Matched to Her Rival - Kat Cantrell (HD #2327 - Sept 2014)

Series: Happily Ever After Inc. (Book 3)

She was supposed to match him with someone else…

Elise Arundel won't let anyone compromise her high-profile matchmaking business -- certainly not Dax Wakefield, the doubting tycoon determined to prove she's a sham. She'll find the sexy bachelor a perfect mate. But when her foolproof program matches him with her, what's a woman to do but give in to unbridled passion?

Dax can't believe how the former-duckling-turned-swan is making him question his playboy status…and his vow to bring down her company. Could sultry Elise -- his enemy! -- be the one to change his life from one night only to happily ever after?

This was a really fun series. There's something really satisfying about seeing a fairy godmother come through for some deserving Cinderellas. And it's even more fun when the fairy godmother gets a happy ending of her own, though she certainly didn't have an easy time of it. 

Elise was doing an television interview about her business when it was hijacked by Dax Wakefield. He has had it in for her ever since he accused his friend Leo (Matched to a Billionaire) of falling for one of  Elise's trained golddiggers and lost their friendship because of it. She refuses to accept his maligning of her business and challenges him to become one of her clients. If she finds him a soulmate, he will advertise her business, if she fails he can attempt to ruin her business.

The sparks between Dax and Elise were incredible from the very beginning. Both of them were absolutely confident in their own positions, and their ability to prove it. Dax is a man who doesn't believe that love exists, and that any relationship based on emotion is doomed to crash and burn. Elise knows that there is a soulmate out there for everyone, even Dax. She just has to get him to cooperate in answering the profile questions, which is an experience in itself. I loved seeing just how much alike the two of them were, in spite of their differing views. Both have psychology degrees and are adept at reading each other and pushing their buttons. When Elise finally gets all of the questions answered and entered into her program, she is stunned to find that it selects her as Dax's perfect match. She refuses to believe it and selects someone else to match him up with. That doesn't go so well, largely because Dax can't get Elise off his mind. Because of it, Dax starts pursuing Elise with more intent, and taking advantage of the attraction he knows she feels too. I loved the give and take between them, and seeing Elise try to resist him. I liked the fact that she actually succeeded for longer than Dax expected.

Both of them discover, to their surprise, that they actually like each other and want to spend time together. By doing so, they learn more about each other and themselves, including their biggest fears. It turns out that each have some serious self-esteem and trust issues. Elise has never really gotten over her body issues from when she was heavy, and doesn't trust that anyone can see the person she really is under the figure she works so hard to maintain. Dax worries that he's like his mother, who deserted him when he was young, and is afraid to trust that he has anything substantial to offer a woman. Just as he's beginning to believe that he and Elise could have something together he learns of her lie about who he was matched with, destroying the fragile trust he had started to feel.

I felt so terrible for both of them, as each of them had really fallen for the other, but neither could let go of their fears. It isn't until they face their own demons that they can allow themselves to trust the other one. For a change it's the woman who has the biggest screwup to fix and Elise does so in a spectacular way.

I liked seeing Leo, Danni and Juliet have parts to play. Leo showed a lot of class in not saying "I told you so" to Dax. And I loved the way that Danni and Juliet showed up to give Elise moral support when she was so unhappy. 

Matched to a Prince - Kat Cantrell (HD #2321 - Aug 2014)

Series: Happily Ever After Inc. (Book 2)

How could she be his perfect match?

Prince Alain "Finn" Phineas pledged his love to Juliet Villere once -- and she betrayed him. Despite the desire he still feels, Finn would never act on those feelings again. Not even when Juliet is chosen for him by an elite matchmaker. Then fate, in the form of the royal family, intervenes.

Trapped alone on a beautiful island, they are held "captive" until Finn can convince Juliet to marry him and end a political nightmare. His motives should be about serving his country. So why does his heart yearn for a second chance with Juliet…a real chance this time?

What happens when a rock meets a hard place? Finn and Juliet had known and loved each other a year ago, until her brother died in an accident. Juliet blamed his mandatory service in the military and was furious and hurt when Finn didn't support her in her calls for change. At the same time, Finn felt betrayed that Juliet couldn't see that he had to stand with his king and his country. So they parted ways, each brokenhearted but unable or unwilling to do anything about it.

Finn has spent the last year trying to forget Juliet. He's gone a bit overboard, earning the nickname "Party Prince", until his father insists that it's time for him to settle down. Since he won't risk his heart again, he agrees to use a matchmaker to hook him up with a woman he can at least be friends with. He's furious when the program matches him to Juliet, but intrigued enough by the changes he sees to at least have dinner with her.

When Juliet heard that Finn's engagement would soon be announced, she knew she couldn't stay in Delamer any longer. In spite of what he had done, she knew she still had feelings for him and it would hurt too much to see him with someone else. So she signed up with the matchmaking service in hopes of finding a husband that could help her forget. She wasn't at all happy to discover she had been matched to Finn, who she never expected to see again.

