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.

“See you around, husband”
“Why did it feel like she’d just made a deal with the devil?”
“You’re an infuriating woman” … “And you are a stubborn, aggravating man”
I absolutely love this book!! It was amazing every single moment of it!!!
The enemies to lovers, the forced proximity and the arranged marriage that neither of them really wanted but somehow they turned out needing both for different reasons was just … chef kiss!!!
I loved both the main characters and despite him being just like any other fake I’ve read about … she was innovative and honestly great to read about !!! And their relationship was amazing !! The banter, the seduction and the tension between them was to die for !!!!
The book was entertaining and easy to get into and , despite being the second one in the Gunslinger series, it can easily be read without the other one … though the story of the Sheriff is more than a little intriguing !!!
The gambling problems with her father and the secrets he is keeping in order to survive made the narrative quite interesting, especially considering their dynamics !!!
Can’t wait for this and the other books in the series to be out !!!!
“We’ve got some things to discuss”
“Darling, I’ve wanted you from the moment you dropped a body at my feet”
“You take my breath away”

good, fun book. I loved the characters. All of them. There is so much humor in this book. I now have to read the first one.

4.5☆
I love this series!
I enjoyed revisiting Desolation.

What I liked:
The characters
The writing style
Part of a series: Gunslinger
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

This book was sadly not my favorite due to lackluster characterization and plot. Most of the book is taken up by a frustrating back and forth between the main characters about if they are married or not, with no real feelings involved whatsoever. It would have helped matters more if Adam had explained earlier about his motivations to avoid marriage because as it was, for the first half of the book, almost nothing really happens and you're left just growing more annoyed that these characters can't get it together one way or another.

Then almost at once, feelings begin to develop between the two and it goes from zero to a hundred. Suddenly, they both care about each other so much that the marriage is almost inconsequential despite it being the driving force of the story for half the book. You never really get why they like each other or what it is that makes them trust that they can make an actual marriage.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

**I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinion is my own and not solicited**

The Gunslinger's Guide to Avoiding Matrimony is a laugh out loud story that of course includes our favorite goat Lucille (with her blue ribbon), a gunslinger on the run who just so happens choses Desolation to stop at where everybody has a reason to be hiding but take care of each other. Throw in clause of you must get married or a job which leads to "very" helpful residents who find a way to help Adam Brady fail to get a job. Because Adam just managed to get himself hitched to Nora Schumacher who needs to get married to hang onto her farm if she can keep her father from finding the deed and gambling it away. She working 3 jobs just to keep her head above water and when sparks fly between Nora and Adam can they resist each other because there's someone who wants Adam badly from his past but watch out the citizen's of Desolation will protect their own.

This was such a funny story and I can't wait for the next book

Gambler and gunslinger Adam Brady is trying to shake off a bounty hunter that's after him. Out in the middle of nowhere he comes to a town he always thought was just a legend. Desperation is a town where people can have a chance to live in peace, if they stick to the rules of the town.
Nora Schumacher is in town to drag home her drunken father, not to join in with the ceremony. She would never get picked, even if she was interested.
This is a western /historical romance. I was hooked from the first page. The characters are so much fun. I felt quite sorry for our poor hero. All the town working against him. Our wonderful heroine knows she is popular with everyone in town. Unfortunately that doesn't help her with her many problems.
We get giggles, danger and wonderful characters. Some of them you might have met in the previous book in the series. You can read it on it's own, but to really want to get the feel of the town Desperation, it's better to read them in order.
Great fun.

This is about a gunslinger – Adam Brady who is on the run from a devious lawman. He ends up in Desolation, a town that has it’s share of reformed outlaws, etc. He ends up married to Nora in a street ceremony with no idea how it even happened. Adam is not the marrying kind but Nora needs a husband to get the deed to her home before her father gambles it away. She insisted to Adam that they had to stay married but never told him why. He was baffled by this strong, independent woman he married but did not want to be married. Meanwhile, no one was allowed to stay in Desolation more than 30 days unless they had a job or were married. Adam tried his damnedest to hold down a job but Nora was from Desolation so all the townspeople were on her side in this. It was not easy for Adam as he had to either stay married to Nora or leave Desolation. Adam and Nora had great chemistry and I enjoyed their banter. Couldn’t put the book down as there were many things happening and I wanted to see how it all turned out.
This book comes after “Hitched to the Gunslinger” and I really enjoyed that book. Was so happy to read and review a copy of “The Gunslingers Guide to Avoiding Matrimony”. I enjoy Michelle McLean’s books. They are written with a bit of humor at times and you can’t help but laugh out loud.
I was happy to see Gray, Mercy and all the others from the first book I read. I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled for the ARC! I appreciate it.

