Review & Giveaway: The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins (CLOSED)

Title: The Perfect Match 

Author: Kristan Higgins 

Series: Blue Heron, #2

Published: October 2013, Harlequin

Format: ARC e-book, 384 pages

Source: Netgalley via Little Bird Publicity 

What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise?

Honor
Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush.
And now–a mere three weeks later–Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best
friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust
herself off and get back out there…or she would if dating in
Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn’t easier said than done.

Charming,
handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his
unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom
must either get a green card or leave the States–and leave Charlie
behind.

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom
with a marriage of convenience–and make her ex jealous in the process.
But juggling a fiance, hiding out from her former best friend and
managing her job at the family vineyard isn’t easy. And as sparks start
to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend
relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love….

My thoughts:  This is the second book in Kristan Higgins’ Blue Heron series and I really enjoyed it. What I really loved, besides the setting – after all it’s set in the Finger Lakes of NY – just a hop, skip, and a jump from where I live! – is that the main couple really had to work to get their happily-ever-after and there were quite a few times where I wasn’t even sure it was going to happen for them! 

I also loved that there is so much humor infused throughout the book. There are tons of laugh-out-loud situations, starting with the first scene where the doctor tells Honor, on her 35th birthday, that her biological clock is ticking – this isn’t so much the funny part so much as it sets the scene for her “eggs” to start talking to her. Hilarious!!! I think these scenes truly were my favorite part of the whole book!

Now, don’t get me wrong…there are plenty of touching moments throughout the book as well, some that really pull at your heartstrings. All the interactions between Tom and Charlie throughout the book really got to me – Tom never once gives up on that kid even when Charlie gives him every reason to do so. 

I have really loved getting to know the Holland family, first with Faith’s story and now with Honor’s story. I love that Goggy and Pops had just as much a role in this book as they did in the first and that even Mr. Holland and Mrs. Johnson had their moment in the spotlight this time around. I’m really happy to see that there will be another installment coming out next year. Will it be about another Holland or about one of the other characters we met so far…I guess only time will tell!

Books in this series: 

1. The Best Man
2. The Perfect Match
3. Waiting On You – due out 2014

About the author: Kristan Higgins is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. She lives with her family in a small Connecticut town that boasts a wonderful library, a great agricultural fair, a really good ice-cream stand and not much else. She is the mother of two lovely kids and the wife of a brave firefighter who is also (perhaps more important) a fantastic cook.

Previously a copywriter, Kristan began writing fiction when her children graced her life with simultaneous afternoon naps. Writing, she found, was infinitely more satisfying that folding laundry, and so began her first novel. Kristan holds a B.A. in English from the College of the Holy Cross, which means she can identify dangling participles, quote many great novels and play a mean game of Scrabble.

Kristan is an award-winning baker, devoted fan of the New York Yankees and an avid reader. She and her crew spend as much time as possible at the family home on Cape Cod, where they shiver in the Atlantic, ride bikes, swat horseflies, and don’t catch any fish.

 You can find out more about Kristan on her website, find her on facebook or follow her on twitter.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS (CLOSED) – (Continental US only) 

Thanks to Katie at Little Bird Publicity I have one copy of The Perfect Match to give away to my readers. 

To enter… 

• For 1 entry leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog for 2 extra entries.
• Please include email address so I can contact you if you win.

This giveaway is open to Continental US residents only and ends November 10th.  

Good luck!