Their dinner together showed that their connection was still as strong as ever, but it also showed that neither had forgotten what tore them apart in the first place. They admit that their differences won't allow for a future together, but before they can part ways they are kidnapped and left stranded on an island together. Finn discovers that the kidnapping was orchestrated by his father, who wants Finn to romance Juliet out of her convictions and over to their side of the issue. Finn wants that second chance with Juliet, but not for those reasons. He also wants a chance to feel like he's actually doing something important for his country and his father, not just being the "spare".

Finn and Juliet are so stubborn I had to wonder how the author was ever going to get them to work out their differences. Neither one seemed able to give an inch in their views, to consider finding a compromise that would work for both of them. Once they got to the island and were alone together, things started looking up a little. If they avoided talking about that one issue, they were fantastic together. The attraction was intense and had a tendency to overpower their good intentions. They had so many other things in common including a love for their country and a desire to help their people. But every time they tried to talk about that one thing their emotions took over. It wasn't until they had parted again that each one actually thought about points that the other made during their arguments. I loved seeing how things came together for them in the end. The ballroom scene was fantastic.

Matched to a Billionaire - Kat Cantrell (HD #2315 - July 2014)

Series: Happily Ever After Inc. (Book 1)

Wanted: one convenient wife

Venture capitalist Leo Reynolds is married to his work, but now he needs a wife. Someone to run his home, host his parties--and accept a marriage that's strictly business. His one rule: love will play no part in their union. At least that's the lie he tells himself, until he meets his match....

Enter Daniella White--handpicked by the matchmaker as the perfect wife. Marriage to Leo means security, and she's willing to give up passion for friendship. But the moment they meet, sparks fly. And now temptation--and Leo's own heart--have the billionaire ready to change all the rules.

Good book. Leo is a workaholic but needs a wife to help him with the social aspects of his job. He doesn't have the time or inclination to date, so goes to a matchmaker to help him find the right woman. He wants a wife who is willing to have a strictly business relationship. Daniella matches all the requirements. She is looking for security so that she can take care of her sick mother. She had dreams of the perfect marriage but was willing to give them up for a friendly partnership instead.

Neither of them expected the intense attraction that flared as soon as they met. Leo especially fights it as hard as he can. Long ago he realized that he has a rather obsessive personality. He fears getting so lost in his feelings for Daniella that he would ignore his business and lose everything. He had grown up poor and has worked hard for the success that he has achieved so far, even though he feels it still isn't enough. Leo has some deep seated insecurities that cause him to feel that he isn't good enough. It doesn't take long for Daniella to work her way under his walls and it scares him to realize just how much he wants her. He's convinced that he can't have a successful company and a real marriage at the same time. 

Daniella accepts the terms of the marriage because she needs to take care of her mother. She also grew up poor. Signing up with the matchmaker seemed to be her best option after losing several jobs because of frequent absences. Leo has made his preferences clear - she isn't to expect any romance from him, his focus is on work. Her job is to take care of the other parts of his life. Her first sight of him blows her belief in that possibility away. She wants him in all ways in her life, but she knows that it won't be easy to convince him. She had worked hard to become the kind of person she thought he wanted, but found that her real self kept popping out. She can see that Leo has the potential to be a marvelous husband if she can just convince him of it. 

I really loved seeing the two of them as they tried to reconcile their intentions with what was really happening. I loved Daniella's determination to show Leo that he could have it all. She had all kinds of little things that she would do to try to get her point across. She had quickly discovered that she wanted more than he was offering and she wasn't going to give up.  Meanwhile, Leo was doing his best to block her from his mind and wasn't succeeding at all. This conversation said it best:

"You're driving me bananas. No. Worse than that." He squeezed the top of his head but his brain still felt as though she twirled it with a spaghetti fork. "What's worse than bananas?"

"Pomegranates," she said decisively. "They're harder to eat and don't taste as good."

He bit back a laugh. Yes, exactly. His incredibly perceptive wife drove him pomegranates. "That about covers it."

As the book progressed, Daniella started to gain confidence in herself and her abilities. I loved seeing her work with the matchmaker to help others the way that she had been helped. It also made her realize that she deserved more than she had been getting. Leo also had some changes to go through. From the rather cold, aloof man, determined to keep Daniella at a distance to the relaxed and happy husband was not an easy journey for him. He got a less than pleasant look at himself when his friend Dax made some obnoxious comments about Daniella. He also had to learn about how to have balance in his life. That was a lesson learned from a young man that Leo was mentoring, and was another fun scene in his transformation. Leo's fears were easy to understand as more was learned about him, and I loved seeing the way that Daniella loved and supported him.