What do you think?
Rate this book
Leadville #4
The Nanny's Little Matchmakers
A Wife for Their Papa
Polly MacDonald intends to tame Mitch Taylor's five mischievous children, even though every other nanny has fled. She needs this job—and Mitch's brood sorely needs affection. Perhaps their widowed papa does, too. But when the children begin scheming to make her their new mother, Polly must resist. She's seen too many bad marriages to want one of her own.
Mitch has come to Leadville, Colorado, to escape a scandal, not find a wife. After the disaster of his first marriage, he's sure he isn't husband material. Though Polly's tender care is working wonders with his children, Mitch knows he should keep his feelings to himself. But can two wary hearts deny the dearest wish of five eager matchmakers?
Polly MacDonald intends to tame Mitch Taylor's five mischievous children, even though every other nanny has fled. She needs this job—and Mitch's brood sorely needs affection. Perhaps their widowed papa does, too. But when the children begin scheming to make her their new mother, Polly must resist. She's seen too many bad marriages to want one of her own.
Mitch has come to Leadville, Colorado, to escape a scandal, not find a wife. After the disaster of his first marriage, he's sure he isn't husband material. Though Polly's tender care is working wonders with his children, Mitch knows he should keep his feelings to himself. But can two wary hearts deny the dearest wish of five eager matchmakers?
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published September 6, 2016
70 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Danica Favorite
71 books145 followersA self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 31, 2017
Danica Favorite charms her readers with a sweet, historical romance set in Colorado. Mitch has lived through a bad marriage. His only joy is his five unruly children. Polly has seen too many bad marriages in the mining town of Leadville, and seeks to be an independent woman and a teacher. A chance encounter with a bad nanny, energetic, but lovable children, and a frazzled father has Polly changing direction and pitching in to help. But what happens when Mitch is accused of murdering his wife?
Polly reminds me a bit of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. Her determination, kind, but independent spirit is center stage in the story. Add five rambunctious kids who made me think of Nanny Mcphee, and you have a fun story about overcoming past hurts, accepting and loving people as they are, and a healing that brings restoration, wholeness and peace. Top it off with a bit of matchmaking magic and you have a delightful story, filled with a warm sense of community and sweet romance.
The Nanny’s Little Matchmakers was sent to me as a prize for attending an multi-author event. The review was completely my choice and my opinion.
Polly reminds me a bit of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. Her determination, kind, but independent spirit is center stage in the story. Add five rambunctious kids who made me think of Nanny Mcphee, and you have a fun story about overcoming past hurts, accepting and loving people as they are, and a healing that brings restoration, wholeness and peace. Top it off with a bit of matchmaking magic and you have a delightful story, filled with a warm sense of community and sweet romance.
The Nanny’s Little Matchmakers was sent to me as a prize for attending an multi-author event. The review was completely my choice and my opinion.
May 14, 2022
First of all, this is NOT a stand-alone book. I read it as such, but was aggravated by the references to multiple 'recently happily-married-and-pregnant' couples, and the references to their stories which just screwed with this story. Apparently this is book #4 (??)... but neither Danica, GoodReads, nor 'Love Inspired' bothered to indicate that this is a series book.
In the series (I have no idea if this is all of them):
*** Rocky Mountain Dreams (2014)
*** Lawman's Redemption (2015)
*** Shotgun Marriage (2016 spring)
*** Nanny's Little Matchmakers (2016 fall)
*** For the Sake of the Children (Jan 2017)
*** Unlikely Mother (May 2017)
*** Mistletoe Mommy (Oct 2017)
*** Honor-Bound Lawman (2018)
The story itself is fairly good, if you can get beyond the cover. There are SIX children - NOT two - and Mitch is quite a lot older than Polly - he's greying at the temples and less 'historical farmer' and more 'Denver merchant'... so we're talking suit vests, pocketwatch and short hair, not scruffy backwoods suspenders.
