Return to 1800s St. Louis for more matchmaking adventure in Saved by the Matchmaker, the second book in A Shanahan Match series by Jody Hedlund. Saved by the Matchmaker, can be read as a stand alone. However, reading the first book in the series provides an opportunity to know some of the characters and explore the setting. This Christian historical romance is the story of Enya Shanahan, a lady in need of a husband, and Sullivan O’Brien, a steamboat captain looking for a wife, who enter a marriage of convenience in order to help each other.
I recommend this novel to readers who have enjoyed other historical fiction series with sizzle by Hedlund and anxiously anticipate the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

1849 St Louis & New Orleans

I adore matchmaker Bellamy McKenna and my favorite parts of the novel include him. He uses his charm and confidence to make matches. In this novel, the match happened quickly. Very quickly, which was part of the joy of Enya and Sullivan's story.

Enya's sham married was just annulled and her father and older brother promptly seek to make a respectable match for her. After being spurned in her first marriage, Enya is agreeable, but leaving her heart out of it.

As a steamboat captain, Sullivan is focused on his career and only willing to get married because his father is forcing his hand.

Watching their romance blossom was an enjoyable journey.

I'm so glad there is more to come in the series.

This is a sweet historical romance set in 19th century St Louis and touched briefly on some of the city’s history including the Great Fire of 1849 . Although there are two POVs we actually got more of the hero’s perspective- which is generally unusual for historical romance

Though this easy can be read as a standalone I'd suggest you read the series in order. I loved the first book in the series, and I think this one was even better.

Once again, the matchmaker is called upon, with different circumstantial needs the couple has a marriage of convenience. A previous marriage had her thinking she was in love, and he loved her until she realized it wasn't true.

He has insecurities due to past circumstances. I loved how gentle and understanding Sullivan was. He didn't rush her into anything. He knew she was hurting from her past relationship and not ready to trust another man yet. He goes out of his way to ensure her happiness, security and trustworthiness not caring it was at the expense of himself.

Time and again he proves to her he is not like the one who abandoned her and he can be trusted.

I loved Enya and Sullivan's characters and how he gave her all the time she needed to trust him and fall in love. I couldn't put this down and highly recommend it to all lovers of historical fictional romance.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book all opinions expressed are my own.

The first book in this series was fantastic, but this second book, Saved by the Matchmaker, I loved even more! If you haven’t read the first book, Calling on the Matchmaker, don’t worry, you can easily read book two as a stand alone novel.

I love marriage of convenience stories and this one had the perfect blend of the two main characters wanting to help each other in their respective situations, while also juggling a lot of hurts from their past experiences. There was great romantic tension and attraction between Enya and Sullivan, but fear kept Enya from being willing to open herself up to trusting Sullivan fully.

But what I absolutely adored about this novel was the way Sullivan showed Enya that he cared about her over and over and over again. He wanted her to know that she could trust him and hoped she would eventually be able to see that he was not like the man who had abandoned her. Sullivan’s love was sacrificial and beautiful.

This is a story that I simply couldn’t set down. I ended up reading the whole book in a day! I also know that this is a novel that I will be reading again. It’s a definite favorite!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I haven't read a book by this Jody Hedlund in a while, but I loved this one! I'll probably read more by her soon.

I loved Enya. Her life had not turned out the way she had thought it would. And she finds herself unmarried and pregnant. Her father wants her to marry immediately, so they go to the local matchmaker. Enya is married almost immediately. I loved Enya's courage. She knew what she had to do for her reputation and her baby. And she did it. She shows even more courage later in the book. Such an amazing woman!

Sullivan is being forced by his father to marry. He goes to the same matchmaker who finds Enya for him. I loved that Sullivan was also courageous. The way he helps slaves is amazing. I really loved that part of the story.

I also loved that these two needed to show even more courage in their relationship. And they both did. Sullivan and Enya were perfect for each other!

This book is so good! Make sure to grab your own copy.

This is the second in Jody Hedlund’s new series A Shanahan Match. Set in St Louis again, this time in 1850, the city is still overwhelmed with immigrants and gold seekers. Cholera is still a threat, although more under control. Shanahan daughter Enya has been deserted by her husband (whom she wed without family permission) and the men of the family are in a hurry to prevent scandal from sullying the family name. You’ll want to read how the matchmaker pulls off a wedding quickly and how it all plays out, complete with numerous plot twists, difficulties communicating, outside distractions, and two main characters who are sure they will never be enough to be loved by someone. I stayed up way too late because I had to know how it all ended.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. #SavedbytheMatchmaker #NetGalley

