I must say that I really love the town of Desolation and it’s inhabitants. I find it so refreshing to read about people that was found on wanted posters “criminals” finding a place where they can settle down and find peace of mind.

Unfortunately for Adam Brady he enters town when the town council has made new rules for outlaws if they want to stay in town. You either marry or you get and hold down a job. Since marriage is something he will never commit to it is a shame that he suddenly by mistake finds himself married to the only woman in town not spoken for, Nora Schumacher.
Instead of acknowledging the marriage he tries to find employment where there is a need for it in town. Unfortunately he has never worked a hard job in his life and he is very unfortunate at everything he tries out so in the end there is only one choice to make. But will Nora ever forgive him for how he talked to her and left her embarrassed in front of everybody at the wedding.

I actually loved Adam Brady even though he in the beginning was a jerk to Nora. But he didn’t know her or anyone else in town and he had his valid reasons not wanting to get married. When you throughout the book get to know him he is a very lovable guy, who isn’t really a big outlaw but stumbled into it by chance just like the sheriff of the town Gray “Quick shot” Woodson (the main character in the first book in the the series).
He will do anything to keep those he loves safe even though it means sacrificing himself to save them. He is honorable, protective, self sacrificing, hard working, very sweet and hates hurting other people.
Nora is a great character too but she had her annoying moments. She is a very strong woman both on the inside and the outside but she has her insecurities when it comes to men and her appearance. And I found that sometimes she was very quick to jump to the wrong conclusions when someone tried to explain how they saw her or she just heard what she wanted to hear which was always in the bad direction.

I really liked this western historical romance and I can’t wait to read what happens next In Desolation.

I can definitely recommend this book.

I got this book from Entangled publishing and Netgalley and this is my honest opinion and voluntary review.

The Gunslinger's Guide to Avoiding Matrimony by Michelle McLean, book two in The Bereford Adventures series is a fun and entertaining historical rom com. This historical romance takes place in the old west and is filled with adventure, suspense, an unexpected marriage between two stubborn people, and a town filled with quirky, adorable characters.

At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, desperate-to-retire gambler/gunslinger Adam Brady has exactly two rules; the first being to never, ever get married. On the run from a bounty hunter, he finds himself in the town of Desolation; the only town where notorious men like him can find a reprieve, but it comes with string attached. The town has a new rule: gunslingers welcome: but only if they get a job or marry within thirty days. Unbeknownst to him, Adam stumbles into a big town wedding, accidentally marrying Nora Schumacher, a sassy-mouthed mountain of a woman with legs as long as his wanted poster. Nora is desperate to keep her home, but is afraid that her drunk of a 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. Adam is determined to get himself unhitched and find a job. Any job. Adam seems to be the clumsiest and most unlucky gambler/gunslinger and the trouble he gets himself into at his numerous jobs throughout the story is hilarious. He keeps getting fired after one unusual circumstance after another; and he’s running out of options.

Adam and Nora tease, flirt and challenge each other creating amorous tension between them. The more time they spend together and the more they get to know each other, the more Nora and Adam are unable to resist their feelings. Their time together is filled with sizzling chemistry, enjoyable banter and a lot of humor. Their stubbornness might put these two at odds with each other, but it also drew them together. Unexpectedly this marriage, which neither really wants, begins to turns into something more; something they can both live with providing a long future together. I highly recommend The Gunslinger's Guide to Avoiding Matrimony to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Desolation is a safe town that rarely sees visitors. Its like a retirement community for gunslingers but now the town has new rules. Get a job or marry.
Shortly after arriving in Desolation Adam finds himself bantering with a woman then in the blink of an eye they are married. They didn't realize they were in the middle of a mating ceremony. To top it off his past had come back to haunt him. The Sheriff. A gunslinger who's his enemy.
Nora was surprised to find out she was married to this gunslinger but at least this could solve her problem. If only he'd agree to a temporary marriage.
Whether they're legally married is a question throughout the story. Adam has a choice to make. Thirty days to find a job, marry or leave town. Poor guy gets fired so many times due to his clumsiness. Some of which are due to the help of Nora's friends.
A western romantic comedy that will give you a breath of fresh air and many laughs.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for a digital copy. Read and reviewed voluntarily and the opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The first book in this series was true love for me - this one fell a little short of my expectations - but it was still a really great read. I think going in to it - I probably had unreasonably high expectations. Adam Brady is a rather reluctant gunslinger. He really doesn't want to live that life anymore - and just wants to get away from it all. He ends up in Desolation by mistake- and immediately winds up married (on paper) to Nora. Nora is holding her family farm together on her own while her father drinks his life away. All she wants is to own her land out-right and not have to be beholden to the whims of very unreliable men. Adam is the answer to that for her - a marriage with no expectations and one he'll hopefully abandon.

