Tabitha Bell is the face of Chicago's premiere matchmaking service. At least, she hopes it will be someday, once business really takes off. What she needs is more clients, so when she meets a sexy gamer in need of help, it's the perfect opportunity.
His discomfort talking to women almost cost Drew Watson his job. He'd be happy holed up in his office, designing blockbuster video games, but his boss considers talking to investors a nonnegotiable requirement. Who better than a matchmaker to teach him how to be comfortable around the opposite sex? Trouble is, Drew wants to get more than comfortable with Tabitha, while she's determined to keep their relationship all business.
Soon Tabitha learns that beneath the geek-chic hoodie lies six feet of sexy physique--and the more time she spends with Drew, the more she appreciates his brainy brand of charm. Will she succumb to his sweet-but-nerdy charm offensive or will it be game over before he can win her heart?
USA TODAY bestselling author Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series.
Christi can always be found either whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.
A Matchless Romance gave me a couple that made me laugh so freaking hard. Tabitha and Drew were hilarious from start to finish. Every conversation just made me smile or giggle. It was definitely unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable. I instantly started shipping them - especially when the teasing moments began.
Now these two were adorable.. but I honestly was laughing so hard when it got to romancing. Mostly because of how things were written.. or because I was just super tired and kind out of my mind. Either way - still enjoyed the crap out of this book/couple.
Since I keep committing this reader's crime of diving into a random book in a series, instead of reading them all in order, I will definitely be diving into books 1-3 now. I hope they make me laugh just as much as this one did.
This was a bittersweet story for me as it marks the end of a series I've very much enjoyed. Though it was short, it packed a lot in the final conclusion.
The setup Tabitha Bell is a matchmaker with an extraordinary family history (I'll leave that for your discovery). She's new to Aisle Bound and her services are a perfect fit for the wedding planning and romance business. Drew Watson is the creator of one of the most popular video games on the market. He's just signed on with a company to help bring his current brainchild to retail shelves but the handsome, geeky nerd is flailing because of his social ineptness.
The issues When Drew literally runs into Tabitha on the streets of Chicago (after he turns off an important investor), it doesn't take long for both of them to figure out karma is at work. As she puts together a plan for him, Tabitha struggles with her own attraction to Drew and staying professional to get the job done in time for an upcoming investor meeting.
What worked for me The story is hilarious and the romance gets steamy pretty fast. I loved how Tabitha could immediately see beyond Drew's geeky-ness and appreciate his wonderful qualities. And, she had no desire to change him...just bring out the best of him. Even when he starts being a "babe magnet", he only has eyes for Tabitha.
The ending was wonderful as all of the couples from the entire series had a role in the story, complete with what was next for them.
The bottom line If you like geeky/nerdy heroes, you'll enjoy this book. Drew's very special (he is no slouch in the bedroom) and Tabitha was the perfect match for him. Typical of Christi's stories, they were two extremely appealing characters. It was a fitting end to a funny and romantic series.
A Matchless Romance by Christi Barth is the 4th and final book in her wonderful Aisle Bound series. This book belongs to Tabitha, who runs the matchmaking part of A Fine Romance store that Ivy added to her wedding planning business. Tabitha meets Drew, a computer geek at the start. Drew, who creates computer games, and hires Tabitha to help him learn how to act in front of women. Seems Drew continually puts his foot in his mouth when working with some woman, and when he insults a high dollar client, he is in danger of losing the job of his lifetime.
Tabitha normally does not handle teaching someone how to act, she is more into finding couples to match. But something about Drew, besides his super athletic looks, and body; makes Tabitha accept the job. What follows is humorous attempt to change Drew, bringing in many of our favorite characters from the earlier books; such as Ivy, Mira, Daphne, Gib, Ben, Milo, Sam, just to name a few. Early on Drew’s constant mishaps were funny, and at times embarrassing. But despite that, Tabitha saw the effect of Drew’s good looks had on other women, as well as finding herself becoming attracted to him. Drew, who was attracted to Tabitha from the start, was literally blind to how other woman saw him. Neither Drew nor Tabitha realized how the other felt.
