The Matchmaker by Catherine Walsh

18th April 2023 Books for Grown Ups

AD | Book Tour – this Easter while keeping cosy in our caravan was the perfect chance to get stuck into a good book and luckily for me, The Matchmaker by Catherine Walsh was just the story to keep me happy.

The Blurb

Katie Collins has barely ever left her tiny Irish village of Ennisbawn. Why would she? With its tightknit community, friendly local pub, surrounded by glistening lakes and perfectly mysterious forests, it’s a place of peaceful beauty.

Or it was peaceful. Until Callum Dempsey turned up. Part of a hot-shot (and, Katie has to admit, hot is annoyingly apt for him…) development team with zero eye for beauty or charm, he’s not only building a hideous hotel just outside the village, he’s also just announced a plan to knock down Ennisbawn’s only remaining pub. To make way for a view from the golf course.

It’s the final blow to the village and the last straw for Katie, who refuses to let her home-from-home disappear. The pub is her life – her job, but also her last connection to her parents, who had met at Ennisbawn’s once-famous matchmaking festival that was held in the grounds.

But, after being laughed off the building site in her best flannel pajamas for demanding the builders leave, Katie decides enough is enough and hatches a plan. She’s going to revive the matchmaking festival, save the pub, and single-handedly bring the town back to life again.

She might even help her two best friends find love as well. Since, heck, what’s another project when you’re taking on the world’s hottest, evilest man?

But what Ireland’s newest matchmaker doesn’t know is that even when someone’s really not your type on paper, love might be a little bit more than just a formula…

The Review

I’ve been a massive fan of Catherine Walsh ever since I read Holiday Romance last year (if you’ve not read it yet, I’d definitely recommend!). The Matchmaker follows Katie Collins who has lived most of her life in a small rural, Irish town. Their quiet way of life is under threat when a new development comes to town. Katie is not willing to go down without a fight though and before long the whole village rallies together to resurrect a festival which may just save them all. 

The Matchmaker is a delightful read full of characters you will love and a story which flows with ease and fun. I loved the sense of belonging, knowing yourself and the willingness to stand up for what you believe in which comes with The Matchmaker and I easily got lost in its pages. This will be a brilliant summer reason. 

The Matchmaker by Catherine Walsh is out now and available from Amazon (affiliate link). At just £1.99 for the Kindle edition, it’s an absolute bargain!