There is a lot to unpack in this book. Adam is a very layered character - I felt badly for him for most of the book as he really did try to find his way. You could see that given half a chance he would rise up and be a better person and live a better life. Maybe not a perfect one - but a good one. I also really felt for Nora. She was in a terrible and unfair situation. A product of the time and her family's making. When Adam and Nora let themselves go a bit - they really were magic together.

But here's the main thing that bothered me about this story - and truthfully this may just be a trigger for me - is that throughout the story almost everyone is conspiring to make Adam miserable enough to leave. It is framed as sort of a joke, but it felt icky to me. They are basically trying to purposefully make him miserable - ultimately - it just felt mean spirited. I love the town of Desolation and the people who live there are fascinating - so I felt pretty disappointed by the way they treated him.

Even with that - the book is a great read and I highly recommend it.

I received it via NetGalley as an ARC, but these opinions are all my own.

Wow to consider yourself past your prime at twenty-eight though to be honest a gunslinger would have a shorter career life than a football player today. That is exactly the premise of The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony (Gunslinger #2) by Michelle McLean. Desolation s just the place that Adam Brady needs to live. Of course this town is a marvelous figment of the author’s imagination which I enjoy seeing how each desperate-to-retire gunslinger tries to circumvent the rules there.

An accidental marriage a gunslinger attracted to his new wife but is determined not to have a wife, with an irresistible independent wife makes for one hilarious read. This is not your Daddy’s Wild West but one that is a lot more fun. Read today.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first time I'm reading this Author and I'll be reading more from her in the future. Nora is strong, witty but at the same time unsure of herself as a women (as most of us are). Adam is cocky, charming and a little unsure of his self from all the wrong decision he has made in the passed. It was fun to follow all the deferent jobs Adam had to work but all jobs led to Nora. This book held my attention from start to finish and let me check out of my busy reality for awhile.

This book was so much fun to read! I loved the couple and all of their interactions plus the other characters actions throughout the story were hilarious. This is the second book in the series and even though I hadn't read the first book, I had no trouble following along and enjoying the storyline. I had not read a book before with this situation. It was so creative and I loved it. I am looking forward to reading book one then the rest of the series as they are released.

Another fun, almost romantic comedy set in the town of Desolation.

He's running from a bounty hunter and wants to get out of the gun slinging business and stumbles into the town. What he does not want is a wife, but ends up with one anyway! Well sort of...

She needs a husband quick so she can claim her inheritance before her father drinks and gambles it away. She never expects to find him, but they are married before she knows it! Kind of..

Great adventure, characters from book one, and a town set on helping these two together!

4.5⭐️ Really enjoyed this and thought it was even better than book 2. It is a stand-alone if you’re wondering. Likable characters with a fun storyline. Adam was adorable and I really liked Nora. The premise to get these two together was great and really worked for me. There wasn’t a lot of emotional stuff in this romance but a cute, fun overall enjoyable read.
I’m hoping for a book 3 because I’d love to see another couple find their HEA❣️
Thanks Entangled Publishing via NetGalley.

