Today for Fiction Friday I’m sharing my book recommendation for Sarah Monzon’s new contemporary Christian romance, An Overdue Match, releasing on February 18, 2025.
Here’s the Book Description:
Can a librarian’s matchmaking mischief lead to a love that rewrites their stories?
If the covers of every romance book ever published didn’t convince librarian Evangeline Kelly that she isn’t heroine material, her fiancé calling off their wedding when she lost her hair to alopecia did. But what’s a girl head over heels for love to do when her feelings are unrequited? Matchmake, that’s what. Armed with library patrons’ check-out histories, she’s determined to make at least one love connection–even if it’s not her own.
Tattoo artist Tai Davis is used to people judging him with a single glance, so it doesn’t surprise him when the town’s quirky new librarian believes his bad-boy reputation without giving him a chance. He can’t help being intrigued by her, though, so when he discovers Evangeline’s secret matchmaking scheme, he’s not above striking a bargain with her. She just has to agree to one date with him for every time she uses his hometown knowledge to set up library patrons on a romantic rendezvous. The deal is made, but in the process, they both might learn you can’t judge a book–or each other–by the cover.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading An Overdue Match, the first book in Sarah Monzon’s new series set in Tennessee. Evangeline is a librarian who has given up on finding love. Her ex-fiancé broke her heart and her self esteem when he ruthlessly rejected her. He couldn’t cope with Evangeline’s autoimmune disease that caused her hair loss.
Evangeline moved to a small town where no one knows she wears a wig. She’s a romantic at heart and puts in motion a crazy plan to match-make library patrons according to their reading preferences.
Tai is a tattoo artist who has an undeserved bad boy reputation. A dare from his librarian cousin, who works with Evangeline, creates a fun and memorable library meet cute for him and Evangeline. Tai is intrigued by Evangeline, and she’s convinced that no one would love her if they knew about her alopecia.
It takes a while for Evangeline to believe that Tai is the real deal and his feelings are genuine. She has preconceived ideas and a lot of emotional baggage to process. I loved how Tai is patient with Evangeline and is uniquely qualified to understand and help her overcome past hurts. Their romance is sweet and I wanted to see how Evangeline and Tai would navigate various obstacles and discover they belong together.
There are many lighthearted romcom moments in the story and I totally related to the antics of Evangeline’s cat, Kitty Purry. It was interesting to learn more about the artistic side of Tai’s work and how it impacted his clients. I was glad to see Evangeline’s ex-fiancé reap some consequences before the story ended.
I recommend An Overdue Match to contemporary romance readers who like fun matchmaking romances with depth that explore health issues and include a relevant faith element in the story.
Many thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
Learn more about Sarah Monzon and her books at her website.
https://www.amazon.com/Overdue-Match-Checking-Love-Book-ebook/dp/B0DH5T1VN3/
