Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for the ARC and finished copy of Saved by the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund. All opinions are my own. 

Last year, Calling on the Matchmaker, book one in the Shanahan Match series, was one of my favorite books of the year. Saved by the Matchmaker, book two in the series, was one of my most highly anticipated books of this year. It did not disappoint! 

Saved by the Matchmaker is a historical romance set in the mid-1800s in St. Louis, Missouri. It follows Enya Shanahan and Captain Sullivan O’Brien and their marriage of convenience. 

While I loved both protagonists in this dual POV story, Sullivan was the highlight for me. He was such a patient, gentle, and kind man and took such good care of Enya. I loved watching him fall in love with her and try to help her in her healing process. He also became more confident as the story went on, and I appreciated how protective he was of Enya. His selflessness was so admirable, and I liked that he was such a hard worker. 

Enya had a great personality, and I liked seeing her come back to herself after dealing with the trauma she had recently faced. She really balanced Sullivan’s seriousness with her feistiness and love of people. While she had major trust issues, I definitely could understand where she was coming from with everything that she had experienced. I appreciated her bravery as well in several situations where she put the wellbeing of others ahead of herself. 

The romance was adorable. I loved watching Sullivan patiently wait for Enya to be ready for him. He wasn’t pushy, and he always put her first over himself. There were so many good romantic moments in this story and some really swoony kissing scenes. 

Overall, I would recommend this book! Although this is book two in the series, it can be read as a standalone.