This was another fun entry for this series. I've got to be honest and say you've got to suspend a bit of plausibility here because one key point to this tale is very over-the-top. Still, if you can do that, this read is really quite entertaining. The chemistry sparks, the banter is witty, the setting charming and the laughs plentiful. This is just a great read for when you need to disengage, unwind and relax.

The second book in this series was just as fun as the first book which I read and reviewed last year. Adam is the gunslinger with a sheriff after him, and comes upon Desolation a town far away from any other real community. Nora is the spinster in this historical romance. The book opens with them accidentally getting married. Adam doesn’t want to put her in danger so he won’t sign the legal document. Nora needs him to sign it so she can get the deed to her property which her alcoholic father has. Another entertaining easy read, and I still adore the town of Desolation. Great secondary characters and a cute plot.

This is book two of this series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. Michelle McLean has a quick and breezy writing style that I enjoy immensely.
A Gunslinger's Guide to Avoiding Matrimony features Adam and Nora who are mistakenly married during a mass wedding ceremony. What an endearing love story they shared! It was so cute and funny. I loved every minute of it and everything about the charming town of Desolation and its fine upstanding citizens.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Adam Brady may be a gunslinger by accident but now he needs to disappear and finds himself in Desolation. Nora hasn’t had an easy life since her mother died and her father took to gambling and drinking. Not a good mix! Nora is left to tend to the farm and take in sewing to make ends meet. When Adam and Nora are accidentally married, Nora has her own reason for wanting a marriage but not a husband! Adam certainly had no intentions of getting married and he has his reasons too. They were two likeable characters but could they resolve their issues? This was an entertaining read with some funny events, passionate moments and a satisfying ending. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this delightful read by Michelle McLean, Adam Brady is beside himself when he discovers that he is suddenly married to Nora Schumacher. He fled to the town of Desolation because a bounty hunter was close to catching up with him. The town is said to be a place where men can find respite and get a chance to regroup and that’s what he plans on doing. However, either the men marry or get a job or they have a limited time that they can stay in town. Well, Adam is now married, but not by choice.

Nora knew exactly what she was doing when it came to her marriage to Adam. In fact, in the mass wedding ceremony that had just taken place, she didn’t even care who she married, just that she managed to get hitched. Facing the chance of losing her family land, if she can just stay married until the age of 30 then she can take the deed to her home and keep it out of her father’s hands. He is a drunk and a gambler and has taken everything that Nora has accumulated but she is determined that he won’t get the land. Now, to get Adam on board.

Nora and the friendly townsfolk come up with a plan to make Adam see reason. Meanwhile, as Adam and Nora get a chance to spend some time together it soon becomes clear that feelings are entering the picture. But will there be enough time for things to develop before Adam takes leave of Desolation thus causing Nora to lose everything she loves?

What an enjoyable story from start to finish. The shenanigans are really funny in this book. In fact, this reminded me of two movies that I saw decades ago that starred James Garner, Support Your Local Sheriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter. Also, while this book is the second in a series, it works perfectly well as a standalone, but was so much fun to read that I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Many thanks to Entangled: Amara and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following YouTube video - https://youtu.be/5Uv8LqCkyPA

Desolation is a town in the Wild West remote enough that gunslingers and others who want to escape their pasts and settle down can actually do that. The only problem is, enough gunslingers have shown up, resorting to old habits, that the sheriff (who used to be a deadly gunslinger himself) and the mayor (a woman) passed a law that these men had a month to either get married and settle down, or find a job and stick to it. Otherwise, they'd get the boot.

Adam Brady rides into town, and finds a group of men standing around. He has no idea what's going on, and he's dismayed to recognize the sheriff, who he's been trying to avoid; he notices some women, especially a tall one who wears trousers. Too many things going on at once; he follows the crowd, including shouting "I do!" when they shout--and then discovers that he's married.

Sort of. Except that neither he nor Nora have signed the marriage certificate. Nora needs to be married, but she wants a husband only long enough to secure the deed on her property, then she wants him to ride off, so he can't claim it as his, as the law decrees.

