Review: Move over Hello Dolly, there's a new matchmaker in town
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 13, 2011
4 1/2 starsLily is content with her life. As half elf/half human, it's difficult to fit into either world, so owning her own flower shop in Charleston, SC is good for her. She yearns to find her own true love some day, but with over-protective brothers and magic that is unstable at best, she doesn't hold out much hope.Dare is a full wood elf who is personal guard to the infamous Matchmaker. His family isn't thrilled with his job choice, but it works for him. He's a bit puzzled, and more than a bit put out, when the Matchmaker sends him on a personal errand to hand deliver a letter to her niece, but hey, it's his job.Amy is an English teacher. Along with her greyhound Guinness; she is combining work with pleasure by co-teaching a course with her best friend Maeve and staying in her house with her. Who could complain about spending January in Charleston instead of snowy Nebraska? Her whole life she has been receiving cryptic letters from her Aunt Camille that she thinks of as just her aunt being eccentric. She is about to find out that there is more to Aunt Camille's letters than meets the eye.Lily, Dare and Amy's lives are on a collision course that will result in a little romance, a little magic and encounters with all sorts of creatures outside of the human realm.The Matchmaker's Mark is a complete turnaround from Ms. Regan's Justice series. It's light and fun, full of romance, fantasy and humor. Ms. Regan couldn't write a bad book if she tried, thankfully she didn't try. Lilly and Dare live in a world of elves, werewolves, mermaids, trolls and other things that go bump in the night and are comfortable there.Poor Amy is brought kicking and screaming into this world. She reacts as one would think someone would react when confronted with a world not quite human and I enjoyed that. Dare's reactions to Amy's reluctance to believe him are fun to watch and his frustrations with Amy and Maeve are priceless.Maeve, and Lilly's brother, Cade, are secondary characters that I enjoyed getting to know and hope to see more of in later books. Lilly starts off as a nice, unassuming type of woman. She slowly builds her confidence in her own ability and when she does, wow. The wonderful town of Charleston is not only a setting for the story but a character in its own right.I could say all sorts of glowing things about The Matchmaker's Mark, but the bottom line is, it's a nice, romantic, mystical journey into a world of fantasy. Anything you could possibly want in a fantasy romance is here; angry werewolves, mermaids with a tude, saucy southern belles, hunky elves, a mysterious setting and a couple of smart women.There are a few fights (this is Regan Black after all) that are more implied than seen, some sex (not graphic), some good laughs and a sigh or two. I hope there is a sequel in the works because I need to know where Aunt Camille is and how Amy is getting along in her new profession. I gave this book 4 1/2 stars instead of 5 because for 5 stars my socks have to be knocked off and across the room.  My shoes may be off but the socks are still on but I've got high hopes for those socks in the next installment.Reviewer for the Paranormal Romance Guild