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Blue Jean Summer

Not yet published
Expected 15 Sep 26
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Opposites become unlikely allies when a desperate cowboy needs to marry in order to save his grandfather’s land.

Hayes Wilder needs to find a wife—pronto. After returning to the small town of Honey Hollow before his grandfather’s death, he's shocked to learn that the sprawling Wilder Estate was left to him. All Hayes wants is the one thing money can’t buy—more time with his grandfather. Failing that, he’ll do whatever it takes to save his grandfather’s legacy from falling into the wrong hands. Even if it means marrying in order to satisfy the terms of the will.

Catherine Foster, reigning Miss Virginia and former Honey Hollow native (who had a childhood crush on Hayes), is saddled with mountains of medical debt ever since her mother’s death. Running out of time to figure out her next move, Catherine reconnects with Hayes at his grandfather’s funeral.

Hayes and Catherine impulsively strike a He’ll pay off her debts, but only if they get married. Despite the situation, Hayes and Catherine look forward to getting to know each other as adults—after the wedding. Which is tougher than anticipated when the entire town has eyes on them and his half brother keeps circling the property like a vulture, determined to poke holes in their marriage. Most troubling of all, this pair may have miscalculated how much they have in common—enough for this cowboy to fall in love for real.

448 pages, Paperback

Expected publication September 15, 2026

6321 people want to read

About the author

Maggie C. Gates

27 books2,438 followers
Maggie Gates writes raw, relatable, romance novels packed full of heat and humor. Maggie calls North Carolina home. In her spare time she enjoys daydreaming about her characters, jamming to country music, and eating all the barbecue and tacos she can find! Her Kindle is always within reach due to a love of small town romances that borders on obsession.

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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for cat.
273 reviews74 followers
May 2, 2026
“I ached for her. I craved her. She was every spring breeze that brought new life. Every summer sun that warmed and sustained. She was the reprieve of fall and the magic of winter.
Catherine Wilder was everything”


I wanted to love this one so much… and I did in parts, but wow this was such a weird reading experience for me because I kept waiting for it to become a different book. 🥲 let me explain...

Going in I was fully prepared for some obsessed, down bad, possessive cowboy man energy. I wanted the “my wife” obsession. I wanted a man who was one inconvenience away from growling at someone in public. And Hayes… he did eventually give me little glimpses of that man, but it took so long to get there that I spent most of the book sitting there like ma’am where is he?! 🤦🏼‍♀️ 🤦🏼‍♀️

But once his internal thoughts finally start spilling out?? suddenly I understood the vision.

“I was jealous of anything that her eyes gazed upon. Jealous of anything that was touched by her fingers. I was jealous of the coffee cup she had been sipping from when I came down to the kitchen this morning. And I was definitely jealous of the bed that held her over the last few nights”


LIKE THERE YOU ARE MANNN
That’s the Hayes I thought I was signing up for.

The problem is… I didn’t feel enough of that buildup before we got there. Cath had the childhood crush, she always knew him, she had that history of wanting and watching from afar, but Hayes realizing she’s suddenly the perfect woman for him and falling hard felt a little too fast for me. I needed more tension. More lingering. More “I absolutely should not want my fake wife like this” panic. Instead it felt like one second we were setting up the arrangement and the next we were 10 steps ahead and i was searching for when it escalated. 👀 And for a marriage of convenience story, I really need that emotional slow burn suffering.

That being said, there were definitely still moments that got me.

“I couldn’t wait to marry Catherine Foster, if only for one more kiss.”


SEE THATS THE STUFF I WANTED
I just wish there had been more of it, sooner.

Also… I have to say it. The blurb gave me cowboy energy so personally I showed up expecting boots, dirt, hands-on ranch(ish) life, rugged man doing rugged cowboy things 🤠
But what I got was… estate owner with horses nearby??? Hayes is giving slacks and button-up office man more than rough cowboy fantasy 😭 and Cath is a beauty pageant girlie, which honestly made the whole vibe feel very different from what I had pictured.

Not bad at all, just not what my brain had preordered. Even the stakes felt oddly soft. There was technically a lot on the line, but the writing made everything feel very easy, very smooth, very low urgency. Nothing felt like it hit as hard as it should have. Honestly by the end I was like… "wait did that much actually happen?" 😭 because it somehow felt like both a full book and also like nothing major happened at all. (it definitely could’ve been shorter 🫣)

BUT —and this is important— I still enjoyed reading it.

