The Matchmaker Bride

Baird’s delightful second Blue Hill Brides romance (after The Duplicate Bride) opens as professional matchmaker Meredith Galanes gets skewered by a catty talk-show host over her own lackluster love life. To save face and maintain her clients’ trust in her romantic acumen, she lies about being in a relationship and, when pressed for details, describes an acquaintance from Blue Hill, Maine. Boatbuilder Derrick Albright met Meredith only once at his brother’s wedding and wasn’t a fan, but after she gets in touch with him, he reluctantly agrees to play along in exchange for Meredith tracking down his ex-wife, Olivia, and convincing her to give their relationship another try. Of course, the fake relationship between Derrick and Meredith leads to real feelings—which makes things awkward when Olivia reenters the picture. Readers will cheer for the well-drawn hero and heroine and their unlikely but ultimately believable romance. Plenty of humor and a stellar supporting cast, including some familiar faces from the first installment, enhance the charm. This will be catnip for contemporary romance fans. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Aug.)