Happy, Happy Sigh!!! I love a fun matchmaking book. Especially when there are some unexpected hiccups along the way. Well Paul’s mama is one of the Matchmaking Mamas and they are bound and determined to help their children along their path to wedded matrimonial bliss. ;-) One problem…Paul and his friends, the Rebels, know what their mothers are up to and are scheming just as much as those Mamas. It was truly delightful.

Louisa and Paul have never met but when they do, you’re going to smile and giggle. I was. Their first meeting can definitely be labeled as a meet-cute! And the fun doesn’t stop there. These two are put into several situations that just add to the enjoyment of this book. Anneka Walker will have you smiling and cheering for both the Mamas and the Rebels in her newest book. And exciting news, it’s going to be a series. So these Matchmaking Mamas and Rebels aren’t don’t yet with their scheming and escapades.

Louisa was such a sweet and gentle character. She has some sorrows in her past and is determined to find a man who will love her for her and not her dowry. Smart girl!!! I loved the chemistry between her and Paul. Their sweet love story has ups and downs but don’t discount them yet. As trust builds and Paul realizes he can’t fight his attraction to her, his secret that is holding him back will come to light and Louisa will have to decide what to do with that information.

Matchmaking at its finest! Don’t miss this fun series! I’m most definitely looking forward to reading the next book (but I’ll have to be patient while the author writes it)!

Content: Clean.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

What happens when a bunch of mamas are tired of waiting for their children to settle down? They play matchmaker of course!
I love that in this book, not only are the mothers trying to be matchmakers, but their children are onto them! Adding in the element of these children having the ability to steel their hearts to their mother's attempts (and yet fail miserably) makes the story (and stories to follow) even better.

In Bargaining for the Barrister, Paul and Ian are visiting when they happen to hear a bunch of ladies talking about matchmaking for their children. Of course, Paul feels sorry for whoever these mamas plan to prey upon, and even worse when he finds out he’s victim number one.

Determined not marry until he has himself more established, Paul decides he will do everything he can to thwart his mother’s attempts to match him with someone. Unfortunately, it’s harder than it seems.

Louisa has had many marriage proposals and while she wishes these proposals were due to an interest in her, she has to acknowledge that they were for her inheritance. When an offer to match her with an eligible young bachelor who isn’t seeking a fortune comes along from one of her mother’s old friends, Louisa decides this is the perfect opportunity for her.

Paul and Louisa have quite the introduction and nothing goes as planned from there. Both characters have issues they need to deal with and overcome. Their growth both personally and together is fantastic. It’s a wonderful story and you will love to see where Paul and Louisa begin and how their story ends!

After reading this I am looking forward to other books in the series and finding out what other antics these matchmaking mamas have planned. Especially with Ian. His personality will certainly make for a good story!

(I can’t believe I just procrastinated writing this review by…reviewing a different book. Honestly, I don’t even understand my procrastinating strategies.)

“‘Let’s begin our meeting, then, shall we? Paul, if you’ve decided to submit to that scheming woman and get married, we can move on to the next order of business without further ado.’ Miles groaned from his slouched position next to Jemma on the sofa. ‘Let the man take a seat before he is forced to confess the depths of his heart.’”

What do you do when you have a group of rebellious young people who decide that they don’t want to get married? Well the logical conclusion is to start a matchmaking club and marry them off as soon as possible. (No really, it totally works.)

Such is the fate of Paul *checks notes* Sheldon. When his mother brings Louisa Cox to stay with them he sees right through the scheme and resolves to avoid the woman as much as possible. But this turns out to be harder than expected when he realizes that if the circumstances were different, the two of them would make great friends. (Emphasis on friends, of course.)

Bargaining for the Barrister features a delightful meet-cute that will have you cracking up. It has well rounded characters that are down to earth and easily steal into your heart, and although I had a bit of trouble getting into the story in the beginning, the rest of it was engaging and kept me leaning in to find out what happens next.

Paul and Louisa really are a great match, and I loved their witty banter and the push and pull of their relationship as they hesitated to become too entangled in each other’s heart and yet inevitably are drawn to each other.

If you're looking for a humorous romance with tangible characters, meddling mother’s, forced proximity and overprotective friends, this is one to add to your TBR.

I love Anneka Walker! Her books are so real and lovely. I ended up buying this one in hard copy because I loved it so much!

Bargaining for the Barrister is the first book in the matchmaking Mommas series written by Aneka Walker. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the other books in this series.

The basis for this series is a group of mothers who are fed up with their unmarried children and decide to get together and do something about it. Paul Sheldon is their first target.

Paul is a kind hearted gentleman who works as a barrister. He is determined to make it on his own without the help of his wealthy step parents. Louisa is a sweet girl who just wants to find someone who loves her for herself and not her dowry. Together they are a great match with good chemistry.

The secondary characters in this book are also great. I love the matchmaking mommas the Paul’s friends “the rebels”. I am anxiously awaiting their stories.

