The Matchmaker's Rogue

Grace-by-the-Sea, Book 1

By: Regina Scott

Narrated by: Jannie Meisberger

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

A reunion with a rogue

Polished Jesslyn Chance has one of the most enviable positions in the little Regency coastal village of Grace-by-the-Sea. She is the hostess of the spa, arranging introductions and entertainments and playing matchmaker to the ladies and gentlemen who come to take the waters, promenade through the shops, and dance at the assembly. But when a rogue returns from her past, Jess finds herself suddenly at sea.

Always an adventurer, Larkin Denby left Grace-by-the-Sea to right the wrongful death of his father. Now he’s back on a mission: to identify the mysterious Lord of the Smugglers who allegedly sails from Grace Cove and takes England’s secrets to France. But Grace-by-the-Sea is the perfect little spa town, run by the still oh-so-perfect Jesslyn Chance. When the village’s future is threatened, Jess must work with Lark to solve the mystery and protect the town’s own. In doing so, the matchmaker of Grace-by-the-Sea may just find that the best match for her is the rogue who stole her heart years ago.

If you like sweet, witty Regency romances with a touch of adventure, then you’ll love this first in a series novel from an award-winning author.

Begin your journey to Grace-by-the-Sea, where romance and adventure come home, today.

©2020 Regina Lundgren (P)2021 Regina Lundgren

A bit slow but overall quite good...

First let me tell you that I loved Ms Scott's 'Fortune's Brides' series; it was witty, funny, romantic... So my expectations for this new series were quite high. And while I liked the first book in general, I found it a bit less engaging...
The setting is interesting: Napoleonic wars, smugglers, spies, mysterious lights in an uninhabited castle, and our main characters right in the middle of this all.... Jesslyn Chance and Larkin Denby were once in love but then he left in pursuit of adventure and she stayed behind with a broken heart. Now he's back, with a secret mission to discover the identity of the 'Lord of the Smugglers' and she is forced to help him to protect her village... Will they be able to return to what they once had - love and understanding? Or have they changed too much and there's no flaming up the old feelings?
As I said, I liked the book in general though I think it lacks that sparkle that 'Fortune's Brides' had. The main characters are likeable, though, and you do want for them to find their happily ever after. There is, however, too little romance between them; I felt as if the adventurous side of the story overshadowed the romance... In the end, I'd say it's an adveture book with a pinch of romance rather than a historical romance with a pinch of adventure. BUT the 'adventure' is well written, with quite a few suspects, quite a few scary moments and and ending that will make you want to read the series on - some mysteries get even more mysterious in the last chapter...:)

Narration by Ms Meisberger is great, as usual. She does justice to all the characters; they are recognizable and feel true living and breathing people. The pace of her reading is also good, with no need to speed up:). It's a great interpretation of the book.

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.