🍀💍⛪ “The Irish Matchmaker” (2024) ⛪💍🍀– Book Review

 

MY REVIEW 

 

Paperback: 320 pages 
Publisher: Revell (February 13, 2024) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1681902125 
ISBN-13: 978-1681902128 
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information

 

“As daughter of a well-known matchmaker, Catríona Daly is no stranger to the business of love--and sees it as her ticket away from the sleepy village that only comes alive during the annual matchmaking festival. Enter Lord Osborne's son, Andrew, who has returned to the festival after being disappointed by a rival matchmaker's failed setup. Catríona seizes the opportunity to make a better match for the handsome man--and for herself!

 

Cattle farmer Donal Bunratty is in desperate need of a wife after loss left him to handle the farm and raise his daughter on his own. Shy and lacking the finer social graces, he agrees to attend the matchmaking festival to appease his daughter. But when he arrives, it's not any of the other merrymakers that catch his eye but rather his matchmaker--who clearly has eyes for someone else.

 

Catríona will have to put all her expertise to work to make a match that could change her life forever. Will her plan succeed? Or will love have its own way?” 

 

Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell Books (a division of Baker Books), for providing a complimentary review copy through the author’s launch team. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own. 

 

I’ve been a fan of Jennifer Deibel’s since her debut, A Dance in Donegal. 

 

That has an interesting beginning. It was one of the rare and earlier times of me pre-ordering books through the publisher’s site. And, trust me – you really want to do that. 

 

A Dance in Donegal was released in February 2021, and was Revell’s “Beyond the Book” Facebook group book of the month. The book group was something that was started in January 2020. It definitely helped during the pandemic. Sadly, it was paused in September 2023. The last book I read in that group was the July selection.

 

Getting back to “A Dance in Donegal” I read the “selected” chapters in three (3) hours. As it wasn’t a launch team or “contracted” review, I took my time with it (which was painful as a reader). And, by the end? I was a fan! So much so that I was happy to win a copy of her 2022 release The Lady of Galway Manor through Library Thing.

 

That too drew me in. 

 

When I got the chance to be on her launch team for her third novel The Maid of Ballymacool, there was NO hesitation. And, since it had a connection to the first book – I HAD to read it.  

 

Which, is why I’m here.

 

I had to be – after all, once I’m done with her books, I spend almost a year waiting for another. 

 

This one, unlike A Dance in Donegal and The Maid of Ballymacool, is in a different city and setting altogether. I do have to admit, The Maid of Ballymacool has one of the best covers. Not to say this doesn’t – it’s light, airy, and delicate. 

 

The Irish Matchmaker features a practice, that is still done today – MATCHMAKING. 

 

It is clear from the notes in the back of the book that the author did her research. Then again, she also lived over in the Emerald Isle for a period of time. 

 

Deibel crafts some new and interesting characters: 

 

👨🏻‍🌾 Donal

👧🏻 Sara

💍 Catríona 

🍻 Jimmy (Catríona’s father)

🎩 Andrew

💐 Lady Osborne (Andrew’s mother)

🎩 Lord Osborne (Andrew’s father)

👨🏻‍🌾 Owen (Donal’s friend and neighbor)

💐 Deirdre

👗 Maeve (Catríona’s friend)

 

There are going to be a few content issues that some readers might find problematic. These are:

 

❤️‍🩹 Womanizing man (Andrew)

🫲🏻 Unsolicited smack on a woman’s butt (done by Andrew)

☔ Looking for a child in rubble after a storm (Sara is trapped during a storm)

💔 Parental abandonment (Catríona’s mother leaving her)

 

There is, despite this being published by a Christian themed publisher, a reference to “personal lust”. There are no overt inappropriate intimate acts.

 

The book is told from three POVS – Donal, Catríona, and Sara; which then gets down to two (Donal and Catríona).

 

The beginning of the book had me in a fit of laughter before I could even get a few pages in. Donal get lick-attacked by a cow 👅🐄 that’s one way to open a book I guess 🤣

 

Donal is definitely not the richest man on Earth, but he has his farmer and 9-year-old daughter Sara. 

 

Despite being a matchmaker, like her father – and well respected in the job – Catríona is hoping she can marry herself off and get out of Lisdoonvarna. And, she’s hoping Andrew Osborne is her ticket out. She doesn’t want to end up the wife of a farmer. Her mother ran off, leaving the girl and her father. 

 

Sara is tired of going to school and getting picked on by Margot and her cronies. It is Catríona who comes to the little girl’s rescue. After chiding the other children, Catríona walks the little girl home. At first Donal thinks Catríona has hurt the girl, but pleased to know she was looking out for her. 

 

Sara gets an idea of her father attending the festival as she wants a mama. Donal has his own ideas, yet he knows the girl needs a mother. And, he needs some help on a farm he’s about to lose. There are times he doesn’t want to, but he commits to it. 

