There are two things I am deeply passionate about, books and country music.

Throw in a cowboy themed book and you know I am all about it!

Marrying Off Morgan McBride, was absolutely adorable! I found myself doubled over laughing quite a few times. The character dynamic was done with such perfection it looked effortless.

Grandma's advice had me hysterical, Pip, Morgan and Junebug were so well done, I begged for them to exist in real life. This book has every key element to be a bestseller and I have no doubt it will be. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I felt it all.

Marrying Off Morgan McBride, is so much more than a RomCom and I loved every last word of it.

This was my first book by Amy Barry but I can not wait to see what she comes out with next.

This book deserves all the stars!

Teaser:

The McBride brothers are in for a matrimonial surprise when an enterprising woman answers their little sister's mail order bride advertisement in this laugh-out-loud historical romance.

As the oldest of the McBride siblings, Morgan had to be protector and shepherd since Ma died and Pa ran off. It hasn't always been easy, especially when his heart longs to roam on the trail. But now that his brother Kit is married and settled, the time is right for Morgan to leave Buck's Creek. Little does he know that his hellcat of a little sister Junebug is dead set on keeping him at home and getting more help around the house–all with one honest advertisement in The Matrimonial News.

Epiphany Hopgood has always had a gift for doing the exact wrong thing. She’s too tall, too loud, too opinionated, and too contrary for her family and community. Staring down the barrel of spinsterhood, she and her grandmother answer a seemingly straightforward ad for a bride.

But when Pip shows up to Buck’s Creek, she finds that Morgan McBride is not the husband she expected. In fact, he doesn’t even want to be a husband. But maybe there’s a way to make everyone happy out on the Montana frontier…

Set in Buck’s Creek, Montana in the 1880s, Marrying Off Morgan McBride is the second installment in Amy Barry’s The McBrides of Montana series, a historical romance series that focuses on the four McBride brothers finding love. There’s just one catch to that – none of the brothers are actively looking for wives. Junebug, their 14-year old sister, has decided she’s tired of being the one to do all of the cooking and cleaning and so she gets the idea that if she secretly sends out advertisements for mail order brides, then maybe she’ll get lucky and her brothers will get married and then she’ll have some help around the house!

This series is such a good time! It might be a historical romance, but Junebug is definitely the star of the show and it is hilarious to watch her pull the strings and orchestrate everything that happens between her brothers and their potential love interests. Junebug’s shenanigans had me chuckling all the way through the first two books in the series. I especially love how she writes these advertisements making her brothers sound like the absolute worst, that way any prospective wife will be pleasantly surprised when she actually comes to Buck’s Creek to meet them.

In this second book in the series, Junebug sets her sights on marrying off her gruff, oldest brother, Morgan. Junebug adores Morgan because since their mom died and their dad ran off years ago, Morgan has been like a father to Junebug. Junebug knows that Morgan is dying to hit the trail and get back to his life as a cowboy and is hoping to secretly find him a wife so that he won’t leave her. And it wouldn’t hurt if this wife happened to be a good cook and an even better baker of pies, haha.

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book. It was fun to see all of the quirky townsfolk again, and I especially love Pip, the woman who answers Junebug’s ad. All her life Pip has been led to believe that she’s not pretty enough or feminine enough to land a husband and had just about given up hope until she saw Junebug’s ad and its cooking requirements. Pip may not be a lot of things, but she is a fabulous cook so this gives her the confidence to head to Buck’s Creek and a new life. I loved watching Pip strike out on her own in search of happiness rather than just let herself be confined to spinsterhood and taking care of her parents who clearly don’t appreciate her. Pip’s chaperone on this trip, Granny Colfax, is also a hoot who could give Junebug a run for her money in the shenanigans department.

There’s obviously a romance as well, and it’s a slow burn one. I really enjoyed watching Pip and Morgan get to know one another. Morgan is pretty determined to send her away so as to discourage Junebug from continuing with her matchmaking antics, but he has to admit that Pip gets under his skin from the moment he laid eyes on her. I liked how Pip was able to get past Morgan’s gruff exterior to reveal the big hearted man beneath. She gets him to open up about emotions he has kept bottled up for years so as not to worry his siblings, namely the guilt and sense of failure he feels regarding his mother’s death.

