Hi lovelies! It gives me
great pleasure today to host Mackenzie Lucas and her new book, “Make Me a Match”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the end
of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Mackenzie
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Make Me a Match
by Mackenzie Lucas
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GENRE: Fantasy
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BLURB:
Widower
Mark Cage is rusty at relationships. He owns the micro-brewery that supplies the
restaurant and bar at St. Augustine's premiere spa resort, Essence, with its
award winning local craft beer. And he’s been focused on building his business
and raising his teenage daughter ever since his wife died ten years ago.
Nothing else.
When
he runs into a sweet kindergarten teacher who is vacationing in St. Augustine and
staying at Essence everything changes. A sudden, inexplicable encounter with a
mystical tree known for its legend of bringing lovers together, convinces Mark
the schoolteacher is his destined match. However, his encounters are
disastrous.
His
only hope of persuading the woman he wants to even consider a date with him is working
with Essence’s on-site relationship guru, Athena Sullivan. A reknowned
relationship coach, Athena is the opposite of everything Mark wants in a woman.
She’s feisty, independent, and challenges him at every turn. Sparks fly between
the two from their first
meeting and flare into a blazing inferno as Athena helps him navigate the
dating scene.
After
a series of too-perfect, mis-queued dates, Mark realizes maybe the woman of his
dreams is not a sweet schoolteacher after all. Maybe she’s a feisty,
independent, sexy relationship coach who stands up to him and is everything
he’s always wanted or needed in a woman.
If he
opens himself up to true love, he might just find second chances at love are
possible and that his perfect soul mate is closer than he thinks.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Meeting the Kindergarten Teacher
Sally,
Mark’s best friend, waved when she saw him. “Mark, I want you to meet someone.”
He
walked over, hands shoved in his jeans pockets. “Hey, there.”
Daphne
extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Daphne Moore.”
He
froze, mesmerized by the elfin features of the pretty woman.
Sally
poked him hard in the ribs, giving him a not so subtle hint.
“Oh,
hi. I’m Mark Cage.”
He
hadn’t done this in forever. He was a little rusty. Sally poked him a second
time and stared at Daphne’s hand just as she started to lower it, looking
unsure of herself.
Mark
recovered. Pulled his right hand from his pocket and grabbed hers.
But
in his rush, he fumbled. Yanked a little harder than he’d intended to pump it
in an exuberant handshake.
She
stumbled.
He
dropped her hand.
She
smiled sweetly and rubbed her wrist and hand gingerly. Her face flushed pink.
“Sally tells me you run a microbrewery.”
“Yes.”
He nodded, at a loss about what topics to discuss with a kindergarten teacher.
The silence stretched out.
Daphne
looked between Mark and Sally. Her face flushed a deeper shade of pink. Almost
as if she didn’t know what to say, either.
Cute.
She
sure was pretty. Mark liked the way her long skirt flowed easily over her slim
hips. “You’re a teacher?”
“Yes,
I teach kindergarten. Five-year-old kids.”
His
daughter hadn’t been five for a lot of years. He could barely remember when she
was five. “Learning to read and write,” he finally came up with after a long,
painful pause.
“Exactly.
Plus social skills. How to interact appropriately with others. How to play nice
together. Those kinds of necessary life skills.”
Sally
snickered and tapped his toe with her foot. “Maybe you should go back to
kindergarten. Do you some good.”
Mark
scowled, then turned back to Daphne. “What brings you to St. Augustine?”
“Vacation.
A much-needed break.” She picked at the button on her sweater and her gaze
skittered away from his. “I’m primary caregiver for my dad. He’s got terminal
cancer.”
“I’m
sorry. I lost my wife to cancer ten years ago. It’s never easy.” Now Mark
really had no idea how to continue the conversation. “Were you waiting for
someone?” His words sounded a little sharper than he’d intended.
Daphne
hugged herself. “Actually, I am.” She glanced around like she was searching for
a lifeline.
“Oh.”
Shit. This was not going well.
She
lifted a hand and waved at someone behind Mark. Her face split into a sunny
smile and her shoulders sagged in relief. “Hello. Over here.”
“There
you are.” The voice of the woman at the bar—the one who’d been coming on to
Jason—sounded right behind Mark.
He
stiffened. What could she want with his sweet Daphne? To corrupt her? Oh, no.
