The Gunslinger's Guide to Avoiding Matrimony

June 13, 2022
McLean’s hilarious second Gunslinger rom-com (after Hitched to the Gunslinger) follows down-on-his-luck gunslinger Adam Brady, who spends his days wandering the late 1800s Colorado wilderness, avoiding the pursuit of Marshal Spurlock. He believes he’s found a haven in the town of Desolation—until he meets Nora Schumacher and, after helping her get her drunk father into a wagon, the pair accidentally stumble into a mass marriage ceremony, are mistaken for a couple, and wind up hitched. Adam refuses to sign the marriage license that would make their union legally binding, but Nora refuses to annul, hopeful that the marriage will prevent her father from gambling away the deed to her home. Meanwhile, Adam must either be married or employed within 30 days to abide by Desolation’s residency rules, so Nora’s friends conspire to make every job he tries his hand at impossible. Eventually, the pair can no longer deny their mutual attraction, with Adam moving from Nora’s barn into her bed—until the day his past catches up with him. McLean keeps the pages flying with plenty of humor and a clever plot. This is sure to charm. Agent: Janna Bonikowski, Knight Agency.

August 15, 2022
In this Western romantic comedy, an outlaw and entrepreneur unexpectedly wed. Adam Brady is on the run. The gunfighter and gambler would like to live more respectably, but the first order of business is avoiding the eye--and firearm--of sadistic lawmaker Marshal Spurlock. When Adam and his horse, Barnaby, stumble into Desolation, Colorado, things get complicated quickly. First, Adam recognizes the tiny town's sheriff as Gray "Quick Shot" Woodson, who nurses an old grievance against Adam. Second, while trying to hide from Sheriff Woodson, Adam butts heads with the formidable Nora Schumacher...in the middle of what turns out to be a group wedding ceremony. Because Desolation is filled with ne'er-do-wells, the sheriff has instituted a new rule: Marry and get a job within 30 days, or get out and take your trouble with you. Nora's not eager to get hitched, but she's not opposed to it either. The daughter of the town drunk is fighting to save her beloved home before her father gambles it away, but as a woman under the age of 30, Nora can't have the deed in her own name. If she has a husband, however....As Adam and Nora navigate a new marriage that may or may not be legal, their verbal barbs evolve into words of love. But what will happen if the law comes calling? This is the second novel in McLean's Gunslingers series, with alternating perspectives from Adam and Nora, who are equally stubborn, resourceful, and hardhearted. Adam's attempts to get a job result in hilarious mishaps involving bent nails and burned apple pies. A goat named Lucille who loves raiding Nora's garden provides genuine comic relief. Nora is a formidable hero--a Renaissance woman who grows herbs, makes dresses, and builds furniture, supporting herself and her father and respected by everyone in Desolation--but is hesitant to ask for help until Adam teases out her vulnerabilities. Chock full of witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and exciting twists.

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