Sand Dune Books, $1.49, ISBN 978-1-62237-485-4
Contemporary Romance, 2018

Okay, time for the usual PSA first. Maddie James’s The Husband List was previously published as Mate to Order. The title change is for the better, if you ask me, as there is nary a hairy shifter hero in this story.

Also, this edition is a “revised, updated version” as per the copyright page.

This is an entry in the Harbor Falls series, and there is a central figure in this series: Suzie Hart Matthews, a TV personality and a chef as well as a matchmaker.

This time around, she will help Patricia Plum find a husband. Patricia’s criteria for that man are, among other things, “drop-dead gorgeous”, “clean cut”, “has money” (sis is honest, I’d give her that), and “Catholic”. These are the non-negotiable items on her list, mind you.

To be fair, however, she’s gorgeous. Hence, she can be picky.

Anyway, she is helping Suzie, her protégé, settle down as the latter embarks on TV stardom, and along the way, she bumps into her ex, Ames Cooper, a “younger” man that once took her “let’s give this relationship a trial run” thing to mean that he could bang any lady on the side because, you know, they weren’t that serious serious. Unfortunately for him, she begged to differ, so he was sent packing.

Of course, he’s still banging other chicks, because how else would a romance hero prove to us readers that his winkie is in working order, but now that he has a second chance at Patricia, will he get it right this time?

Oh, before I forget, I hope folks aren’t getting too excited by Ames being a younger man. This isn’t a May-December romance, as he’s younger by a shocking… da-da-dum… five years.

On to my verdict: this is a cute, fun story, although the matchmaker angle is very forced to the point that the romance is perilously close to being some artificial construct of Suzie rather than something that occurs in an organic manner between Patricia and Ames.

However, it helps that the relationship wasn’t deep and intense when it hit the skid the previous time around, so I guess it’s kind of believable that Patricia is practically spreading and rotating her legs in some secret cheerleader code for “Come here!” the moment she sees Ames again.

Amusingly, Ames is far more serious about this romance the second time around, while Patricia is the one putting up a fight, albeit a mild one. Unfortunately, he approaches Suzie instead of baring his heart to Patricia, hence my saying earlier that this second time romance feels a lot like machination instead of chemistry in motion.

It’s a shame, because these two characters and their romance could have been a fun and engaging one. After all, Ames is earnest and besotted, and I am a sucker for that kind of hero. I also like how Patricia has a successful career and gets to still keep it after finding love again, when it’s more typical of romance authors to force their heroines to give up their career for love.

Then again, cheating isn’t something that can be believably resolved by the antics of a matchmaking busybody, since there will be some serious trust issues to overcome before a convincing happily ever after can be attained. In this, the romance here, however fun it may be to read, isn’t something I’d consider credible.

So yes, come here for a fun and light romantic comedy, just don’t loiter too long in search of something deep that can resonate with you. There’s a good chance you’d find that somewhere else instead.