Not on his watch.
Sally
turned, all smiles. “Athena. When did you get here?”
“Just
now.”
Mark
frowned fiercely at her. “Yeah, after a drink in the bar with Jason.”
She
smirked. “Jealous?”
“Hell,
no.” He barked the words. Daphne jumped. “Just thought that Sal should know
what you’ve been up to.”
“Sally
knows exactly what I’m up to here, don’t you, sweetie?” She smiled at Sally.
“Plus, she bought me the drink.” Athena threw her head back and laughed,
exposing the strong, tanned column of her neck.
In
that instant, Mark had the insane urge to sink his teeth into the spot just
below her ear. The tender one. Bite gently and scrape his teeth down along her
skin. Make her moan and arch against him.
Fuck.
Where had that come from?
Beads
of sweat popped onto his forehead.
He
glanced at Daphne who appeared as if she might take flight at any second.
He
didn’t want Athena. So why the scandalous thoughts? Because Athena was the type
of woman to inspire hot, dirty passion-filled thoughts. Not what he wanted or
needed. Nope. He wanted Daphne. Sweet, kind Daphne.
Athena
winked at Sally. “Jase and I go way back.”
“Yes,
I’m well aware of what Athena’s job is here. And I welcome it. I am in no way
threatened. I trust her. I trust Jason. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
“What
the fuck are you talking about?” They could not be talking about what he
thought they were talking about. “She was just coming on to your fiancé at the
bar.”
Athena
rolled her eyes. “Men.”
Sally
slapped a hand over her eyes. “You are a Neanderthal, aren’t you? Do you only
think with your small head?”
Pissed,
he squinted at Sally. Then he glanced at Daphne. She’d blanched white, almost
like she could pass out. Fuck. Working with kindergartners, she wasn’t used to
this kind of talk.
Athena
moved in and put her arm around Daphne. “Let’s go, girlfriend. We’ve got
weekend plans to make for you, darling. You’re going to love what I have in
mind.” She herded Daphne around Mark.
“It
was nice meeting you,” Daphne said, weakly.
Mark
turned to watch them go, only to catch Athena turn her head and stick her
tongue out at him.
What
the hell?
Sally
turned to Mark. “I like her.”
“You
would.” Mark grunted. “But you shouldn’t. You can’t trust her.”
“I’d
better be able to trust her. I just hired her, for a whopping salary, as the
resort’s new relationship coach. She’ll be running dating events over the next
couple of months. Hooking people up. It’s a trial run. See if it’s a
value-added service our clientele would enjoy. Daphne is her first client
here.”
Great,
just great.
She
was searching for a mate. And now Athena had her claws into the poor, sweet
woman. He’d better ask her out soon, or he might just lose his chance. “I
thought the meeting with Daphne went well, what do you think?”
Sally
stared at him like he had two heads. “You’re crazy, right?”
“No.
I like her.”
“Of
course you do. She’s sweet and pliable and kind. And absolutely not the woman
for you.”
“You
said that before. And I disagree. I think she liked me.”
“Of
course you do,” she repeated. “She had no idea what to think of you—as you
outright accused her coach of hitting on my fiancé. Way to go, maverick.”
“Tell
your Athena woman to seek no further.” Mark waved his hand in dismissal,
because in his mind it was a settled deal. “I want to date Daphne. No need for
that chick to hook her up with anyone else.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sally rubbed her hand over her forehead, then peeked back up at him. “You
scared the crap out of Daphne, you know that, right?”
Mark
shuffled his feet. Yes, he was over six feet tall. He had a big build. Wide
shoulders. He could intimidate lots of people. But Daphne hadn’t quailed when
she first met him. “She didn’t seem to mind my size.”
“Had
nothing to do with your size, doofus. Had everything to do with your mean-boy
attitude toward Athena and the comments about Jason. Scandalized the poor
teacher. She can’t handle the kind of in-your-face conflict you dish out. I
understand you, but I’ve known you forever. I get there’s no bite under that
bark. Daphne doesn’t know you yet. If you want a chance at all with her, you
need to tone it down, bud.”
Mark
stared at the toes of his shoes. Was she right? Had he come across too strong?
He’d forgotten how to play this game. How to put his best foot forward. He
lifted his chin. “I’ll try. Talk to Athena, okay?”
