A Matchmakers Challenge

Everyone thinks they’re made to be… This matchmaker has her work cut out for her… Despite his feelings on love and marriage, Gabriel Blackburne works for his aunt’s matchmaking company—but only on the financial side! So he’s not exactly thrilled when, much like his meddlesome family, a teenager shows up and tries to set him up with her mom. But when it becomes clear that Courtney Davidson is equally uninterested—if incredibly compelling—he proposes a mutually beneficial fake relationship to keep both his family and her daughter out of their business…

A different kind of matchmaker. Many of the most dynamic public companies, from Alibaba to Facebook to Visa, and the most valuable start-ups, such as Airbnb and Uber, are matchmakers that connect one group of customers with another group of customers. Economists call matchmakers multisided platforms because they provide physical or virtual platforms for multiple groups to get together. Dating sites connect people with potential matches, for example, and ride-sharing apps do the same for drivers and riders. Although matchmakers have been around for millennia, they’re becoming more and more popular—and profitable—due to dramatic advances in technology, and a lot of companies that have managed to crack the code of this business model have become today’s power brokers. Don’t let the flashy successes fool you, though. Starting a matchmaker is one of the toughest business challenges, and almost everyone who tries to build one, fails. In Matchmakers, David Evans and Richard Schmalensee, two economists who were among the first to analyze multisided platforms and discover their principles, and who’ve consulted for some of the most successful platform businesses in the world, explain how matchmakers work best in practice, why they do what they do, and how entrepreneurs can improve their chances for success. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an investor, a consumer, or an executive, your future will involve more and more multisided platforms, and Matchmakers—rich with stories from platform winners and losers—is the one book you’ll need in order to navigate this appealing but confusing world.

Lady Calandra should have suitors beating down her door. But her overprotective brother, the Duke of Rochford, has managed to scare off every suitable gentleman. Every man except the mysterious Earl of Bromwell, that is. Callie finds herself drawn to the enigmatic earl, despite her brother’s almost violent protestations. In defiance of her brother’s wishes, Callie devises a plan to see Bromwell again, enlisting the help of matchmaker Francesca Haughston. But when shadowy secrets about the duke and the earl come to light, it may be too late for Callie to see that she’s walked straight into a trap….

The star of the hit show The Millionaire Matchmaker Patti Stanger offers a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners guide to finding Mr. Right—in just one year! Patti Stanger created an overnight Bravo sensation as the star of her own reality series The Millionaire Matchmaker. As a matchmaker, she has been in the enviable position of having men all over the country open up and reveal what made them want to settle down—and what sent them running. To every single woman sitting home alone wondering, “Where are all the good men, and why isn’t a gorgeous one standing shirtless in my kitchen mixing me up a pomegranate mojito?” she says, “I hate to tell you this girlfriend, but it’s your own fault.” But don’t worry, with her straightforward attitude, Patti doles out her best tried-and-true advice to help women of all ages get out of their own way and get hitched. Using her infectious confidence and bravado, Patti promises that if you follow her advice and commit to her program, you’ll have found Mr. Perfect in less than a year.

Now that Lara Zany has an Official Best Friend (OBF), her friendship matchmaking days are over. When a boy named Majur transfers to their grade and outplays the school bully, Chris Martin, on the soccer field, Chris's reign of terror is suddenly over. Alone and unable to make friends, Chris turns to Lara-who can't resist the challenge of finding this reformed bully a real friend. Between balancing her new friendships, making sure Majur, a refugee from Sudan, fits in, and finding Chris a friend, the Friendship Matchmaker has her work cut out for her-especially because she promised to put her matchmaking to rest. The only solution is to go undercover . . . which means the Friendship Matchmaker is back in business in this charming, laugh-out-loud sequel about finding true friends despite big differences.

