Book Review: Matched in Merriweather

 From the best-selling author of The Henrietta and Inspector Howard series comes . . .

A delightful 1930s retelling of Jane Austen’s beloved classic Emma.

After receiving a desperate letter reporting her father to be gravely ill, inveterate matchmaker Melody Merriweather leaves college and rushes back to her small hometown of Merriweather, Wisconsin—only to discover that she’s expected to take over the running of her family’s general store, the Merc, until he recovers.

There, Melody tries to liven up the dusty old shop by selling luxury hats and gloves while also managing the handful of eccentric employees she’s inherited—the sweet, impressionable Harriet; the crabby Mrs. Haufbrau; and the overly critical but irritatingly handsome Cal Frasier. In typical Melody fashion, it isn’t long before she sets her sights on helping Harriet find a more suitable match than the local farmer who supplies the Merc with eggs.

All of Melody’s fanciful ideas suddenly fly out the window, however, when she learns that the Merc is not so well off as she imagined and that her father has borrowed money from loan sharks to keep it afloat. With the help of a surly Cal, Melody concocts a plan to brew cider as a way to resurrect the failing store. But when her attempts at both cider- and matchmaking go awry in spectacular fashion, it throws the Merc—and her own self-confidence—further into jeopardy . . .

My Review

I really enjoyed this book. The charm of the cast of characters and the storyline. Michelle always draws me into her stories. You can feel the characters come alive in the stories as you grow emotionally attached to them.  

I give Melody A+ for effort. She really tried with her matchmaking skills and to save her family's store. She was a little progressive for the small-town folk but with the help of Harriett, Cal, and Mrs. Haufbrau, she makes it work. 

I like the budding romance that happened between Harriett and John. You could tell that John was smitten with Harriett. Mrs. Haufbrau is like the grandma that you did not know you needed. She may have seemed gruff at first, but she really meant well. Another person that meant well is Cal. He and Melody worked well together.