This is the first book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips I have read, and I doubt it will be the last. The basic plot is fairly simple; an upstart, somewhat scatter brained matchmaker named Annabelle is trying to make a success of her grandmother's business. Ruthless, driven sports agent, Heath Champion (sort of his real name) is ready to make his next big move--to a perfect society wife. Annabelle's best friend is the wife of one Heath's pro athlete clients, so she arranges a meeting with Heath, sure that landing him as a client is the key to her company's success.

But none of Annabelle's plans are working out; begining with a dead body under her car, and then Heath has already signed with Power Matches, the most successfull matchmakers in Chicago. She gets him to agree to sign with her also, but of course Heath doesn't have any chemestry with his dates, and plenty of sparks with Annabelle. While some of the notes are predictable, it is still a fun journey. There are plenty of fun subplots, the pro football players, cute but possibly klepto children, and the elderly clients looking for love that Annabelle can't get rid of.

Heath also starts exploting Annabelle's friendship with a female NFL owner who hates him, and for once in this genre everyone sees through the ruse. There is also a number of wonderfull secondary characters, many of whome are featured in other stories. These characters all seem like multi-deminsional people, no cardboard cutouts here. There are a few weak moments, like when Heath meets Annabelle's overachieving family. But all in all the book is worth a read.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has a great talent for combining beautifully human characters and incredibly funny situations to produce feel-good stories. Match Me If You Can is no exception. I found myself laughing out loud in parts, so be careful if you don't want strange looks when reading this book in public. I always look forward to Phillips' new publications and she never disappoints.

I was excited to get this book because of the great reveiws it received. But I quickly became dissapointed. The beginning started off good and had lots of promise to be an exciting and enjoyable read...but after I read 40 pages still nothing exciting happened. It took forever for the two main characters to get together, I was bored with them. And I really got sick of hearing about all the friends and their boring lives. Usually I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips's novels. My favorites being Kiss an Angel and Dream a Little Dream.

Contemporary love stories as first-rate as this one are so hard to find. MATCH ME IF YOU CAN has got to be THE single best book I've read this year. Well written and sure to make you laugh and possibly cry (assuming you're a sucker for romance like me) it's a book that is highly deserving of all five stars!

Annabelle Granger is the vigorous yet haphazard owner of "Perfect for You", a matchmaking business she has inherited from her late Nana. In the spirit of keeping her grandmother's dream alive, as well as proving to her family that she has what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, Annabelle gets the perfect opportunity to greatly publicize her somewhat shabby business.

When a friend hooks her up with the chance to take the infamous and extraordinarily sexy sports agent Heath Champion on as a client, the money and acclaimed recognition she's envisioned will soon be within her reach.

Heath, affectionately nicknamed the Python, reluctantly gives Annabelle a chance to find his future wife and with all intents and purposes, she is prepared to get down to strict business. She expects this to be a challenge and extremely hard work. What she isn't prepared for are the rising feelings that are getting in the way of everything!

MATCH ME IF YOU CAN is a remarkable novel that focuses on true love and will encourage individuals everywhere to follow their heart.

Compared to all SEP's other work, Match Me was a let down. I love all her football series starting w/ it had to be You - and she has great characters but the story lacked the depth that she usually works into her characters. It was too pat that Bodie was rich and connected. And at the end, Heath has one session with her family and loves them to bits and we are supposed to buy into his idea of the family dynamics. In SEP's other stories like Nobody's Baby...the family felt real. Here- throughout the story SEP has them set up as some kind of irritant who always put her down and belittle her and so when they finally "root" for her, I just didnt buy it and I didn't even like them. So the end - where the hero grovels to the heroine - also didnt work- which is a shame because it worked really well in every other book of hers. Of SEP's work,my favorites have been Heaven Texas and Nobody's Baby.... Can anyone tell me why it doesn't work? Please, please let Dean Robillard's story have all the weight and humor of her older work.