Match Me If You Can

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match! Annabelle Granger, a loser in a family of winners, inherits her grandmother's matchmaking business and sets out to capture the richest, most successful sports agent in Chicago for a client. As a crowning achievement, he wants the perfect wife. Could the quirky Annabelle be the answer to her client's quest? This unabashedly schmaltzy soap features the chaotic, angst-filled romance between the professional matchmaker and her most illusive client. However, this fast, funny production, with its appealing heroine, is flawed by Anna Fields's forced, unconvincing male voices and an over-the-top climax that tries to push too many erotic buttons. M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

May 30, 2005
Phillips's latest captivating romance (Ain't She Sweet
; Breathing Room
) follows a pair of reluctant lovers from their combative first acquaintance to a happily ever after. Perpetually discombobulated but adorable Annabelle Granger inherits her grandmother's matchmaking business, renames it Perfect for You and targets Chicago's super-rich, super-aggressive sports agent Heath Champion, better known as the Python, as her first client. Intrigued by this spunky, determined upstart, Heath—who is dead set on finding the ultimate trophy wife by age 35—agrees to give Annabelle a chance despite his contract with Portia Powers of Power Match. Soon Annabelle is introducing him to the Windy City's most extraordinary women, none of whom seem to meet Heath's discriminating standards. Could it be because chemistry has sparked between the matchmaker and her client? From trading barbs the two progress to exchanging kisses—and more. But when Heath finally meets his should-be dream girl and Annabelle's business threatens to go bellyup, they each must face their deepest feelings and make some difficult decisions in the name of love. Phillips has once again created a delightful page-turner. Agent, Steven Axelrod.

June 1, 2005
Annabelle Granger is determined to make a go of her late grandmother's matchmaking service. When she lands crack sports agent Heath Champion as a client and then learns that she is in competition with another agency to find him a bride, the battle is on and may the best woman win. Although Annabelle and Heath's relationship is prime, a second love story will intrigue readers with its unexpectedness and sheer improbability, and Phillips pulls it off beautifully. Including characters from the author's earlier football stories adds to the charm of this totally enjoyable romance. Phillips lives in the Chicago area. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/05.]

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