By: Lauren Layne
Releasing August 22, 2017
Loveswept
Loveswept
Ready to Run
I Do, I Don't series
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: Luke Elliott, a playboy firefighter 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.
Luke started to load up the gear and, realizing he was doing it alone, glanced over his shoulder to see where the hell his partner was.
Unsurprisingly, his friend was chatting up City Girl. Neither Charlie nor Ryan seemed to mind in the least that these two fancy pants had swooped into their town to capitalize on Luke’s past.
What was more surprising was that Jordan Carpenter was chatting right back, her smile seemingly genuine, her laugh real.
Luke ground his teeth.
He couldn’t say he’d put much thought into the woman behind the name as he’d been unceremoniously deleting her emails and voice messages, but if forced to assume, he’d have guessed aggressive shrew.
He suspected he was wrong there. Because while there was no mistaking the ambition in the woman, it wasn’t the cutthroat, ball-busting kind.
Her lean body might be all angles and long lines, but there was a softness to her as well. The way her hair did its own thing. The easiness of her smile, the quick laugh. The small but pert breasts.
Damn. He was staring.
He slammed the door shut. “Bander,” he shouted at Charlie across the lawn. “Let’s clear out.”
Charlie leaned into Jordan, whispering something in her ear that made her laugh, before walking away with a last wink.
Luke rolled his eyes. Really? This was happening?
“Hey, Elliott,” Ryan called. “You want to come over for a barbecue tonight?”
Luke crossed his arms and studied his friend suspiciously, waiting for the catch. “Who’s on the guest list?”
He saw Jordan and her purple-shirt friend exchange a look. Well, that answered that question.
Damn. Ryan never had been able to resist the urge to stir up trouble.
“It’s no problem if you don’t want to join us,” Jordan called out, lifting her hand to shield the afternoon sun from her eyes. “I’m sure your friends here can fill me in on everything there is to know about Luke Elliott.”
All about Luke Elliott’s romantic history was more like it. City Girl wasn’t even pretending to be coy about the reason she was here.
All former positive thoughts about her evaporated. Only the worst sort of human would use another’s failed relationships to advance her own career—for entertainment.
Luke turned away without another word, hauling himself into the driver’s seat of the truck as he waited impatiently for Charlie to get done shouting goodbye to every single person within earshot.
He drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel, refusing to even think about going to the BBQ tonight. If his friends wanted to stir up trouble, they could do so without his cooperation.
As for the two New Yorkers, they’d flame out all on their own. Weren’t East Coasters known for being impatient and fast moving?
Surely they’d be off to find some other glory-seeking asshole if he ignored them. One of the other guys could play the role for all he cared.
As Charlie hauled his ass up, Luke started the truck, his eye catching on Jordan Carpenter, who was watching him with a stubborn, determined look on her pretty face.
Damn it. She’d stir up all sorts of trouble unless he ran interference.
Luke pulled out his phone to text Ryan.
I’ll be there. Have beer.
Charlie leaned over, unabashedly reading Luke’s iPhone screen. “Ha. Knew it.”
“What?” Luke glared at his friend.
Charlie grinned wider, gesturing over his shoulder. “You’ve got a boner for the hot blonde.”
“Are you kidding me with this? She wants me to be the next bachelor.”
How were Ryan and Charlie not getting the absurdity of this?
Charlie shrugged. “So? Maybe it’d be good for you.”
Luke stared at his friend for a moment longer before putting the truck in drive. “The only thing that would be good for me is to push you out of this truck.”
Charlie was waving goodbye to Jordan and Simon. “See you tonight!”
Luke ground his teeth harder. He was already dreading the BBQ, but not going would only make matters worse. Clearly he needed to have a very blunt conversation with Jordan Carpenter.
As
Lauren Layne is one of my go-to authors, It's always exciting to dive
into the first book in a new series; I Do, I Don't.
Jordan Carpenter's thrilled when she finally finds an ideal candidate for Jilted, the reality television show she works on. However, after numerous failed attempts to get any responses from her numerous messages, she has no choice but to travel to Lucky Hollow, Montana to get her bachelor candidate to sign the contract. Only, the man she finally meets isn't what she expected and the small town he lives is a reminder of her background she's spent years trying to forget.
Luke Elliott just wants to live his life how he sees fit. He's definitely not interested in taking part in a reality television show, so feels no guilt for ignoring the barrage of messages the pushy reality producer has been leaving. Yet, when a mystery blonde wearing an inappropriate pair of killer heels turns up where he's working, it irks him that it's the woman responsible for hounding him. So he's shocked when a tiny spark of electricity shoots up his arm and generates a physical reaction when they shake hands. It's unexpected and acts as a catalyst to rethink his current attitude to life.
I was pretty much laughing out loud from the very beginning of this novel. Ms Layne is one of only a handful of authors who's romantic comedy books I find funny. Intelligent humour and witty dialogue are her forte and Ready To Run runs true to her writing style. Captivating from the very beginning, there's an amusing collection of secondary characters who collaborate to push the protagonists together. It's entertaining and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could read them.
The overall feel of the narrative was a pleasant surprise. I've loved all Ms. Layne's sexy heroes in suits, so Luke Elliott; fire-fighter is a gloriously desirable book boyfriend and a caring and compassionate gentleman to boot! His attractiveness is amplified when we discover the guy beneath his notorious reputation is nothing how outsiders perceive him.
Jordan Carpenter's thrilled when she finally finds an ideal candidate for Jilted, the reality television show she works on. However, after numerous failed attempts to get any responses from her numerous messages, she has no choice but to travel to Lucky Hollow, Montana to get her bachelor candidate to sign the contract. Only, the man she finally meets isn't what she expected and the small town he lives is a reminder of her background she's spent years trying to forget.
Luke Elliott just wants to live his life how he sees fit. He's definitely not interested in taking part in a reality television show, so feels no guilt for ignoring the barrage of messages the pushy reality producer has been leaving. Yet, when a mystery blonde wearing an inappropriate pair of killer heels turns up where he's working, it irks him that it's the woman responsible for hounding him. So he's shocked when a tiny spark of electricity shoots up his arm and generates a physical reaction when they shake hands. It's unexpected and acts as a catalyst to rethink his current attitude to life.
I was pretty much laughing out loud from the very beginning of this novel. Ms Layne is one of only a handful of authors who's romantic comedy books I find funny. Intelligent humour and witty dialogue are her forte and Ready To Run runs true to her writing style. Captivating from the very beginning, there's an amusing collection of secondary characters who collaborate to push the protagonists together. It's entertaining and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could read them.
The overall feel of the narrative was a pleasant surprise. I've loved all Ms. Layne's sexy heroes in suits, so Luke Elliott; fire-fighter is a gloriously desirable book boyfriend and a caring and compassionate gentleman to boot! His attractiveness is amplified when we discover the guy beneath his notorious reputation is nothing how outsiders perceive him.
Jordan
is the epitome of an LL heroine; polished, sassy and very ambitious.
When the two protagonists
combine,
the result is combustible chemistry.
Any fans of Lauren Layne will love this novel and it's perfect for new fans to discover the delights of LL's writing too. Ready To Run is fast paced, amusing and I can't wait to delve into future books in this series.
***arc generously received courtesy of Loveswept via NetGalley***
Any fans of Lauren Layne will love this novel and it's perfect for new fans to discover the delights of LL's writing too. Ready To Run is fast paced, amusing and I can't wait to delve into future books in this series.
***arc generously received courtesy of Loveswept via NetGalley***
RUNAWAY GROOM (Book 2)
JUST RUN WITH IT (Book 3)
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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