If you enjoy historical romance with a hefty side of laugh out loud humor, be sure to check out this series. You won’t be disappointed.

I love this series and this author. I wish there were more lighthearted Western romances with humor and lovable characters like this one. The love story between Morgan and Epiphany (Pip) is sweet--especially because they are both such great characters and perfect for each other. Pip was a more memorable character than Maddy, so I liked this one better than Kit McBride Gets a Wife. Overall, my favorite character is still Junebug. Cannot wait until the next one! Five stars!

Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry, book two in the McBrides of Montana series, is a story between a cranky older brother who is finally done making sure his younger brothers and sisters made it through childhood, a meddling younger sister, an innocent mail-order bride and her granny. Welcome back to Buck's Creek, Montana, circa 1887. Junebug McBride is at it again, secretly placing matrimonial ads for one of her brothers in hopes of a little female help around camp. This time she's matchmaking eldest brother Morgan, a former cattle trail cowboy, who promised their dying mother he'd raise his younger siblings. Now that Kit's married and the others are older, Morgan figures he's done his time and he's stir-crazy for the independent, quiet, open trail life ASAP. Not so fast, thinks Junebug, as she poses as Morgan through written letters. Epiphany Hopgood from Nebraska is just who Junebug's wanted. Pip’s cooking skills will keep Morgan in Montana and also relieve Junebug of her hated cookhouse duties. Epiphany doesn’t consider herself the ideal woman, but she’s eager to find her own path in life. When she sees an ad for a bride, she answers the call with her grandmother in full support. Little does she know that it is Junebug she’s been speaking with via mail instead of Morgan. When Pip shows up in Montana for matrimony, a blindsided Morgan sparks with fury and possibly some interest. Pip and Morgan took a while to form a connection, other than initial lust.

Each McBride sibling is as different as their personalities, especially Junebug. Pip and her granny were a lot of fun; especially their interactions and spirit. Morgan was the perfect grumpy hero. All the beautiful descriptions and vivid details put me right in Buck’s Creek and surrounded by all that Montana beauty. Then there’s Junebug and all the chaos and havoc she created. She adds an additional layer and depth to the story. I recommend Marrying Off Morgan McBride to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for a free copy of the book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

Now this was such a wonderful sequel! I loved this one so much more than the first book. I am not sure if its because I was already familiar with the characters so it felt natural to go right into this one after reading the first one.

Junebug thought she could repeat the success of her first newspaper ad for her eldest brother Morgan. At first I wasn't sure that it was smart of the author to repeat the same formula of the first book but it worked. Morgan definitely had no interest in becoming a husband or want a relationship but naturally he could not resist Pip. I also love how she would not give up on Morgan despite his reservations. She was determined to win him over.

I just really enjoyed this storyline more so than the prior. I am trying not to compare but it's hard not as its a series.

One thing this book had that the prior book did not was intimate moments. It was such a pleasant surprised when those sexy bits happened. It wasn't terribly descriptive but definitely gave more than I was expecting. Bravo!!

And just like with the first one, Junebug is the star of the book. I really hope we get a book about her. Because I can't wait to see how much the brothers would play a role in matchmaking for their sister. She truly cracks me up.

Once again Eva Kaminsky does the narration for the book & I now can't picture anyone else doing the voice of Junebug. Its so perfect. She brings Junebug's excitement and youth to her character.

I do recommend reading the first one just to get that familiarity with the characters but I think this could also be read as a stand alone. I'm very excited to see which brother gets the next book (I think we know which one) & what kind of trouble they all get themselves into.

Also I am ready to take a trip to Montana.

Morgan stepped in and raised his younger brothers and sister when his mother died and his father took off, but he’s longed to be out on the range herded cattle and exploring the land. Now that Junebug is older and his brother Kit has married and they’re living up at Buck’s Creek, Morgan thinks he’s finally free to go roaming again. However, Junebug, Morgan’s younger sister, has other ideas. Her advertising for a mail-order bride for her other brother Kit was a success, eventually… and Junebug doesn’t want Morgan running off, so she decides to put in another advertisement for Morgan. She’ll keep her brother and this time make sure she has a good cook and helper while she’s at it.

