I’ll be honest here. My expectations for this novella collection were pretty low. (And I received a free digital copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review.) I’ve not read many novellas or novella collections, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I KNEW I would love Karen Witemeyer’s story because it involved one of the Archer brothers, who have starred in two other of her books, but the others I wasn’t sure about.
SO, I’m glad to report that I loved this! A Match Made in Texas is four stories by four authors centered around a frontier Texas town. In each of the first three stories, a woman or man in need of help is given an anonymous push toward a potential romantic partner. We don’t know who the matchmaker is until the fourth story when the tables turn and she finds herself the object of the town’s matchmaking efforts.
Two of these authors–Regina Jennings and Mary Connealy–were new to me, while Witemeyer and Carol Cox were familiar. I thought the stories blended well together, and I loved the unique situations each pair found themselves in.
My only complaint is that because they’re novellas, the stories are SO short and the action happens quickly.
What I’m learning to love about novella collections like this one is that they’re a good way to find new authors, especially when paired with authors I already know. I don’t know if I would have agreed to read this one if Witemeyer’s story wasn’t in it, but now I’m glad I did.