It's been quite some time since I've read a novel by Christine Rimmer, whose work I always enjoyed in the past. I usually love a second chance at love romance trope, but I'm sorry to say that this novel and it's lead characters simply didn't resonate with me, and, for a number of reasons, which I'll elucidate, it was, at best, a 3-star read.

First, there's the title, there was absolutely nothing "maverick" about the hero, Derek. He wasn't a bad boy, he was an artisan who made beautiful, custom saddles, and he certainly he didn't fit the dictionary definition of the word as, "an unorthodox or independent-minded person." He was simply a small town guy, whose teenage marriage to and quasi-forced divorce from his perhaps pregnant girlfriend, Amy, ended badly, and although heartbroken, he moved forward and played the field, not getting into any other committed relationship since the divorce 13 years earlier.

Then there's Amy, who, after her one-week marriage to her then boyfriend, Derek ended in a divorce, did just as her father wanted. He expected Amy to go to college as she planned, further her education, get a good, high-paying job, and eventual marry someone he felt was more suitable than Derek. He didn't expect her to get pregnant and get married in secret. After he lost the baby or got her period--she's not sure which, dear old dad tracks them down to their seedy motel room and eventually convinces Derek that if he truly loved Amy, he'd let her go, and so he did, breaking his heart and hers too. She nursed her broken heard and did just what daddy wanted, leaving town, getting her degree and a job as a forensic accountant, and only returning once, briefly, in 13 years, meeting no one who ever measured up to her first love, Derek. Now, because she's agreed to be the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding, she's finally back in town for a month, and I think you can already guess who the best man is, can't you?

Since Amy and Derek are now in their early thirties, when they finally see each again they can't even look at one another, and their behavior around each other was simply too juvenile to be believed. While tasked with their wedding chores, which include working together to organize the Jack and Jill bachelor/bachelorette party they know they're going to have to get through this somehow. For the first two weeks of Amy's one-month stay in town, they barely communicate, not even by phone, but they eventually give in to their hormones and agree to work together and also agree that for the remaining two weeks of Amy's stay until the wedding, to have a friends-with- secret-benefits relationship. As if none of their friends will notice--really?

Of course, time and again, Derek and Amy vacillate between trying to reestablish their previous relationship but neither of them seems to have the first clue that honesty is the best policy. Instead, they have a lot of off-the-page sex, never admit that they still harbor deper feelings for one another, which leads to one misunderstanding after another, and I found myself wanting to yell at both of them, "Would you grow up already!"

Until the expected HEA ending, and the final cowardly act by one of the principle players, there are so many extraneous characters introduced, almost the entire wedding guest list, that I couldn't keep track of them all, and, as the were irrelevant to the central plot of this novel, I didn't see the point in introducing them at all. I'm assuming that they were probably featured in earlier novels, but, as it been years since I've read this author, I found the long list of names, complicated relationships and wedding guests both distracting, confusing and totally unnecessary.

Finally, there's the 13 years these two characters have been apart. Why so long? If they were as deeply in love as we're led to believe, why not a make phone call, send an email, a text message, smoke signals, or any other means of communication between them in all that time, especially when we're repeatedly reminded that Amy and Derek have never gotten over the love they felt for one another? How is it possible that neither character managed to grow up and mature in all that time? It simply didn't make any sense to this reader, and all it did was highlight the emotional immaturity of these characters.

While I certainly didn't love this novel, I didn't hate it either. Ms. Rimmer has written a number of other novels that I've enjoyed in the past and which were far less problematic than this one. If all you're looking for is a short, pleasant, second chance at romance story, you'll probably enjoy this novel more than I did. However, as a reader and reviewer, I tend to look a little deeper into the novels I read and the characters within them, to understand what drives them, and to look for more character development, a plot that is more complicated than just a temporary situation, and main characters who change and grow as the novel progresses, and those are the ingredients that, in my opinion, were sorely missing in this novel.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Derek and Amy were once secretly married then went their seperate ways and no one even knew about it. Amy is back in town for a friends wedding and Derek apart of the wedding which means they will be working together helping out where they can. Thing is that attraction they once had didn't seem to go away and old feelings are back.