Epiphany Hopgood, “Pip” has endured her parent’s humiliating efforts at matchmaking only to be rejected leaving her to feel too tall and plain. So Pip answers an ad in The Matrimonial News seeking a bride able to cook and put up with a lot, only to find out the proposed husband, Morgan, didn’t order up any bride.

Loved Junebug in the first book, and she was a hoot as usual, cooking up all kinds of schemes to make things go right for her “blockheaded” brothers! Underneath all of it is love, but Junebug was something else, and it was hilarious! I laughed out loud so many times!

Morgan and Pip’s stories were each moving and emotional, Morgan feeling like he didn’t do enough for his mother in time, and Pip struggled with self-esteem after the way she was treated. Both had to come to terms with their insecurities. I loved how Junebug helped each of them in that regard. Her letter to her brother was so touching and she helped Pip see through to the truth of her worth.

The romance was so lovely! They were at odds of course, because Morgan was utterly ticked, and wasn’t looking to marry or stay at Buck’s Creek, and Pip wanted Morgan to honor the advertisement she answered in good faith. I loved how it all played out! So sweet, lusty, and perfect!

I can’t wait for Beau’s story next!

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the first book in this series and so I was excited to continue to read about those characters. I really love how funny and entertaining the characters are, especially Junebug. I loved how Morgan didn’t want to find a wife but in the end he found the perfect woman for him. I thought the story was fun and entertain and had the right amount of romantic tension and passion to make it a good romance. I look forward to reading about the other brothers and the mischief that Junebug gets into. Overall, a very enjoyable romance worth reading.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

With entertaining characters, great humor and a touch of emotion, this historical romance was a lot of fun to read. I didn’t realize until after I read it that this is book two of the series, so it can be read as a standalone.

First, I have to talk about Junebug McBride, Morgan's "hellcat of a little sister," as described in the book's blurb. She's a wily one, our Junebug. She may be the youngest of the family but as the only surviving sister she's been relegated to the duties she rightfully figures should belong to a wife. Plus, she knows Morgan is itching to hit the dusty trail again and the only way she knows to keep him home is to do the same thing she did with Kit: find him a wife. Things don't go quite according to Junebug's plan...

Man, did I ever feel for Pip, a woman nobody in Nebraska appreciated, including her family. Well, everyone except her spitfire of a grandmother. That woman knew Pip's worth...and her own worth as well. Pip's confidence has been beaten into the ground so many times she has no idea she has so much to offer. I loved watching her take charge of her future, slowly begin to realize she has "the goods" to bring the boys to the yard, and finally stand up for herself, refusing to settle.

Morgan may be stubborn, blunt, and prone to talking rather than listening but his prickly exterior hides a well of deep emotions. He's convinced himself he needs to leave Montana to break free of the grief that's dogged him since his mother died and left him to raise his younger siblings. But maybe what he really needs is a straight-talking woman with stubbornness to match his own, the ability to cook melt-in-your-mouth meals, and a body that brings him to his knees. But, once he realizes Pip is the whole package he didn't know he needed - or wanted - what does he do? He runs in the opposite direction! ::Sigh:: Nobody said this was going to be easy.

I loved this book! It's exactly the type of laugh-out-loud story that keeps me grinning from beginning to end. It's light and breezy, with snappy banter, well-developed main characters, richly entertaining secondary characters, and enough emotional depth to keep it from being all fluff. Not that there's anything wrong with fluff. I just like a nice balance of the two and Marrying Off Morgan McBride has it.

I don't know if Barry has plans to write stories for all of the McBrides, but I'm hoping she will. The brothers all deserve happy endings, I have my fingers crossed that missing brother Charlie will return home, and I am beyond giddy to discover what will happen when Cupid's arrow finally finds Junebug.

If you're looking for a humorous, feel-good, western historical romance that will have you laughing uproariously and possibly wiping away a heartfelt tear or two, pick up a copy of Marrying Off Morgan McBride. It's a fun ride.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

Marrying Off Morgan McBride was a breath of fresh air. The book was funny, interesting and poignant. The characters were real and you cared about them. The comic relief of Junebug and Martha added some real fun to the story. Part of our frontier history was that of women answering adds to go West to find a husband. Men looked for wives in an area where women were scarce and often the need for a helpmate was more important than the romantic love of today. That Morgan and Pip found that love added to the spice and interest of the story. Though the antics of Junebug were a bit far-fetched, the story was a keeper. I recommend this book and look forward to others from Amy Barry.

This book was a good story, but it seemed very flat.
This review may contain spoilers.
This was a great idea for a story: a younger sister who is trying to match make her brothers by using mail order bride catalogs because she doesn't want to cook at their mining company. The first brother, which means this is part of a series, didnt actually marry the woman his sister sent for, he married her lady's maid.
So, undaunted, the younger sister, 16 years of age, sends for another woman who advertises that she is a good cook. When the woman arrives, the younger sister "hides" her at the local hotel. After forcing the woman to cook and sampling her food, she sets up a test for the woman, she has to cook a full British style tea and if he likes it, he will marry her. All plans sound great in the beginning stages.
The heroine is an almost 23 year woman from Nebraska. She has been engaged to the general store owner's son for a long while. She is taller than him, with curves, but she is not drop dead gorgeous like her sister. So the people in town refer to her as the ugly sister. When the store owner's son jilts her, her parents, who force her to cook and care for them and the enlarged family are distraught. All their other children are married, with kids or a child on the way. The heroine decides to take control of her future and travel to the town with her grandmother who wants to do the same. Her older brother goes with them as a chaperone.
When they arrive in town and are greeted by a young girl dressed in overalls and barefoot with two elderly men as her chaperones, they are appalled. They arrived in a mining camp and was put up at a hotel, that is more like a boarding house. It is no town by anyone's description. And the mining camp that the younger sister's owns and runs, is about four hours away by horse drawn wagon.
The hero is the eldest son of a loving woman and an abusive drunk. When he was a teenager, he ran away to the Chisolm trail to be a cowboy on cattle drives. He returned home late one summer when he was about 19 or 20 years old and found his mother dying of sweating disease, two of his sisters already dead with his youngest sister, who survived, but looked like she was barely alive and his 4 brothers. His mother asked him to take care of the kids because they had no one and she wanted to die in peace. His drunk abusive father was no where to be found. Soon after his mother died, one of his brothers took off after their father, so he was left to raise 3 brothers and a sister. It has been six years and he wants to go on the cattle drives again. He was able to keep his family alive that first winter, and build up their mining camp with two house with real glass windows, a bunk house for the miners they hired, a company store that had everything needed to run the camp, a forge where two of his brothers worked as black smiths and probably an asayers office. The family was in a position to be self sufficient and he wanted out, with no responsibilities.
The story itself was great, with the heroine's grandmother and the hero's family providing guidance and comic relief. The part I didn't like was that the characters would be in such deep reverie, telling their emotions, that they must have been standing, wordless and unblinking as the world moved around them. It made the story, which should have been amazing, instead be lack luster and flat. It is so sad.
As part of a series, I will probably continue to read because it was funny with how the younger, spoiled sister acted. I give this book 3 stars and a guarded recommendation. Read at your own risk.

Are you looking for a lighthearted read?

In installment #2 of the McBrides of Montana series, Junebug once again advertises for a mail-order bride for her oldest brother, Morgan. As a father figure for his siblings and the oldest, Morgan had been making plans to leave home. Junebug is determined to keep him home and devises a secret plan to bring him a bride.

You know how this will go if you’ve read the first installment of the series, Kit McBride Gets a Wife. Junebug places a secret advertisement for a wife, the brother is surprised and a bit outraged, but it will work out in the end. What makes this story a bit different and more poignant is that Morgan is the father figure in the family, especially for Junebug who was small when her mother died and her dad abandoned them. She’s desperate to keep Morgan home. Morgan is eager to regain a life of his own on the trails free from family responsibilities.

Marrying Off Morgan McBride is a Western romance set in the mountains of rural Montana in the late 1800s. The rustic setting and colorful characters are vividly described and easily imagined. The first book is a closed-door romance, so I wasn’t expecting an open-door romance in this installment. One open-door bedroom scene occurs on the last pages of the book and it’s easy to skim over if that is your preference.

One of the reasons I love this series in addition to the quirky premise is that it’s a heartwarming siblings story. Three older brothers combine resources to raise their little sister (and themselves) after losing their parents. The reason Morgan decides to leave now is that the second brother (Kit) is married and Junebug can live with them. Morgan doesn’t fully realize that his leaving is like losing a second father. How long do you stay committed to your siblings and the responsibility for their care? Morgan feels like it’s time to pursue his own dreams. We can understand his longings but we also feel sorry for Junebug who is desperate to keep him home. How will this resolve?

If you love a Western romance (with one steamy scene) featuring siblings, a unique premise, and a quirky character, you might enjoy Marrying Off Morgan McBride. While I enjoyed the read, I loved the first one more because the story was new. This one is predictable in terms of the premise and the outcome (if you’ve read the first installment). One steamy scene surprised me because the first book was closed door and I expected the same. All in all, it falls into the category of “that was a fun read”!

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Marrying Off Morgan McBride. Thanks #NetGalley @PenguinRandom @BerkleyPub #BerkelyWritesStrongWomen #BerkleyBuddyReads for a complimentary e ARC of #MarryingOffMorganMcBride upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry is a historical romance that combines romance and humor in a historical western setting. It’s 1887 in Buck’s Creek, Montana where Junebug lives with her four older brothers: Morgan, Kit, Beau, and Jonah as well as Kit’s wife. The four brothers believe everything is fine, but Junebug is tired of cleaning, cooking, mending, and the animals. She decides she needs help and that help should be a wife for one of the brothers. In this sequel, the focus is on Morgan McBride, the oldest of the siblings. He’s been taking care of the family since their mother died and father left. He longs to roam the trail again. Epiphany Hopgood seems to be looking at spinsterhood when she answers an ad for a mail-order bride. However, when she and her grandmother show up on Buck’s Creek, she finds Morgan isn’t what she expected. In fact, he doesn’t even want to be a husband.

The characterization was terrific in this novel. The McBride family, Epiphany, and Granny Colfax come alive on the pages, as do a few of the tertiary characters. Often their natures are shown using action versus purely through explanatory descriptions. Morgan and Epiphany are dynamic characters responding to the events as they unfolded. Both experienced changes in their outlooks. However, Junebug was the highlight character of the book for me. She’s fifteen and has been raised by her brothers with little exposure to other women.

While the plot is straightforward, the book is full of laugh-out-loud humor as well as some somber and emotional moments with characters. I moved effortlessly through the story as hidden emotions and feelings are revealed. Both Morgan and Epiphany come to terms with things that have been kept quiet. The world-building was great and the author captured the cultural lifestyles and portrayed them well.

While I didn’t learn anything new from a historical point, this story had some profound themes imbedded in it that added to its depths. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and spending time with the McBride family again.

Overall, this was an entertaining, heartwarming, and funny novel. It has a great setting and extraordinary characters. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Berkley Publishing Group and Amy Barry provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for May 30, 2023.

Amy Barry has done it again! With this sequel to Kit McBride Gets a Wife, she has created a sequel that feels different from the first while also capturing that McBride charm that we all know and love.

Morgan McBride has always wanted to get out of Buck’s Creek. The oldest of the McBride siblings, he had to grow up way too fast when their mother died. But now, with Kit married and everyone else growing up, he is ready to set out again and live life for himself. His sister Junebug, however, has other plans. Reluctant to see Morgan leave, she hatches a plan to find a wife for her brother. After all, it worked out with Kit, so what could go wrong? She settles on Epiphany Hopgood, a woman who has always been told she is too much- too tall, too opinionated, and too contrary. After answering a seemingly straightforward ad in the matrimonial news, Pip packs up her life and brings her devious grandmother out to Buck’s Creek, only to find that Morgan McBride is not the husband she expected. In fact, he seems to have no interest whatsoever in the prospect of marriage. But perhaps they are just what the other has been searching for.

I was honestly surprised at how emotional this book made me. Not only did I feel deeply for Pip and the insecurities that were instilled in her by her family and her community in Nebraska, but I was also incredibly invested in the dynamic between Morgan and his sister Junebug. Their bond as siblings runs so deep, especially considering that Morgan played a big role in raising her, and trust me when I say that Barry pulls on all the heartstrings when it comes to diving into both brother and sister’s perspectives on Morgan’s desire to leave Buck’s Creek. At one point, I actually shed a tear over the pair, which was not on my 2023 bingo card but here we are.

Naturally the romance between Morgan and Pip was firing on all cylinders, and Barry was able to take the premise that kickstarted the events of book one, with Junebug’s scheming to marry off her brothers, and make it feel entirely unique. I loved how well suited Pip and Morgan were for each other, even if they were both too stubborn to see it at times. Of course the scene that stood out to me the most was the moment on the train, which I may or may not have gone back and reread not long after I finished the book itself because it was just So. Darn. Cute!!

Long story short, this is a series that should be on everyone’s radar. Not only is the romance in each book to die for, but the dynamic between the McBride family is simultaneously hilarious and heartwarming. If you have not added this series to your TBR yet, don’t walk, RUN to do it now! If nothing else, do it for Junebug, the greatest supporting character in the history of supporting characters.

When Junebug places an ad for a wife for her brother, she doesn’t expect a woman such as Epiphany (Pip) to answer. Morgan is the eldest sibling and has become the families protector since their Ma and Pa ran off – but he years for the trail. Morgan has no idea that Junebug is trying to find him a wife. When Pip shows up at Morgan’s door – they don’t exactly hit it off. Will Morgan see what is right in front of his face with Pip, or will he leave and live his life on the trail?

This book was full of quirky lovable characters. and I enjoyed that immensely. However, the pacing on this one was rather slow, and I felt that took away from the book. I felt like the author truly explored the time period that this was based (western era – US) because the lingo and mannerisms were on par with what I’ve come to expect. I’d love to read a book about Junebug. She was by far my favorite character.

If you enjoyed book one in this series, you will likely enjoy this one. Just be prepared that this is not a closed-door romance!

Thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing, @berkleypub, @BerkleyRomance, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

honestly, i wasn't sure if i was gonna like this book, but like usual i was very curious & decided to request an arc anyways & boy oh boy was i pleasantly surprised. this book was seriously so entertaining. i love a meddling little sister..🤣 morgan and pip were extremely entertaining. they had amazing chemistry. my only complaint was the rush ending. i am already so excited for book 3..💕

These books just keep getting better!

There was a lot of build-up in the first half similar to book 1. This one did pick up pace a little quicker which was nice, but I'd say it could start even a little sooner with book 3.

This book was much spicier than book 1 which really surprised me! There was a sexy half scene in the middle and then a full scene at the end. I was perfectly happy with the sweet spice in book 1, but this was also great. It think it helped lend to the fact that Pip and Morgan were physically, lustfully attracted to each other first and then they got to know each other.

Speaking of the romance, there weren't too many scenes with them together. We didn't get much bonding, but that's kinda acknowledged at the end. We see both characters say that they don't really know each other and facilitate activities to help with that. However, the slow burn is so worth it. By the end I was desperate to see these two together which is (for some reason) my favorite romances.

Morgan is a tough, grumpy man that's so ready to escape Buck's Creek, which has been his home but also his cage for the past few years. He's ready to feel like an independent man again, away from raising his siblings. Pip is desperate to feel wanted and get away from the community that doesn't see her worth. Both characters were awesome to me honestly. They both had lots of flaws which were put on full display. I loved that. I made their union and development that much nicer.

Junebug is an absolute delight and menace all at once. If she doesn't get her own love story after all these boys, I'm gonna revolt. She really said some astute things in this book that I wasn't expecting. Honestly, many of the things she was telling Morgan, I kinda expected to come from Kit. They almost seemed a little too thought out for Junebug's personality and age.

Another side character I wasn't expecting but ended up loving was Pip's grandma. Yep. You read that right. She travels with Pip from Nebraska and gives her all the womanly advice on how to seduce a man that our girl needs and doesn't want.

I'm excited to see what Barry cooks up for Beau's book. I know it's going to be full of antics as both Junebug and Beau have these competitive personalities. I also think Beau's book is going to be completely different from Kit's and Morgan's so I'm dying to see how it plays out.