* Received a copy for review.*
A former gunslinger , trying to
Outrun his past, wanders into Desolation. Within the first hour, he runs into the one man who has a legitimate reason to kill him and marries a local woman with some agenda.
Nora needs to marry to protect her land & home from her fathers gambling. However, accidentally marrying the aggravating stranger was not exactly the plan.
Adam is really bad at all the jobs and so Nora may be his best option.

Great read! An on the run gunslinger named Adam stumbles into a town of retired outlaws, and manages to unknowingly get married to Nora. Nora has her own reasons for wanting the marriage with Adam to stick for a bit. Great dialogue, great story, great characters. A must read!!

First I want to thank you for letting me read this book early. I have never read a book about a western romance that I have actually really really enjoyed!! I was so invested in this story, it was soooo good, that when It does go into stores Im going to buy this book to keep in my collection. This is about a gunslinger named Adam Brady who basically doesn't really have a place to live so he finds this town thats like kinda hidden called desolation, he ends up like going into a big town wedding not knowing that there is a wedding going on and this woman named Nora Schumacher tells him to sign a paper and they unfortunately become married and one of his rules is he avoids marriage at all costs. This reminded me of marriage of convenience a slow burn enemies to lovers trope. Where they would fight back and forth while being married and she told him if you want to stay here you have to be married and have a job to be part of this town. He wanted nothing to do with her and being married, absolutely nothing! And she was telling her friends and her whole plan but not him that the reason she wants to be married is to get the deed to be under her name eventually for her house because her dad was a drunk and kept wasting all their money on poker games and alcohol, and she wanted the deed under her name if she got married and then somehow got this guy to leave her so it would be under her name and her father cant take it from her and waste their money, especially since her mother was buried in the backyard. So as the story unfolds you can see the gunslinger Adam slowly falling for her and her as well but kind of playing it cool like they dont but you can see it and when they slowly fall in love he tells her the reasons why he doesn't believe in being married and he is also hiding from the bad men he doesn't want the town to be caught up in his problems. Seeing Nora he thinks of her as a very strong independant woman who can handle businesses on her own while holding up her drunken dad who is very mean to her. He ends up getting fired at every job in desolation, but Nora was so irresistible to him and even when they agreed to be together she told him her deepest darkest secrets and opened up to him finally and he saw how strong she really was around her father who was downright rude to her most of the time. I really liked their chemistry together Nora and Adam. I also loved the end it was super sweet even if one of the outlaws came to town looking for him and but even when her father had realizes towards the end how he had been he finally told his daughter how Adam really did love her even if she didn't believe it but slowly came to believe it after saving her and then she had to go and save him. I couldn't put this book down it was very very good.

Adam Brady is ready to retire from gunslinging, and ending up in Desolation, a town where gunslingers go to retire, seems like the perfect solution. Unfortunately, he ends up accidentally married to a local. Now he has 30 days to find a job and get unmarried or he'll get kicked out of town.

Nora needs to find a man to wed and fast, so when she finds herself accidentally married, it seems like fate . Unfortunately, the man does not want to be married to her, so she has 30 days to change his mind or go through with dissolving the accidental marriage.

This was fun! It was nice reading about familiar characters (see Hitched To The Gunslinger) and seeing what shenanigans they got themselves into (especially in regards to Nora and Adam's unconventional courtship).

While I did like Hitched to the Gunslinger a little more, this book is still a solid addition to the series! If you like shenanigans, animals with minds of their own, a dash of gunslinging, and town folk antics, The Gunslinger's Guide to Avoiding Matrimony is a must for your TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for the eARC! I really appreciate it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC!

