Reviewed for Wit and Sin

 

Mismatched in Mayhem is a sweet romance with just enough quirk to keep fans of small town romances entertained without going over the top. Mayhem, Minnesota is a charming town with a semi-famous cat sweater store and a psychic who makes delicious pie, so for me it was impossible not to be drawn into the world L.E. Rico has created immediately – it was just too cute.

At the heart of Mismatched in Mayhem is the romance between bartender and pub manager Johnny Walker Black O’Halloran and grad student Mason Stevens. Mason grabbed my heart from the first and didn’t let go. He’s a total sweetheart and all-around good guy, so it was insanely easy to fall for him. The budding mineralogist has a huge heart, does his best to take care of the people he loves, and just wants someone who loves him for him. It’s not easy for him to find that because his mother is an incredibly famous actress. That’s why he’s immediately taken with Walker when she has no idea who he is. For me, Walker was the weak point in the book. She was once a wild child who now has gone to a totally different extreme since her father’s death. She has closed off a lot of her world, which I understood to an extent. It feels like I might be missing some information because I haven’t read the previous Whiskey Sisters books, so I didn’t totally understand why Walker tries so hard to push Mason away. I did like Walker’s relationship with her family and her friendship with Mason’s brother. It’s just her romance with Mason that didn’t always work for me. Mason is prom king level of perfect in looks and attitude, which is so not her type. But his charm and persistence make her want to give the guy a chance. There’s a lot of push-pull and I didn’t wholly understand why Mason was so determined to win over Walker, aside from the fact that she didn’t know his famous parents and the more important fact that the plot calls for it.

The romance between Walker and Mason has some fun and sweet moments, but the push-pull and manufactured drama you could see coming from a mile away wore on me at times. The dreaded “big misunderstanding” comes into play in this story and I freely admit that’s something I tend to loathe in stories unless it’s exceptionally well done, so those who aren’t so bothered by it may not be as turned off by this twist. I had an overall feeling best conveyed as “meh” toward the romance. It was fine, but there was just something missing that made me feel like Walker and Mason didn’t “click” as a couple. Opposites attracting is fun in theory, but the author really has to sell it for it to work and for me it didn’t in this case. Still, I enjoyed Walker’s personal journey and Mason was such a sweetheart that I still liked the book well enough. And Mayhem itself was so charming that I would definitely read another Whiskey Sisters book.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

 

This is book #4, in the Whiskey Sisters series.  This book can be a standalone novel.  For understanding the series, and to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this great series in order.

 

Walker is the one who takes care of her family.  She puts her family first, herself last.  Then she helps someone left behind at her family's bar.  It may be something out of the ordinary for her, but she is a good person.  Why is everyone so shocked?

Mason is excited to get along with someone who does not know who he is.  His secret is safe, and the chemistry is hot!  Until they get to know one another better, and time is running out to tell her the secret he has kept close to his chest.

This was so much more than I thought looking at the cover.  Cute cover though, and I do love me the kitties.  What I found was a story with so much to it I could not put it down!  I loved the heat, the banter, the characters and more.  I really will be reading this author again soon.  I give this read a 5/5 Kitty's Paws UP!


***This early copy was given in exchange for an honest review, by Netgalley and its publishers.

Just for this book I am adding a shelf "profession: asshole" because Rhys (the MC) is a professional asshole.

 

Only 10% in and already I hate pretty much every single schmack character, including both MCs, in this book. Except for the dogs.

Have no idea why Caden had to be a boy. Despite the masculine looks his whole demeanor screams "I am a poor abused female Disney creature!". But my GR buddy Michael liked it and it fits two of my challenges for this month. Wish me luck, peeps and homies, I am reading on.

 

So far - minus 2 stars rating.

 

Mismatched and I did not get on the right foot when we started off... I just didn't feel it. I wasn't even sure what it was... I just couldn't deal with it. So just put it aside- I had a couple of let's struggle through it books before that. I simply just couldn't struggle through another one. Then more than a week later I picked it up again. And wonder of wonders suddenly this was less of a chore and way more fun. The first half of this seemed so cliche. The whole insta-lust.... Ridley's view of Ireland- and Erin's odd behavior about it At about 30% I would have rated this a generous 3Stars at best, more like 2.5 And then somehow slowly Mismatched creeped up on me. And by 80% I found myself darn invested in Erin, Ridlee, Donal, Michael... well everyone really. And even worse! At the end my first thought: Hey, wait what? That can't be it? It can't be done yet?!! I might have paged back and forth making sure I didn't miss anything. BUT the second half was way better for me than the first third and I want more! (PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS MORE??!!) So I guess this is 3.5 Stars really. I think the character building is done splendidly. I honestly didn't like Erin much in the beginning. In fact I found her very annoying. It did change as the story went on. She really grew on me, the more I got to know about her the more she made sense and the more I actually liked her. I am not sure how I feel about Donal btw.. I mean with him just fading out the way he did. And let me just put it out there in case that was missed. I want more. Specifically more of Donal. Just saying . I loved the crew in Ireland. It was fun and while at first I was a bit worried that it will be totally full of typical tourist conception. I was delighted to find I was wrong (ok,so in my defence: I didn't realise that McKeon is Irish) I came to love Lisdoonvarna and most importantly it's inhabitants. I adored all of the descriptions of Ireland and of Boston as well ( which by the way I still haven't visited- it is on my never ending bucket list!) The storyline is quirky. A bit of cliche and has a few twists and turns thrown in I really didn't expect- many that I totally did. Very nice cute and fluffy indeed. It has a few insta's all over it. But quite frankly- I met Mr. O while I was traveling- I am a bit biased when it comes to meeting your guy while traveling... well actually maybe a lot biased. I think since I am so negative inclined towards the insta..well, insta-everything.. we can actually disregard my bias, it probably about balances it out. One comment on the whole odd Irland thing: I honestly can't relate. Maybe because I am not American? Maybe because people from Heidiland (also known as Switzerland) are actually really quirky? Maybe it's because I am a total nomad, who has lived on several continents... Or maybe because I just never expected Ireland to be anything I knew but simply loved discovering what it was? I really am not sure, but I found myself wondering why anyone would go to Ireland and expect it to be like anywhere else? (i.e. the US?) *shrugs* Anyway. Last but not least: the cover slut in my was total sold by that cover. And after reading this... sigh.. I even approve more (totally Erin....) I want more! Please publish the next book FAST!

3/5 stars

I'm not sure, I think for the most part, this book just isn't completely my cup of tea.
It was really hard to get into and I actually only started to enjoy it after about 40-50%. That's a long time before I actually liked it. The Irish language made it harder for me. there's also a bit of insta-love mixed in and I feel like there's not really an end to the story. I want to know what happens to Donan. But I guess that's reserved for the next book.

Anyhoo, It was an okay read and I am curious to see how Ridlee and Donan end up.