As summer arrives in Rust Creek Falls, the town is bursting with babies…and the Gazette is bursting with news. Did you hear there's a new billionaire in town? President and CEO of Drake Distilleries and Drake Hospitality, Carson Drake is no one's baby daddy…at least, not yet. But the handsome, delicious Los Angeleno has his eye on our own Tessa Strickland, and things are about to get very interesting…
Sweet, serious Tessa has had firsthand experience with heartbreak and is determined to avoid a second go-round. But after one unexpected night in Carson's sheltering arms, she begins to waver. Dear readers, that's only the beginning of the surprises. Saddle up and find out what happens when two commitment-phobes discover that love is life's richest reward!
New York Times bestselling author Christine Rimmer has written more than one hundred contemporary romances for Harlequin Books. She has won Romantic Times BOOKreview’s Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Silhouette Special Edition. She has been nominated seven times for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award and five times for Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the Year.
A California native who first longed to be an actress, Christine earned her theater degree from California State, Sacramento and then went to New York to study acting. Later, she moved to Southern California, where she began her writing career with short stories, plays, and poems. Her poems and short stories were published in a number of small literary journals. Her plays were produced at The Back Alley and Group Theaters in Southern California and have been published by Dramatists Play Service and West Coast Plays.
She now lives in Oregon with her family and two very contented cats named Tom and Ed.
Marriage, Maverick Style! By Christine Rimmer is a 2016 Harlequin Special Edition publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a cute, whimsical story, quite unlike the other books in this series.
Carson Drake, the CEO of Drake Distilleries, has arrived at Rust Creek Falls, in order to buy the recipe of a specially made moonshine from a homeless man, which could make them both a lot of money. But, as it so happens, his arrival coincides with a ‘Baby Bonanza' parade. It would seem the town has had something of a baby boom recently, the result of a night of celebrations, and a few too many nips of that famous moonshine.
Carson’s eyes home in on a beautiful woman riding on one of the floats, holding a baby, and wearing a stork costume. He is instantly smitten and decides he must wrangle an introduction.
Tessa, is single, with no children, but was roped into participating in the parade, mainly because she fit into the costume.
She has returned home to Rust Creek Falls after making a muck of her career, in order to regroup. But, she is starting to feel a little restless, wondering if she could somehow find a job she really enjoys.
But, when she meets Carson, her plans could become reality, with his encouragement, but a surprise twist could put her dreams on hold.
I’ll wager there are not too many people out there who can honestly say they have never made a boneheaded decision or did something incredibly dumb, in the name of hormones. Tessa is guilty of that colossal error, but has come down pretty hard on herself.
After ruining her promising career, she is not ready to get involved with a man, not trusting herself and terrified of getting hurt.
Although Carson is very determined to change her mind and win her heart, an unexpected turn of events, catches him totally off guard, throwing him into a tailspin.
As it so happens, I just came away from reading a very heavy book, and needed something to offset that a little. This book was next in my TBR pile, so it came along at just the right moment.
The fun part of the story is the whimsy regarding the baby bonanza and its direct relationship to the infamous moonshine. Carter is a terrific hero, even though he confesses to having been a bit of a womanizer, and even when he’s thrown off balance. I liked the way he refused to give up on Tessa, despite her many doubts and self-recriminations.
Tessa was a hard nut to crack, and her current predicament really had her reeling. I felt bad for her, but it was also kind of funny, especially the way it all turned out in the end.
One other little difference here, is a spot of tense action, although it’s just a wee bit too imaginative, it serves its purpose in solidifying Carson and Tessa’s relationship, which just put the cherry on the cake.
Overall, this book would make a fun beach or poolside read this summer!
Good book. Carson has come to Rust Creek Falls to see if he can get the recipe for Homer Gilmore's moonshine. The same moonshine that is responsible for the current baby bonanza (see series Montana Mavericks: What Happened at the Wedding). Carson is watching the Memorial Day parade and spots a woman dressed as a stork and holding a baby on one of the floats. He can't take his eyes off her and is desperate to meet her. Tessa is the woman in the costume (she got tapped because the costume fit her) and spots Carson at the same time. Unlike Carson, her instinct is to get as far away from him as she can. Something tells her that he could mean real trouble for her.
Tessa is a local girl who moved away to pursue her dreams as a graphic artist. Just when she had landed her dream job, everything got derailed when she met a man. Tessa was so into him that she neglected her job, screwing up an account that her boss had trusted her with. Oh, and that man? He was her boss's ex, which didn't help her cause any. So Tessa ended up fired and threatened with being blackballed in the industry. She went home to Montana to try to get her life back together. She's freelancing her art, and determined to keep men off her radar for a long time to come.
