This book was a different feel for me. Two very different men, from very different places, brought together by a mom who just wants her son to be happy.I did enjoy that despite everything Jayden was willing to give it all a shot. And how Sven made some changes just so he could find his own life.There's a bit of homophobia in it, but dealt with very well.Enjoyed it. 3 pieces of eye candy

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book was just okay and did not keep my attention as much as I had hoped it would.

I wanted to like Perfect Match, but I was never able to become interested in the characters or storyline. It was a DNF for me.

This was a fun read, but I never really saw the connection that Sven and Jayden had. They were clearly attracted to each other, but it never felt like they really knew each other well enough to connect on a deeper level.

At the beginning of this book we find out that Jayden Calver is on the hook for about 8k in debt he owes due to his mother's illness. Unable to pay back the loan sharks, they kidnap him and keep him locked up in a dark room, threatening to hurt him more than once. His debt is then bought by the owner of Perfect Match, a dating agency that prides itself on finding the perfect match for its clients - always. And even if they can't, there are ways to still keep their perfect match promise. Thus Jayden becomes what amounts to an escort, playing the role of the match for a little while, instructed to offer himself in all ways, and then staging something that ends the budding relationship.

Sven Larson is a logger working for the family business, and his slightly overbearing family thinks that for this 30th birthday he's in need of a love match, so they hire Perfect Match to find the perfect man for Sven. They don't tell Sven about it until Jayden is already on the way. Needless to say, Sven is not thrilled, but he's willing to make the best of it until he can send Jayden back home, wherever that may be. He's not unkind, but he isn't interested in a relationship. Still, he can't deny that the slight vulnerable young man draws him in. Sparks begin to fly fairly quickly. UST flares and is resolved.

As they get to know each other, Jayden feels more and more guilty about the deceit, and Sven gets more and more suspicious of whether Jayden is telling the truth.

And then, when the truth comes out, it got a wee bit unbelievable. Instead of contacting the police to investigate this fraudulent company and Jayden's illegal sale into what amounts to be sex trade, Sven and his family decide to loan Jayden the money to pay off his debt instead. And they lived happily ever after. I'm sorry, but no. Sex trafficking is not something that's as easily swept under the rug as it was here, and the whole thing left a bit of an icky taste in my mouth and thus soured the whole book for me, especially since the company is left to operate in its illegal fashion, as we find out in the final chapter that sets up the next book.

I liked both Jayden and Sven as characters, and I thought they were, despite their obvious differences, quite well suited to one another. I liked Sven's family and how fiercely protective they were of each other, despite their idiosyncrasies. The author did a fine job creating a great cast of characters for this novel. The writing style also worked well for me - there wasn't any superfluous fluff, and the dialogue felt organic and realistic. I'm definitely interested in reading more by this author, even if this book didn't entirely work for me.

Other than the set-up, I liked this book. I thought Sven was a wonderful character, and Jayden grew on me. He was sweet but oh-so-clueless. I also felt like Sven kept saying (inner dialogue) how brave and strong Jayden was, almost like that should convince the reader, as well. It didn't really work for me, but I did feel sorry for the guy.

The ending seemed pretty easily resolved, in my opinion, but I suppose it fit the overall sweet feel of the relationship between the two. All in all, it was okay for me, though Sven is definitely a character who will stay with me.

Jayden is a young gay man in serious debt following his mother's illness and death. He didn't know he was being conned into even more debt by a loan shark, who set him up for exploitation by the local mafia. He's "rescued" from a fate of indefinite prostitution by Nick Carter, a businessman who owns and runs the "Perfect Match" online dating service. For a series of fees, they will find anyone's perfect match, and fly them to the client's home for a short period of time so they can fall in love.

Only, they can't always find a perfect match, so escorts, like Jayden, are groomed to be the perfect match of the unmatchable. And rural logger and eco-writer Sven Larson is an unmatchable. There's truly nothing wrong with him, excepting his rural locale which is a logging community.

Jayden's arrival is nothing short of disastrous. He's soaked to the skin and scared out of his mind with the pressure of finding and wooing Sven. Sven wasn't expecting him--his adoptive family did the match as a gift for his 30th birthday. They thought he was super lonely--and he was--but had a recent breakup with a fellow closeted man prior to returning home in the wake of his father dying. Sven's family knows his sexuality and they fully embrace him, but Sven isn't sure he wants to come out. Being associated with Jayden, whose naturally effeminate, will surely tell all his secrets--and Sven isn't sure that's his life plan.

Meanwhile, Sven is so genuinely kind that Jayden's guilt at the subterfuge is eating him alive. Add to that, Jayden can't help catching feelings for Sven--he's the first man to show him care and affection, and his family is adoring and wonderful.

For me, I liked how Sven and Jayden interacted. I liked that Jayden wanted to please Sven, and truly make him happy. Jayden's in the worst predicament of his life, and he's still determined to care for Sven's feelings. Sven is a kind and gentle man. He wantst ot put Jayden at ease, and care for him. It may be a fake situation--and Sven suspects it is--but he treats Jayden well, for the most part.

The sex trafficking thing did trouble me. Jayden is finally overwhelmed by his guilt and reveals the depth of his financial woes to Sven. By then the choices each man has have been been narrowed--and the ending turns out happy for both of them.

The epilogue focuses on the staff of Perfect Match, who are a bit on the run in case Jayden decides to go to the cops--and highlights a couple of budding relationships that might be turned into new reads. While I didn't like the sex trafficking in this story, it seems like the next relationships (if this story is turned into a series) would feature men who aren't financially indentured to the company.

I had a hard time finishing this book due to mostly finding it boring and disengaging. It lacked any real depth.

4.5 stars. I enjoyed Sven's meddlesome family. They mean well, but wow, picking out a boyfriend is a bit of a stretch. Sven's hot and cold behavior with Jayden gave me whiplash at times. Jayden is sincerely kind and sweet but boy, has gotten himself into some serious problems. Both of the guys are struggling with guilt and regrets and find their healing in the other.

Quick read about Jayden who is in debt up to his ears after his mom dies. His loans get sold to a dating service offering a Perfect Match to their clients but under false pretenses. Jayden gets matched with Sven, a Canadian logger and is off to meet him in Canada. Initially they do not seem to get along which isn't surprising because the match is based on false info. However, the more time they spend together, the closer they get and they actually start to like each other in spite of their huge differences. Jayden has been lying from the get go and he must come clean to Sven in spite of falling for him. Pretty short story but reasonably well-written with a few curves. Definitely enjoyed the Canadian surroundings. Thanks to NG for the ARC!!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
I really wanted to love this story about a bearish lumberjack who is matched online to a pretty city boy, but the writing felt stilted and the characters never really came alive for me.

I didn’t quite buy into the relationship between Sven and Jayden. Sven is a bit rough, a bit closeted, and not even necessarily kind to Jayden. Jayden is timid and desperate and his attachment to Sven feels a little bit opportunistic. I liked Jayden more than I liked Sven, but I don’t feel like I got to know him well enough to really care about him. Sven’s mum and uncle are the character highlights in this story.

I want to avoid spoilers but after finishing the book, I was still confused about the dating website that set up Jayden and Sven. Initially, the organisers are villanised as scam artists who use Jayden’s debts to coerce him into a relationship. But then there’s a final chapter where I think we’re supposed to like the villains. I was annoyed that nothing was actually explained or resolved, and the last chapter did little to get the bad taste of dubious consent out of my mouth.

My biggest annoyance with this book is the setting. This is a book about a small town in rural British Columbia. As someone who grew up in rural BC, I have to wonder if the author had actually visited the area. BC is notoriously liberal and inclusive. The rest of Canada tends to see people from BC as quinoa munching hippies who wave rainbow flags and smoke a lot of weed. The descriptions of ignorant redneck lumberjacks and closeted forestry workers/RCMP officers living three hours from Vancouver does not ring true at all. I get that this setting allows the author to exaggerate the differences between Sven and Jayden, but it feels more than a bit clumsy.

The blurb for "Perfect Match" captured my interest, but as I got into this story I found the entire premise frankly disturbing. WARNING .... there are NUMEROUS SPOILERS in this review.

Jayden is in debt to a unscrupulous loan shark for $8,000 because of his mother's medical bills and when he is unable to pay, two men drag him from his apartment and lock him in a small room for two days, threatening to hurt him in a number of horrible ways. He is "saved" when his "contract" is purchased by the dating service Perfect Match and he is basically trained as an escort.

