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The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart cover art

The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart

By: Nancy Campbell Allen
Narrated by: Justine Eyre
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Publisher's Summary

A romance develops as a detective partners with a lonely-hearts columnist to solve a murder mystery.

London, 1885

Amelie Hampton is a hopeless romantic, which makes her the perfect columnist to answer lonely heart letters in The Marriage Gazette. When Amelie plays matchmaker with two anonymous lonely hearts, she also decides to secretly observe the couple’s blind date. To her surprise, the man who appears for the rendezvous is Harold Radcliffe - a grieving widower and a member of Amelie’s book club.

Police detective Michael Baker has been struggling ever since his best friend and brother-in-law died in the line of fire. Because he knows the dangers of his job, he has vowed never to marry and subject a wife and family to the uncertainty of his profession. But when he meets Miss Hampton, he is captured by her innocence, beauty, and her quick mind.

When a woman’s body is pulled from the river, Michael suspects the woman’s husband - Harold Radcliffe - of foul play. Amelie refuses to believe that Harold is capable of such violence but agrees to help, imagining it will be like one of her favorite mystery novels. Her social connections and clever observations prove an asset to the case, and Amelie is determined to prove Mr. Radcliffe’s innocence. But the more time Amelie and Michael spend together, the more they trust each other and the more they realize they are a good team, maybe the perfect match.

They also realize that Mr. Radcliffe is hiding more than one secret, and when his attention turns toward Amelie, Michael knows he must put an end to this case before the woman he loves comes to harm.

©2021 Nancy Campbell Allen (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

What listeners say about The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome finally true love….

Finally a REAL women.
Outspoken but not obnoxious, Strong but not over-powering, Knowledgeable but not arrogant, etc etc.
I loved her and all the other characters.
I HAVE NOT ONE COMPLAINT!
Fantastic story and excellent narration, thank you Justine.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Utterly charming

I listened to this straight through. The characters took on a life of their own. The plot had just the right amount of suspense. The antagonist was just viciousness enough to make me fear for the MC’s.
This is not a cosy mystery but it is also not a thriller.
There were, unfortunately, a couple of plot holes (how the antagonist gained access to a house and how a minor character was lured into a trap) but luckily they didn’t much spoil the story.
The narrator had a voice that perfectly fit the situation and was pleasant to the ear.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic & fun historic romance

Loved this detective romance novel. Strong & likeable female characters & great story with interesting male lead.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Romance and Murder

Loved the full character development of even the lesser supporting ones, and a good bit of suspence with murder and romance.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Recommended

Interesting story with enough plot development to keep me engaged throughout. Well devised main and secondary characters (thankfully none were annoying). Good narration - easy to listen to.

The romance was handled nicely though I felt the love declaration came very quickly but perhaps that’s just how things were in those days and/or the author was trying to round up the story.

I found it enjoyable and recommend.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!

what a fun book and unexpected epic ending! ladies becoming independent, romance and danger

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Should be a classic

Set in London in the times of horse drawn carriages. The protagonist, a writer for a womens’ advice magazine becomes entangled in a web of secrets and plots. Unexpected twists throughout and so enchanting that I stayed up all night to find out what would happen next.
Great narrator with a good and gentle vocal range and quite a soothing voice.
Highly recommend.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • P
  • 22-10-2021

Reasonably entertaining

This is the first of this type of story I have listened to. There was nothing remarkable about it, but there was nothing offensive or irritating. Predictable? Yes. But it passed the time while I did mundane chores. It is not one I would listen to again but would recommend with an indifferent shrug.

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