Making the Match by Kristen Ashley Blog Tour

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley comes the new book in her River Rain series, Making the Match.

Decades ago, tennis superstar Tom Pierce and “It Girl” Mika Stowe met at a party.

Mika fell in love. Tom was already in love with his wife. As badly as Tom wanted Mika as a friend, Mika knew it would hurt too much to be attracted to this amazing man and never be able to have him.

They parted ways for what they thought would be forever, only to reconnect just once, when unspeakable tragedy darkens Mika’s life.

Years later, the impossible happens.

A time comes when they’re both unattached.

But now Tom has made a terrible mistake. A mistake so damaging to the ones he loves, he feels he’ll never be redeemed.

Mika has never forgotten how far and how fast she fell when she met him, but Tom’s transgression is holding her distant from reaching out.

There are matchmakers in their midst, however.

And when the plot has been unleashed to make that match, Tom and Mika are thrown into an international intrigue that pits them against a Goliath of the sports industry.

Now they face a massive battle at the same time they’re navigating friendship, attraction, love, family, grief, redemption, two very different lives lived on two opposite sides of a continent and a box full of kittens.

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the River Rain series!
For book two, Chasing Serenity, click HERE.
For book three, Taking the Leap, click HERE.

 

 

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)

 

 

She looked beyond him and called, “Hey, Mom.”

Suddenly, Tom felt like he’d been punched in the chest, his breath not coming easy.

Dragging some in, he turned and saw Mika standing there.

She was wearing a kaftan dress with a low V at the neck, draping sleeves and a string through an empire waist that gathered the material. The print on a black background was mostly reds, oranges and pinks with bright accents of green and blue and turquoise. She had some flat, embroidered mules on her feet. And her still-golden hair was up in a messy knot on top of her head.

Even though she was dressed like she was hanging around the house, she wore makeup. Mostly neutral but with black cat’s-eye, drawing focus to her eyes and the startling sea-blue color of the iris. She had some delicate chain bracelets at her wrists and a number of piercings in her ears, with studs or small hoops running up the shell, and dangling beads coming from the lobe.

She looked the picture of what a poet, photographer, novelist, filmmaker would look like. An easy style that was not unique, but she made it that way.

She was also still one of the most attractive women he’d ever laid eyes on.

In fact, he’d go so far as saying she was in the top two, vying for number one.

“Tom,” she greeted.

“Mika,” he replied, and then was surprised yet again in his short visit to her home.

He saw a soft pink rise in her cheeks, the kind a woman got when she felt nervous or didn’t know what to do with flattery, something he hadn’t offered, unless she caught it in his gaze.

She looked to her daughter and ordered, “Scram, kid.”

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
I don’t give a lot of five-star reviews, but Making the Match is definitely five stars for me. So why did I love it?

First, I loved having such a passionate and loving romance between a couple in their late 40s early 50s. As I am close to their age group, it was great to have a story where I could relate to the stage of life of the characters.

Secondly, I was fascinated with how the story dealt with the past relationships of Tom and Mika. Tom is divorced, after cheating on his famous actress wife. Mika has raised her teenage daughter after the man she loved was killed while she was pregnant. Dealing with their past and how that is affecting their present is a huge part of the story and had me in tears several times. Anyone who has read Kristen Ashley’s work would know she regularly writes about crazy exes, so it was so good to have a story where the former partners were still loved.

Thirdly, Mika… she is an amazing woman. Strong, creative, self-assured, beautiful, intelligent. I adored her. And Tom is a pretty great guy too. And together they are the perfect couple.

Fourthly, the wonderful cast of characters around them, some of whom we know from previous books and some, like Mika’s daughter Cadence and her bestie Nora, are new to us. I loved the hints of other things going on between characters and I absolutely cannot wait to get Hale’s story. Also, I devour every little snippet we get of Corey Szabo. He just breaks my heart.

I was completely enchanted by Making the Match. It is my favorite book in this series so far and I can’t wait to read more of this series.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series – and I would definitely recommend that you read them in order to make sure you understand the complexity of the relationships in the story. I reckon you would enjoy it regardless, but it makes so many things clearer reading this after the earlier books!

I would have found it difficult to imagine how Tom could be restored to happiness and fulfilment, and yet, of course, Kristen Ashley does so and more. The relationships in this series have always been complicated and forgiveness hard to find, but here we get such a beautifully rounded story. Humans are fallible, but also capable of redemption.

I loved Mika and the closeness with her daughter – and the story of their lives being so deeply emotional and yet they are so eminently practical. That Mika and Tom finally get a chance was definitely a blessing, but it was easy to imagine why they would be skeptical and cautious!

Add in some real corporate intrigue and this book has it ALL – all the drama, all the feels, and all the love. Delicious outcome, smooth, page-turning writing... don't expect to get much of anything done until you turn the very last page!

 

 

 

KRISTEN ASHLEY is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of over eighty romance novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold millions of books.

Kristen, born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana, was a fourth-generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and she now resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her independent publishing career. She now writes full-time.

Although romance is her genre, the prevailing themes running through all of Kristen’s novels are friendship, family, and a strong sisterhood. To this end, and as a way to thank her readers for their support, Kristen has created the Rock Chick Nation, a series of programs that are designed to give back to her readers and promote a strong female community. You can learn more about Kristen and the Rock Chick Nation on her website.

Connect with Kristen Ashley

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Kristen Ashley – Rock Chicks Group!

 

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Making the Match (River Rain #4) by Kristen Ashley to read and review.