Tessa's attempt at avoidance doesn't work, and she is introduced to him later that day. She is just as attracted to him as she feared, and can't say no when he wants to hang with her for the rest of the day and evening. I loved seeing how quickly they connected, finding several things that they have in common - including the intention to not have children. When Homer shows up and gives Carson a jar of his moonshine and promises that they'll talk later, Carson and Tessa share a few sips from the jar. I loved their comments on its properties, which give away that there is something pretty freaky about the drink. And like in the previous series, Carson and Tessa wake up in bed the next morning with no idea how they got there, or memory of what they did (though the evidence is pretty clear). Tessa completely freaks out at how fast things moved and pushes away from Carson as hard as she can. Carson on the other hand, wants to spend as much time with her as he can.
I loved the development of their relationship. Carson is determined to pursue what he sees as the potential for the future. He goes to great lengths to get closer to her. I loved his conversation with his friend Ryan, as he looks for advice on how to do it. It was great to see him settle on moving into the boarding house where Tessa is living also. Tessa is still freaked out, but finally agrees to spend time with him. They discover that not only is there attraction, they actually like each other. Carson tries to convince Tessa to come to California with him, even going so far as to line up a job interview for her. But thanks to that past relationship, Tessa has some big trust issues. She doesn't trust her own judgment, since she fell hard and fast the last time also. And she doesn't trust that something that has happened so fast will last.
Then Tessa gets some news that turns both their lives upside down. Carson's pursuit of her becomes even more determined, and Tessa digs in her heels about not being rushed. I loved Carson's realization that pushing harder isn't going to help, and how he backs off a little. However, he hasn't given up, and I enjoyed seeing all the things he did to show her that he believed in them. It's starting to work, but Tessa just can't get past that last obstacle. Then a picnic by the falls provides an exciting twist that changes everything. I loved the follow on scene.
The epilogue was great. I wasn't too surprised by the second result that came of their moonshine experience. Both of them had made comments during the latter part of the book that made me think it would be perfect if they both were right, and it was. I also liked how they worked out the balance between their professional needs and personal wants.
I will say I enjoyed this storyline and the main characters. The female protagonist got quite a few eye-rolls from this reader with the redundancy of her fear to move forward with her life after making an error in judgement that cost her a fantastic job and the man she had fallen in love with. She was indecisive and stuck in place even though she had found everything she wanted in the new man she met. It shouldn't take someone almost dying to decide to move on with their life and take a chance on love and a career. I thought her cowardice and reluctance added to a negative view of her which got a bit tiring after awhile. However, I loved our hero. He was such a great guy, one who had certainly been around and had many years of being a very wealthy playboy under his belt. That kind of bothered the heroine and I can't say as I blame her. It would me, as well.
The ending was pleasant and brought with it a lot of realizations that the heroine had been ignoring. It seems I waited a long while for her to get herself together!
All's well that ends well...so true. It had a great ending with a super epilogue.
I have read this book twice and I highly recommend it.
The book "Marriage , Maverick Style!" written by Christine Rimmer is one of the Montana Mavericks Baby Bonanza featured this month. The story revolves around Carson Drake, who is visiting Rust Falls and hometown girl, Tessa Strictland. For Both Carson and Tessa, it is attraction at first sight when the couple lays eyes upon each other at the Memorial Day parade. Carson is in town trying to talk with Homer Gilmore about his "magical moonshine ". Homer shows up after the parade and gives the couple a sample of the magic. Let's just say the couple doesn't remember anything about the preceding evening prior to the moonshine when they wake- up in each other's arms the next morning. Tessa is a little freaked out about how fast they moved because in the past she jumped into a relationship and got in over her head. So this causes her to be extremely cautious with Carson as things seem to be progressing a little to fast for her liking. I like how Tessa is trying to go slow but she just can't help falling in love with Carson. Carson is willing to do whatever he has to make this relationship work, If only he can get Tessa to compromise and follow her heart. I love how everything works out in this book, I look forward to reading the next one in the series. Christine Rimmer did a fantastic job . I would highly recommend this book.
Marriage Maverick Style is the story of Carson Drake, a businessman who comes to Rust Creek Falls to land a deal with a local moonshiner. However, Carson’s business plans are derailed when he meets the lovely, Tessa Strickland.
Tessa is a graphic designer, who is gun shy about dating after the fiasco of her last relationship resulted in her getting fired. But Tessa is unable to resist Carson’s charms. The two spend time together during Carson’s trip, but before long Carson must return to Los Angeles.
However, a passionate night involving magic moonshine, finds Tessa pregnant. As the two adjust with the news, they’re left with many questions.
Is Carson ready for fatherhood after vowing children wasn’t in his future? Will Tessa’s insecurities keep her from finding love? T his is a cute story about a big-time businessman falling for the small town girl. The book tends to move a bit fast at times, yet it works in this dynamic.
