I found this to be a sweet, charming read. Jordyn and Will made a cute couple. I say cute because even when they were fighting it did not last long and there was not a lot of steamy romance in the bedroom. There were a few moments but they were brief. Even talk about ranch life was quick. So you did not really get the feel of what it would be like to take care of animals on a ranch. Yet, despite the lack of steamy romance I did find this to be a nice read with some fun characters. The good natured ribbing that Will got from his brothers was entertaining. Even though this is my first time getting introduced to Jordyn and Will. It did feel like I had known them both for a long time. with their ups and downs it made them real and relatable. ( )

The Maverick's Accidental Bride by Christine Rimmer is a 2015 Harlequin Special Edition publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you follow my reviews you have heard me say time again how much I love friends to lovers stories and I never grow tired of them. This one, though, has a unique spin on it when Jordyn and Will meet one another at a wedding after years of separation. Jordyn has now grown into a beautiful young lady and Will has recently built a ranch at Rust Creek Falls. But, when they imbibe some really strong punch at the reception, they wake up the next morning horrified to discover they are married, with a license to prove it. So, of course they get legal advice only to discover it won't be as easy to dissolve the marriage as one might think. So, there's nothing they can really do except stay married for a few months, which proves to be more of a challenge than they bargained for.

This is a delightful story, and it was so fun to watch these two trying to convince everyone the marriage took place by mutual consent and they were in love. Will fights his very real attraction to Jordyn hard and to keep from ruining her innocence he could be rather abrupt and kind of mean. But, what started off as a pack of lies, soon began to develop into something else. So, Will finally stops fighting his feelings, but Jordyn has plans and being married will prevent her from pursuing her dreams. Can Will convince her to stay married or will he have to bow out gracefully?

You will love watching this couple fall in love, struggle to accept that reality, then finally give in to what has been there all along. I loved the push/ pull in the relationship, the banter, the dialogue and the chemistry sizzles between this couple. The HEA was just right and left me with a smile on my face. If you like contemporary western, with super sexy ranchers, friends to lovers stories and pure romance, this one will not disappoint. 4 stars ( )

Christine Rimmer opens this year's Montana Mavericks series with a story of friends to lovers. Jordyn and Will, both from Thunder Canyon, are now living in Rust Creek Falls. Jordyn has been there for a couple years, having arrived after the Flood to help rebuild. She's settled in well, and is happy, except for the lack of romance in her life. Will is a new arrival, having just purchased a ranch nearby. Both are at the wedding reception in the park, Jordyn as a bridesmaid and Will as a guest, when they run into each other for the first time in years.

Jordyn and Will grew up together in Thunder Canyon. Will remembers Jordyn as his little sister's best friend, and is stunned at what a beautiful woman she has become. He still feels a bit protective of her, and swipes the cup of possibly spiked punch she's been drinking, then asks her to dance. He enjoys the dance so much that he keeps dancing with her, and they keep drinking the punch. At one point he lays a kiss on her that leaves him gobsmacked. Jordyn was surprised to see Will in Rust Creek Falls, and to learn that he's moved there. She can't believe he's still trying to boss her around, taking her punch from her and frowning at the cowboy she'd just been dancing with. Sure, she'd had a crush on him when she was a kid, but she's past that now, isn't she? Until he kisses her, and suddenly that crush isn't so far in the past. Continuing to dance with him seems like a swell idea.

That is, until she wakes up in bed with him the next morning with no idea how she got there. Worse yet, it seems that they are married and neither of them can remember actually doing it, though they have the license to prove it. To top it off, most of the town witnessed the wedding, so they have to continue the marriage, at least for awhile, until they can figure out how to end it discreetly. To do that, Jordyn moves into Will's new ranch with him.

I loved seeing the two of them move from friends to lovers. At first they're horrified by what happened, but it isn't too long until the marriage starts to grow on them, though neither is quite ready to admit it. Will feels guilty because he thinks he took advantage of her. He tells her they should stick it out for a couple months to make sure she isn't pregnant, then they can get divorced and go on with their plans. The problem is, he likes her, and he likes having her there with him. And he really likes kissing her, and wishes that he could keep on doing it. That makes him feel even guiltier and he can't make up his mind whether to push her away or drag her even closer.

Jordyn is just as unnerved by what happened. She had been holding out for true love to take that final step, and now she can't even remember it happening. She feels guilty that he's trapped in a marriage with her when he hadn't planned to get married just yet, and she's determined not to hold him to it any longer than necessary. But she is sure enjoying the kisses that they share and is beginning to wish for more. Every time that she thinks that will happen, he pulls back and that really confuses her. She starts trying to think of ways she can get him to follow through.

I loved seeing how easily they slipped into living together. It was obvious that they really belonged together. Will was so worried about taking advantage of her that he frequently was rude to her. I loved that she didn't let him get away with it. When Will finally realized that he was in love with Jordyn he was reluctant to say anything because he didn't think she felt the same way. By the time Jordyn admitted her feeling to herself, it was almost too late. I loved the final scene where they finally got together, it was so perfect for who they were.

*copy received in exchange for honest review ( )