Ready to Run (I Do I Don't #1)by Lauren Layne
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Synopsis:
The Bachelor meets The Runaway Bride in this addictive romance novel about a reality TV producer falling for her would-be star: a Montana heartthrob who wants nothing to do with the show.
Jordan Carpenter thinks she’s finally found the perfect candidate for Jilted, a new dating show about runaway grooms: firefighter Luke Elliott, a known player who’s left not one but three brides at the altar. The only problem? Luke refuses to answer Jordan’s emails or return her calls. Which is how she ends up on a flight to Montana to recruit him in person. It’s not Manhattan, but at least the locals in Lucky Hollow seem friendly . . . except for Luke, who’s more intense—and way hotter—than the slick womanizer Jordan expected.
Eager to put the past behind him, Luke has zero intention of following this gorgeous, fast-talking city girl back to New York. But before he can send her packing, Jordan’s everywhere: at his favorite bar, the county fair, even his exes’ book club. Annoyingly, everyone in Lucky Hollow seems to like her—and deep down, she’s starting to grow on him too. But the more he fights her constant pestering, the more Luke finds himself wishing that Jordan would kick off her high heels and make herself comfortable in his arms.
Review:
Ready to Run was absolutely adorable and so much fun! It reminded me all over again why I fall so hard for Lauren Layne books. I always want to be bff with the girl, I fall madly in love with the boy, and there’s a group of friends that I would love to have in my life. Plus the pages are filled with fabulous banter and a storyline that captures my heart. It always makes for the perfect romance book that I can easily get lost in. So if you adore small town charm, a couple that goes from hate to love, and characters that leap off the pages, then you should definitely give Ready to Run a try!
“Wait, Luke.”
He paused but didn’t turn around.
“You know I’m right about everyone wanting you to do this show. Why is that?”
His shoulders tensed even more than they already were.
But the only answer she got was the slam of her front door shutting behind him.
Jordan Carpenter is on her way to hopefully snag the guy that will star in her new reality tv show. It’s called Jilted and while it’s similar to The Bachelor, the main guy has been a runaway groom. And the guy she’s after, Luke Elliott, has left three women at the alter. When I read that I was completely perplexed. Especially when we witness how much the whole town loves him. Plus did I mention that he is a firefighter?! Ugh, so hot! So I was more than intrigued! From the first few pages the storyline felt unique and I already loved all of the characters. I just knew that the rest of this book was going to be a huge hit for me!
“Have you?” She smiled back. “Saved a cat?”
He winced and looked away and she gasped. “Oh my gosh, you have, haven’t you? You’ve saved a freaking cat. You couldn’t be more perfect if you tried.”
His eyes locked on hers, and Jordan backpedaled . “Not perfect for me. I meant for the show. . . .”
It was the wrong thing to say.
Jordan and her colleague/friend, Simon, easily made connections to the people that lived in Luke’s quaint little town. It was so heartwarming to see how welcoming they were to them. And as Jordan slowly met Luke’s friends, I was happy to see that they truly wanted Luke to do the show. Yet there’s a huge snag, which of course had me grinning. Luke’s dead set on not being a part of the show, and not liking Jordan. Even though he feels an attraction to her. And he’s not the only one fighting it, because Jordan feels it towards him too. Thankfully we got to alternate between Luke and Jordan, so I could see all of their thoughts about one another. I’m a huge fan of a dual-narrative! Especially since the sexual tension between Jordan and Luke was mixed with banter, and that made for some explosive scenes. I had to know what they were thinking!
The more they touched, the more they wanted, the longer they kissed, the harder it was to stop.
And it had to stop. This was . . .
Luke’s mouth moved from her lips to trail down her neck, and her head fell back with a gasp.
Madness. This was madness and irresponsible, and . . .
Career suicide.
Luke’s hand was on her waist, sliding up over her rib cage . . .
If you’re wondering if Jordan is too pushy with Luke, the answer is definitely no. I mean, yes she moves into his town and infiltrates his life. Yet it doesn’t really feel like that since she establishes real friendships with so many of the town’s people. And she backs off from Luke too. But looking back, I think it all worked so perfectly because Jordan is this warm, friendly, person whereas Luke could be at times grumpy, standoffish and a jerk (that’s my favorite kinda guy, in case you didn’t know lol). Oh, I couldn’t help but love him when he was a jerk…..there’s just something so addicting about a relationship that has animosity. I root that much harder for them! And the way it all ended?! So many happy tears were streaming down my face. This book made me so elated and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to all of the new friends I made. So yes, I definitely recommend Ready to Run! Here’s hoping you love it as much as I do!
“We’re not sticking around here,” Jordan explained. “We’re about to storm a firehouse.”
Simon rested a hand across his chest. “Oh sweet Jesus, I think I might faint. Do you think I could talk one of them into wearing just the suspender things, no shirt?”
PS I loved, loved, loved Jordan’s colleague and friend Simon. The friendship between them had me smiling and laughing and he was such a fabulous person to have in this book! It made me desperately want to have a novella just about him!
*ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing – Loveswept via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
| Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) |
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 Ready to Run #1 Reviews: Jen |  Runaway Groom #2 |  Just Run With It #3 |
About The Author:
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.
Giveaway:
Yay!! A return to 5-star ratings for Lauren Layne!!!
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Right?! I was SO nervous after the wedding trilogy BUT this book was exactly why I love LL! It was fabulous, sexy and so much fun!
Oh my this sounds like a fun read! I’m glad you loved it! I already have this in my kindle and I hope I’ll get to read it soon. Nice review, Jen! 🙂
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Here’s hoping you have tons of fun reading it too!
Nice review Jen! This sounds cute.💁🏻
It’s such a super cute read! It made me wish I was at the beach, listening to the waves and enjoying the sunshine while I was reading about this adorable town. While meeting all the characters in it I couldn’t help but love.
Thank you so much for sharing your lovely review!!
You’re welcome!