Mitch was duped at a young age by a beautiful pregnant woman who needed legitimacy for her child, and found that legitimacy in the gullible, unsuspecting Mitch. She then went off to be an actress renown across the country, showing up back home in Denver between productions to have other children 'with him'... even though NONE of the babies are his. Mitch fell in love with Louisa (the first child that he thought was his), and his wife threatened to take Louisa away if he didn't play doting husband/father, and he couldn't bear to lose the little baby he adored. As each child arrived, they became *HIS* children, by blood or not.
Then the actress is murdered, and Mitch is set up as the prime suspect by some very affluential people. Everyone is screaming 'Murderer' in his face, threatening his family and hurting the business. Meanwhile, he needs someone to take care of his children while he's in jail (and dealing with the repercussions). Worse, the actress had hired all of the previous nannies and turned them against him. She hurt the children, as well, threatening to take them away from him if they told him anything she said/did. The kids, as a result, are absolute hellions. Mom's gone, Dad's working, Nanny's are abusive, too many secrets, no trust, too much fear, too much hurt...
Enter Polly. She comes from a huge Irish family, was raised in a mission her uncle has up by a mining came (taking care of the orphans, other families' children, etc.)... she's had her FILL of kids, and doesn't ever want to marry or have children of her own. But Mitch needs her help, and it gets her away from the chaos of the gazillion kids at the mission/home. His terrors are just par for the course, in Polly's world. She can handle them, she figures.
Anyhow... cute premise, a little on the 'Sound of Music' side, with the pranks and the long line of governesses. But Mitch is endearing, the big family jumps in to help Polly, and previous characters of previous books show up here and there to alternately help Mitch with his case and/or try to match him up with Polly.
I agree with a previous commenter - there is NO REASON they aren't punished for breaking Polly's leg in multiple places and fracturing several of her ribs with their stunts. It's not 'hahahaha' such silly kids, all the time, hello. I don't agree with the parenting in this one, at all. Yes, the kids need love, but not at the expense of discipline, and Polly goes too far the other way.
But what REALLY bothers me is the lack of spirituality in this book. Mitch is an unbeliever. He never comes to a saving knowledge of Messiah in this book, either - he comes to a 'vague acceptance of a higher power called God', basically. And the kids never learn to pray, or read the Bible or accept Messiah, either. The spirituality for the kids is "YAY- they finally went to Sunday School!" That does NOT a believer make.
More, the references to God are unBiblical in a *HUGE* way. Check it:
"Nanny Peters said we're an abomination, and she... grew up in a convent."
"Nanny Peters was wrong," Polly said. "You are not abominations but children of God, and He loves you. Sometimes we think we know things about God, and we think they're true, but they're not."
^ ^ Like EVERYTHING in that paragraph. Nowhere in scripture does it say God loves everyone. In fact it says, "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."
In other words, God makes people that He intends never to love and/or destroy. "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated", He says in scripture. Yes, God hates people. So this 'Jesus loves all the little children' BS? It's unBiblical. Apparently sometimes writers think they know things about God, and they think they're true, but they're not.
The fact that Polly marries a man who is never born again and unequally yokes herself is NOT inspirational. I wasn't down with any of that. So while the story is cute... the theology is extremely flawed, and very 'Gawd is luvvv and all ways lead to Heaven, and He would never send nobody to hell, and everybody is good at heart'... which is not okay - OR scriptural.
I really liked the story, itself. Aside from the broken bones and anti-Biblical teachings. But I have a hard time endorsing some of what I read in there...
In the series (I have no idea if this is all of them):
*** Rocky Mountain Dreams (2014)
*** Lawman's Redemption (2015)
*** Shotgun Marriage (2016 spring)
*** Nanny's Little Matchmakers (2016 fall)
*** For the Sake of the Children (Jan 2017)
*** Unlikely Mother (May 2017)
*** Mistletoe Mommy (Oct 2017)
*** Honor-Bound Lawman (2018)
The story itself is fairly good, if you can get beyond the cover. There are SIX children - NOT two - and Mitch is quite a lot older than Polly - he's greying at the temples and less 'historical farmer' and more 'Denver merchant'... so we're talking suit vests, pocketwatch and short hair, not scruffy backwoods suspenders.