Carson comes across as selfish at times, especially when he revealed his first marriage ended when he didn’t want kids. As for Tessa, it got kid of repetitive as she doubted her ability of being a mother and whether she and Carson could be a couple.
As for the ending, even though I felt it wrapped up in a bit of a rush, it was a good way to bring the couple together.
Marriage, Maverick Style is Christine Rimmer’s contribution to Montana’s Maverick’s The Baby Bonanza series. Ms. Rimmer writes such a heartwarming story that it pulls you in from the first pages. Immediately, I fell in love with the goofiness of what was at first portrayed as Tessa’s character (dressed as a stork); then, she turned into someone that we discover had been hurt from a prior relationship that still influenced her life. That relationship greatly affected her promising career and her outlook on relationships and love.
Carson Drake was in town searching for the man behind a moonshine recipe that he wanted to purchase for Drake Distilleries. When Carson first lays eyes on Tessa at the Memorial Day parade, he’s completely lost. Instantly, he falls for Tessa. He looks for every way that he can be introduced to her. One thing leads to another and Tessa and Carson’s fate is sealed with a sip of moonshine.
I loved every moment of Marriage, Maverick Style. I truly understood everything that Tessa felt. I loved the way Drake pursued Tessa. This was definitely a fun read that I would highly recommend. I’d like to disclose that I received a copy of Marriage, Maverick Style in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Marriage, Maverick Style! is another wonderful romance by Christine Rimmer! I always look forward to Rimmer's romances and you will not be able to put down Marriage, Maverick Style! It is lust at first sight for Carson Drake when he sees Tessa Strickland for the first time. Tessa feels the strong attraction too but is not ready to trust her feelings for Carson especially in a town where everything is coming up babies! I just loved this book! Carson is a handsome, delicious, strong millionaire and Tessa is a beautiful, talented, graphic artist who is afraid to pursue romance and the job of her dreams. You will be captivated by the chemistry and heart warming love between Carson and Tessa. You will long for their happy ending. I can't recommend Marriage, Maverick Style! by Christine Rimmer enough. Rimmer's romances are always heartwarming, sexy, and captivating. A wonderful sexy, summer read!!! I can't wait for Christine Rimmer's next wonderful romance!
Marriage Maverick Style starts with a baby parade and a stork costume. A hero that can't seem to take his eyes off of the stork...and stop thinking about getting his hands on her! Very sweet story of Tessa and Carson's journey to happily ever after. Loved the ending with the "epilogue" of sorts. Really enjoy the option to see how the story turns out!
Another winning book by Christine Rimmer! Awesome!
The romance between the leads moved way too fast. Even the author knew this because she kept on lampshading the speediness of their relationship. Additionally, I just did not buy that the characters had a genuine connection. This book was all insta-love with no emotional depth. It felt really forced.
As an aside, the whole Homer moonshine thing is super fucking creepy, and I wish the authors of the Maverick series had chosen some other plot device to get characters together.
Normally I give stories from one of my favorite romance authors 5 stars. This time, however, I give it 4 stars. Overall, the story is good and I enjoyed it. There's something the female lead does toward the beginning of the book (and it's mentioned later in the book) that I strongly object to on a moral basis (and no, of course it's not the sex). That being said, I enjoyed the story. Drake Distilleries CEO, Carson Drake, has come to Rust Creek Falls to buy the rights to Homer's infamous moonshine. Tessa Strickland was riding in a parade wearing a ridiculous outfit. Carson was attracted at first glance and Tessa knew from her first glance of him that she needed to avoid him at all costs. Of course, that didn't happen, not with how determined Carson was to meet her. They soon sampled Homer's moonshine for themselves, with the same results as many in town had the previous July 4th. No memory of that night. Despite the intense connection between Carson and Tessa, they both fought to not get too involved (although I think Tessa was better at that than Carson). With a young marriage that ended in divorce behind him, Carson was no more interested in marriage and babies than Tessa was after a previous relationship imploded, along with her career. For the most part, this is a fun and lighthearted story that, of course, ends well! I'll keep this book on my keeper shelf with the rest of Christine Rimmer's books, but I won't be re-reading it as often. [I received this book for free in return for an honest review.]
This book should come with a warning and I'm disgusted that it doesn't. The book was written in 2016 but it's still no excuse because the dangers of the morning after pill (MAP) are well documented. So much so that even WHO has had issues with MAP. There are documents toting it's benefits but one must consider the source. OF COURSE those who make money off MAP will say it's awesome and safe (eye roll).
I gave up on this book after chapter 3 when the author had the female MC, Tessa take the pill. She'd had a drunken one-night stand with a stranger and the next morning took the pill.
