4.5 out of 5 stars

When Shay Brandenberger is asked to play the bride for the town's Founders Day reenactment, she reluctantly agrees--after all, the town might talk since she's the one person who's been jilted at the altar and divorced. Her mortification increases when the man standing at the end of the aisle is none other than Travis Mccoy--her high school sweetheart and the man who left her high and dry for the Texas rodeo. Then the unthinkable happens. Thanks to a nostalgic-thinking busybody and an absentminded preacher, the reenactment becomes a real, legal marriage. 

     Shay wants an immediate annulment, but Travis has other ideas. He wants a second chance with Shay. Travis knows Shay is on the verge of losing her family farm through a bank foreclosure. He proposes to take care of Shay and her daughter as long as she's willing to give their marriage a try. With few options available, Shay agrees to his proposal. Will trusting Travis again be the worst mistake of her life? Or could their marriage be the best accident that ever happened?

I absolutely loved The Accidental Bride! I've read almost all of Denise Hunter's books--and I honestly believe this is her best work yet. 

When I first read the premise of this story, I couldn't help but wonder how someone gets married by accident. I even thought a wedding reenactment seemed a bit far-fetched for such a scenario. Yet Denise Hunter pulls this plot off with some incredible brilliance--and I have to say I found it amazing she could work a modern day marriage of convenience story into such a wonderful novel.  

Denise Hunter pens a heart-throbbing romance that will captivate you from the first page. She offers readers a relate-able cast of characters who harbor regrets from past mistakes. At the same time, she offers readers a glimpse of how God can take the hurt from the past and turn it into something beautiful. 

Of course at the end of it all, we learn to never underestimate God's plans for us--or His sense of humor. 

The Accidental Bride is filled with excellent prose, witty dialogue, ironic humor, entertaining characters, and lots of cowboy swank. I definitely recommend this novel. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.