The Matchmaker’s Mare by Hywela Lyn is a Snuggle Up With These Books pick #sweetromance #paranormalromance #snuggleup #giveaway
Two matchmaking spirits find their carefully laid plans may not go as smoothly as they hope.
Title: The Matchmaker’s Mare
Author: Hywela Lyn
Genre: Sweet Paranormal Romance
Book Blurb:
When Megan Johnson inherits an old cottage in the Welsh countryside, she seizes the opportunity to cut ties with her past life, after a broken romance. Her nearest neighbour, a horse trainer, is also something of an enigma. Single dad Glyn Phillips does his best to balance his love of horses and hard work, with his devotion to his son. When he meets his new neighbour, he knows he should resist any attraction. A feisty pony mare which mysteriously appears on his land adds to his problems, but another, larger problem lies ahead. Two matchmaking spirits find their carefully laid plans may not go as smoothly as they hope.
Excerpt:
Prologue
Near Pentrebont, West Wales, sometime in the distant past.
“Faster Seren, faster.” Leaning low over the pony’s neck the young woman urged her into a mile-eating gallop. The mare’s hooves scarcely seemed to touch the ground as she appeared to fly across the rugged landscape. If only Seren really could gallop through the air, it would make her escape so much easier.
There had been something very special about the filly Rhiannon found as a motherless foal in the mountains and raised until fully grown. She named her Seren, meaning ‘Star’, for the perfect diamond-shaped star on her face. Seren needed no breaking-in or training, but allowed Rhiannon to sit on her back as soon as she was mature enough to take a rider. No one else could ride her, not even Sion Sienco. Now she could only hope the mare would carry her to Sion in time.
She cast one last, swift look over her shoulder at the only home she had ever known. The cottage receded into the distance, appearing forlorn in the soft moonlight before melting into the darkness. She could almost believe the cottage knew she would never return. With a sigh, she turned her head to concentrate on the rough road ahead.
Thoughts of the injured animals the villagers, or their children, would bring to the cottage for her to heal flashed into her mind, and hot tears stung her eyes. Her spells and herbs could heal most injuries provided they were not too severe. Now she would no longer be able to help them. Nor would she be able to use her gift of matchmaking to help the maidens in the village find their one true love. “Oh Sion,” she whispered, “Sion, where are you when I need you?”
She pushed the mare even faster. “Sion,” she whispered once more. “Sion, please let me find you.”
Her father’s harsh words rang in her head and a shiver ran through her, which had nothing to do with the chill night air. “It is all arranged. You will marry Gwynfor Pryce. We have already agreed on the marriage settlement and the wedding will take place a week today. There will be no more argument.”
Rhiannon knew then she must leave the little cottage where she had lived with her father since her mother died five years before. Leaving the dwelling where she’d lived her whole life, the only home she knew, made her heart ache. However, she would not marry a man she hated. A man many years her senior, whom she knew to be cruel to his servants and animals.
Along the edge of the forest and past the foot of the craggy Bryn Glas mountains they sped. Rhiannon clutched her hand to her breast to feel the reassuring bulk of the kerchief holding the only wealth she possessed—some silver coins, and a small gold ring inherited from her mother. She swung the pony southeast, to follow the drovers’ route she knew Sion would take on his return journey. “Faster, Seren,” she whispered once more. Her heart thudded in time to the pony’s heavy breathing. The tiny silver bells which decorated her girdle jingled as she urged the pony on as fast as she dared over the rough terrain.
At last, Rhiannon drew rein and allowed the pony a few minutes to catch her breath, before setting off again at a canter. She would rather spend the rest of her life with a penniless gypsy like Sion, than be married to a rich old man for whom she cared nothing. A rich old man who, the rumourmongers whispered, was also a mage. Pryce might own extensive lands and possess great wealth, but she shuddered at the mere thought of him touching her. No doubt her father would have squeezed the highest bride price possible from him. He’d sold her like a broodmare or a milk cow. Well, they were both in for a disappointment. She would not submit to being forced to marry a man she despised. What had her father been thinking?
Customary though it might be for a father to arrange his daughter’s marriage, giving her no choice in the matter, surely her father could not be blind to Gwynfor Pryce’s true nature? A vision of Pryce’s cruel features swam into her mind, and she shivered again.
Taking one hand off the reins, she pulled her cloak more tightly around her shoulders and urged Seren into a gallop once more. She must find Sion before daybreak, before her father discovered her absence. Once he did, she knew he would likely follow her to bring her back. The further away she and Sion could get, the more chance they had of eluding him and starting a new life together. She drew in a deep breath. Please, she prayed silently. Please let me find him soon.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228393877-the-matchmaker-s-mare
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-matchmaker-s-mare-by-hywela-lyn
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-matchmakers-mare-
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-matchmaker-s-mare
November is a time to be thankful. What are you most thankful for this year?
The support of my lovely neighbours and friends, the love and companionship of my beloved animal family, including the memory of all those ‘over the Rainbow Bridge’, and the beauty of nature and the countryside. There is so much to be thankful for.
Why is your featured book worth snuggling up to?
A ‘sweet’, feel-good romance to lift your spirits, and leave you smiling. With a touch of magic and the paranormal, it tells of a love that lasts down the centuries, as well as a blossoming romance in the present day, and while things are not always easy for the main characters, they eventually earn their ‘H.E.A.’ A reader called the story “A Heartfelt Journey of Love, Healing, and Quiet Magic.”
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card:
https://kingsumo.com/g/1wg62wm/snuggle-up-with-these-books-giveaway
Open Internationally.
Runs November 1 – November 30, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on December 1, 2025.
Author Biography:
Award-winning author, Hywela Lyn spent most of her life in Wales, whose beautiful landscapes and wealth of myths and legends inspired her to write. A horse and dog lover, she weaves fantasy romances set in her native Wales, and romantic Science Fiction adventures set in the future. She loves dreaming up characters who overcome the odds, and go on to find deep and enduring love. However difficult the journey, in the end love will always win. She hopes her stories will truly take you ‘out of this world’ and beyond.
She is a member of The Romantic Novelists’ Association and her local writing group, Chiltern Writers. Beloved Enemy, the third book in The Destiny Trilogy, was shortlisted in the Paranormal category of the prestigious Romantic Novelists Association RoNA awards and was a Runner up in the RONE Awards in 2017. Circumstances prevented her writing since the Release of Beloved Enemy and she is excited about this, her latest release The Matchmaker’s Mare, featuring her other great love, horses, and the area in Wales where she grew up.
When she is not writing or reading, she can usually be found enjoying the outdoors with Choccy and anything involving horses or dogs, or just eating chocolate!
Social Media Links:
Website:
https://Hywelalyn@hywelalyn.co.uk
Blog:
https://Hywelalyn.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HywelaLynAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hywela.lyn/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1422651.Hywela_Lyn
Thanks so much, Nancy.