Matchmaker (Empire High)

This is the second time I’m reading this series but the first time I read ivy’s note at the end and I just wanted to say I can’t believe people said such horrible things… even the first time I read it I was hooked and so heartbroken but still couldn’t stop reading. Anytime I EVER need a good read to get me out of my reading slump Ivy is always my girl so thank you ivy for always writing my favorite books!

I was not ready for this!! Ivy warned us there would be more laughs than tears, and yes this is very accurate!! This book had me laughing out loud numerous times!!! But THE ENDING!!! I read the Empire High books for the first time earlier this year, and I was okay knowing the next book was coming in a few months... but now I have to wait until 2022 for the next one?!1. The Empire High Series is set in high school, but the story reads more like a college sports romance. If you are not a fan of YA I would still highly recommend this series! Matchmaker is set 16 years later after the 3rd book, so now we see adult Matt.2. This series is MUCH tamer than Ivy's other books, so if you aren't not a fan of a lot of steam then this is the perfect series for you!3. You can just read the Empire High Series to read this one, but I would also highly recommend reading The Hunted Series or at least This Is Love. Also maybe recommend reading City of Sin!4. Rob has always been one of my favorite characters... but now I have two new top contenders! Tanner & Nigel ARE FRICKIN AMAZING! I absolutely LOVE the bromance Matt has with both Rob & Tanner, and they have some hilarious banter between Rob & Tanner. Then Nigel is seriously just the best, quirkest character yet! I am so excited for TSSP coming out later this year!5. This book had the perfect amount of side characters. You get a good amount of Penny, James, Rob, Daphne, Mason, and Bee throughout this book. This is why I loved the Empire High Series. I just cannot get enough of the Untouchables!6. Ivy is seriously the best romance writer. I love that she has life lessons throughout all of her books, especially the bullying messages. We are lucky that Ivy & Ryan work so hard and fast to produce new books for us. As much as I hate cliffhangers (because I'm super impatient), Ivy pulls them off so well. She writes in a way where we are deeply invested in these lovable characters and we care about what happens to them. While she creates some truly OUTSTANDING characters, she also creates some of the WORST characters I have ever read. By worst I mean I want to stab them or cause them harm because Ivy is just that good of a writer. These novels she creates are truly unique, and they are not 'just another romance novel'. These characters will stay with me forever. Yes Betrayal left me completely gutted, but I still understand where Ivy was going with the story. I hope Ivy knows her true fans love her & will continue reading anything she releases!***PLEASE READ THIS SERIES!! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!***

This was as a hard read. A tough one to get into at many points. Ivy is good - she made me feel for Matt throughout the book - his guilt at leaving Brooklyn with her father, his last words to her, his promise to always love her - just her -as long as he lived And rather than choose drugs or alcohol to deal with his feelings of loss and guilt, he uses one-night stands and an unrequired desire for a friend's wife. It made my heart ache for him, and I held my breath at each and every challenge thrown his way, hoping he would battle his way thru it and not cave in. He's a paradox, a grown man, head of a highly successful firm yet remains a teenage boy emotionally. That I got. But.... sixteen years of anguish, doing his best to keep his promise to the love of his life, and within two days of Kennedy's reappearance, it is suddenly gone - how does that make sense?? He cries on Brook's grave, gives into his grief in her bedroom of the apartment she shared wiht her uncle, then before we can draw a breath, he's retrieving Brooklyn's engagement ring from her grave and leading us to think he's planning to propose marriage to Kennedy? Sorry. Nope. Not buying it. Not unless it is to show us how really, really desperate Matt has become. He gives all the appearances of a drowning man grasping at the first life line he sees - not realizing it isn't tethered to anything solid. Kennedy has her own issues. and if she's looking to Matt for a cure, she's looking at the wrong man She's been brought up by a mother with strong faith and strict values about the relationships between men and women. Maybe she is totally unaware (yet) of all the hundreds of women Matt has bedded in the past, but given her upbringing, find it hard to believe that she will be able to get past that. And frankly - I don't see that she is an equal to any degree to the other Untouchables' women in these books. Penny is bold and determined - going after James despite all the obstacles thrown in her way. Bea is creative and resilient - exactly what Mason needs in a marriage and a business partner. Daphne is steady and compassionate - the perfect ying to Rob's yang, Kennedy is just.... there. Yes, she's a very successful photographer and its sweet that she figures out how to help Henry but that's it. No relationships since high school. She's spent the years since then in therapy and building her business. Seems like a pretty dull quiet existence, no real spark, certainly no fire. So I fail to see the attraction - other than she and Matt were friends in high school but even that was only because of Brooklyn. And even then she wasn't a good friend to Brooklyn. And now, falling for Matt ? Yes, Kennedy - you are stomping all over Brook's memory, not to mention making a mockery of the trust and friendship she gave you. So to the way the book ends, it will be interesting so see how all these so-called friendships play out or if they even survive. With the promise in the back notes that Brooklyn's character has become an amazing adult...leaves room to hope that her resurrection will finally force Matt to grow up and choose a partner worth sharing a life.That said, I wanted to give this one 5 stars but just couldn't. The insertion of Tanner and Nigel just complicated the story's flow, drawing the attention away from the main storyline, and I ended up glossing over most of the pieces where they appeared. These two quirky, weird characters didn't fit well in EH4. And the times that they came close were just too far and few between to make it worthwhile. Their bizarre behavior and mannerisms were so over the top, it left little desire to even acknowledge them. Both need to be relegated strictly to the TSSP series where quirkiness is the norm. If this was for comic relief - just didn't rise to that level. I mostly cringed every time Nigel appeared or was mentioned. But if weird characters are your thing, this is the book for you. Just ignore all the non-bizarre human angst surrounding them.