Indian influences are used on the cover and with character names). It just rubs me the wrong way.

So this was not a difficult book to set aside.

Thanks for the ARC, BHC Press, but this was a miss for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy of Love Match by Laire McKinney. This book has it all, love heartbreak, drama, and rivalry. It’s a fast paced read that you won’t want to put down. Love match is one of my favorite books of 2021!