My blurb …
| Series | Gunslinger #2 |
| Genre | Western Romance |
| Pub. Date | 26 Jul 2022 |
| Pages | 311 |
| Publisher | Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara |
| Cover | Does not match the lead female character. |
| Rating | 3 stars |
Adam Brady, 28, lives by two rules: never get married, never get caught. A town called Desolation provides people with a past and a place to live *if* they get married or have a job. Adam rides into town and without realizing it ends up married to a feisty, sassy woman named Nora. Can he get out of the marriage? Why does he keep getting fired from one job after another? Why does she want to be married but not really?
My review …
Loved the title of this book — it grabbed my interest right away. Eh … my review doesn’t match the four-five stars of those already posted. And a good chunk of the reason is language.
Allow me to explain.
No time period is given but lamps “splutter” and people use horses. The state of Colorado exists [Chapter Four]; Colorado was admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876. So–our time frame is circa 1880. And the language used by the men when women are present simply would not be done. Shoot, I’m a senior citizen, and even into the 1990s men *still* watched words around LADIES. And Nora is a lady. There were “hints” in the description provided by the publisher (or author) — it can be either one. Words/phrases like helluva, ‘a woman with legs as long as his wanted poster‘, and ‘the enticing, if damnably independent…’. So a heads up to readers … be ready for it. I guess I should have been but I wasn’t.
Classify this book as “hot”, or even “steamy” and no longer read either one. That is clearly stated in my Bio on NetGalley and Goodreads. So I skipped/skimmed through several scenes.
I had no idea it was “A Clever Western Romantic Comedy” until I had downloaded the e-ARC as the cover was not shown at the time I requested it. I admire anyone who can write comedy; it is not easy to do. And the author, Michelle McLean, has some great lines and scenes in this book two of the series, Gunslinger. The book is standalone.
My rating is 3 stars — no warning of steamy scenes reduced the rating from 4 stars. And I believe the book would have still met the 4-5 star criteria of most reviewers. Readers like me that fit the no-steam category appreciate knowing BEFORE we download a book if such scenes are included. In this case, I would not have requested to review.
I received a complimentary e-ARC copy of The Gunslinger’s Guide to Avoiding Matrimony via NetGalley from the publisher, Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheGunslingersGuidetoAvoidingMatrimony #NetGalley #MichelleMcLean
