Friday, September 15, 2017

Garrett Bravo's Runaway Bride - Christine Rimmer (HSE #2575 - Oct 2017)

Series: Bravos of Justice Creek (Book 8)

Once again, she's running…

When bride-to-be Cami Lockwood finally escapes the clutches of her domineering family, she accidentally stumbles straight into the mountain retreat of the most alluring man she's ever met. Garrett Bravo's never been lucky in love. But that's before a one-of-a-kind heiress rushes headlong onto his doorstep.

But this time, she's running toward something!

Garrett's mother can't resist matchmaking for her relentlessly unavailable son. So what better way to evade her meddling than to pretend that his accidental arrangement with creative, unique Cami is the real thing? Just one catch: he hadn't bargained on falling head over heels for the runaway bride turned woman of his dreams…

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

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