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Hitched to the Gunslinger (4/5 stars) is a historical western romance by Michelle McLean, and the first book in her Gunslinger series. The ebook version is 330 pages. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at nine hours and is narrated by Holly Adams. We follow our two main characters with third-person points-of-view.
Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson is well-known as the fastest gun in the land, but he’s ready to retire as he’s tired of his nomadic lifestyle–and the fact that so many people keep trying to kill him. His opinionated horse brings him into a small town named Desolation, and Gray figures this could be a good spot for many naptimes in retirement. But within a few minutes of entering town, he sees a jerk threatening a woman named Mercy, who ad libs that Gray is her fiancée. He goes along with it, even though she’s a handful, especially when she “borrows” his guns to help protect her land by herself.
I really liked a bunch of the side characters in this book! Especially the town mayor, who is also the matron of the parlor in town. I’m hopeful that later books in this series will provide more insight into all the townsfolk.
This is my first book by the author, and I did enjoy her prose and humor. I’ll definitely check out some of her other books. The second book in this series, The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony came out on Tuesday, July 26th and I had the ARC to dig into!
Tropes in this book include: cowboys, gunslingers, strangers to lovers, strong women
CW: guns, murder
The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony (4.5/5) is a historical fiction romance by Michelle McLean, and the second book in her Gunslinger series. The ebook version is 368 pages. We follow our two main characters with third-person points-of-view.
Adam Brady is a gunslinger who is desperate to retire. He lives his life by two rules: avoid life-threatening situations at all costs and never under any circumstances get married. While running from a bounty hunter, he stumbled into the town of Desolation–right into the middle of a big town wedding. After accidentally marrying Nora Schumacher he learns about a new rule in town: gunslingers are welcome here, so long as they either get a job or marry. But he doesn’t want to be married, and is determined to find some kind of work he can actually handle.
This was a pretty charming book overall. It was a fun romp and I ended up staying up late to finish it! I like the author’s brand of humor and she also does a great job with her steamier scenes. I recently found out the author also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Kira Archer, so I’ll have to check her out there too.
Though this book is the second in the series, you can absolutely read it as a standalone. There are references to what happened in the first book, but someone only reading this one shouldn’t get confused by them as they’re brief. I continue to love the side characters in this series, and I hope we get books that feature them in the future (especially Preacher and the mayor).
Tropes in this book include: cowboys, gunslingers, strangers to lovers, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, strong women
CW: death of parent (referenced), alcoholic parent, guns, gambling, abduction
Special thanks to Entangled: Amara, Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
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