Book: Turnabout’s Fair Play

Turnabout's Fair PlayTurnabout’s Fair Play by Kaye Dacus

Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
Series: Matchmakers #3
ISBN: 1602609918
ISBN-13: 9781602609914
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s

Synopsis: The matchmaker has met her match. . .

 Flannery McNeill has sworn off men. . .at least the handsome, charming kind who are nothing but trouble. So when handsome and charming Jamie O’Connor shows up as an usher at her best friend’s wedding, Flannery tries her best to avoid him. But it seems like someone is conspiring to throw them together. Two someones, to be exact—Flannery’s grandfather and Jamie’s grandmother.

 Maureen O’Connor thinks Kirby McNeill’s granddaughter is perfect for her grandson and convinces Kirby to help make the two a couple. But soon the matchmakers find the tables turned when Flannery conspires with Jamie to play matchmaker, too.

As the juniors scheme to bring the seniors together, a hilarious tumult of mayhem and misconceptions ensues. . .but will it end in romance?

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I’ve followed The Matchmakers series since I read the first book, Love Remains. Like with a lot of the books that I have spoken about this week, the covers draw me in. The female protagonist is hidden behind a symbol that plays a large role in the plot. It’s clever, really. I mean, from the covers alone, I could speculate what it is about.

In the third installment of The Matchmakers, Turnabout’s Fair Play, Kay Dacus finally allows us a glimpse into the life of Flannery McNeil. Yes, she is named after that Flannery. Flannery McNeil has been a strong voice throughout the previous two books. She is the friend that will do anything and everything for you, while keeping a busy work schedule.

Flannery is in her 30s and works for a Christian fiction editor. Like the previous two women in The Matchmakers series, Flannery has put a wall around her heart. While she appears strong on the outside, she is vulnerable on the inside. Her best friends are both engaged, and she fears that she will be alone; that everyone will leave her. Her sisters left her, her parents left her, and soon, her friends will too. But Flannery is ready to open her heart to dating, but with one except. No good-looking guys.

Flannery’s grandfather, Kirby McNeil has been consisted in his weekend visits with her. He has been the constant in Flannery’s busy life, and often serves as the escape that she needs. By chance meeting, he has met Maureen O’Connor. Together, they agree that Kirby’s granddaughter will be a perfect match for Maureen’s grandson. Unbeknownst to them both, the sparks fly and a courtship begins. Now if only the same can happen for their grandchildren.

Jamie O’Connor is in the Sports Marketing industry. A huge announcement has shook his world upside down and has forced him to take a step back from everything. Jamie is brought on this soul-searching journey that is realistic to anyone’s life in present time. It was real and easy to grasp. Dacus wrote Jamie with so much depth that I wasn’t sure I was reading the correct book. It was refreshing to see a male doubt himself. It was enjoyable to see that the male isn’t always a hero in the story.

In Turnabout’s Fair Play, I felt that the conversations, the witty banter, and the overall content was best written in this book. I think I’ve waited for Flannery’s story since the beginning. I loved how Flannery and Jamie’s story had trials and tribulations, but ended up in a happy ending. I’m glad that it wasn’t love at first sight. I’m glad that Dacus wrote a period where the two didn’t speak to one another. It was realistic. And yes, their faith was a big part of the book, but I didn’t think it was the pink elephant in the room. It was tied into the story nicely, and without any blunt meanings.

Great read and filled with different levels of friendship and relationships.

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