G99 Book Review of Secrets of a Runaway Bride by Valerie Bowman

Name of Book: Secrets of a Runaway Bride

Author: Valerie Bowman

ISBN: 978-1-250-00896-1

Publisher: St Martin Paperbacks

Part of a Series: Secret Brides

Type of book: Regency, 1816, determination, romance, adult, England, secret pamphlets, earl, wealth

Year it was published: 2013

Summary:

The Thrill Of Escape

Miss Annie Andrews is finally free to marry the man she loves. With her overprotective sister out of the country on her honeymoon, nothing can prevent her flight to Gretna Green—nothing, that is, but an abduction by the wrong gentleman.

The Sweetness Of Surrender

When Jordan Holloway, the Earl of Ashbourne, promised to look after his best friend's sister-in-law, he didn’t realize she would prove so difficult. But when he spirits her away to his country house to prevent her elopement, he discovers that the tempting beauty knows how to put up a fight. To make matters worse, he’s stuck playing the role of honorable protector...when what he really wants is to run away with her himself.

Characters:

Annie is an amazing and interesting heroine. She cares for strays and animals, can drive a team of horses skillfully, creative with organization and money and is also a skillful shot. She is also headstrong and for a particular hero is a pain in a butt. She grows and changes throughout the book through her association with Jordan and emerges as a slightly different character. Jordan likes to spoil Annie and is loyal to friends as well as to love, ironically. He's also described as a rake and is determined not to marry. I think I would have liked to see more of his personality and qualities in the book. Arthur Eggleston is honorable and can be easily bullied into anything. I don't know if its explained in the first book why no one seems to like him, but I'm curious as to why. Annie is also determined on being with Arthur in beginning of the book. Will she succeed? Read and find out.

Theme:

Sometimes the person you least likely expect is the right one

Plot:

This is written in third person narrative from Jordan's and Annie's point of view. The book is full surprises and twists as well as a likable heroine for me. I was actually impressed that the author really made the characters get to know one another before having anything happen to them. Most of the romances have instant love, which isn't bad, but I want to connect to the characters, to understand how and why they fall for one another, and that type of love doesn't allow me to do that. This one, however, although one knows who will end up with whom, the ride isn't easy or mild, and the chemistry builds up between the conversations and incidents that happen make up for a surprising yet amazing journey.

Author Information:
(from goodreads.com)
url
http://www.goodreads.com/Valerie_Bowman

born
The United States

gender
female

website
http://www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com

twitter username
ValerieGBowman

genre
Romance, Historical Fiction

influences
Jane Austen, Judith McNaught, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn

member since
January 2011

About the author:
Valerie Bowman is an award-winning author who writes Regency-set historical romance novels aka Racy Regency Romps!

Valerie writes the Secret Brides series for St. Martin's Press. She has a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in History from Smith College. By day, she is a technical editor at a computer software company. By night, she combines her love of writing, history, and romance to craft stories about people falling in love.

Originally from Rantoul, Illinois, Valerie lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her rascally rescue dog, Roo. When she's not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or watching Downton Abbey and Hoarders.

Visit Valerie on the web at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com.

Opinion:

Normally I'm not a fan of Regency and although I do like romance novels, its rare that I thoroughly enjoy them. Yet the author of this book really knew how hit my enjoyment buttons. The book focused on courtship and tension between the hero and heroine, and I was surprised to find myself falling in love with the heroine and liking her as well. I would have liked to see more of the hero's personality emerge, or at least for him to be as well developed as the heroine. Some scenes I found funny and others pleasantly shocking. The book has good chemistry between the leads, enjoyable dialogue and a pleasant and well rounded heroine who is intent on stirring up gossip. I also liked that they got to know one another before anything happened, which felt really genuine to me. I look forward to more opportunities in reading her books. Even though the book is part of a series, I didn't feel it lacked and it can be read as a stand-alone (I didn't read the prequel by the way.)

Quick notes: I would like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)