This was a sweet and at times humorous romance, which did have some steamy parts later on. As much as I did enjoy this quick read, I felt that this was not as good as the first three books. But that might just be the couples in the first were awesome. Great series by Christi Barth, which if you have not read, you should do so. It is a fun and romantic series.
A Matchless Romance is the final work in author Christi Barth’s Aisle Bound Series, and if I had to vote on my favorite book in the series, this would be it. Oh, how I adored this story!
Video game designer Drew Watson and matchmaker Tabitha Bell meet by running into each other, quite literally, and forge a quick and unlikely friendship and business relationship.
You see, Drew doesn’t have what you would call great social skills and it has almost cost him his biggest career move and almost killed his dream of his newest game hitting mainstream blockbuster status. Enter Tabitha. After almost being run over by Drew, and after a quick chat, Tabitha thinks she may be the one person capable of helping him with his social cluelessness. He wasn’t awkward, per se, just totally clueless. Saying the first thing that came to mind and lacking a filter. Tabitha thought his personality was refreshing, but the big wigs in his company? Not so much. Drew ends up hiring her, not for her match making skills, but to smooth out his rough edges and get him out into the social scene. And always up for a challenge, Tabitha goes for it. She doesn’t really think this will be too hard considering Drew is completely gorgeous with a delicious tall and athletic build and a geeky charm about him that totally works well on him. But the rules in her matchmaking business are pretty strict about dating the clients…so her drool worthy client is off-limits. However, we all know the saying that some rules were meant to be broken…
Where to begin? There were so many little things that I loved in this story. All those little pieces added to the big picture and made up one hell of a great read! Drew is so freaking adorable and deliciously handsome. His geekiness cup overfloweth and it made him an incredibly endearing character. I wanted to hug him too many times to count over some of his dorky antics. But besides his adorable nerdiness, he’s an amazing athlete and has a brilliant mind. Can we say triple threat? Hell yes! The most lovable thing about him though is that he has no clue what a catch he is and just sees himself as a video game nerd. Don’t you just love that type of guy? I know I do! Tabitha was a colorful and spirited character with an interesting past and such confidence. She’s an amazing judge of character and nailed Drew and his quirks from the very first day. The chemistry between them is almost instant and builds beautifully…of course I can’t spoil anything for you so that’s as far as I can go!
Oh, and the ending? In typical Christi fashion, she wrote an ending so fitting and perfect for Drew and Tabitha. Honestly, it was one of the best endings ever! I get a big goofy grin just thinking about it. We also catch up with the rest of the Aisle Bound crew and it was beautiful and bittersweet. I couldn’t be happier for all of the couples and where their futures are headed. Thank you, Christi, for a fabulous ending to a series I have truly enjoyed. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next!
I swear Christi Barth’s Aisle Bound series just gets better and better and A Matchless Romance is perfect. From the slightly neurotic heroine to the beta hero who is more alpha than he realizes this book made me laugh out loud, made me sigh, and reminded me why I love this genre of books so much.
A video game designer and self proclaimed geek, Drew Watson has a hard time talking to women and after he costs his new company a major investor he literally runs into a woman he decides can help him with that problem.
Tabitha Bell loves being a matchmaker but her mother’s chosen profession has cost her more than one male suitor. Now she’s attracted to her latest client; he’s everything she could want in a man but she knows she has to stay away or risk her company’s reputation. First off holy cow…wow…Drew, damn I’m not into gaming but I think I’d want to be if this guy was around. I love that he truly had no idea how attractive he was to women, that he felt awkward around them, and thought he had no chance to snag anyone not associated with gaming. I found him so intriguing because on one hand he was confident in his abilities as a game designer and even in pleasing a woman in bed but on the other hand he thinks that no “normal” woman would want anything to do with him. Granted he had some experience with that in his life but he can’t see the catch he’s become which of course only makes him more attractive.
Tabitha is so confident one minute and then the next she seems timid; her unusual upbringing had given her some major baggage. I love that she’s a closet geek and see everything this is good and different about Drew. I give her a lot of credit for trying to do the right thing and not become involved with him and I give her friends a lot of credit for basically telling her she’s crazy not to pursue what could possibly be her own love match.