This book is pretty much what I expected it to be a sweet second chance at love contemporary romance book. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline was interesting and well written. I loved seeing the connection between the two, getting to know their past relationship and seeing how they were going to try to do another go at trying to make a relationship again even if its secret. This was such a good book and I really enjoyed reading it.

A sweet addition to the Montana maverick series.
A second chance for Derek and Amy after a separation of sixteen years comes at occasion of both being members of a wedding party.
The former lovers reunite and work through the reasons for their separation and the strong attraction they still feel, along with second guesses and self doubts.
Ms. Rimmer's descriptions are so vivid the tale is easy to imagine in your mind. This is recommended for those who love sweet western style romances.
I requested an ARC from NetGalley to peruse and was granted one.

Received a copy from NetGelley for honest review.

I absolutely hate to give negative reviews but if I have to be honest, I struggled to finish this book because I was totally bored. It has the same theme that we have read countless of times of boy & girl fall in love & pregnant. Decide to get married -only to break up soon afterwards because of something or other (in this case, "someone"), Hero becomes a manho and they don't see each other again for 10 or more years (13 in this case).

First of, give me a break from all these manwhore, whimpy, asshole Heros! For the love of whoever, what the heck is so attractive - or interesting - about these type of characters that authors keep on writing about?

Then there is the long absence. Why is it that they always have to be apart for more then 10 years? What's wrong with a couple of months, a year or two? What's wrong with both being celibate for a change? If they could live that long without each other, then they were never meant to be is IMO.

Ah the sins of the young. When everything seems possible and leading with your heart seems simple enough. But as experience teaches – that is not a clear vision and certainly not the best way to plan out your life. A MAVERICK TO REMARRY by Christine Rimmer is about choices made and consequences.
Derek and Amy came from very different social circles but as teenagers all they saw was the massive mutual attraction – to them of course this was love. But the world at large didn’t really see them as a couple with a future. There was the element of parental interference that neither Derek or Amy could conquer – nor so they parted ways. Derek staying home on the family ranch. Amy off to college.
A MAVERICK TO REMARRY is actually a very simple story of two young people, separated for thirteen years, reunited at the invitation of mutual friend’s wedding. Derek took it really hard watching the girl he loved so dearly follow her career and education plan leaving him behind. There were several townspeople who watched Derek fall apart and then slowly find his new normal. But all his friends were aware of how fragile that recovery was and how easily it could possibly unravel.
Amy it seems had been very close to the vest about her issues with that breakup. To Amy it was the incredulity that Derek had been able to walk away so easily that hurt the most. Wasn’t their love strong and deep enough to fight for. Well that is a rhetorical question. Of course it wasn’t. But Derek felt that Amy deserved to follow a path that well just didn’t match his. Amy was smart, strong and bossy.
So now Amy and Derek are forced to face the disintegration of a relationship that wasn’t built on a very sturdy foundation. Each of them had moved on. Derek was finding success in his small home town. Amy’s was in the city. But that did not speak to their personal lives which clearly hadn’t moved anywhere.
The problem was neither of them were going to have enough time to see if the sparks were enough to build a life on. They only had a few weeks and most of the time Derek was working.
The foundation for love is tricky at best. In a fun and lovely story like A MAVERICK TO REMARRY we are not asked to spend much time deciding on what is the best ending. Hard not to hope for a happy ever one. Not all stories have to be deep and gut wrenching. A MAVERICK TO REMARRY by Christine Rimmer is a lighthearted tale of facing the possibility of a second chance and having the guts to open yourself up to the issue of heart break if once again the ending isn’t the happily ever after you would like.

I was granted an ARC of this title Via Netgalley for my honest opinion.

This story has a lot of heart and emotion. I love the fact that we get each side of the back story. Dalton shares his emotions and how he feels and so does Amy. A run to the alter at 18 can be scary but when it is over as fast as it happened it can definitely make you question your relationships with others for the rest of your life.