Cath’s character arc really worked for me, especially watching her slowly realize she was enough after growing up feeling unwanted. That emotional thread felt genuine and I loved it for her. 😌 And the side characters? Loved them. Absolutely loved them. Honestly I’m more excited for some of their future books than I was for this one by the end.

And because I couldn't end the review without showing a few more delicious lines from Hayes ↓

“She was indescribably beautiful. Nothing compared to her. Not the mountains. Not the skies. Not the valley and every flower in it.”

“I would have given every penny to my name and every blade of grass in the valley just to have her close”


Yes. More of that. Inject it directly into my bloodstream.

There were definitely cute moments here. Sweet moments. The love was soft and genuine and easy to read. It just never fully consumed me.

I wanted obsession. I wanted intensity. I wanted to feel the chemistry in my chest. Instead, this felt more like a soft, simple palate cleanser with a sweet romance and pretty writing. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Decent? Absolutely. Cute? Definitely.
Life-changing? Unfortunately no.

And maybe that’s why I feel so conflicted, because I didn’t dislike it at all. I just kept mourning the version of this book I thought I was about to get. 😔

Still, Maggie Gates’ writing style is one I genuinely enjoy, and even when I’m frustrated, I want to keep reading. So for me, this lands at 3 ⭐️. Cute, easy, sweet, and enjoyable… just missing the depth and emotional chaos I was hoping for.

things to know about the book ↓

💙 childhood crush
💙 marriage of convenience
💙 forced proximity
💙 secret tattoo (LITERALLY SO SWEET)
💙 age gap (she’s 25 / he’s 35)
💙 small town romance

spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
swearing: yes

Thank you NetGalley, Berkeley Publishing Group & Maggie Gates for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⸻⸻⸻
・❥・⁀➷ pre-read

the way I squealed when i saw this in my inbox 😭🫶🏼
please please be as good as i'm hoping 🤞🏼
Profile Image for Lexie.
761 reviews83 followers
March 21, 2026
The way that all my other books immediately got pushed to the side as soon as this entered my kindle. So first up big thanks to Maggie Gates, Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. To say I was highly anticipating this is an understatement. I’m a huge Maggie Gates fan and when I heard she was coming out with a new cowboy romance. Immediately my hands went GIMME GIMME. And the publishers were so kind to bless me.

Blue Jean Summer is a fun, sexy marriage of convenience between two former friends. Our two main characters are both dealing with the aftermath of losing a parental figure. Catherine is trying to figure out what to do next with her life while also trying to unbury herself from the mountain of medical debt. Hayes is trying to ensure his family ranch legacy stays with him. They both form a pact to marry each other to solve each other’s problems. Thinking they won’t fall in love. Oh sweet baby child 😉

Y’all I loved this book from beginning to end. Seriously Maggie Gates never misses. The attraction, the yearning and the chemistry between Hayes and Catherine was amazing. They are also one of the most healthy fictional couples I’ve ever read. I love how open they both are with each other and how they didn’t shy away from communicating with one another. They definitely had some bumps along the way. But the didn’t let that break them. Also because they were freaking adults there’s no third act break up. God bless, because I can’t stand when authors randomly throw that trope in.

My only complaint and I say that loosely. I wish our villain in the story got more Karma than what they did. I felt like that whole scenario was wrapped up really fast and I just wanted that butt to suffer more. But I digress. Besides that Blue Jean Summer is an amazing read that I will be recommending all the time. And I can’t wait to own my trophy when it releases this September
Profile Image for Molly.
579 reviews3 followers
March 19, 2026
I liked this book, it was relatively low angst and it was very sweet. Hayes Wilder’s grandfather has just passed away leaving him is vast estate and ranch. At the time his grandfather made his will Hayes had been engaged and his fiancee was granted a parcel of land. In order for Hayes to inherit the conditions has to be just as the will stipulated. Hayes however was no longer engaged, and he’s in need of a wife. He asks Catherine, a family friend, to temporarily marry him and he’ll help get her non profit started and pay off her debts in exchange.

This story was so close to being amazing, there were just a few things that fell short for me. The attraction between Hayes and Catherine was evident, and once they started sleeping together and sharing their feelings I really thought they were going to talk about the future. But each one of them kept thinking about the end date of the marriage. I wish they would have communicated sooner, rather than just live in the moment. I’m glad that neither one assumed the other one wanted out though, that would have been frustrating.