I was super excited to read this book because I adored the first one and it did not disappoint. Saved by the Matchmaker is the second book in Jody Hedlund’s Shanahan Match series. I also love marriage of conveniences so I was extra excited to read this one.
Enya was hurting and she didn’t know what to do with her life. Nothing had turned out the way that she thought it would and she was struggling. I liked getting to see Enya learn to look past herself as she interacted with Sullivan. Enya also had to learn to trust God and his plan.
I liked Sullivan from the beginning. He was such a sweet and considerate person underneath his gruff exterior. However he had his own scars to think about physically and mentally. He struggled with letting others in and trying to figure out how to love Enya.
I liked reading about Sullivan and Enya falling in love. They both wanted to help and encourage the other person. The romance was sweet as Sullivan tried to slowly win Enya’s heart. It didn’t feel rushed and it fit them. I liked how they learned to talk with each other and let each other in, they tried to work out their feelings. The plot was interesting and I didn’t want to put the book down.
I would totally recommend Saved by the Matchmaker! I really enjoyed this book and I am super excited for the books to come. I think I have an idea of whose book is coming next. Saved by the Matchmaker is a closed door historical Christian romance.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

Oh, how I love Jody Hedlund’s books! Saved by the Matchmaker has so many things I love in a story: marriage of convenience, a wounded but determined hero, a strong heroine, and so much more. I truly can’t recommend her books enough! I’m loving Hedlund’s Shanahan Match series and can’t wait for more. 4.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a nice fast moving story. Brought together by a matchmaker, Sullivan and Enya must overcome past hurts. Both are strong and determined which makes sparks fly.
I liked both characters and only wanted to shake some sense into Enya a few times. It’s a nice clean romance.

I definitely enjoyed this novel by Jody Hedlund, the second in her "A Shanahan Match" series, centered around a prosperous Irish family in St. Louis in the 1840s and how the various members find love via the help of a matchmaker, the somewhat enigmatic son of a bar owner and matchmaker. The historical background of the riverboat trade and the great St. Louis fire is intriguing. My only quibble is with the main characters, particularly the hero, Sullivan.

Enya, the heroine, can be irritating at times, with her constant waffling about how to treat Sullivan and how she feels about him. But that is understandable, and even realistic. After running away to marry a charming rogue, she learned to her dismay that he was actually just after her father's money, and was a wife beater to boot. When she would not beg her father for money he ran out on her. Her family arranges a hasty annulment and a quickie marriage to a respectable man (Sullivan) to save the family name. She only agrees because she finds out she is pregnant. So, given that past, her indecision and trust issues are forgivable. And with time and circumstances she comes around in the end

The issue I have with Sullivan is that he is too darned perfect. He marries Enya because his father is pressuring him into it, by threatening to move him into an office job at their company and taking him off the river, where he is a ship captain. But he instantly falls in love. And he is EVERYTHING. Wealthy, generous, sensitive, intuitive and endlessly patient. He is a war hero who was injured saving men drowning in a burning river. He is a secret abolitionist who smuggles escaped slave to the north on his riverboat. His only flaw, scarring on his body from the war incident, which does not affect his face, has left him inexplicably insecure about women. Now I can buy that he would be a good and kind man, but I have a hard time accepting that an 1840s Irishman making his living on the river could be quite so much the "sensitive new age guy". However, you can help but liking him and rooting for them both.

So, all in all, a very good novel, if not quite a great one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinion is strictly my own.

“He didn’t prevent the hardships or the difficulties. Instead, He pieced the shards together to create something new that wouldn’t be perfect and wouldn’t be without its blemishes, but the brokenness would be beautiful in its own way.”

Jody Hedlund’s sequel ‘Saved By The Matchmaker,’ more than met my expectations! It’s a heartwarming novel about desperate decisions and the uplifting power of true love.

Days later, I’m still thinking about Enya and Sullivan and their story about second chances. I, too, have felt like Enya, broken and crushed, having only a ghost of myself remaining, and have put one foot in front of the other to keep going. I think I identified with her because I knew her pain; accepting the present in light of the future. In setting aside her constant companions of shame and guilt, Enya learned to embrace her future and see herself through Sullivan’s eyes. It’s amazing how we blossom when we experience pure love.

Sullivan has his challenges, the least of which is finding a wife by midnight on Shrove Tuesday to please his father. I loved having a front seat to his growth as he learned to put other’s needs above his own. Suddenly, his selflessness became the antidote to his struggle with inadequacy. There’s a spiritual lesson in that for us.

The meticulously executed ‘Battle of Brokenness’ theme highlighted our need to embrace the blemishes, allowing the beauty of brokenness to shine. I’m thankful for Enya’s example of welcoming testing, especially when she was most vulnerable, and of rallying the grace to forgive and the courage to carve out her future.

I was gifted this copy by Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I was so very excited to receive this book!
I loved this one so much more than the first one.
Hedlund never disappoints me with her stories.
This book has so much to offer! It's definitely a can't put down book!
I loved that Enya was a fun character and she can be quite stubborn when the occasion called for it and fun loving too. I just really like her character.
Sullivan is something else. At times, he cracked me up. There were just plain and simple moments where I just giggled because I couldn't help myself. Just loved him.
I looooove second chances. This was the best part of all really.
I loved it just simply because Hedlund added the steamboats in it along with a few other things.
There were places that she made me hold my breath and I think that in my opinion those were the exciting parts.
5 stars for a wonderful and fun loving adventure. I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.