Mitch was duped at a young age by a beautiful pregnant woman who needed legitimacy for her child, and found that legitimacy in the gullible, unsuspecting Mitch. She then went off to be an actress renown across the country, showing up back home in Denver between productions to have other children 'with him'... even though NONE of the babies are his. Mitch fell in love with Louisa (the first child that he thought was his), and his wife threatened to take Louisa away if he didn't play doting husband/father, and he couldn't bear to lose the little baby he adored. As each child arrived, they became *HIS* children, by blood or not.
Then the actress is murdered, and Mitch is set up as the prime suspect by some very affluential people. Everyone is screaming 'Murderer' in his face, threatening his family and hurting the business. Meanwhile, he needs someone to take care of his children while he's in jail (and dealing with the repercussions). Worse, the actress had hired all of the previous nannies and turned them against him. She hurt the children, as well, threatening to take them away from him if they told him anything she said/did. The kids, as a result, are absolute hellions. Mom's gone, Dad's working, Nanny's are abusive, too many secrets, no trust, too much fear, too much hurt...
Enter Polly. She comes from a huge Irish family, was raised in a mission her uncle has up by a mining came (taking care of the orphans, other families' children, etc.)... she's had her FILL of kids, and doesn't ever want to marry or have children of her own. But Mitch needs her help, and it gets her away from the chaos of the gazillion kids at the mission/home. His terrors are just par for the course, in Polly's world. She can handle them, she figures.
Anyhow... cute premise, a little on the 'Sound of Music' side, with the pranks and the long line of governesses. But Mitch is endearing, the big family jumps in to help Polly, and previous characters of previous books show up here and there to alternately help Mitch with his case and/or try to match him up with Polly.
I agree with a previous commenter - there is NO REASON they aren't punished for breaking Polly's leg in multiple places and fracturing several of her ribs with their stunts. It's not 'hahahaha' such silly kids, all the time, hello. I don't agree with the parenting in this one, at all. Yes, the kids need love, but not at the expense of discipline, and Polly goes too far the other way.
But what REALLY bothers me is the lack of spirituality in this book. Mitch is an unbeliever. He never comes to a saving knowledge of Messiah in this book, either - he comes to a 'vague acceptance of a higher power called God', basically. And the kids never learn to pray, or read the Bible or accept Messiah, either. The spirituality for the kids is "YAY- they finally went to Sunday School!" That does NOT a believer make.
More, the references to God are unBiblical in a *HUGE* way. Check it:
"Nanny Peters said we're an abomination, and she... grew up in a convent."
"Nanny Peters was wrong," Polly said. "You are not abominations but children of God, and He loves you. Sometimes we think we know things about God, and we think they're true, but they're not."
^ ^ Like EVERYTHING in that paragraph. Nowhere in scripture does it say God loves everyone. In fact it says, "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."
In other words, God makes people that He intends never to love and/or destroy. "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated", He says in scripture. Yes, God hates people. So this 'Jesus loves all the little children' BS? It's unBiblical. Apparently sometimes writers think they know things about God, and they think they're true, but they're not.
The fact that Polly marries a man who is never born again and unequally yokes herself is NOT inspirational. I wasn't down with any of that. So while the story is cute... the theology is extremely flawed, and very 'Gawd is luvvv and all ways lead to Heaven, and He would never send nobody to hell, and everybody is good at heart'... which is not okay - OR scriptural.
I really liked the story, itself. Aside from the broken bones and anti-Biblical teachings. But I have a hard time endorsing some of what I read in there...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2025
Enjoyed the story. Polly MacDonald seemed like a hard-to-believe miracle worker with children and everything else. Mitch Taylor's children need a miracle worker, and so does he. It really took them a long time to realize what they needed was each other. Good book!
January 8, 2026
Mystery and love
What better combination? Intriguing characters, humour and believable plot! The story was fast paced but not rushed. I will definitely check out the other books in the series as well as Ms. Favorite's other books.
What better combination? Intriguing characters, humour and believable plot! The story was fast paced but not rushed. I will definitely check out the other books in the series as well as Ms. Favorite's other books.