There were some highly comical moments in this book as well as many super sexy ones. I also appreciate that we got to spend so much time with the rest of the Aisle Bound gang. In addition to the wild and wonderful love story this story was about the friendships all of these people share.
This book made me smile, made me laugh, brought a tear or two to my eyes, and reminded me out much I love author Christi Barth’s wonderfully delightful and crazy characters. A Matchless Romance proves there’s someone out there for everyone, you just have to run into them at the right time!
A Matchless Romance Christi Barth I was gifted this story in exchange for an honest review. It I was trying to catorgize this story it would be a toss up between romance and comedy. It was very well written and I laughed throughout the whole story. Drew Weston is a nerdy computer guy. He has landed his dream job of designing his own video game- Quest.But it seems that he lacks the finesse to get along well with his boss Keiko and his primary investor Fran Lehman. He has upset Fran so much she is thinking about pulling her money. This is so not good. He needs to clean up his act and fast. He literally bumps into Tabitha Bell on the street one night. As he grabs a hold of her to stop them from falling she says "Did ou run into me just to cop a feel?" That girl has guts. I was loving her right from the get go. Poor Drew has not had sex in 94 and he is just stumbling over what to say and how to act. Lucky for him that Tabitha works at A Matchless Romance and offers to help him out. Not to find him a date, but more like to give him a make over. She makes him get rid of his favorite jeans, hoodie and sneakers. She is trying to make a "man" out of him. It was so very humourus to read. He just keeps bumbling along. She tells him" People are like snowflakes. Each beautiful in their own individual way. All we need to do is reveal your inner snowflake." Beautiful. Tabitha is teaching him how to flirt, to talk to women to find himself at ease with women but soon she finds that she only wants him to talk to her. Uh oh. He is so very modest and does not realize how very handsome he is, he only knows how easy he finds it to hang out with Tabitha, how effortlessly he can talk to her without insulting her. This story was hilarious as we watch him come into his manliness with the help of Tabitha and her friends. Now Tabitha needs to figure out whether she wants to take a chance on him. We will see if he has it in him to have a relationship with her. And what will happen with his game? Can he interact with the higher ups without insulting them? Does Tabitha help him? I would definately give this story a 5/5. The idea was fresh, the story line was well done and certainly kept me entertained. It was everything that I love in a story and then a little bit more to boot.
A Matchless Romance is the final book in Christi Barth’s Aisle Bound Series. Even though this book is part of a series you don’t have to read the other books.
A Matchless Romance is the story of Tabitha Bell and Drew Watson. Tabitha is a matchmaker who’s unlucky in love. Due to her upbringing, she knows men and she’s very good at matching people together. Unfortunately for Tabitha, her upbringing also tends to make men have a misconceived perception of her. Drew is a video game designer. He’s very good at what he does. Drew is attractive but doesn't see it. He tends to say the first thing that comes to mind, and that can be a little awkward in social situations. Especially around women. Drew tends to be analytical and takes comments literally. He is one of those rare heroes who is both an Alpha and a Beta.
Tabitha and Drew initially meet when Drew runs into her and unintentionally cops a feel. With the future of his new video game on the line, Drew convinces Tabitha to use her matchmaking skills to coach him on how to be around women in order to please his female boss.
The attraction between these two is there from the start. Drew doesn’t think someone as beautiful as Tabitha could ever be interested in a gaming-geek like him. Drew is the kind of guy Tabitha really would love to be with. She doesn’t want to risk her job and become her mother. When these two finally get together, it’s more than they dreamed.
Simply put, A Matchless Romance is truly a feel good read that will have you smiling and laughing out loud from the very beginning. Christi has written a wonderful story to end her Aisle Bound Series.
I really enjoyed this quirky romance novel which is the fourth in the Aisle Bound series. Tabitha Bell is working to get her new matchmaking business up and running when she literally collides with Drew Watson. Drew is a paradox- a socially awkward geek in a hunky body. Tabitha decides to take him on as a client to help him acquire some polish after he blows a potential deal worth lots of money and is on shaky ground with his new boss.
