The Runaway Bride - Mary Jayne Baker

Genre: Romance | Womens Fiction | Contemporary

Release Date: 6th May 2021

Here comes the bride ... and there she goes again.

Kitty Clayton got married today. Three hours ago actually, and it's already over. Her new husband is a lying, manipulative cheat and Kitty is running - still in her dress. She has no phone, no purse, no husband and probably no job now - nothing to drag her back. Desperate to get away, she's heading for her aunts house and luckily gets picked up by strange orange campervan owned by a peculiar Irishman and his pregnant singing dog.

Jack Duffy knows about losing love. The recently widowed childrens author still feels the guilt and the loss everyday. But when he finds a heartbroken young women hitchiking in the rain after seemingly fleeing her own wedding he can't just leave her there. Promising to look after her until she's back on her feet, Jack loves having someone to care for again. But of course, was this chance meeting meant to be the answer to both their broken hearts? Or are they both too busy running to see what could be.

The Runaway Bride got going right away - throwing us straight into the action and just escalating from the very first page. I was expecting a classic fluffy 'cold feet' story but this took all my expectations and literally set them on fire. At first I was a little stunned, this was not the light-hearted romance I'd settled down for - the weird rose-tinted spin that novels usually take on serious issues like divorce and heartbreak. There were a lot of dark twists along the way, as we learn more about the traumatic histories of Kitty and Jack and the toxic people they've found along the way.

Each with their own heartbreaking secrets that slowly come to the surface in unexpected ways as they travel around in the orange campervan, their journey wasn't just about romance, it was about healing and acceptance too and left me with a beautifully warm glow when I finally flipped over the last page.

Now, I know I said this book gets real - but there's still plenty of adorably cute moments, hilariously quirky British humour and turn-on-the-fans level of hot and steamy romance.

If you're looking for just a straight-up romcom, this might look like the book for you but it is not. But, if you're looking for an endearing, heartfelt journey about picking up the pieces and then finding a few more, you need this book.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Mary Jayne Baker and Aria & Aries for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Content Warnings: Sexual Content, Mental Health Issues, Domestic Abuse.

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