A Match Gone Awry Book Review and Author Interview

ABOUT THE BOOK

She needs a match. He's here to help.

Desperate to leave Paris, Gabrielle d’Amilly has set her sights on an English diplomat who can whisk her away to a happier life. But when an attempt to catch his eye goes wrong, she enlists the British navy lieutenant Harvey Barlow to help in her scheme. Under the guise of visiting a friend, Lieutenant Barlow arrives in Paris with the task of checking France’s relations with the discontented colonies. Playing at matchmaking won't hurt his mission, especially for a good cause. But when his intentions to be helpful turn to feelings of love, he finds himself distracted from his duties. In his quest to advance in the navy, he cannot give Gabrielle the happy life she's after. With war threatening, Harvey and Gabrielle are forced to decide to hold to their previous goals or strive for an imperfectly perfect match.

A Match Gone Awry is a clean & wholesome Georgian romance.

Other books in the Georgians in Paris Series:

• The Accidental Servants by Christina Dudley
• The Vicomte’s Masquerade by Sofi Laporte
• A Sham Betrothal by Jennie Goutet

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arlem Hawks began making up stories before she could write. Living all over the Western United States and traveling around the world gave her a love of cultures and people, and the stories they have to tell. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in communications and emphasis in print journalism, and now lives in Arizona with her husband and two children.


AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Life Is What It's Called - What did you like most about writing A Match Gone Awry? 

Arlem Hawks - I think my favorite part of writing this book was revisiting Paris. Paris holds a special place in my heart, and this is the first book I’ve written set there! 

Life Is What It's Called - How is this book similar to the other books that you've written? 

Arlem Hawks -This one is probably more similar to my novellas The Steadfast Heart, In Pursuit of a Gentleman, and The Diamond of Bristol (part of A Lady’s Wager anthology). It’s lighter than my full-length novels and includes lots of good food and fun historical details. 

Life Is What It's Called - How is this book different from other books you've written?

Arlem Hawks - While this isn’t my first time dipping into the 18th century, my other Georgian era stories take place in the 1790s during the French Revolution. This is my first book delving into the pomp and pageantry of pre-revolutionary France, which has been really fun. 

Life Is What It's Called - How does this book stand apart from the other books in this genre?

Arlem Hawks - I think this book stands out from other books in the genre because I weave in quite a lot of insights into the time period. It talks about the French philosophers and Age of Enlightenment, with the characters interacting with several real historical figures. All of the locations are real places, even down to the characters’ residences. A lot of historical romance (most of my books included) make up exact residences. It was really fun finding which of my favorite spots were around in the 18th century and locating restaurants from the time period that are still alive and well today. 

Life Is What It's Called - What scene do you think readers will enjoy most in this book? 

Arlem Hawks - I’ve had quite a few beta readers mention they loved the dress altering scene. It was one of my favorites to write. ;)

Life Is What It's Called - What books are you writing now?

Arlem Hawks - I am currently in between projects! I just finished editing two books at the same time, so I am taking a little bit of a break before diving into another French meets English historical romance. 

Life Is What It's Called - Do you have any book signings coming up?

Arlem Hawks - I actually don’t have any book signings planned at the moment! Hopefully I will have one or two this summer. 

Life Is What It's Called - What do you want readers to know about you?

Arlem Hawks - I want readers to know that I am passionate about both romance and history, and my books usual walk the line between the two genres. I want readers to learn and experience what life was like in these time periods while also getting a swoony and wholesome romance.

REVIEW

In this sweet romance, Gabrielle has her heart set on winning an English diplomat's hand in marriage. Gabrielle desperately wants to leave France and step away from her stepmother's cruelty. She meets British navy lieutenant, Harvey Barlow, who agrees to help her make the match, but the match goes awry when Gabrielle and Harvey start to fall in love.

Gabrielle deals with a lot of miserable circumstances in this book. The author does a good job at exploring Gabrielle's life and character. I couldn't help but root for Gabrielle to find a happy ending and to escape France. The romance was slow-going. The reader knew the characters were in love before they realized it. The author adds a true "Parisian" vibe with historical places, figures, bakeries, debating philosophers, tours of gardens, and art museums. I loved the overall feeling of Paris of the book. The author also does a good job at intertwining the history and highlighting some of the feelings of unease during this time period. This book was an overall fun and clean read. To learn more, click here.

Please note that I received a free ebook to review, however, this is my honest opinion. This post is in cooperation with the author. This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog.