Always a matchmaker, never a match…
Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy . . .
Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too?
Release Date: Jan 10, 2023
Heat Level: Warm
Publisher: Grand Central
Imprint: Forever
Price: $10.99
Women’s Fiction meets Romance.
I’m starting a new term. It’s called romance-lite. It’s not a bad term, but I’m going to start using it every time I read a book that’s women’s fiction but because it has an HEA and a romance involved in the growth of the heroine, it’s called a romance. Did I want more spice on the page? You bet I’ll always vote for more sensuality. But before we dig into all the things I wanted, let’s backtrack a second.
The book is pure catnip; two matchmakers pitted against each other. With our heroine Olivia being the inheritor of a decades old-school matchmaking business based on the Chinese Zodiac that her grandmother started. She’s up against an upstart tech-driven hero, Bennett, who’s launching a dating app with inspiration from the Chinese Zodiac. It’s a match made to fail since not only are they competitors but their signs aren’t compatible. Trope cat-nip in a bottle. Add in a loving grandmother, a pair of fun matchmaking employees, and one woman’s drive to uphold years of tradition and prove she can successfully keep a legacy alive. What’s not to love?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the meet-cute to the end. There was a bit of predictability in how the story would play out. I had some feelings where things might go on the resolution front, but the author keeps everything fresh with the inner-workings of the book. From the devious actions of Olivia towards the start, to a match-making competition. This book offered up fresh looks at romantic scenarios. Along with being diverse and own voices with a unique insight into life with character of mixed heritages.
So, what keeps this from 5 stars? I mentioned the romance-lite. While there is a romance prevalent throughout the story, since we’re talking about matchmakers, the journey is really Olivia’s. The story stays in her POV the entire way. She requires the most growth. Though, I won’t lie I wanted to be in Bennett’s head. There are a few other things that border on spoiler territory that kept this out of the top marks for me.
Overall, I’m interested to see what this author has planned next, and hopefully she’ll give us a story in the same world. There were plenty of side characters I was interested in. If you ever wondered what a Jackie Lau and Kristin Higgins -style book would be like, then Lunar Love may be right up your alley.
~ Landra
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