“Lauren Layne gets the red rose for this one, and fans of The Bachelor will fall in love with this thoroughly charming story.”—Kate O’Keeffe, bestselling author
RUNAWAY GROOM
I Do, I Don't - Book 2
Lauren Layne
Releasing Jan 30, 2018
Loveswept
For one charming playboy, getting cast
on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show is the shock of a lifetime—until he finds
love where he least expects it.
Gage
Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of
that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that
matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort
with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar—and one contestant
who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent
Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if
there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge. . . .
Ellie can’t
believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a
glorified bikini contest. Still, she could use the exposure—her business is
struggling—and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway.
But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated—and he’s in no rush to send
her home. As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing
track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. With the wedding finale
looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie to start believing in storybook
endings.
Gage Barrett is the groom, a sexy Hollywood actor who loses a bet to a friend to appear on the show JILTED but is honorable enough to go through with it. Ellie is a contestant who just wants some publicity for her growing tee shirt business. No one is more surprised than she is when she is chosen to appear as one of the wannabe brides. Let the chemistry begin!
As always, Ms Layne delivers a story full of humor and electric chemistry between Gage and Ellie. At first, she has no use for the future groom and actually hopes to get let go after her appearance on the show. Gage is intrigued by her and her reluctance to continue and I loved the banter between them. What I liked about Gage, is that he is a multi-layered character. He is unapologetic about the perks he gets from being a celebrity, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have feelings. He is at a point in his life where he wants something more and something meaningful in his life as well as to be taken seriously. Ellie pushes his buttons at first and he discovers someone who gets him and doesn't want something from him.
Ellie may have just wanted some publicity for her business, but she soon finds out that she has made assumptions about Gage. She lets him talk her into staying on the show for a while and help him "spy" on some of the other contestants who would be a bad fit for him. This leads to some serious (and funny) texting and a secret meeting place to go over the details. The more they are together, the more you feel the smolder between them.
I loved the previous story READY TO RUN, but I thought RUNAWAY GROOM was even better. Looking at reality television and the craziness it brings out in some people is eye opening even in fiction. I really felt drawn to Gage and rooted for his true happiness with Ellie. And Ellie found out some truths about herself, her passions and an unexpected forever with someone like Gage. If each story keeps getting better, I can only wonder what the next book in the series will be like!
NOW AVAILABLE!
EXCERPT
Lauren
Layne is the New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies.
She lives in New York City with her husband.
A former
e-commerce and web marketing manager from Seattle, Lauren relocated to New York
City in 2011 to pursue a full-time writing career. She signed with her agent in
2012, and her first book was published in summer of 2013. Since then, she's
written over two dozen books, hitting the USA TODAY, New York
Times, iBooks, and Amazon bestseller lists.
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