Named a Best Book of Summer by Refinery29, Bustle, and PopSugar “The best rom-com of the season…overflowing with charm and heart.” —Bustle “The perfect Summer read—smart, funny, escapist, and bursting with charm.” —PopSugar In the tradition of Good in Bed and The Assistants comes a funny and smart comedy about a young matchmaker balancing her messy personal life and the demands of her eccentric clients. Sasha Goldberg has a lot going for her: a recent journalism degree from NYU, an apartment with her best friend Caroline, and a relationship that would be amazing if her finance-bro boyfriend Jonathan would ever look up from his BlackBerry. But when her dream career falls through, she uses her family’s darkest secret to land a job as a matchmaker for New York City’s elite at the dating service Bliss. Despite her inexperience, Sasha throws herself into her new career, trolling for catches on Tinder, coaching her clients through rejection, and dishing out dating advice to people twice her age. She sets up a TV exec who wanted kids five years ago, a forty-year-old baseball-loving virgin, and a consultant with a rigorous five-page checklist for her ideal match. Sasha hopes to find her clients The One, like she did. But when Jonathan betrays her, she spirals out of control—and right into the arms of a writer with a charming Southern drawl, who she had previously set up with one of her clients. He’s strictly off-limits, but with her relationship on the rocks, all bets are off. Fresh, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny, Playing with Matches is the addictive story about dating in today’s swipe-heavy society, and a young woman trying to find her own place in the world.

Lara Zany is known throughout the school yard as the Friendship Matchmaker-kids who need to make or keep a best friend call on her expertise and follow her hard-and-fast rules to find friendships. Lara's documented everything from friendship categories (the BOBF, or Bus Only Best Friend; the NL, or Nerdy Loner; the LBC, or Loner By Choice) to strategies (MAKF, or Make and Keep Friends; BTFP, or Bus Trip Faux Pas). And she's sure that her manual will one day be published by none other than Harry Potter's publishers. But when new kid in school Emily Wong questions whether following such unbendable rules is really the way to true friendship, Lara and Emily decide to compete by each finding a LL a best friend. But Lara, a LBC, doesn't bank on finding her own best friendship in the most unlikely of places... In the tradition of Clueless or Emma, this is a funny and heartwarming story of celebrating individuality and finding acceptance.

Blind dates haven’t worked. Neither has the internet, or set-ups by mom or friends. Now what? How about something tried and true: the professional matchmaker! Matchmakers are back and better than ever—and this guide from the Matchmaking Institute explains everything you need to know to choose and use one. Find out all about the process, how to make the most of it, and exactly how he or she will make you a match. As you read the success stories with their “happily ever afters,” you’ll realize that matchmaking is an intelligent, practical way to go about dating today. In addition, there’s a list of matchmakers recommended by the Institute as well as smart dating and relationship advice from the professionals.

A Matchmaker's Challenge - Teresa Southwick Everyone thinks they're made to be - this teenage matchmaker has her work cut out for her... Despite his feelings on love and marriage, Gabriel Blackburne works for his aunt's matchmaking company - but only on the financial side! So he's not exactly thrilled when, much like his meddlesome family, a teenager shows up and tries to set him up with her mum. But when it becomes clear that Courtney Davidson is equally uninterested - if incredibly compelling - he proposes a mutually beneficial fake relationship to keep both his family and her daughter out of their business... The Dalmatian Dilemma - Cheryl Harper She's opened up to him...but will he let her in? Former air force officer Reyna Montero wants to become a firefighter, despite her family's wishes. In a bid to impress the fire chief, Reyna agrees to train the station's naughty dalmatian - and turns to fellow veteran and dog expert Sean Wakefield for support. As they work together, independent Reyna gradually lets Sean see her vulnerable side...until mounting pressures tangle with their dreams coming true.

In the four years since being forced off the professional tour for being gay, Daniel Bottega has taught tennis at a second-rate country club. He found a sanctuary to hide from an unkind world, while his lover, Jared Stoderling, fought a losing battle with alcohol addiction to cope with his disappointment of not playing on the pro circuit. Now Daniel has another chance at the tour by coaching tennis prodigy Connor Lin to a Grand Slam championship win. He shares his chance with Jared by convincing him to return to the pro circuit as Connor's doubles partner. Competing on the world tour is challenging enough, but Daniel and Jared also face major media attention, political fallout from the pro association, and a shocking amount of hate that threatens Connor's career in tennis, Jared's love for Daniel, and Daniel's very life.