I love a good take-off on My Fair Lady and this one is perfect. From the moment Drew shows up at an elegant wedding wearing his Olympic team outfit because his grandmother told he looked great in it, to the oh so sweet ending, this man has Tabitha's heart. Even as she cringes at his blunt way of expressing himself, she falls further in love with him. Drew enjoys being with Tabitha and can't believe this beautiful woman is a gamer. He has a good heart beating in that ripped chest.
Tabitha's friends, who were featured in the earlier books, provide a sounding board for the couple and quite a bit of humor too. This has been an excellent series to read with this being a perfect fit. I think this might be the last book which is too bad, but I'm sure Ms. Barth has something wonderful up her sleeve for the future.
Drew Watson is completely at ease with his game controls, as a programmer he can control everything. However, when it comes to talking to women, he often suffers from foot in mouth disease. Fortunately for Drew he is about to meet matchmaker Tabitha Bell. While Tabitha is a matchmaker, Drew wants her help especially with talking to investors.
Neither expected to like each other or that either would regret hiring Tabitha when their feelings develop into something more. Problem is, Tabitha has a past that keeps her from believing she is worthy of love. While Drew may not be versed in romantic gestures, he finds a way to prove to Tabitha that he is worth the chance.
There is one part in this book that had me laughing out loud and jumping for joy, truly unique and when you read it you will know what I am talking about. I loved the concept of this story and Drew is not pure geekiness but enough that you can understand his need for Tabitha's help. Very entertaining.
This book was quirky, and fun to read and I loved the chemistry between, Tabitha and Drew. Tabitha that girl has some major lady balls, "thanks." High, arched eyebrows gave her a look of being in on a joke with the rest of the world. "Now do you maybe want to let go of my a**?" Some of the conversations these two have are just down right hilarious: At his elbow, Tabitha handed him a cup and saucer. "You expect me to believe that you'd turn down sex?" "Yes." Well, not with her. That was a chance he'd jump at. But Drew was quite sure Tabitha wasn't offering. Drew he's pretty gentlemanly, "I stopped because you're an amazing woman who deserves better than a quick screw against a bathroom wall. And we were headed in that direction pretty damn fast." When the times comes to get to doing the naughty the boy shows not hesitancy, "with a muttered oath, Drew ripped the shirt over his head. And immediately dove back down to bury his lips at her neck."
I really enjoyed this book! It was an easy, quick, fun read. This is book 4 in a series, and as a general rule I don’t like to start books in the middle of the series. However this book carried enough of its own weight that I didn’t find myself upset that I had missed a lot of the history of the characters. You see a lot of the side characters from previous books and it gives you a really fun look into their personalities. Those books must have been fun if their interaction with these main characters is any indicator. I really enjoyed Tabitha and Drew. They were both strong lead characters. I found myself laughing A LOT at the things they said and did. The only thing that threw me off was just how fast the story wrapped up in the end, – it seemed a little rushed. But that’s just a minor criticism. It was a great read and I’m happy I was introduced to this fantastic new (to me) author!
A Matchless Romance is a quirky, fun, and highly entertaining nerd meets matchmaker love story.
Tabitha Bell has a crash encounter with video game maker Drew Watson. Drew isn't looking for a match he is looking for help/coaching on how to deal with women without insulting them. You see, Drew says it as he sees it without any social filters, causing offense as often as he pleases.
We get to watch the attraction grow from lust to something deeper, but will either of them recognize it in time?
A Matchless Romance is a completely entertaining, easy, enjoyable read.
I received this copy of A Matchless Romance from Christi Barth in exchange for an honest review.
Though this book is the final chapter in a 4 book series, it actually stood alone well. I will most likely be seeking out the others because the characters made an appearance in this story and I found them each compelling in their own right. Another reason for reading the series is Christi Barth's comic voice. Her talent for setting a beautiful scene, choosing a fun premise and putting a great twist on an old story is what kept me reading and smiling throughout. This fun romantic comedy is filled with enchanting characters, clever dialogue,and a great happily ever after moment. I'm hooked. *I received my copy from NetGalley.com in exchange for an hones treview.
