Book Review: Power of the Matchmaker (Prequel to the Power of the Matchmaker Series)

Power of the Matchmaker

By Karey White, Rachael Anderson, Kelly Oram, Heather B. Moore, Julie Wright, Heidi Ashworth, Taylor Dean, Michele Paige Holmes,  Janette Rallison ,  Regina Sirois, Sheralyn Pratt, Jaima Fixsen

Publisher: Mirror Press

Published: Nov. 3, 2015

ASIN: B013FIOAE0

Amazon Synopsis:

A prequel novella to the POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER Series 
Mystical . . . Beautiful . . . Romantic . . . 

Read the matchmaker’s story to find out where it all starts . . . 

Mae Li has been in love with Chen Zhu for years, and he with her. But when the matchmaker arrives at the Zhu family home, she recommends another village girl for Chen. 

Heartbroken, Mae Li watches as Chen does his duty by marrying another. Mae flees her village with the clothes on her back and her only possession—a pearl embedded comb, given to her as a goodbye gift from Chen Zhu. 

Upon Mae’s arrival in Shanghai, she quickly learns that she’ll starve within days unless she sells her prized comb or joins a courtesan house. She goes to the Huangpu River and promises the River God that she’ll always be selfless if he will save her from becoming a prostitute . . . Her wish is granted when Ms. Tan, the matchmaker of Shanghai, finds Mae. But Mae must completely change her future and her name if she is to become the next matchmaker. 

**Join us for the POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER SERIES** 
12 novels by 12 bestselling authors 

Released once a month in 2016: 

Broken Things to Mend by Karey White (Jan 2016) 
Not Always Happenstance by Rachael Anderson (Feb 2016) 
If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram (March 2016) 
Love is Come by Heather B. Moore (April 2016) 
Four Chambers by Julie Wright (May 2016) 
O'er the River Liffey by Heidi Ashworth (June 2016) 
Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean (July 2016) 
Between Earth and Heaven by Michele Paige Holmes (Aug 2016) 
How I Met Your Brother by Janette Rallison (Sept 2016) 
To Move the World by Regina Sirois (Oct 2016) 
King of the Friend Zone by Sheralyn Pratt (Nov 2016) 
The Reformer by Jaima Fixsen (Dec 2016) 

Book Links

Amazon  *  Goodreads

My Thoughts:

This was a beautiful tale of two lovers, Chen and Mae Li who were kept apart not once, but twice. The first time because the matchmaker matched them with other people and the second time because Mae Li had become a matchmaker herself, and dedicated her life to helping others find their true loves.

With only 60 pages to the book, this prequel is a very short read, but does a beautiful job of introducing us to Mae Li (or Pearl, her adopted name) and developing our interest in her. I liked the pacing of the book. The twists and turns led Mae Li through some dangerous circumstances which were common for single women without home or family in her time. You’ll probably finish this short book in one sitting as it’s too interesting to set down before you’re done.

I am very much looking forward to reading more about Mae Li in the upcoming books in the series. If you enjoy clean romance and this series sounds like it might interest you, I suggest you read this prequel. I rated it 5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the authors for providing a copy of the book through Ebooks for Review in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.