Meanwhile, Adam doesn't want to leave, but he also doesn't want to be married. And so as he fails at one job after another, the two encounter one another, and sparks fly.

It's a light-hearted romance, so you know what's going to happen. It's a bit slow through the middle, as the two never communicate what's most important, and carry on the are we or aren't we, but once they get past that, the second half has a lot of emotional roller coaster and some nice action.

I love this town (I really enjoyed the first in the series) and I'm eager to find out the other men's pasts, especially the Preacher. The side characters are a ton of fun, the humor brisk and lively, making it a fun read. Looking forward to the next.

A wonderful and often hilarious story. Adam is gunslinger and a gambler looking for a place to retire. Nora is a young woman in need of a man to marry. The town of Desolation gets a new resident that provides hours of entertainment. When Adam and Nora accidentally marry it complicates both their lives. Nora is independent and feisty and has the backing of entire town in her quest to snare Adam.

A gunslinger looking to retire, a woman trying to keep her home and an accidental marriage are at the start of The Gunslinger's Guide to Avoiding Matrimony. While you can read this as a standalone I would definitely recommend book one, Hitched to the Gunslinger.

This was a fun Western romance with some steam. Adam and Nora were definitely a case of opposites attract. I enjoyed seeing the tender moments between them. The town of Desolation definitely had that found family type of feel. The book had humor, though some of the situations in the book seemed over the top, and a great cast of secondary characters. Pick this one up if you're looking for a quick, fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for my ecopy of this book.

Book 2 in the Gunslinger series. Insta-marriage to love + found family tropes.

A hilarious HEA?!? Yes, please! This was such an incredibly fun, unique WESTERN romance.. with our gunslinger/gambler hero Adam Brady outrunning a female entanglement AND a sheriff in Colorado. After two days ride he and his grumpy horse accidentally find an old trail leading him to the notorious small town of Desolation.. a place where ex-criminals can live in peace. 🤠🐴🃏

Upon arrival, Adam finds himself instantly/unknowingly married 🤵🏻‍♂️👰🏼💍 to one of the only two available locals.. Nora Schumacher.. and OH BOY is our heroine a REAL PISTOL! She’s keeping a big secret from the new hubby, but then.. he is from her too. 🤫

Adams job pursuits are quite comical 😂 .. losing them as fast as he finds them through no fault but his own! 😛 As the story progresses.. so do Adam and Nora’s feelings. And let me tell you.. their chemistry is hot hot hot!!! 🥵

If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud HEA with a fantastic storyline to boot.. look no further. Loved it!!! ❥ Highly recommend!!!
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub. 7/26/22

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Desolation, book 2
Another fun Western, written by Michelle McLean. We return to the small town of Desolation, that is so far off the beaten path, that almost no one arrives there. Except former criminals. Adam Brady is trying to outrun a Bounty Hunter, and he ambles into the town. Once he starts looking around, he stumbles into Nora Schumacher, who’s nearly on the shelf, and is tall and plain. And so, starts a very funny, sweet tale that has ups and downs, and enough angsts to bring tears to a reader’s eye. Well worth reading, characters from Ms. McLean’s first book are found throughout this one, and they add to the story. I hope there will be another book in the series. I received an ARC of this book from the author through NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.

This was a funny and witty western romance at its best. Ms McLean has written a winner with her second in a series of a gunslinger wanting to avoid marrying. It has so many cute moments with a gunslinger trying to outrun a bounty hunter and he finds the town of Desolation.
Even Adam Bradley has come to the town and meets up with one sassy mouthed woman by the name of Nora Schumacher. She and Adan don't like each other at first and then find themselves married to each other during a town meeting.
Nora just wants to keep her farm together and not let her father gamble it away. It she can get the handsome no good gunslinger to accept terms, well so much the better.
Adam can't understand why this particular fussy woman keeps driving him crazy with dreams of erotic pastimes. He can't want to settle down, but oh those dreams.
These two sure could put up a fuss, but as the say "love is the key" and a happy every after.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave and honest review.