I’d classify this story as cute yet sexy. I loved geeky Drew. Although when I imagine a nerd I don’t think about his sexual prowess, this story changed that for me.
Ms. Barth threw an aspect about Tabitha’s past the story about Tabitha that I didn’t expect. She wove it into the story so wonderfully that I found it made sense as I forced myself to close my mouth.
The characters were a funny lot, making me laugh throughout the book. I will admit that it ended in a way that was a little too cute, but I liked it anyway.
A hot geek. Usually those words don't go together, but they describe Drew perfectly. He is like Sheldon from The big bang theory. I thought the story was going to be like Searching for Someday but it wasn't and I was grateful for it.
Entertaining, exciting, and sweet this is a great read for romance readers of all genres, but especially those like me who have a soft spot for geeks. I actually worked for a video game company before, and I have to say, Ms. Barth got the environment spot on.
I absolutely loved the entire Aisle Bound series. Tabitha and Drew's story is great. I love the relationship between this group of friends. This is a great series for anyone that loves a great romance!
Cute short romance about a geeky hero that has to overcome his nerdyness to win the girl. Not as good as Barth's other books, but a cute wrap up to this series. B- Full review to come.
A sweet story with and Alpha Geek hero and an unusual heroine. I enjoyed the story but felt it was a bit short. The background of the heroine certainly was different and well met.
Tabitha and Drew were a great couple. Both so clueless as to their true worth. I fell madly in love with Drew. Laughed out loud several places in the book. I truly enjoyable read.
3 Thoughts: 1) Quick read with a super cute couple 2) Self-professed geek meets sexy career woman with a colorful background3) Funny and playful in the way a romance needs to be
This is a cute, hunky nerd romance. It seems that neither the H or h know just how attractive they are and that makes this romance all the sweeter it’s a very quick read and I wish there were a few more chapters for us to actually see them together before the story comes to a close.
*ARC received for an honest review original post at ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com and booknerdloleotodo.blogspot.com
Fantastic writing. Fantastic characters. Fantastic chemistry. All fantastic together. I devoured this book. I just absolutely loved Tabitha Bell and Drew Watson. They were so likeable as individuals and equally as a couple. First, Drew is a computer-geek/ video game programmer. He has a difficult time speaking with women even though he is very attractive. He feels awkward around them and ends of saying the wrong things practically all the time. This becomes an issue for him when it costs him a client at his job. He runs into Tabitha-literally. Tabitha is beautiful and starting up her match making company. She is also a video game geek but hides it well. They are instantly attracted to each other but they both realize that they need each other’s help professionally. Drew needs to prove to his boss that he can interact well with female clients and Tabitha needs to make a name for her business.
Watching Tabitha and Drew together was so much fun. They do get into their predicaments. Drew is so socially awkward that it is really adorable. There are also a lot of layers to Drew. He is a very agile runner and even though he is a stereotypical geek, he is also ripped. It does not go unnoticed by other female runners. The best part about Drew is that he is such a sweet guy. He is always supporting Tabitha and honestly just loves her. Tabitha has her own insecurities. She has a history that haunts her. One of the best parts about this book for me was how they really got each other. Drew was geeky enough to be endearing for Tabitha and Drew knew that Tabitha was a top –level girl! (video game reference here for game fans) The other characters in the book really added to the sweetness of the story. Tabitha and her friends are typically girlfriends hanging out and giving each other advice and support, when needed. Her friends Mira, Daphne, and Mira all had their love matches in the previous Aisle Bound series.
I thought that Drew and Tabitha were so adorable and I just wanted them to work out their insecurities. They both felt that they were not good enough for the other and would reject each other before they could get hurt. Ms. Barth is such a talented writer. I felt like this book was a conversation with a friend. Tabitha and Drew are really such sweet people, they have excellent chemistry and completely complemented each other. If you’re looking for a great romance with two very likeable characters and funny moments, A Matchless Romance is a perfect match =) I can’t wait to read the next previous books in the series, I would recommend, re-read and buy this fantastic book!