 

The crowd (large for even that time) has him wanting to return home, yet his Sara means the world to him. Yet on the walk to the town, he notices that farmers and gentry talk and are all excited for the festival. 

 

He first meets up with Jimmy, who ends up being a bit busy with matching a member of the gentry and gives Donal to Catríona. It is when she goes to tell him about a potential match that she’s introduced to Sara’s cows (definitely loved her names for them). One of the first matches is a woman by the name of Máiréad. That is definitely not a match. 

 

During a walk and picnic, Donal ends up meeting Deirdre. She seems like a lovely lady, but for some reason, he’s drawn to Catríona. He does observe some not-so-gentlemanly behavior from Andrew. 

 

It is during a dance that Donal and Catríona seemingly have a good time, and even Sara sees it. However, the festival is still going, and Catríona – while not saying it – doesn’t want to be the wife of a farmer. 

 

Yet, Donal has to worry about his farm and the things it needs. He gets an “almost too good to be true” offer that could mean losing the farm either way. He wants to mull it over. Catríona then matches him with Deirdre. 

 

Catríona is no further ahead in her quest either, and almost jeopardizes her job to gain Andrew. 

 

Donal ends up accepting the offer when a storm comes in, leaving unthinkable damage in his wake and almost taking what means the most to him. 

 

Like a symbolic act – the storm forces Donal and Catríona to rethink what they want in life, well past the festival. And, even well past their own feelings. 

 

Set around the time-honored tradition, The Irish Matchmaker, has a charming tale of an unexpected romance. A romance that is also about finding one’s self, and healing the heart.  

 

While this wasn’t the hit that Dance in Donegal and The Maid of Ballymacool was, it was still a very enjoyable read. Definitely one I’d return to when my TBR gets manageable (well it is a thought) 🤣

 

Deibel draws readers in with the language of the Emerald Isle – Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic). She includes a dictionary at the front of the book which can get tedious for some readers. One word I had to laugh at seeing for the first time in print, well so far, CHOCKABLOCK. The first ever time I heard it was in a movie – Love Actually (2003). Despite that being a Christmas rom-com classic, I was first introduced to it in 2022. Since then – it’s become a favorite and I was able to see it during its limited 20^th anniversary run in theaters. 

 

It was interesting to see that word in print. 

 

Speaking of words, Deibel also has a very descriptive way of writing that the reader can almost picture themselves there – sounds and even smells. Sometimes it can be too descriptive, but the short chapters did keep me reading long past reasonable times. 

 

If I hadn’t had to do some reorganizing while I was reading this, it would’ve been an easy 2-day read. It was a bit slow to get into, but the last 20% of the book had me staying up way too late to finish it. But, I wasn’t going to quit. Did I regret that 5:15am bedtime? Yes 🥺 This was worth it though 🤭

 

There was one minor plot arc I wanted a bit more of – the hotel guest that had a medical issue. It is mentioned due to the doctor rushing out from attending to Sara, yet not mentioned again. I really wanted some information. I have far too many ideas rolling around in my head.

 

The romance with Andrew is more of a flirtation, but comes well over 40-50% in the book. It peaks at around 89% in. Her and Donal are definitely better suited from the beginning, but their declaration is about 81.5% in. Their romance is on the “friends-to-more” trope. 

 

There was an interesting plot twist with Andrew as well as his mother, and it was one that reflecting back, I saw it. But, not at the time I was reading the book. I was honestly stunned by it. If you’ve read it – you know. 

 

Since this is from Revell, which is a primarily Christian publisher, there will be themes of faith in it. They’re not too overwhelming, but definitely present. 

 

I’m eagerly waiting to see what Deibel has ready for us readers with her new release next year. I’m certain Deibel’s fans won’t want to miss this read! 

 

 

          💕         💕         💕         💕         💕         💕

 

 

NOTE ➡️ This is a real festival. It continues today (as of 2024) and draws huge crowds of over 20,000 (80K according to another article) people to the busy pubs and hotels every year during the whole month of September. As Deibel states in her notes, today, the only true Matchmaker left is third-generation matchmaker, Willie Daly [81] (obviously where Catríona’s last name originated). He runs a pub in Ennistymon and during the festivities you’ll find him and his precious notebook of love-seeking profiles, in his ‘office’ (aka the snug of The Matchmaker bar). 

(https://www.irishtourism.com/lisdoonvarna-matchmaking-festival)

 

Here’s the link to the actual website, and a countdown clock: https://matchmakerireland.com/ 

 

You can follow or like the festival on the following social media sites: 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisdoonvarnaFestival 

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmaking_lisdoonvarna/ 

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisdoonfestival 

 

 

RATING:  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html;update https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html) 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

Jennifer Deibel is the award-winning author of A Dance in Donegal, The Lady of Galway Manor, and The Maid of Ballymacool. Her work as appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic, and in other publications. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children. You can find her online at www.jenniferdeibel.com.

You can also find her on the following social media accounts:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferDeibelAuthor

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdeibel_author/

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisGalsJourney

 

  

 

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