Publication Date: February 13, 2024
As daughter of a well-known matchmaker, CatrÃona Daly is no stranger to the business of love—and sees it as her ticket away from the sleepy village that only comes alive during the annual matchmaking festival. Enter Lord Osborne’s son, Andrew, who has returned to the festival after being disappointed by a rival matchmaker’s failed setup. CatrÃona seizes the opportunity to make a better match for the handsome man—and for herself!
Cattle farmer Donal Bunratty is in desperate need of a wife after loss left him to handle the farm and raise his daughter on his own. Shy and lacking the finer social graces, he agrees to attend the matchmaking festival to appease his daughter. But when he arrives, it’s not any of the other merrymakers that catch his eye but rather his matchmaker—who clearly has eyes for someone else.
CatrÃona will have to put all her expertise to work to make a match that could change her life forever. Will her plan succeed? Or will love have its own way?
The Irish have historically been known for matchmaking skills, even going so far as to have a matchmaking festival designed to pair up eligible singles.
Author Jennifer Deibel takes readers back to 1905 with The Irish Matchmaker. The main character, CatrÃona Daly, comes from a long line of matchmakers. She hopes this year’s festival might be the one that delivers her own happily ever after.
With a four-page glossary of Irish terms greeting readers, this light-hearted romance brings the village of Lisdoonvarna to life.
When CatrÃona is tasked with finding a match for Andrew, the handsome son of a wealthy nobleman, she’s captivated by the possibility that she could be his perfect match. However, she also has to find a match for Donal, a widowed cattle farmer who is only participating in the matchmaking festivities because his young daughter asked for a mother.
The contrast between the two men is evident. Andrew, who is actually looking for a second match after his first one failed, knows how to manipulate women by using his appearance and financial status. Donal is a common man who is used to hard work and sacrifice on his farm.
With love in the air and plenty of matches being made, the only question is whether the matchmaker will find her own true love.
The Irish Matchmaker serves up a classic tale that will have readers cheering for the underdog to come out on top.
Jennifer Deibel is the author of A Dance in Donegal (winner of the Kipp Award for Historical Romance), The Lady of Galway Manor, and The Maid of Ballymacool. Her work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine, and in other publications. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children.
