OVERVIEW: Meet Your Match is a fun, sexy, low-stakes romp in which our favorite characters are placed in relatable territory: the Muggle world. Similar to how HeyJude19’s Draco in Remain Nameless is struggling to find his place in the world post-war, MorriganMercy’s Draco is facing the same dilemma—except instead of magical London, he finds solace and comfort amongst new Muggle friends (who, serendipitously, happens be Hermione’s childhood friends!)
If you are looking for a sizzling Dramione fic full of sexual tension with minimal angst, this may be a match (ha!) for you.Â
SETTING: Because of this choice in setting, the fic isn’t steeped in magical theory. Yes, there are magical references (use of simple charms, references to magical locations etc.), but the magical system and world-building isn’t quite established. Also, because it takes place roughly 2 years after the end of canon, our characters are young. Tonally, this gives off an indulgent CW chick-flick vibe in which our characters are university-aged, beautiful, progressive, and sexually liberal, with a group of awesome (and equally beautiful) friends. MorriganMercy writes in such a way that it makes you want to be a part of this close-knit blend of Muggle/Magical friends. For readers who are in a similar life stage, you may find this setting relatable. For those who are a bit older (like me), you may find the characters a bit juvenile—but still lovable and fun, nevertheless. For example, there is a club scene (one of my favorites!) which is sizzling in spicy goodness that had me reliving my college/post-college days. (Old me obviously doesn’t have that kind of lifestyle anymore, but I admit that I thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through two beautiful characters!Â
EXTERNAL PLOT: There isn’t much say here, given that Meet Your Match doesn’t really have an external conflict. However, the small plot-lines that revolve around Draco and Hermione’s friends and family tie up nicely at the end.Â
ROMANTIC ARC: This is the crux of the fic. As mentioned earlier, similar to Remain Nameless, the plot of the story essentially revolves around Draco and Hermione trying to figure out their romantic feelings for each other and how to be together post-war, post-trauma. Miscommunication and internal conflicts are the biggest hurdles to their romantic development, though the miscommunications are resolved rather quickly. (Thank goodness!) For both the emotional sexual development, I would say it is more of a medium-burn and the payoffs are satisfying. If you have read my previous reviews, I typically prefer slow-burns for fics that don’t have an external plot. However, Meet Your Match is a rare exception—and that is because of SMUT!
SMUT: Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes! Building (unresolved) sexual tension is truly where MorriganMercy fucking shines. The smut scenes are descriptive and insanely steamy. From the get-go, Draco and Hermione are very thirsty and sexually attracted to each other, and the description of their physical attributes is tantalizing. Even after the first sexual payoff occurs, I still found myself wanting to read more—because the smut (location, positions, DIALOGUE!) was written so well. For those who like explicit scenes and want to get their jollies off, you’ll enjoy this fic, you randy sinner.Â
DRACO CHARACTERIZATION: In-character? Hmm…tough call, but I would err on the side of yes. In terms of personality traits only, I could definitely see a canon Draco, post-war, redeem himself by living amongst Muggles. Draco is repentant yet self-loathing, trying-to-do-better yet angsty, thoughtful yet broken. (And he’s hot. So hot. And horny. So horny.)
However, where the fic tends to lose some people is this: there is the use of the “secret crush” trope that spans back to canon Hogwarts days. Secret crush tropes are tricky, and can be a major turn-off for many readers—mainly because Draco canonically is downright nasty to Hermione. Choosing to read this trope in Dramione fanfics often require readers to utilize suspension of disbelief. (If you’ve been following my reviews for some time, you’ll know that my all-time favorite fic is The Auction by LovesBitca8, in which this trope is used in a very believable and convincing way. But since this isn’t a review on The Auction, I won’t get into what made it work here. :) )Â
In Meet Your Match, perhaps this is the most commonly-griped about miss by readers. But if you can suspend disbelief, you’ll be able to enjoy a truly lovely fic!
HERMIONE CHARACTERIZATION: MorriganMercy’s Hermione is beautiful and intelligent. (And hot. Did I mention hot?) However, unlike many Dramione fics, Hermione’s signature swottiness and intelligence isn’t on full display here. Rather, there is much exploration on her interpersonal strengths—how kind and understanding Hermione is, what a good friend she is to the Muggles. Readers who are looking for bossy, swot queen extraordinaire, Brightest-Witch-of-Her-Age Hermione might not find that in this fic. (But she is hot. So hot.)Â
Readers may be put-off by her (seemingly) blind attraction to Draco. Like many of us were at the age of 20, Hermione is insecure about being enough for a man. These feelings of inadequacies permeate to her physical insecurities as well as her blood status. One of her greatest internal conflicts is that she’s attracted to Draco, but she is unsure of whether or not he truly wants her. I get why the author chose to portray her this way—because there is something so innately romantic and universally relatable about a woman feeling insecure about being “enough” for a partner, and that partner reassuring her that she is absolutely perfect just the way she is—but I understand that it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.Â
SIDE CHARACTERS: Lovely, all of them. It’s clear that MorriganMercy deeply loves the OCs that she developed, and her talented writing and characterization made me love them, too. Special nod to the Slytherin and Gryffindor gang, whose banter and ribbing added much to the overall levity of the fic.Â
TECHNICAL WRITING: I also don’t have much to say about this, except that MorriganMercy’s writing is strong and balanced. She’s a confident writer with dialogue—both external and internal—and doesn’t rely on the use of heavy exposition, which makes for an easy read. There is humor (I nearly spit my drink out at one scene in particular when Hermione and Draco are playing a familiar Muggle game). And of course, the smut is *chef’s kiss*.
CLOSING THOUGHTS: I think MorriganMercy is amongst one of the newer authors to join the Dramione fandom, and let me say—we are SO lucky to add another incredible author to our ranks! She’s a solid writer who executes well, and I’m looking forward to reading much, much more of her work—she certainly has the talent to write dynamically across all different settings and genres. I have a feeling that she’ll become a fan-favorite author in the fandom very quickly. I’m personally excited to watch her develop as a Dramione writer and contribute more fun, steamy, sexy fics in the fandom for years to come.Â
IF YOU LIKED MEET YOUR MATCH, YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:Â Universal Truths by scullymurphy, Remain Nameless by HeyJude19, Sex Ed by MrBendrezine89