Sure, Perfect Match does succeed in bringing people together but when they can't find an ideal match, Perfect Match sends out an escort, with instructions to "fuck his brains out" to keep the unsuspecting matchee unaware that their "perfect match" is just an illusion.

Sven's well-meaning family has paid a high fee to find a perfect match for him, and when Jayden appears in their home far away from civilization, Sven falls hard for Jayden, despite warning signs that Jayden may not be what he seems. I did like the growing romance between Sven and Jayden but would have liked more character development for the two MCs.

But when the secret behind Perfect Match is revealed .... does Sven contact the authorities to report that Jayden was "sold" into the sex trade? Does Jayden come to his senses and realize that he can go to the police and hopefully cause the people behind Perfect Match to be investigated? Nope. Sven and his family decide to PAY OFF Jayden's debt. And Sven and Jayden get their HEA while the final chapter returns us to Perfect Match and its shady / creepy owners and employees.

One of its employees, Alex who does initial calls with clients and entices them into this scam now has to go in Jayden's place to the next victim / client which I imagine will turn into the second book in this series.

I did like the author's writing style and thought she did a good job with the secondary characters and the general feel of the setting, and while I would have liked more character development, I thought the romance between Jayden and Sven was sweet. AND I know that other reviewers have enjoyed "Perfect Match" .... but for me personally, this story just did not work and I was appalled by the whole escort/sex trade aspect. 2.5 stars.

Fun story about a family wanting to find the 'perfect match' for a lonely lumberjack. Of course nothing can be as it seems, and the story take a little time to dive into.

*Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute and sweet read. I loved Jayden even before readers were let in on his full story and then my heart broke for him. It was hard to get aggravated with Sven for not trusting Jayden for a couple of reasons. The biggest was because Perfect Match wasn't what it seemed to be and Jayden was trying to deceive him. But there was also the fact that he was really a good person who was at the mercy of his well meaning family. Add to that the fact that he was falling for Jayden just as hard as Jayden was falling for him and it was impossible to not want things to work out for both of them - even though things weren't stacked in their favor.

There were some extra surprises revealed in the epilogue of Perfect Match that leave some clues to the possibility of a series. I was really not a fan of the crew that runs the haphazard Match Making service, but... Well, I guess we'll just have to see what comes next ;)

m/m
Opposites attract in this entertaining tale of the lumberjack and the city boy. Sven is a logger and author who receives his “Perfect Match” for his 3oth birthday from his nosey but loving family. Jayden is a city boy in financial trouble and is offered a way out by playing “Perfect Match” for Sven for ten days. Neither intended to fall for each other they just needed to get through it. It was fun watching them find their way into each others arms and hearts. I liked that they argued like adults.
I enjoyed this story. The ending is worth the read. I look forward to more Perfect Matches.

Perfect Match is a fun, nicely written story with interesting character and a couple of good plot twists. I'm hoping A.G. Meiers has a few more episodes in this series ready to go, I'll be looking to read them. I needed something 100% enjoyable and this romantic little story was just right.

I found Sven's family initially overbearing and despite their intentions, not very supportive. But I liked all the confusion surrounding Jayden, and thought the humour and mistakes made it a fun and low angst read.

While things are eventually solved reasonably easily, it didn't happen quickly. So there was lots of character development and plot complications to keep this story humming along.

Both boys deserve to find their love match, and live their best lives. Enjoyed reading it.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for advanced copy. Due on January 14.

A very light hearted story in a country backdrop. Lovely protogonist with some endearing characteristics. Yet, the story could have had more depth. It felt like the love just happened too quick and everything fell into places in a fraction of a second. Still, a very fun read. The epilogue had me big time.

Sven has been alone and sad for too long so his family decides to take the matter into their hands and find him the Perfect Match though an on-line dating site. The result is the arrival of Jayden who is totally out of his depth surrounded by mountain men out in the wilds of Canada. I adored this book by AG Meiers and will be looking out for the next one. I totally feel in love with Sven and Jayden’s story and could see how the caring but guarded forester and the damaged vulnerable city boy could make a connection. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It was a cute story, but I feel like the characters could have been better developed. They were a little bit hard to connect to at times. Also, while I enjoyed the premise, the romance felt a bit rushed. I get that you're going for soulmates, but I always find it a bit unrealistic when people claim to fall madly in love in such a short period of time.