#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay by Kelly Harms @HarmsBooks

“Delightful, and sure to captivate readers and gain new fans for author Kelly Wimmer Harms. Sparkling dialogue and a winning heroine, who finds her big-girl panties amid the disaster zone her life has become and head in a new direction, finding love along the way, it had me turning the pages into the night.”―Eileen Goudge, New York Times bestselling author of Garden of Lies

Lily Stewart has reached a crossroads in her life. Her painting career hasn't taken off, her best friend has changed beyond recognition, her relationship is a constant disappointment, and now she can't keep up with the rising cost of living in the city. With no one to turn to, Lily is forced to move from her beloved apartment, but while packing she comes across a piece of mail that had slipped to the back of her junk drawer: a letter detailing further action needed to finalize the annulment of a quickie Vegas wedding. From ten years ago!

Lily decides it's time to gather up the pieces of her life, and the first item on her list of things to fix is that annulment... but you can't just send a text ten years later reading, "Hey BTW we are still married." This is something that must be addressed in person, so Lily decides to track down her husband - the charming, enigmatic man she connected with all those years ago.

Ben Hutchinson left a high-profile dot-com lifestyle behind to return home to his family and the small lake town he loves, Minnow Bay. He's been living off the grid with the express purpose of making it hard to be found―so the last thing he expects is a wife he didn't know he had making her presence known.

By chance, Lily finds her way to the magical Minnow Bay Inn. There she will discover not just a place to lay her head, but new friends, new inspiration, and maybe even a new chance to fall in love.

Kelly Harms lights up the page in this story of the surprising beauty of past mistakes and the unexpected pleasures of correcting them.

Kelly Harms is the author of The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane and The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay. She has also worked with New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, Edgar, RITA, and Agatha award winners, and Indie Next List Picks in her time as an editor at a division of HarperCollins and later as an agent at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her son Griffin and puppy Scout.

I adore Wisconsin authors and books set in Wisconsin.  I am proud of my state and the talented writers that call this state their home.  The Matchmaker's of Minnow Bay is such a wonderful story about small town living, about finding out who we are, about facing mistakes and trying to find a new way in the world.  The characters are flawed, funny and endearing.  You can really relate to the struggles Lily faces.  She struggles to get a handle on being an adult because, let's be honest, adulting is very hard.  I laughed and was moved many times.  This is a book that has a lot of heart.  I really enjoyed being on the journey with Lily.  4 stars

#FirstLine ~ "I think I've looked at this one too much," my best friend Renee says to me as we come around the corner and find what I suspect is Magritte's most annoying piece.