I feel it's highly irresponsible for the author to do this without at least discussing the dangers associated with this pill. In cases of rape, I can see using this pill in spite of the well-documented issues with it. However, this wasn't a rape. It was consensual and if the MC didn't want the complications of a baby then there is always adoption.
Yes, I'm preachy about this but I'm that disgusted. MAP isn't meant to be a replacement for safe sexual practices. It's a last resort and I'm disgusted that this author didn't even bother to acknowledge that and instead acted as if it's nothing more than Tessa taking an aspirin.
Typically when I dislike a book so much (or don't finish it) that I want to leave it a 1-star rating, I don't make it an "official star rating". I do this out of respect for the time and effort it takes to write a book. However, for certain books I make an exception. This is one of those books.
Marriage Maverick Style by Christine Rimmer Carson comes to Rust Creek Falls to get the moonshine recipe from Homer Gilmore, he meets Tessa and they start dating they try the moonshine and he decides he no longer wants recipe after not being able to remember anything he done the night before. Tessa ends up pregnant and they try to figure out how to make their relationship work. I loved the book and would recommend to anyone who is looking for a good book. I took to beach to read and it was a great day.
A Memorial Day parade, a Stork holding a baby draws Carson's attention. Especially the stork. He cannot take his eyes off her eyes. He's a billionaire come to town to get secret of Homer's moonshine. Because of the moonshine people do things they wouldn't and don't remember.
Carson and Tess meet through a friend of Carson's. BBQ, picnic and so much more like our festivals in a small town. There are things happen will frighten you but accomplish the love Tess and Carson find together. One of Christine's best books yet!
"Rimmer’s latest Montana Mavericks romance builds on a delicious lascivious, albeit unremembered, tryst. Her guarded heroine and gung-ho hero are likeable, with their marvelous playful banter. She draws readers’ hearts and souls into the story and wows with an unexpected, profound ending" (4 stars @ RT Book Reviews).
Tessa and Drake are not looking for love. Drake is looking to purchase the moonshine formula that has Rust Creek Falls celebrating a baby boom! Tessa is trying to come back after leaving her dream job because of a romance gone bad.
After a night of passion, Drake decides he wants Tessa. Tessa isn't so sure. Moonshine is in evidence!
This was a great read. Fun, quirky, and satisfying.
We are back in Rust Creek Falls where some of the strangest things just happen when Homer and his moonshine seem to create lots of havoc. Neither Tessa nor Drake are looking for a relationship but fate and Homer seem to have other ideas. I loved everything about this book. I loved the story line, the characters and their real traits, the laughs and fun. Add in some romance, and some surprises which makes for a book I highly recommend you all should read. It's a fast and fun read.
Once again Mrs.Rimmer comes to the game prepared to play!! I loved this book. Not only because it was part of the baby bonanza series but because of the characters!! You seem to be able to relate in a level of personalization! Like you could be friends with them! Book is a WIN!!
Tessa and Carson are truly made for each other but Tessa fights fate! However, with the help of the "magical moonshine" things works out the way they are supposed to!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Tessa Strickland was determine not to fall in love after a bad breakup and being blackballed from her job for falling in love, and Carson Drake came to the town of Rust Creek to buy Homer Gilmore moonshine but some how Love found them when they least expect it and gave them love and a family.
it make me want to re read it four times and many more
Second chance love at it's best ! A love story as only Christine Rimmer can write. A story filled with humor, romance, and of course a little personal difficulty. The story of two people not looking for love but finding true love and happiness with each other. I loved this story and I'm sure you will too.
Another excellent read from Christine Rimmer. I loved this tale about Tessa and Carson. Good paced story. The characters are very believable. I really liked the scene at the falls. It brought them so close together and finally sealed the deal. Great story. thank you.
I really loved this story, the characters were well thought out. The instant attraction was beautiful with a few bumps along the way. It is a great story to read. Christine Rimmer writes beautiful stories of love, hope and happily ever after with a few twists and turns a long the say.
After reading this book, I feel like I could become a bigamist. I have fallen in love with another Rust Creek Falls man! I love this series and always close the book with a smile on my face! This could stand alone, but why bother when there are so many great books before this! Read it!
Did you ever see a person you knew would be the one for you right at first sight, Well Carson did, now he has to convince Tessa. From a Memorial Day Parade to Lion Mountain, things just keep happening. See if love at first sight happens. Easy reading, nostalgic book. Stand alone.
HSpEd 2485 Jul2016. Montana Mavericks: the Baby Bonanza #1. Homer Gilmore add his Moonshine to wedding punch and Rust Creek Falls, Montana is in a baby boom. Carson Drake is in town to see if his company could buy the formula. Carson is upfront with Tessa, he's not up for marriage or children. Funny things happen when Carson and Tessa Strickland taste the moonshine. There are commitment issues standing between Tessa and Carson that cause problems for them both. Overall a good read.