Adam Brody is ready to retire from his gunslinging ways. He stumbles upon the mysterious town of Desolation, a refuge for retired outlaws. Under new leadership, Desolation only has two rules - find a job or get married. Adam soon finds himself accidentally married to spitfire Nora Schumacher after wandering into the town’s group wedding ceremony. Having no desire to ever be married, he has to find himself a job and a way to get out of this unwanted marriage.

The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony is a fun and spicy historical romance. While it is book two in the Gunslinger series it can easily be read as a standalone. (I have not read the first book in the series yet.) The storyline is full of plenty of humor and good banter. Adam and Nora have great chemistry from the very beginning. I like that the author didn’t write Nora as just a helpless, damsel in distress type of character. She holds her own and is more than willing to fight for what is hers.

This is the first book that I have read by author Michelle McLean but I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the first book in this series and sling with checking out some of her other work.

The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony is a fun read, providing you don’t question the likelihood that two people who are strangers could inadvertently get married as part of a group ceremony when neither is aware that’s what is going on.

The “happy couple” – Adam and Nora – each has an attitude toward marriage influenced by their past. Adam thinks marriage is not for him because he feels like he has the worst luck; every time he makes a decision and tries to do the right thing, it turns out wrong. Nora is only interested in getting a temporary husband, who will stay around long enough for her to claim the homestand where she and her father live. Until she’s married or is 30, it remains in her father’s hands. Depressed since her mother’s death, her father is gambling and drinking way so much that Nora doubts there will be anything left for her in five years when she’ll be 30.

The majority of the story focuses on whether Adam and Nora will stay together. There is a villain who shows up near the end – a rogue lawman who has been hunting down Adam for a minor offense ever since Adam escaped from him –but the situation is resolved fairly quickly.

With an appealing hero and heroine, humorous dialogue and a likeable cast of supporting characters – many of whom will be familiar to readers of Hitched To The Gunslinger – this is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #EntangledPublishing for a review copy.

This book is so much fun. I love how Adam’s determination to stay unmarried is thwarted at every turn by the good citizens of Desolation. With a new law to either be married or gainfully employed in thirty days of arrival in town, he may be forced to accept marriage to Nora or leave. The problem is the longer he stays the more appealing marriage to her becomes. He can’t seem to chase away the infuriating woman or the huge attraction he’s feeling toward her.
When he stumbles into a communal wedding Nora decides the tall stranger could be the answer to all of her problems. Now she just needs to find a way to get him to agree. The man is more stubborn than a mule and totally too attractive. Her friends have a plan to drive him her way, it’s too bad that suddenly she wants so much more.
Filled with humor and romance, this book will make you smile.
I received a copy courtesy of Entangled Publishing and this is my honest opinion.

The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony is the perfect second in the Gunslinger series! I am not sure which I enjoyed more, this one or Hitched to the Gunslinger. Each are stand-alone, but I enjoyed reading in succession.

The beginning conversation/argument between Nora and Adam cut a perfect slice into the crazy relationship that ensues. Are they married? Are they not married? Nora needs a husband to keep her home and land. Adam, as the title indicates, never plans to marry. Nora’s little tea group are going to make sure Nora gets to keep her land and Adam ‘gets’ to keep Nora. Nora is as strong, independent and courageous as they come, especially by wearing men's pants rather than dresses.

I love that Gray, from Hitched, has not lost any of his grumpiness or his sleepy horse! He and his adorable Mercy, along with the rest of the Desolation community, assist in making this book a laugh out loud romance. There are several secondary characters that had a hand in making Adam and Nora’s ‘courtship/marriage’ journey a very unique one. Cannot wait to see what happens in future Gunslinger romances.

Another winner! I loved this book - it's historical romance with humor. I was instantly transported to the town Desolation. Adam is a gunslinger on run for his life when he stumbles upon Desolation, a town not even on the map, where those with a questionable past go to live quietly and without fear of their pasts catching up with them. When Adam encounters Nora, he doesn't know what to make of her. She's non traditional and wearing men's pants. When they realize that they've inadvertently become part of a group wedding ceremony and find themselves married, sort of.... What follows is a comedy of errors, mostly Adam's. Unfortunately, Adam still has someone chasing him.

I found myself invested in their story and wanting them to get their HEA ending. This book is filled with heart and humor and had me turning pages just as quickly as possible. Fans of the genre will love this book and want to put it at the top of their TBR list. The author is on my must read authors' list.