This is such a fun story with a lot of laugh out our moments. I highly recommend this book!

Let me start off by saying the met cute in this book was hilarious! I may have laughed out loud when reading it.
These characters seemed so relatable to me- they made mistakes, said the wrong things and weren’t perfect.
I loved the matchmaking group and can’t wait for them to cause more mischief in the future.
I also was lucky enough to listen to the audio version of this book and the narrator did a fantastic job.

I am a sucker for books with characters that are relatable. That think, act, and dream like we do. Bargaining for the Barrister is full of these characters. From the matchmaking mammas to the group of friends I found them all relatable to me or people that I know. This made it so easy to dive into the story and become engrossed in the world that Anneka R. Walker has created. Bargaining for the Barrister was a refreshing and fun take on a regency era novel. Between the matchmaking mammas, band of friends, and the throughly embarrasing moments I guarantee that you will be entertained. The best part...there are more books to come! In fact, this novel leaves us knowing who the next victim is, and I cannot wait to see how they handle it.

Anneka Walker’s newest Regency is the first book in a series and if the rest are as delightful as Bargaining for the Barrister we are in for quite the treat.

Paul Sheldon’s mother and friends are fed up with their unmarried children. Under the guise of a musical club they’ve decided to secretly help one another find matches for their offspring. Paul will be their first victim. Only problem is Paul and his close knit group of friends “the rebels” have found out about their mothers scheming and are determined to put a stop to it.

If the plot hadn’t already pulled me in the first awkward, yet adorable, meet cute sealed the deal. This storyline was so much fun! I don’t like to give away too much away but that attic scene 😍.. loved it.
-Louisa’s strength & determination even after losing both parents.
-Paul’s kindness & want to make something of himself on his own after having a rough childhood.
I loved watching these two get drawn together.
Perfect read for my regency era loving fans!
Thanks to Netgalley and Covenant Communications for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bargaining for the Barrister is a delightful historical romance novel. It has some witty characters that are sure to charm the reader, but also has a lot of depth and emotion that tugs at your heart strings. Both Paul and Louisa have learned to cope with heartache and past traumas in different ways, but coming together, they are the key to unlocking each other's hope for a different, brighter future that both did not think possible. I enjoyed the cast of characters in this book and thought they were well written. At first, I was slightly confused, thinking that this was a book in a continuing series that had already mentioned these characters. I do look forward to reading more about the Rebels and seeing which one is the next target for the matchmakers and who else finds their own happily ever afters as well.

I loved it. Fun to read and romantic.

Paul’s mom and her friends secretly get together to find matches for their unmarried children. To him it feels more like a Meddling Mothers Club. Louisa’s parents both passed away a year ago. She needs to marry but wants to find someone who loves her, not the money from her dowry. Paul loves her but is struggling to overcome the lasting effects from abuse he received as a child, such as fear of water. He also can’t tolerate physical touch which makes a relationship especially difficult. It was fun to read because they tease each other and enjoy being together.

Where this book really stands out is the depth of the characters. Paul is trying to deal with and heal from being abused as a child. Louisa doesn’t know his history and neither of them realizes the turmoil in his mind is keeping them from forming a committed relationship. I like the way she breaks away from social expectations. I enjoyed meeting Paul’s friends in the rebels’ club and hope to read their stories in later Matchmaking Mamas Romance books. Thanks to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for a temporary digital copy to use for my review.

"A matchmaker's business is never done until the wedding is over."

The characters in this story are fantastic!
• I loooved the matchmaking mamas! Gotta love some well-meaning, meddling mothers in a fake musical meeting 😏
• Louisa was forthright with her feelings, optimistic, and did not want to give up!
• Paul has been through some things and had to work through that and I was cheering for him!
And I lived for each, hilarious interaction between him and Louisa!
-their meet-cute!
-the attic!
• Paul's group of friends! I'm excited for their stories!!

Overall I loved the will-they-won't-they, push and pull tension between the two main characters! That, and the great banter and forced proximity, made for a sweet, sweet story!

This is a delightful story and my favorite Regency of Anneka's so far!

My favorite Walker book yet!! I loved this new book of hers. She mentioned she wrote it during her COVID lockdown and it was like a breath of fresh air. I loved the humor and the characters. There were quite a few surprises also. I actually laughed. out. loud. Several times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

This book is adorable! I love Paul’s character, mr awkward and cringeworthy first impressions award goes to him. Their meet cute will have you wanting to cover your eyes but also giggle.. poor Paul.

I enjoyed their story, the meddling mothers who thought they knew best, the Rebels, and Louisa. I felt for Louisa, the poor girl really just needed someone to be her friend and help her through her own personal grief.

Here’s my complaint: I want it longer 😂 but I say that about every book I enjoy, so it’s always going to be a complaint of mine. I love their story and banter and all the fun moments that they shared, I just wanted more because they were so enjoyable.

This was a novel that basically picks up right as the regency era ends since King George III has died. So not quite regency, but still riding those coattails.

