Book Review Friday - Runaway Bride

Book Review for “Runaway Bride”
Written by: Rita Hestand
Desert Breeze Publishing
ISBN: 1-936000-33-4
Ebook Format
$5.99
4 Stars

Hestand crafts a sweet, poignant romance about the power of love in her latest release, “Runaway Bride.” Savannah Kingsley comes from a rich family, but she has a lot to learn about herself and love before she’s ready to get married.

Hestand drops the reader in the middle of Savannah’s problems. Her BMW breaks down in the middle of rural Texas and she’s forced to hop on a bus to get to the next town after skipping out on her own wedding. Enter Ben Hogg. As he watches Savannah get on the bus his attraction is immediate. Despite Savannah’s disheveled appearance Ben offers to help her.

Savannah stays with Ben until she’s able to put together a short-term plan with what she wants to do with her life. Despite their strong attraction, Savannah and Ben both have trust issues. Can Ben tame Savannah’s restless heart, or will he break it into a thousand pieces?

The plot moves at a nice clip, slowing down in just the right places to let the reader breathe. Savannah is a likable heroine and I like the thought put into her name – evoking a southern royalty feel. It gives insight into her character. Savannah’s parents have done almost everything for her from paying for college, getting her a job, and even picking out the man she was going to marry. Savannah’s shock at finding her fiancé with someone else on her wedding day is just the stimulus she needs to take charge of her life and her discoveries are discoveries readers can identify and sympathize with.

Ben is also a likable hero. As the sheriff of Junction, he’s honest, genuine, and cares about the people he serves. Hestand brings out complexities in subtle ways. He likes flowers which shows a softer side to him, yet his ex-wife hurt him badly. Ben embodies the quintessential southern lawman right down to his name. Hestand has painted rich characters in “Runaway Bride” and it shows.

Hestand’s writing style is easy to read and leaves the reader flipping the pages wanting to find out what happens next. The heat factor is “sweet” to “sensual,” ranging from steamy kisses to seductive touches which are tastefully done.

Hestand does a good job with her dialogue. It moves the story forward and feels genuine. “Runaway Bride” doesn’t run from anything. It’s a journey about discovery and the things Savannah learns about herself are heartwarming, heart breaking, and real. Overall, “Runaway Bride” is a solid character driven romance.