“Deal.
But I can’t promise anything.”
“Just
talk to her.” With those words, Mark stalked out of Essence, certain
Athena-the-shrew had just ruined his whole future love life. Damned if he’d
allow that to happen. Not when he’d just found the woman he wanted to spend the
rest of his life with.
Oh,
hell, no. Not gonna happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REVIEW:
This
book was such a fun, enjoyable, quick read that was hard to put down!
This
book is about widower Mark Cage and his not so lucky life in the romance
department. However, all that is about
to change when Mark’s teenage daughter, who is about to leave for college is
worried about leaving her dad all alone.
So, in an attempt to find him a love interest, she purchases a
matchmaking package with sexy relationship guru, Athena Sullivan. Little does she know that Athena is the last
person her dad would ask for help – especially in matters of his love life.
Although
Mark is not thrilled about having to work with Athena, he knows his daughter’s
heart was in the right place. Athena
teaches Mark the dating basics for him to use on his crush, a sweet, kindergarten
teacher. However, after spending so much
time with Athena he realizes he misjudged her.
Furthermore, Mark realizes the attraction and chemistry he has for
Athena. Will Athena also share these
same feelings? Are these two soulmates
and destined for true love? Sorry – no spoilers here! But you’ll definitely want
to find out how this one ends!
This
book was a super quick, easy, fun read at only 133 pages! I was able to finish this book in just two
sittings! It would have one if I actually
didn’t have to sleep lol.
I
liked the main characters, Mark and Athena.
They were likable, relatable, and genuine. Mark is strong-willed, determined, grumpy,
and at times naturally humorous. Athena
is tough, confident, fearless, sassy, and at times a bit cheeky. I really enjoyed the scenes where Mark was
stewing over having to work with Athena and vice versa. Also, since both characters are quite
stubborn it certainly made for some fun and witty banter between those two!
The
writing style is fluid, well developed, and at a steady pace.
I
like that this book touches on many topics such as love, romance, friendship,
second chances, determination, devotion, growth, faith, hope, fantasy, magic, moving
on, starting over, new beginnings, overcoming obstacles, and so much more!
This
book is book five of the Soul Mate Tree Book Series. Each book in this series is written by a
different author, but all of them tie in to the Soul Mate Tree theme. Therefore, each book can easily be read on its
own. This was my first book in the series
and I did not have any trouble reading it or get lost in the story.
I
will be reading and reviewing additional books in this series and look forward
to sharing my take on those books with you soon!
All
in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend this
book to all romantic, fantasy readers!
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as
helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R3SVED3LVH1QDJ
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AUTHOR BIO:
Mackenzie Lucas is an
avid reader of genre fiction. She writes contemporary and paranormal romance,
and listens to an eclectic mix of music. She loves a good story, whether it’s
an erotic short, a full-length romance novel, or the narrative slice-of-life
found in country music. In any story, emotional integrity and authenticity are
most important to her as well as a big dose of romping hot sexual tension. She
enjoys smart-mouthed, sexy heroines, hunky alpha heroes who know how to take
care of their women, and plot twists that surprise her, but most of all, she
just wants to experience the satisfying emotional arc of a character falling in
love and finding what he or she needs most in life.
Mac
is a small-town country girl with a world-traveler’s heart. She grew up in the
Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania and she’s lived in Dublin, Ireland, within
spitting distance of New York City in Long Island, and now in the Washington,
D.C. area. She obtained her undergraduate degree in English Literature from
Dickinson College and received her M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton
Hill University. She’s currently an author for Soul Mate Publishing and is represented
by Otis and Mackintosh Literary Agency.
With
Mackenzie Lucas—whether you’re reading her light paranormal romance or her
small-town-based contemporary romance—you’ll always find a heart-warming love
story about connectedness, community, and emotional authenticity. And, no, it
doesn’t hurt that all her heroes are panty-melting gorgeous alphas and all
their sexy, sensually aware heroines know how to stand up to them, give no
quarter, and love them just as they are.
Watch
for new titles by Mackenzie Lucas.
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CONNECT WITH MACKENZIE:
Website:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Mackenzie will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N
GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Mackenzie ~ It is great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I really enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed getting to know your book and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteHey, nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review!
ReplyDeleteI just loved your excerpt and cover.
ReplyDelete