I’m delighted to be on the book tour today for The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony by Michelle McLean! This is the second book in the Gunslinger series, and it’s an entertaining historical rom-com!
About the Book:
Title: The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony
Author: Michelle McLean
Series: Gunslinger #2
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: July 26, 2022
Publisher: Entangled
Synopsis: At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, desperate-to-retire gunslinger Adam Brady has exactly two rules. And one of them is never, ever get married. So he’ll be danged when his dreams of permanently avoiding the bounty hunter on his tail in Desolation, the only town where notorious men like him can find respite, comes with one helluva string attached. The town has a new rule: gunslingers welcome—if they get a job…or marry.
Without realizing it, Adam stumbles into a big town wedding and accidentally marries Nora Schumacher, a sassy-mouthed mountain of a woman with legs as long as his wanted poster. So what’s a gunslinger to do but get himself unhitched and find a job. Any job. Except Adam keeps getting fired, one odd circumstance after another. And he’s running out of options.
Desolation was supposed to be his safe haven. Except, he’s not only running from his past but from the irresistible woman he married. And worse, he’s finding that he rather likes the enticing, if damnably independent, wife of his. But some men just aren’t the marrying kind. Only, if he leaves, his own life won’t be worth living. If he stays, he puts the lives of his newfound family and the woman he loves on the line. So much for Desolation being the answer to all his problems.
Each book in the Gunslinger series is STANDALONE:
* Hitched To The Gunslinger
* The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony
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My Review:
This is such a fun and entertaining read, and a great addition to the Gunslinger series! It has a lot of humor and charm, a sexy romance, memorable secondary characters, and a unique found family.
Nora is desperate to keep her home, but she fears that her drunk father will gamble it away before she inherits. Marrying Adam solves her problem, but Adam’s number one rule is to avoid marriage at all costs. He is a loner, and with his bad luck and a target on his back, he prefers to stay that way. However, according to the rules of Desolation, the town where the story takes place, new citizens must marry or find work within a month of arriving. Adam is the clumsiest and most unlucky gambler/gunslinger, and the trouble he gets himself into at his numerous jobs throughout the story is hilarious.
Adam and Nora have fantastic chemistry, and I adore their banter throughout the story. The way they tease and flirt and challenge each other enhances the sexual tension between the pair. Throughout the story there is a question of whether or not the couple is really married, as they did not sign the official marriage license. And as much as Norah wants her home, she is fiercely independent and does not want to lose her freedom. However, the more time they spend together and the more they get to know each other, the more Nora and Adam can’t resist their feelings. Their time together is filled with chemistry, entertainment, and a lot of humor, and I love how their unexpected marriage, which neither of them really wants, turns into something more.
I also love how the other citizens of Desolation band together and form a unique kind of family. They are an interesting bunch and very loyal to each other, and I like how they welcome Adam into their fold even as they foil his attempts at work. The story takes place a few years after the conclusion of Hitched to the Gunslinger, and it was great to see the characters and beloved animals from that book in this one. There are so many funny moments, as well as some really tender and lovely moments, when the people of Desolation band together, and I’m eager to learn more about these charming and slightly mysterious people.
If you like historical rom-coms with dynamic characters, a bit of intrigue, and a fantastic love story, you should totally check this one out. It is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Of course, Hitched to the Gunslinger is fantastic, and I would most definitely recommend that one too! Special thanks to Entangled Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance.
- The secondary characters.
- The humor..
Recommendations:
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical romance, western romance, or rom-coms.
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