January 9, 2026
Faith and Fun
A
This book is a lovely combination of faith, fun, mystery, and love. The characters are inspiring and delightful. I really enjoyed my time with this family in Leadville.
A
This book is a lovely combination of faith, fun, mystery, and love. The characters are inspiring and delightful. I really enjoyed my time with this family in Leadville.
April 10, 2020
This book was awful and full of stupid characters and bratty kids who got away with breaking another person’s leg. Fail. 👎🏻
May 27, 2024
This was a sweet but very predictable story. The title even gives the plot away.
November 13, 2024
Great read. The kids made this book all the more fun and interesting. Great characters and plot.
September 26, 2016
The Nanny's Little Matchmakers by Danica Favorite. Takes place in 1882. Romantic historical. Mitch Taylor is accused of killing his wife. He left town with his five kids and went to the town his brother lived in. He had several nanny's. While at his brothers store one day, Polly MacDonald was in the store. Mitches children were fighting and ended up throwing flour on Polly. Very comely she got the kids to apology. Polly ended up being their new nanny. The five children were not Mitch's by blood, but his all the same. Sparks flied between Polly and Mitch. The kids wanted them to get married. They tried everything to get them together. In the mean time Mitch had to prove he was not the one to kill his wife. Come to find out the sheriff in that town was hiding evident s that they found at the scene of the killing. This all comes out later. A good read.
Read
October 18, 2016"I have enjoyed all the books set in Leadville, Colorado. The characters are interesting while not being too perfect. Polly's story is a great read and I think the author depicted her beautifully, she was very true to what I knew about her from previous books" (review @ Harlequin.com, 4 1/2 stars as of 09/02/16) more reviews, HERE> http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.ht...
I believe this was my favorite book by Ms. Favorite so far. I hope to read many more. Polly has a huge heart that she has been closing off for years. It takes a special man and a group of adorable children to make her take a look at her goals for life. Very enjoyable read. ~ Kim
I believe this was my favorite book by Ms. Favorite so far. I hope to read many more. Polly has a huge heart that she has been closing off for years. It takes a special man and a group of adorable children to make her take a look at her goals for life. Very enjoyable read. ~ Kim
September 21, 2016
I enjoyed this Christian historical fiction story very much. A man with five children can't seem to keep a nanny because of the children's pranks, mischief, and outright bad behavior. The way the children behave and their reactions to different events seem very realistic once you know the background behind it. Mitch and Polly were wonderful characters, and as a reader I enjoyed getting to know them. The murder accusation was an interesting plot twist, and it was fun to see how it turned out. I have read the first book by Danica Favorite that was set in Leadville, and this is the fourth, so I need to try and read the other two. She is a wonderful author.
October 7, 2016
I enjoyed it. I won it through the goodreads giveaway and had chosen it because it looked like something my mother would enjoy. When I received it I allowed my mother to read it first and she really enjoyed it. She read it one day (Though she usually reads through something in a day).
I then read it and it was believable and a good read, even though I don't often go in for romance I am glad I received this book.
I then read it and it was believable and a good read, even though I don't often go in for romance I am glad I received this book.
September 9, 2016
This was really good! The kids were perfect and the plot was very intriguing. it brings to light a lot of issues children deal with when one or both of their parents is incarcerated; although, nowadays child services takes over. I wouldn't miss this if I were you. Looking forward to the next Leadville book!!!
July 17, 2017
Can one woman do it all? This woman can. She becomes a nanny, solves a murder, gets married, and has a child. A little bit of everything has been tossed into this novel and was pieced together nicely for an easy read.
September 19, 2016
Really liked this book. Intriguing plot. Realistic characters. I won this book through goodreads.
February 5, 2017
I've found a new favorite author!
Read
July 24, 2017Polly MacDonald needs a job. Mitch has come from another state to escape a scandal. Polly is employed as a nanny to Mitch's five active children. The children decide they want Polly as their new mother and scheme together as matchmakers to make this happen. This is a sweet romance and easy read. I received a copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaways for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews