Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
Amy Sagar’s life is in ruins. Fired from her fast-track job and dumped by her double-crossing boyfriend, she retreats to Whitetail, Wisconsin, to lick her wounds and regroup. Meeting an impossible, sexy Australian isn’t part of her strategy for getting back on track.
Ben Armytage is running away. After being left at the altar and publicly humiliated, he’s taking his vintage motorcycle on an extended road trip from Argentina to Alaska. Having his journey interrupted by a breakdown and sharing a house with a curvy, redheaded lawyer in a town obsessed with weddings was never on his itinerary.
Though being stuck in a luxury log cabin isn’t really a hardship, living together with their broken hearts isn’t easy. When the attraction between Amy and Ben proves unstoppable, they’ll both begin rethinking their plans…
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I’ve really enjoyed Lowe’s wedding books in the past, but have to admit I was a little bummed we hadn’t met the hero or heroine before the release of this book. This is the third book in her latest wedding series, and one of my favorite aspects of series is getting to see recurring characters, it was a bit sad for me to come in not knowing either Amy or Ben.
Amy’s life is not turning out how she expected. She was fired from her dream job, dumped by her boyfriend, and runs off to hide at the cabin vacation home of her youth. She didn’t plan on having to share her vacation home with a sexy Australian, but since she was the main reason he couldn’t leave, she also couldn’t complain.
Ben is running from a past he is desperate to forget. Having his bike break down in the middle of nowhere with a town that is nonstop weddings, isn’t his ideal situation. But Ben makes the best of it, and spending his time with Amy is turning out better than he could ever hope for.
But despite the fact that Ben and Amy are enjoying each other more than their old lives, in order to move forward, they both have to face the past. And that might be more than either of them is ready to do, even for each other.
I was pretty anxious to see what the story was with Amy’s job, why she was fired, why her boyfriend left, and why she was so upset about it all. As more and more of the story unfolded, I felt so bad for her! That poor women went through so much crap at the hands of her jerk of an ex, it was obvious to see that he really beat down her self esteem and self worth. But watching Amy get the chance to build it back up and grow even more amazing was fun to see.
I liked Ben, but thought that maybe he was reacting a little melodramatic given the dent to his ego. I thought his backstory wasn’t as traumatizing and dramatic as his actions implied, and because of it I felt like I had a harder time connecting to his character. Even though he redeemed his character, I had a hard time liking him up to the very end. Although he was fun and did a good job at bringing Amy back out of her shell, his character really just didn’t work for me. I don’t know if I just thought he was too emo or what, but I struggled.
That being said, I always enjoy the way that Lowe creates such a strong secondary romance in her books. We got a special treat with two secondary romances here, first Al and Ella, the older couple that Ben starts to think of as parental figures both get a second chance at love, and I thought they were super cute together. I also liked the story with Melissa and Scott. All three couples had very different relationship journeys, and they balanced out well.
One thing I didn’t totally love about this book was the way that Ben messed up their relationship. He came across as extremely selfish to me, and although he eventually realized where and how he went wrong, I needed Amy to make him beg a bit more. Instead, she welcomed him back in with open arms, after she laid it all out on the line for him, and then had to go through a really hard struggle without someone to stand by her side. I needed more groveling, and was a little upset to see Amy give in so easily.
All in all I really enjoyed the third book in the Wedding Fever series. I do adore the town of Whitetail and their devotion to the wedding business. I think Lowe does a wonderful job of really giving more storyline and life to the secondary characters, and getting to see multiple couples fall in love is always a plus. However, I struggled with the main hero and heroine in this.
I give Runaway Groom a B-
Not my usual read, but it does sound good/fun.
@xaurianx: It was. But then again, I usually enjoy wedding based romances.