I know it sounds like I was really criticizing this book, but I absolutely loved it. I wholeheartedly give it five stars even with my critiques. If you haven't read book 1, I also totally recommend that one! You can jump into this book without book 1, but it would make the experience sweeter.

Well Morgan McBride might be the sexiest of grumpy heroes I’ve read. He is so rough on the outside and gooey on the inside and I LOVE him. Pip is such a strong heroine and I love her tenacity and journey to self acceptance. And would this book even be as magical without June Bug? NOPE! Her antics and POV are some of the best parts. I’m hoping we get the next installment because I’m not ready to leave the McBrides!

Have you ever read a romance that left you with a big, giant, foolish grin on your face? Amy Barry’s westerns do that for me; they’re delightful hoots with lovable characters and this one tops her last. Marrying off Morgan McBride continues Junebug McBride’s quest to get all of her older brothers happily married off, come hell or high water. There are hijinks to be had, kisses to be shared, and a very sweet romance at the center of it all.

Junebug McBride may just be the very best historical romance PoV character of all time. The funny, witty fifteen-year-old tomboy tries her darndest to take care of her four brothers, but she was not cut out for chores and housewifely burdens and – darn it – she wants some space of her own, too. With one brother, Kit, married off to Maddy (Kit McBride Gets a Wife) a year before, Junebug now has her eldest brother, Morgan, in her matchmaking sights.

Morgan, meanwhile, is planning on going back on the trail after years of tending to his siblings now that Maddy and Kit can watch over the place together. But Junebug wants to marry Morgan off – to keep him from leaving their little hometown of Bear Creek, Montana. This is going to be difficult as Morgan has “as much poetry in him as a cooking pot.” Her serious, stolid, bullheaded brother drives her crazy – but she, naturally, also loves him a bunch.

Junebug’s ad selling Morgan’s best (and worst) qualities reach Epiphany – Pip - Hopgood in Nebraska, but she picks it out of desperation more than anything. Pip is the last unmarried sister in her family and she definitely doesn’t want to end up an old maid. But Pip is not conventional in any respect – she’s much taller than most of the men in her hometown, and she is plain of face and filled with fearless opinions and brio. Her parents are getting desperate, and not a single man seems interested in her; in fact, her ancient last prospect has turned her down for a mail order bride. Out of desperation she turns to the Matrimonial Times, and picks out Morgan’s advertisement.

The problem is that when Pip arrives in Montana expecting to marry Morgan, he’s quite confused, as he’s definitely not looking for true love. A comedy of manners ensues as Morgan and Pip try to figure out how to fall in love (or if they even want to BE in love), Junebug tries to defend her actions, and the McBride boys try to take high tea. Can true love sprout from these humble starts?

Man, does this one sparkle, and the comedy flows with just as much speed as the romance does. Pip is a great heroine, looking for a household of her own but finding something much more interesting. She thinks the ultimate solution to her problems is to project ladylike elegance, but naturally that’s not gonna win her points in the McBride household. Only by convincing Morgan to accept the real her does she find love.

I actually sympathized with Morgan’s desire for freedom over romance; when you’re the responsible adult who’s dedicated your whole life to raising your siblings, of course you want to experience something outside of the small world you’ve made for yourself. That made him stand out from the many, many dukes, cowboys and pirates who have refused the call of true love because of their bad family experiences. The McBrides are close-knit, exasperated, loving, and anything but horrible people.

The romance that results has a lot of tension but it’s sensible tension; he’s being stubborn for a sensible reason; she’s trying to be someone else because she’s not going home. The end solution is the best possible one, and it even teaches Junebug a lesson or two

In fact, every character is memorable, even off-page ones who score passing mentions. I want a whole novel about the miners who live and work in Bear Creek. Heck, I want a YA novel about Junebug!

If you have any fondness at all for western romances, then make Marrying off Morgan McBride a part of your summer romance reading list.

Another hilarious, fun, sweet, and quirky Western romantic romp from Amy Barry! I absolutely adore the McBrides and their beloved Buck’s Creek. While I do think this one didn’t surpass Kit’s story for me and the fast-burn didn’t work as well with so much of the story happening before Morgan and Pip even met, this book was endlessly fun. I can’t wait to read about all the shenanigans Junebug gets her family embroiled in next!