As the middle child of the Shanahan family, Zaira does her best to keep the peace. She doesn’t share her dream of becoming a published author with her family to spare herself their disapproval. When she’s caught in a scandal involving the local matchmaker, Bellamy McKenna, she must put her storytelling ability to good use and feign a match with him to avoid wagging tongues and her parents’ anger.
Feeling the growing pressure to marry as a well-known, yet single matchmaker to St. Louis’s Irish community, Bellamy reluctantly agrees to a temporary match with Zaira. But even though the matchmakers in his family might be able to find love for others, they have a history of disastrous relationships for themselves. When secrets and danger force Zaira and Bellamy to work together, is it finally the matchmaker’s turn to be lucky in love?
Hedlund delivers another captivating romance with sizzling chemistry in this romantic conclusion to her beloved matchmaking series.
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Sexual Content - 2/5
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Violence - 0/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
Marrying the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund was a very satisfying read. It’s part of the A Shanahan Match series but can easily be enjoyed as a standalone, making it accessible for both new and returning readers.
Both Bellamy and Zaira were wonderful, well-developed characters. Bellamy, the son of a matchmaker, has spent years trying to prove himself worthy of inheriting his father’s role—only to discover that he may need a match of his own first. I loved how this story explored the freedom of embracing your true self and finding someone who cherishes the parts of you that you’ve kept hidden. Zaira’s adventurous spirit and enthusiasm for life made her especially delightful.
The secondary storyline involving the cholera outbreak in St. Louis was heartbreaking and eye-opening, highlighting the far-reaching impact of the epidemic in a powerful way.
The book weaves in subtle Christian themes and features strong chemistry between the leads—more than is typical for many Christian novels, yet still tasteful and limited to kissing only. Overall, this was a well-balanced, engaging romance with depth, history, and heart.