Accidentally A Bride by Mary Malcolm

Whiskey is a strong and bad drink. Really, it’s evil. And don’t go drinking the whiskey in Scotland. It’s so bad they even hide its name as uisge in some parts. That is how Gwen became Accidentally A Bride and will swear to the evil of that drink forever.

Marriage Sucks. Or at least, that's what Gwen Taylor believes after her awful divorce. So when she wakes up naked, with no memory of the night before, next to a sexy man who seems intent on putting a ring on her finger, she wants nothing more than to get back to her normal life in the States - even if that means leaving behind a man she thinks could be the one, if she only believed in marriage.
Grant McLeod knows Gwen isn't planning to stay in Scotland, she is only there on assignment, after all. But Lord help him - if he loses her, he will lose his heart. So he sets out to convince one of the most stubborn women he's ever met that not only does true love exist, she has found it in him.

Grant McLeod is considered a ‘good catch’ in Davenroe, Scotland. While his family is local farmers, after being educated in the states at Yale, he is the proprietor for many of the town’s buildings. He is good-looking (gorgeous), owns his own home, and well mannered and liked. But when his ex-girlfriend claims she is attending the ‘fire festival’ with another, he is open to suggestions while attending alone. This is how he ends up at the mass marriage ceremony at the festival when Gwen asks him. He quickly learns she doesn’t remember as thing and has no desire to be married. Now he knows he wants her and has to figure out how to change her mind.

Gwen Taylor lives the normal single, well divorced, life in Boise. She and her photographer /best friend, Judith, are in Scotland to write about the many and different summer festivals. Waking up next to Grant would not be so bad if only she could remember the night before and he didn’t keep talking about MARRIAGE. She is never getting married again. Her first was a disaster, with her ex-husband started out sweet but turned into a controlling, possessive bully. When a divorce still requires a restraining order, you get burned on the whole marriage idea.

But Grant keeps temping her. He is sexy, nice, and did she mention a handsome, sexy Scotsman. But he does seem to have issues with Americans. Oh, and his ex-girlfriend, Moira, is a piece of work. And only a week of being an ex, so that would make Gwen a rebound. Right? Grant claims they have been over for longer than that, but who can tell, really.

Grant wants her to stay, but has no idea how to convince her. They are great in bed together. But she about explodes when he tells her they are actually already married, the festival is a marriage ceremony that they were part of. How is he going to get her to stay in Scotland? Or is she already on the way to divorce number two?

Accidentally A Bride is a classic “woke up married to a stranger” story. I love these stories. Well, when they are good romances, anyway. Why sometimes confuses me… maybe because it’s something I would never do and find hard to believe yet funny? (Sort of an extreme version of stranger sex??) I still don’t know, but usually get a kick out of them, and did so here again.

Accidentally A Bride is fun. Gwen has a right to be weary of marriage. But she is a little bit mean to Grant, not really called for mean. I guess when one is fighting want one’s heart wants it comes out bad. Grant is great. Tall, sexy Scot with just a touch of an accent. Even though they just met, he knows he wants Gwen and works to get her to fall for him as well. That he ends up ‘rescuing’ her from herself is just too funny (and would be something I would end up doing). If not too careful, he’s going to end up being a modern day hero (one can see her getting into scraps looking into stories).

Accidentally A Bride is a light-hearted, fast paced romance. No big surprises or twists, but this will brighten you evening or lighten a couple of you afternoons. There is something to be said about not reading serious or stressful stories all the time, and Accidentally A Bride is one when looking for a cheerful, humorous break.