I really liked Cammi. She was a free-spiret, poor Garret never knew what hit him.

The cover shows a prefect bride, not the bedraggled mess Cammi was when they 1st met. ( )

Garrett Bravo’s Runaway Bride by Christine Rimmer is a 2017 Harlequin Special Edition Publication.

Sweet and sexy with an empowering message!

Nothing will get your attention faster than a woman showing up at your mountain cabin in a tattered wedding dress, sporting a black eye and covered with bruises.

Garrett thought he was seeing things at first, but Cami Lockwood was no apparition. She’s a runaway bride hoping to break free and live her life on her own terms. But from the first moment their eyes met, the two became fast friends. But, they both know there is something stronger and more powerful growing between them, they just need the courage to embrace it.

"I mean, you may not really be able to love someone at first sight. But, you can know if you could love them. You can see the potential. And I would take it even further. I would say when it comes to love, sometimes your heart just knows.”

Garrett’s backstory is so sad, and he carries unnecessary guilt and not a small amount of fear about falling in love.

Can Garrett overcome his tragic experiences with love and open his heart to the delightfully whimsical woman who waltzed in and changed his entire life?

I loved Cami right away. She had the courage to do something many people wouldn’t or couldn’t manage to pull off. Before her life became a big, sad mess, she took charge, albeit at the last minute, and never looked back.

Of course, it helped that she had Garrett to give her a place to lay low for a while, while she figured things out. But, more than that, Garrett was her support system and her friend. He didn’t pressure her or judge her, he just let her figure things out in her own way, in her own time.

The secondary thread involving Garrett’s mother was humorous, but also showed character growth and how people can change and decide to right some wrongs as a result. I ended up really liking Garrett’s mother and thought Cami’s open, non-judgmental approach went a long way towards healing old wounds.

But, the story also has a serious tone on occasion, as well as a rousing and inspirational theme, especially when Cami finally has a face to face showdown with the person who has been controlling her life for far too long. Will Cami stand her ground or will she bow to pressure?

I think the message here is an important one. Bullying comes in many forms, as does controlling behavior and manipulations. Running is so much easier than facing the pressure, but standing up for oneself is so empowering, which is what I liked most about this story.

Rimmer has a knack for telling heartfelt emotional stories, with a nice balance between sweet and sexy and always writes the most perfectly romantic endings. She always leaves me with one of those big goofy smiles on my face.

I really enjoyed this story a lot and highly recom ( )

I loved this book. Garrett is one of the quiet Bravos. He's co-owner of Bravo Construction and something of a workaholic. With most of his siblings now married, his mother has set her sights on getting him married too. Garrett was married once before, and it didn't work out. As a result, he avoids relationships like the plague. To escape his mother's matchmaking efforts, he has retreated to his mountain cabin for some peace and quiet. He did not expect a vision in white to appear out of the woods.

Cami is on the run. She has left the fiancé forced on her by family expectations at the altar, determined finally to live her life the way she wants to. Run off the road on an isolated mountain road; she tramps through the woods until she stumbles on Garrett and his cabin.

I was hooked from the moment Cami showed up at Garrett's cabin. He is bowled over by her beauty and her irrepressible attitude and utterly bewildered by her refusal to let him get help for her. I loved their conversation as she explained how she got to that point, and he confesses to hiding from his mom. Cami insists on staying with him until it's time for him to go home and he can't tell her no. He's not sure why, but he likes her. She makes him laugh and forget about his problems.

I loved Cami. She's honest about her issues of running away when frustration gets to be too much, and about caving into her family's pressure. I loved her determination to finally be free of it and live the life she wants - as soon as she figures out what it is.

I also loved Garrett. He has some issues of his own, thanks to the weirdness of his childhood and the events of his marriage. He really believes that he sucks at relationships. He still has lingering resentment over his mother's actions when he was a kid, though his relationships with all his siblings are good now. He is also kind and caring.

The development of their relationship was pretty sweet. The attraction between Garrett and Cami was immediate and strong, and so was their connection outside the attraction. During the first couple days, while at the cabin, they talked a lot and found so much in common. Cami falls hard and fast for Garrett but knows that he's nowhere close to feeling the same. All that he knows is that he doesn't like the idea of her leaving, so he talks her into staying with him. He is also very protective of her. I loved the scene where her ex-fiancé comes to see her and Garrett hovers in the background. Cami's time with Garrett and his support of her and her dreams gives her the confidence to stand up to Charles's bullying - and having Garrett there for backup doesn't hurt either. As their attraction builds to its ultimate explosion, Cami's feelings for Garrett continue to grow, and that's just the icing on the cake. But Garrett is a bit freaked out by how right it feels to have her there with him. He doesn't see it ending well because, you know, he sucks at relationships. I loved Cami's attempts to be patient and let him figure out his feelings, but eventually, she has to face the truth. I ached for them both when she sat him down and confessed her feelings, he panicked, and she left. Now he has to find a way to stop hiding from his feelings and overcome his fears, and help comes from an unexpected source. I loved his big moment at the end. It was sweet and romantic.

There are also some interesting family dynamics going on during this book. First and foremost are Cami's issues with her father's expectations and bullying. I ached for her over his unwillingness to let her live the life she wanted. I thought she was amazingly understanding about it, even as she tried to break free. The dinner that she and Garrett went to at her parents' house was incredible. I loved that Garrett's presence gave her the confidence to say what she had to. I wanted to smack her father often, and especially at the end. There was an unexpected twist involving Cami's mother that I really loved. We also get more of the saga of Willow Bravo and the effect she had on all the siblings' lives. There is a fair amount of interaction that involves Cami and her attempts to help Garrett through his issues with his mother. There's one scene near the end with the entire family that upends everything that they thought they knew about Willow. It was interesting to see everyone's reactions.

*copy received in exchange for honest review ( )