I really liked that Hayes was so supportive of Catherine’s ideas and saw the good she was doing. Catherine’s heart was so big, and I loved that she was the first person Hayes told about being on the spectrum. Hayes’s brother Lewis trying to undermine them was a bit predictable and I was glad when he got what was coming to him. Overall the book was good and I enjoyed it.

No third act breakup

4/5 on the Spicy Scale

M/F

Death/Grief

Contemporary Romance
Profile Image for Morgan Halladay.
145 reviews
April 2, 2026
Reading a new Maggie Gates book always feels like coming home. I was so excited when I was approved for this ARC that I dropped everything I was reading. And I was not disappointed but there’s no surprise there. A marriage of convenience is always a fun read but mix that with the found family aspect that Maggie so expertly writes and you have the perfect combination. The little bit of hints of what’s to come in this series has me so excited. I really couldn’t get enough of Hayes and Catherine and their chosen family.
Profile Image for allison.
326 reviews6 followers
March 17, 2026
4.25* Oh this eats!!!

Tropes:
Marriage of convenience
Secret tattoo
Forced proximity
Only one bed
Age gap
Cowboy/ranch adjacent
Found family
Profile Image for Meaghan.
145 reviews6 followers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
April 14, 2026
ARC Review - Huge thanks to Maggie Gates and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to receive a review copy of Blue Jean Summer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded down - Let me start out by saying that the last thing I expected to do going into this one was to rate it under 5⭐️. I’m still relatively new to the Maggie-verse, but the books of hers that I’ve read so far had convinced me she was an auto-buy author with her strong writing and down bad MMCs. All that to say, this was quite a bit different than what I was expecting and I was pretty disappointed.

First things first, Blue Jean Summer is being billed as the first book in Maggie’s new cowboy romance series, and a cowboy romance it is not. It barely even feels cowboy adjacent? It’s a marriage of convenience between a millionaire/billionaire heir and a former beauty queen that takes place on a sprawling estate where the primary focus seems to be on horse racing and equestrian sports. If the Gold Rush Ranch series by Elsie Silver - where the FMCs are actually working hands-on with horses in a way that features pretty heavily in those stories - isn’t considered a cowboy romance series, Blue Jean Summer is even less eligible to claim this moniker.

This book draggeddd for me. It was much too long at nearly 450 pages - especially when so little happened (or when what DID happen could have been accomplished in much less space without the filler that did nothing to progress the plot).

I really did not feel much chemistry between the MCs at all. It felt more like a sibling energy where the much older brother was protective of his younger sister rather than a ‘take your hands off of MY WIFE’ kind of vibe. The Maggie MMCs I’m used to are down baddd dirty talkers who worship their women in ways that make their spicy scenes hot hot hot, but for me, MMC Hayes just didn’t have this same energy. I could see the attempt being made on Maggie’s part to cultivate this, but it didn’t land in the same way for me as the others, and the lack of chemistry probably had a lot to do with that.

Something else that seemed really out of left field - and that I think would be better left out of the book altogether since it isn’t given the level of focus and exploration it deserves - is the seemingly random reveal of the MMC’s Asperger’s/ASD diagnosis. It’s sort of dropped in as Hayes’s explanation for why he “need[ed] a minute to figure shit out,” and doesn’t come up again after this scene. Overall, it didn’t feel like this diagnosis was written clearly into Hayes’s mannerisms in any way that felt truly representative, so I was just kind of left wondering why it was there at all…

The book had a few funny moments and heartfelt speeches, but all in all, just fell flat for me. And while I’m unsure if this is actually the case or not, it felt like Maggie was trying too hard to meet a brief and check off boxes.

I’m willing to give the series another chance as I suspect I know which side characters will feature in Book 2, and I’m hopeful this will result in more of the “cowboy” element that was lacking in Blue Jean Summer.

Tropes and Microtropes:
Age Gap
Billionaire Romance
Childhood Crush
Found Family
Marriage of Convenience
Small Town

🌶️🌶️.5
Profile Image for Reanna Abare.
143 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
April 20, 2026
Thank you so much to Berkley for approving me for this ARC through NetGalley! I am so grateful for the opportunity to read and review Blue Jean Summer!

Okay but the gasp I gasped when I got approved for this one 😭 I have had books by Maggie Gates sitting on my TBR for way too long, and after this?? Yeah I need to fix that immediately.

This book completely pulled me in from the start. Catherine and Hayes were just so easy together the kind of couple that makes you believe in it just fits. I absolutely loved that they already had history and that their relationship didn’t feel forced at all. For a marriage of convenience story, I really appreciated that they were all in from the beginning it made their connection feel even more natural and real.

The ranch and small town vibes were everything. This book made me want to pack up my life and go live my own blue jean summer immediately 🤠 And can we talk about Dorothy the cow? I am obsessed. I need one. No further questions.

One of my favorite parts of this story was the representation. Hayes’ character added such a meaningful layer to the book, and I loved how his perspective and focus on work life balance were woven into the story. It felt thoughtful and important without ever feeling heavy handed.

I also really appreciated the more emotional elements, especially the complicated relationship between Catherine and her dad. It added depth to her character and made her journey feel even more real.

And that ending? I was flying through those pages 👀 I need more immediately, Mason and Hallie have my full attention, and honestly I would not be mad about a Levi and Savannah story either!

This book had heart, charm, and characters that felt so easy to love. If you’re into small town romance, marriage of convenience, and couples who just click, you need to pick this one up.
Profile Image for Sydney Gessler.
357 reviews12 followers
May 4, 2026
Hayes Wilder is not a cowboy and he will be the first one to tell you that. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t look killer in a pair of blue jeans.

Maggie Gates’ has once again graced us with a small town romance that sets the bar so high. Hayes and Catherine are perfection.

After the death of his grandfather Hayes Wilder finds himself in need of a wife and quickly if he hopes to inherit the estate that was left to him. Otherwise it’ll go to his terrible half-brother Lewis. Enter Catherine, grieving the death of her own mother, the two reunite for the first time since childhood at Hayes’ grandfathers funeral. Brought together my circumstances, Catherine agrees to marry Hayes so he can inherit the estate and Hayes will help her catch up on her mothers medical bills. Very quickly the fake marriage starts to feel real for them both and the chemistry was explosive.

As far as trope lists go we had all the good ones, marriage of convenience/fake dating vibes, he falls first for sure, protective mmc and of course the most precious animal sidekick. I honestly could not get enough of these two. I loved Hayes’ character and I always love to see neurodivergence representation in books. Catherine was a sweetheart, she just wanted to work with the community and help people.

In true Maggie Gates’ fashion the side characters caught me right away as well. So I have my fingers and toes crossed that we get to find out more about Hallie.

Blue Jean Summer is equivalent to lying in the perfect temperature of the sun. It’s sunshine and so sweet, but of course with a little darkness to give it life. Thank you so much to the Berkley team for letting me read this early. I cannot recommend it enough to everyone, this will be the perfect summer read.
Profile Image for Em.
809 reviews
April 10, 2026
Maggie Gates is becoming an auto buy, automatic read, obsessed with author for me!

Thank you so much to Berkley for the ARC of Blue Jean Summer! This is book 1 in what looks like to be interconnected standalone romances taking place in Honey Hollow! This book follows Hayes.

WHAT TO SAY ABOUT HAYES! He wears his heart on his sleeve, is fiercely loyal and protective, is autistic with some great rep, and has the most tragic life ever but at least he’s rich. When his grandfather dies and the Wilder estate is left to him with a wife condition, his half brother is trying to ruin his inheritance and take it for his own. Enters his childhood crush, the girl who swore in the middle of his grandfathers funeral, and the best friend of the person who runs his families household, CATHERINE FOSTER!

Catherine, Cath, Catie! You are so true to you andI love it. After losing her mom and being in desperate need of some money and a job, the offer to be Hayes wife is too good to be true. Catherine added the humor to this book, the sunshine, the love. I adored her and her big heart. When she picked up Dorothy in the SUV with a pup cup and a banana bread latte I actually died.

This book has everything you want:
- marriage of convenience
- COWBOY
- non profit work
- COWBOY WHO WEARS SUITS TO WORK
- forced proximity
- COWBOY WHO SECRETLY IS IN LOVE WITH HIS FAKE WIFE
- grief rep
- DID I MENTION COWBOY?
- autistic rep

PICK IT UP COME SEPTEMBER!!
Profile Image for chelseabrookelikesbooks.
265 reviews11 followers
March 29, 2026
I absolutely adore Maggie Gates’ writing. At this point if she writes it, I’m reading it. No questions asked.

Blue Jean Summer was such a sweet and heartfelt marriage of convenience story between two former friends who reconnect at exactly the right time in their lives. Hayes has just lost his grandfather and inherited the family ranch, but the will comes with conditions that require him to be married in order to keep the estate. Catherine is trying to figure out what to do with her life while also carrying the weight of medical debt after losing her mom. When the two reconnect, they make a deal to get married and solve each other’s problems.

Naturally… feelings get involved.

I loved the relationship between Hayes and Catherine. The chemistry between them felt natural and easy, and I really appreciated how open they were with each other. Their relationship felt mature and supportive, and you could really feel the care they had for one another as the story progressed.

One of the parts of this story that meant the most to me was Hayes being autistic. As a parent of an autistic child, that representation really touched my heart. Watching Hayes slowly open up to Catherine and trust her with that part of himself was really beautiful. Catherine never treated him like he needed to change or be different. She just accepted him exactly as he was, and you could really see how she became a safe place for him.

I also loved how supportive Hayes was of Catherine and her dreams, especially with the work she wanted to do with her nonprofit. They truly felt like two people who wanted the best for each other.

This book had so much heart. Between the small-town setting, the family legacy surrounding the ranch, and the emotional connection between Hayes and Catherine, I was completely invested from beginning to end.

Maggie Gates never misses, and this book was another reminder of why I love her stories so much.

*Thank you so much Berkley, NetGalley, and Maggie Gates for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!*
Profile Image for skyeslibrary.
559 reviews167 followers
Read
May 7, 2026
“I think you need a little trouble in your life”

There’s nothing quite like the “I have to get married in order to get X” trope, and I’m here for it! Maggie Gates absolutely NEVER disappoints with her heartfelt heroes and passionate heroines. I’m so excited for this series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes!


this and that:
♡ age gap
♡ childhood friends to lovers
♡ classic cars
♡ cowboy(ish) romance
♡ dual pov
♡ found family
♡ horse rides
♡ marriage of convenience
♡ men in wranglers
♡ millionaire hero
♡ mountain setting
♡ oh no, I’m falling in love with my fake husband
♡ open door spice
♡ picnics
♡ that’s my wife 🥵

triggers:
☞ absent parents
☞ abuse of power (not between MCs)
☞ blackmail
☞ death of loved ones



thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the gifted review copy!


find me on Instagram!
Profile Image for Megan.
219 reviews2 followers
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
May 5, 2026
As soon as this hit my Kindle, everything else immediately got pushed aside. I was so excited to get this ARC!!

I love Maggie Gates, but this? This might be one of my favorites yet. I am such a sucker for a good marriage of convenience, and this one was done so right. Both Hayes and Catherine step into it with reasons that actually make sense, which just made everything feel more grounded and real and honestly, that made the story so smooth and hard to out down!

At first glance, they seem picture perfect… but the more you get to know them, the more their layers unfold. The flaws, the struggles, the quiet tension building between them it all just works. And when they finally give in?? Oh my god. SO. GOOD.

I genuinely could not put it down and loved every single second of it. I’m already hoping this isn’t the last we see of this world because I would happily stay here a while longer. 💙
Profile Image for Victor Martinez.
29 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
March 23, 2026
This is the first romance novel I’ve read, so take this review as you will. The writing was actually way better than I imagined and I liked all of the characters. The plot is intentionally tropey, and I didn’t mind that going into it, but while reading it became a little cliche and I didn’t love the structure of the book. The characters felt like they were repeating the same issues over and over while the resolutions were quick and unimportant. It began to read less like a narrative plot and more like a fanfiction.
Profile Image for Han Bento.
306 reviews1 follower
May 1, 2026
~ NET GALLEY ARC REVIEW ~

3.5 stars (rounded)
this was such a sweet fun summer read! low angst but had plenty of funny and swoon worthy moments. no third act breakup and i loved how the couple just continued to grow stronger with eachother throughout the story. plenty of chemistry and tension between the two characters and i also loved the natural chemistry between the two. a lovely representation of the autism spectrum as well!
Profile Image for claireesbookshelf.
572 reviews16 followers
May 6, 2026
4.5⭐️ this might be the best marriage of convenience book I have ever read!! Everything about it was so beautifully written, especially the heartfelt moments. If Maggie writes it, you bet I’m gonna read it. The way these 2 were basically already in love before they got married and once they did get married it just blossomed CHEFS KISS. Also the side characters and the setup for more books in the series….HECK FREAKING YES

thank you Berkeley for the advanced copy!!
Profile Image for Readingwithdesi .
1,391 reviews38 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
May 11, 2026
really liked that Hayes was so supportive of Catherine’s ideas and saw the good she was doing. Catherine’s heart was so big, and I loved that she was the first person Hayes told about being on the spectrum. Hayes’s brother Lewis trying to undermine them was a bit predictable and I was glad when he got what was coming to him. Overall the book was good and I enjoyed it.

No third act breakup

4/5 on the Spicy Scale

M/F

Death/Grief

Contemporary Romance
Profile Image for Emily Arriola.
341 reviews6 followers
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
March 22, 2026
This is another absolute GEM from Maggie Gates! I loved everything about Blue Jean Summer! It gave me such a warm feeling and it felt like coming home!

Catherine and Hayes just fit together so well and it was so much fun getting to read their story! I also loved all the side characters and I am so excited to see their stories!

Thank you to Maggie Gates and Berkley for this ARC!
Profile Image for Kandice.
186 reviews2 followers
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
March 30, 2026
What a beautiful wonderful happy way to close out Maggie Gates March (where I read all of her backlog I hadn't had a chance to read yet!!) thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early!

I fell for Hayes and Catherine from the start! I love a fake marriage trope where they're clearly into each other from the beginning; but I also loved the little ways they fell for each other along the way! Glad there was no 3rd act breakup and I honestly never wanna leave my cowboy romance era!! I love it here!

All hail Maggie Gates!
Profile Image for Sarah.
174 reviews2 followers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
April 29, 2026
Thank you for the ARC! I enjoyed this book.
Profile Image for Erin Branscom.
Author 37 books925 followers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
May 3, 2026
The best Maggie Gates book yet! I loved it so much! I didn’t want it to end and I loved all of the characters so much. A true delight! Five stars!
Profile Image for SelkieReader.
538 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
May 12, 2026
Literally the perfect summer romance book to watch play out in your head!!!
94 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
March 30, 2026
If Maggie Gates writes it, you can bet I’m diving in. So when Berkley dropped Blue Jean Summer on NetGalley, there was no way I could say no.

This story is a genuine, heartwarming take on a marriage of convenience—two people finding their way back to each other just when they need it most.

Hayes and Catherine’s connection felt effortlessly real. The sparks, the yearning, the undeniable chemistry—it all hit just right. What I especially loved was how they communicated openly, even when emotions ran high and they needed a moment to step back and breathe. Their relationship felt mature, grounded, and refreshingly healthy. It’s a beautiful reminder that love isn’t always perfect, but it can be honest and strong.

Thank you, Berkley, Maggie Gates, and NetGalley for this ARC. I’m already in love with this series and can’t wait for what’s to come next!
290 reviews3 followers
April 6, 2026
Maggie Gates has written another winner! I loved this book about a marriage of convenience mostly because of the way the author writes her characters. As in all of her books the theme of chosen family is strong in this book. The main characters and minor characters are all good people I’d like to know (except for you, Lewis!) The setting is a beautiful horse training estate with lovely gardens.

I look forward to more books in this series as I’d like to read more about some of the supporting characters in this book.

Highly recommend to romance fans.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Profile Image for maisy.
297 reviews1 follower
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
April 3, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
2 🌶️

I enjoyed this book as what seems to be a first in a new series by Maggie Gates! I really enjoyed her last series so I was SO excited to dive into this one!

Hayes Wilder returns home to the Wilder Estate after his grandfather passes away. During the funeral, Hayes reconnects with Catherine, the reining Miss Virginia and a childhood friend. When the reading of the will says Hayes needs to be married to inherit the estate, Hayes turns to Cath to be his bride. But what starts as fake quickly evolves between these two and it was so sweet to see unfold.

I think Hayes and Cath are perfect for each other. They were supportive of each other and seemed to be a good match. I felt their story was cheesy at times but it was still good.

As for the side characters, I cannot wait for the next books. If the final chapters told us anything, we are in for a treat!!!
Profile Image for Ashley Weidemann.
74 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Hayes and Cath were adorable, and I loved the found family aspect of the estate crew. Hallie gave Chessy from The Parent Trap vibes and was definitely my favorite character.

While I wanted a bit more depth to the characters, it was still a really cute story.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews