"the accidental bride" by denise hunter

When Shay Brandenberger agreed to portray the bride in Moose Creek, Montana's annual Founders Day wedding reenactment, she never dreamed that the reenactment would lead to a real marriage—or that the groom would be Travis McCoy, the man who broke her heart when he left her to chase his rodeo dreams.

Shay can't wait to escape their sham of a marriage—but Travis offers an enticing proposal: remain married for five months, and he will do whatever he can to save her failing ranch.

As Shay spends time with Travis, she sees that he is no longer the man he once was. But can she really trust him, or will he abandon her once again?

My take: While I enjoyed The Accidental Bride, it wasn't one of those oh-my-goodness-this-is-so-good-I-can't-put-it-down books that I've come to expect from Hunter. (I'll acknowledge that I had insanely high expectations going in as 1. I've never met a Hunter book I didn't like, and 2. The "marriage of convenience" trope is my favorite of all romantic plot devices.) I found myself annoyed with Shay as the story progressed—not because she was reluctant to trust Travis (that was completely understandable given their history) but because she never confronted him when she found "proof" of his betrayal. Of course, because this was a Hunter book, their chemistry was undeniable, which helped me forget about my annoyance pretty quickly!

Is The Accidental Bride one of the greatest books I've ever read? No. But it's still pretty enjoyable! I give it 3-1/2 out of 5 stars and recommend it to fans of romantic fiction.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review from The B&B Media Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."