If you’re looking for a different regency, one that provides some light hearted love with some deeper topics underneath, this book is one for you. Wonderfully done, Mrs. Walker 👏🏻

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I loved this historical regency era fiction that had me rooting for Louisa and Paul from the very beginning. These two were set up for a match and were a delight pair. I loved the banter and emotional journey. The adoption of Paul isn't a common theme so that was refreshing! I did miss a good dance scene in this book! An excellent clean romance that definitely will have more in this match making series that I can't wait to read!

I loved this book by Anneka Walker! I have loved the other books she has written but I think this might be my favorite. I loved the characters and the mischief that both the matchmaking mamas and their children got into. I thought it was very well written and I can’t wait to read more about how these mamas get matches for their kids. This was a fun romance.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

Oh. My. Goodness. if the rest of the Matchmaking Mama books are anything like this first installment, this is going to be a great series. Louisa Cox is a young lady whose parents have died and her older brother pays more attention to running the family business than the type of men that are pursuing his younger sister. Louisa meets with Lady Kellen to help her find an eligible young man that won't be after her money. Guess who meets all the qualities Louisa is looking for? None other than the up and coming young barrister Paul Sheldon, who doesn't plan on getting married "until he'd earned his fortune". While Paul visits his best friend, Ian, they overhear Ian's mother's "musical club" meeting, only it's not a musical club meeting, but a guise for a group of mothers with plans to find suitors for their children who are avoiding matrimony!! Now that Paul knows their plans the Matchmaking Mamas have a very unwilling suitor on their hands.

I found this premise so much fun--a group of women set out to find mates for their children but they don't know that their children know what they're up to. One of my favorite parts was Paul and Louisa's first meeting! What a fantastic meet-cute that was as I pictured the entire thing in my mind while I read it. I also liked that Paul had a group of friends, "The Rebels", who'd been friends for years, and that the group included a couple of young women.

I loved how kind Paul was, although it was sometimes to his detriment because he had trouble drawing the line with a particular person who'd been the cause of his painful childhood. He wanted to do things on his own to make Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon proud of him but he failed to see that his pride was getting in his way of happiness.

Louisa was always so happy. At least on the outside. She'd taken her dying father's advice to be happy to heart and needed to learn that she didn't have to be happy or look happy all the time. Everyone has the right to be down or sad when bad things happen to them.

Anneka Walker has done it again. This was such a fun read with the scheming mothers and reluctant suitor. This book will definitely make you laugh and smile and maybe shed a couple of tears, depending on how tenderhearted you are. I can't wait to read the stories to follow about the other "Rebels" now that the mothers' plans aren't so secretive.

I received a complimentary digital copy from the publisher Covenant Communication via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I finished this with a brilliant smile on my face. It was such a delight to read and I’m sad it ended. I love a clean, well done regency novel. This was my second read by this author and she’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. Louisa was one of my favorites characters. She was brave and funny, always making me smile. And Paul was, was, was a unique character with many flaws but he was so kind hearted. The banter and chemistry they had was adorable and I laughed out loud several times. This novel has put me in such a lovely mood. I loved everything about this romance and can’t wait to see what else this author writes. I highly recommend this and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. One last thing…. The mothers and club was an added treat to this already good story.
Thanks Covenant Communications via NetGalley.

This was a really fun twist on matchmaking mommas!

Louisa has a large dowry and is sick of fortune hunters so she accepts the help of a few well meanings mothers who have formed a matchmaking club under the guise of a musical club. Paul is absolutely set on picking out his own wife and does not at all appreciate his mother's interference.

A friendship is formed through these uncomfortable circumstances and blooms into more. I loved all the Rebels and would not at all be surprised to see this turned into a series.

The Romance is sweet and slow but enjoyable all the same.

Things to know about content: no sex, language, or violence. Mild kissing. Possible triggers: child abuse.

Bargaining for a Barrister is the first in the Matchmaking Mamas series by @authorannekawalker.  Oh what a fun read, I especially love the start when Ian and Paul end up eavesdropping on their Matchmaking Mamas meeting.  This was such a fun read and I loved the personalities of the characters.  It made me laugh so much and I couldn’t put it down.  No spoiler but I loved at the end when they talk about who is next on the list of the Matchmaking Mama’s list.  I can’t wait for #2 and can't wait for Ian's chance. Cant wait too what is in store for this series.
 
Thank you @Netgalley @wholesomeromance for the chance to read and review such a fun book.
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The ‘Matchmaking Mama’s’ are in the house😂 I love meddlesome family members/friends in books & I’m so glad I picked this one up.

The meet-cute starts off with a bang & there is a unique storyline of not having both parties privy to this matchmaking plan

*insert trouble lol*

The side characters made this book extra rich in depth & hints along the way about Paul’s backgrounds really captured my attention to puzzle it out.

The ending will melt your heart & sets up perfectly for book number 2.

These Matchmaking Mama’s won’t be done until every last one of them says ‘I do’

Available TODAY!!

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.