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 dies 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.
A Note from Author Nancy Campbell Allen
I have my editor, Lisa Mangum, and the podcast “Lore,” by Aaron Mehnke, to thank for the inspiration for The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart. Lisa had been listening to Lore and mentioned an episode I’d also heard (because you can’t listen to only one Lore episode, you have to binge them all). The episode was about a gentleman whose wife died of a mysterious illness, and then his second wife tragically died…a string of sick and dying wives began to arouse suspicion among locals and law enforcement alike.
One of the fun details we’d also discovered about the Victorian era was the popularity of personal ads in local papers and magazines. I combined the idea from the Lore episode with an imagined character who works for a newspaper, has an insatiable sense of curiosity, and is a voracious reader of mystery and romance novels.
Et voila! A new Victorian series was born, featuring three cousins who live in London and are determined to become modern Women of Independent Means. My books almost always feature a healthy dose of mystery along with the romance, and I believe people who have enjoyed my work in the past will not be disappointed here!
Nancy Campbell Allen is the award-winning author of 19 published novels and several novellas, which encompass a variety of genres ranging from contemporary romantic suspense to historical fiction. Her most recent books, which include Regency, Victorian, and steampunk romance, are published through Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance line, and the What Happens in Venice novella series is part of the Timeless Romance Anthology collection published by Mirror Press.
Nancy loves to read, write, travel, and research, and enjoys spending time with family and friends. She nurtures a current obsession for true crime podcasts and is a news junkie. She and her husband have three children, and she lives in Ogden, Utah with her family, one very large Siberian Husky named Thor, and an obnoxious but endearing YorkiePoo named Freya.
I’ve been drowning since the death of my wife, but that all changed the moment she walked back into my life. She was my best friend growing up, until one day she left me. I haven’t seen her in years, but now that she’s back, I can’t possibly let her go again. It would kill me.
Christy I decided to leave the day he told me he was getting married. How could I possibly watch him walk down the aisle and marry another woman? But after being gone for years, events in my life have forced me home. I don’t know how I’m going to face him again, or how I’ll be strong enough to resist him. He’s been the love of my life for years. He just never knew it.
I’m a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, “No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book.” I didn’t think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn’t already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven’t been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.
At thirty-five and single, I’m tired of the dating game. Tired of men who look at me and say, “You’d be prettier if you shed a few pounds.”
There’s only one man I want a future with — my grouchy friends with bene fits, Nolan. But he’s adamant about keeping things casual.
All that changes when one night we get careless, and those pink lines show up on the pregnancy test months later.
Nolan wants to do right by me. He wants to give me what I’ve been searching for, but I’m pretty sure he’s only doing it out of obligation. It’s not like the bearded brewmaster loves me like I love him.
“Come outside and help me put up the lights before Avery gets home.”
We grabbed our coats and walked outside. Declan untangled the lights from the plastic bag someone had shoved them inside. I grabbed the ladder from the shed and put it against the house. Declan directed me where to hang the lights while he held the ladder. I wasn’t sure how long we had been out there, but it felt like it took forever. I didn’t care how long it took; I just wanted it to be perfect for Avery.
“I think it looks good,” Declan called up to me.
I walked down the ladder, and he ran inside to flip the switch. The house lit up with twinkling white lights, like some fucking winter wonderland. Avery never would have expected me to decorate for Christmas. I wanted to surprise her with it, to make it feel like this was her home, too.
Dec came out of the house and whistled. “Looks good. She’s gonna love it.”
I frowned and ran a hand down my beard. “I hope so. I want everything to be perfect for her.”
Dec nudged me with his elbow. “Take the night off. Go help your baby mama get the rest of her stuff and get situated. The brewery will be fine without you for one night. Okay?”
“I…”
He cut me off by holding up his hand. “Nolan, this is why we have staff. You don’t have to work your fingers to the bone like when we first opened. You’re the head brewer. You don’t have to micromanage every tiny detail of the process. I know you’re stressed about money, but it’s gonna be okay.”
“I want to be good enough for her. And for Peanut.”
“Peanut?” he asked with a confused look.
I shrugged. “It’s what I call the baby.”
My brother beamed at me. “That’s so cute.”
I punched him in the shoulder. “Shut it!”
He pushed me back. “Get out of here. I’ll handle s**t at the brewery tonight. Go help your lady.”
Declan didn’t have a life outside of the brewery, either. He was just as bad as I was. I couldn’t remember the last time he even went on a date. I don’t think he’s had a serious relationship since his high school girlfriend Lila broke his heart when she went to college in California and never came back.
I was about to run back into the house for my car keys when two cars pulled up into the driveway. I planned to go over to Avery’s apartment to help, so she didn’t have to carry all those boxes inside. She shouldn’t be lifting anything heavy in her condition. I hadn’t realized how long it took us to get the tree up and decorated. Getting the lights up on the house had taken longer than I would have liked, even with my brother’s help. I felt like a dick. I should have helped her pack up all her things.
Avery got out of her car with a box in her hand, and I rushed over to help her. She scowled at me. “I can lift a box, Nol,” she argued, but the debate died on her lips when she looked up at my brightly lit-up house. “Oh… Oh! You put up Christmas lights?”
Her eyes sparkled as the reflection of the lights hit her just right. The way her entire face lit up in delight struck me in the chest.
“Nolan, did you do this for me?” she asked in surprise.
I grunted in response.
“But you hate Christmas.”
I took the box from her and walked into the house. I smiled when I heard her gasp. “Oh, Nolan,” Avery whispered.
Danica Flynn is a marketer by day, and a writer by nights and weekends. AKA she doesn’t sleep! She is a rabid hockey fan of both The Philadelphia Flyers and the Metropolitan Riveters. When not writing, she can be found hanging with her partner, playing video games, and reading a ton of books.
