Friday, December 27, 2019

A MATCH FOR EMMA by Pepper Basham, #Reviews by Paula, Kim and Winnie

Come back tomorrow for Paula's #Interview with Pepper!
PAULA'S REVIEW:
I am a historical Christian Fiction girl. So when I say Pepper Basham is one of my favorite authors that is saying something!

A Match For Emma couldn’t be cuter, swoonier, or more down to earth. What’s more, it has a spiritual underpinning.

This is the third book in the Mitchell Crossroads series and it is inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma. What fun!

We have madcap matchmaker Emma setting her sights on another unsuspecting girl at Aunt Daphne’s Cafe. But Emma has been adept at matching people so far, or so she thinks.

Emma Mitchell and Jon Noble have grown up together and are best friends. Jon leaves his counseling practice in New York City to bring his father back to Ransom. Daddy Cam is in need of some TLC. Emma is saving for a trip to Europe to hone her culinary skills so she can open a local restaurant.

Will Emma realize her dreams or will they all fall apart, including her matches.

Ms. Basham gives us lots of quirks to enjoy- from a cat named Narnia to a Thor look-alike. And she even squeezed in her signature closet kiss!

Emma may be bent on matchmaking but her heart wants the best for the people in her crosshairs. Maybe God has other plans. He has lessons to teach Emma.

My favorite character was Ma Mitchell who dispensed Godly wisdom, and this is one of my favorite tropes- friends to sweethearts.

Enjoy this delightful Rom-Com a la Pepper Basham.
*I received this ebook from the author. I was not obligated to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*

KIM'S REVIEW:

A Match for Emma is the third book in the Mitchell’s Crossroads series, but it reads well as a stand-alone. This is a sweet friends to romance story, which is one of my favorite tropes. It has touches of Pepper Basham’s trademark warmth and humor with an Appalachian feel.

Emma and Jonah are both very easy to like and root for. I loved their friendship and how they just seemed to fit together. I really liked how Jonah’s grief about his mom was written, it felt realistic, yet didn’t make the story feel depressing. I also really liked Emma and her relationships with others and how she always tried to help.

The highlights of the story for me were how the game of scrabble was used (so fun!), the way the romance naturally developed, Jonah’s awesome friend Liam (who really needs his own story!), and the epilogue - It is epic!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

WINNIE'S REVIEW:
“The only person who can give you what you need most is the one who can love you forever and always.”

I’ve been hankering for another visit to Mitchell’s Crossroads, so I was excited to dive into Pepper Basham’s new book, A Match for Emma. It was such fun to revisit the Mitchell clan for Emma’s story.

Some things I loved about this book:
 

I loved the characters. Emma and Jon had been best friends for years, and it was entertaining to see their relationship grow and change. Basham is a master at creating endearing, realistic, and flawed characters and wrapping them up in a story that brings them out the other side much better than they were. I enjoyed seeing characters from previous books in the series return in this book.

I loved the setting in small-town Appalachia where everyone is neighborly and knows everyone else’s business and are willing to jump in and help when needed—and sometimes when it’s not needed or wanted!

I loved the quotes from Jane Austen’s Emma at the beginning of the chapters. They added a little hint as to what was going to happen.

I loved the story which is based loosely on Jane Austen’s character of the same name. It’s imaginative, witty, romantic, and charming. “She’s Emma. She just moved her fairy tales and dolls to real people. God help us.”

I love Pepper Basham’s writing. It flows naturally, and her delightful sense of humor shines through her stories. The dialogue is witty and amusing, and she scatters the tale with inspirational messages so seamlessly that they aren’t preachy or overbearing. “A man isn’t going to solve the real problems in your heart, no matter how rich or handsome he is. He can never really complete you. You have to recognize who you are before God, before you’ll be really ready to share your heart well with another person.”

I love that this is a clean, wholesome, humorous story. It was such fun to read that I didn’t want it to end. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

BackCover Blurb:
Emma Mitchell may enjoy sprinkling romance into the lives of others, but her own plans involve a single first-class ticket to culinary school in Europe.

When her best friend, Jon Noble, suddenly moves back to Ransom, Emma’s fairly certain her life can’t get any better…until her matchmaking schemes nosedive, her culinary future falls flat, and a life-long friendship begins to teeter on the brink of something unexpected.

With a little inspiration from Jane Austen’s classic and a touch of Blue Ridge charm, will Jon and Emma discover that what they need the most may be the last thing they’re trying to find?


Available in digital ebook or paperback at Amazon

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