I'm struggling with this novella really. Normally I am a fan books that include gamers/guys who don't fit in looking for romance and the match making element in this book intrigued me. I thought there would be a lot more to this book and although it is good, I think the main reason I'm struggling to put my thoughts into words because it didn't blow me but it didn't make me hate it. I'm stuck in the middle with my opinion.
The pacing in this book was good and it flowed well. It was a quick, short and engaging read that did hold my interest and I liked the concept. I liked that Drew was a good-looking geek and totally oblivious to his effects on people. I also liked how he spoke his mind around women. The way he insulted one of his clients made me smile. They were great sections and put a smile on my face. I also liked how Tabitha brought out a more confident and natural side to him.
I liked the concept of the match maker and how Tabitha was willing to help him even though her business was slightly different. I also thought the way the relationship started and the way the characters met was great. However, after that I fell out of love with the relationship as it built. Towards the middle the characters were just so stupid with not realising their feelings or thinking the other person wouldn't return them that it just made me want to bang their heads together. I can stand it to a point but I feel the author let this section go on slightly too long before the book picked it back up. Thankfully at the end the book did pick back up and there were more sparks between the couple. It also ended well with a HEA.
The only other thing I didn't really connect with in this book was the style. Although it moved at a quick pace and the speech sections were really good, I found the other sections to ramble slightly. It was a bit like the characters were always speaking their thoughts and I would have liked a bit more description of that and less of that. It did become slightly annoying hearing the same thing over again.
Overall, A Matchless Romance was a nice quick read that romance fans would probably enjoy.
A sexy but shy, geeky gamer in need of a makeover? Yes please! For once it's the man who is getting the makeover and not the woman, how refreshing!
Poor Tabitha, she comes from such a controversial and difficult background. As much as she wants to, Tabitha can't completely distance herself from her upbringing and that often brings her into conflict with people, especially men. I have to admit that her background lent and interesting and unusual spin on the story and how it affected not only Tabitha but Drew and their budding relationship.
Author Christi Barth manages to make Drew sexy while still showing his shortcomings in social scenes. Drew's a closet alpha male disguised as a geek, complete with bad conversation skills around women and general awkwardness. No one likes a seemingly invincible man with no flaws or weaknesses, too dull and boring and Drew is anything but boring. He's got a few surprises up his sleeve too that definitely earn some brownie points for Team Geek.
At times A Matchless Romance wandered into sugary sweet, borderline too cliche territory but to balance it out were some hot and heavy moments between Drew and Tabitha that had me fanning myself (Again, Team Geek earns some major points). Though it is shorter than the previous book (Friends to Lovers), I didn't feel deprived of anything and there was even time to squeeze in appearances by previous characters and meet some of Tabitha's rather interesting friends. Watching Drew and Tabitha fall for each other and stumble through the obstacles in their relationship was interesting and heart warming. The story flowed easily and the pace was brisk but not hurried.
Final Verdict: A Matchless Romance is a sweet and spicy romance with a cast of likable and funny characters.
A Matchless Romance was a cute, quick and enjoyable read. I do have a soft spot for the Geeky/Hot combination in a hero so it was no surprise that I jumped at the chance to review this. Drew was the delicious combination of drop-dead gorgeous, awkward in social situations, nerdy and clueless of his own hotness. I loved Drew (even though he had some cringe worthy/awkward moments).
This was my first book by Christi Barth and I was easily wrapped up in her writing style and unique characters. What I didn't realize was that this was a final book in a series. A Matchless Romance can be read as a stand alone, but I was lost in a few places trying to catch up on all the characters and side stories going on. (I would recommend reading this in series order so you don't feel lost like I did, especially in the epilogue).
Tabitha and Drew had great chemistry and the unique way they met and started their working relationship was fun and filled with yummy tension. I do wish we had more time with Drew and Tabitha, it would have been nice to see them as a couple and there were a few times it felt as if some of their "big" moments were glossed over and rushed in order finish telling the stories of the previous 3 books' characters (and if I had read this series in order I am sure I would feel different). Maybe there will be more in this series?
Christi Barth is an Author I will be going back to again! A Matchless Romance had me smiling, laughing, sighing and craving more! If you are in the mood for a hero that isn't your normal Alpha then you need to meet Drew and see how gaming can be romantic!