Review: Runaway Girl by Tessa Bailey


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.

The truth is not an option here. There's something about this woman that raises the bar on my protective nature. I get jealous thinking of her with other men. I'm attracted to her like crazy. Fuck it, I like her, even when we're taking swipes at each other. She comes off like an ice princess. Then before I can blink she's soft and kind of silly. Getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon and telling war stories. There's something about her. There's a lot about her. But there isn't a chance in hell I'm telling her any of that.

Tessa Bailey’s newest release had very high expectations to meet in my eyes, thanks to the sheer awesomeness of her publication of Getaway Girl in March, which was romantic comedy gold and one of my favorite reads of 2018. The companion novel, Runaway Girl, which headlines the bride who did the leaving at the beginning of the previous book, turned out to be a fabulous rom-com find for me as well, with a finely written “opposites attract” story and two main characters—plus one snarky teenager—who exchange witty banter while trying to make sense of how their lives are all playing out. You don’t necessarily have to read one book to enjoy the other, but I suggest that you do (in order!), both because they are loosely tied to each other AND simply because they’re fantastic rom-coms that I’d happily and heartily recommend to any of my fellow romance readers.

Naomi Clemons is the epitome of a Southern belle. She’s been born and bred to make her parents proud, to live up to the ideals of what a woman from the South should be like, and to marry to future mayor of their fair city. So, why does she decide to up and leave her own wedding even before she marches down the aisle towards a truly good man and a future that could have been perfectly packaged for someone like her? Well, Naomi hasn’t quite done her fair share of living, and maybe the timing for that urge to do so is all wrong, but her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina is not the place for her if she wants to actually experience anything new. Her quick escape from wedded bliss leads her to St. Augustine, Florida and into the (motor) oily hands of Jason Bristow, a thirty-two-year-old military man in need of a pageant coach for his teenage sister Birdie. Naomi may not have a whole lot of work experience, but this is something she knows she’s equipped for. What she isn’t quite prepared for is butting heads and falling for her new employer.

I loved, loved, LOVED Runaway Girl as much as I did Getaway Girl! I was curious as to what exactly Naomi was off doing while her former fiancĂ©, Elijah Du Pont, and her cousin slash half-sister, Addison Potts, fall promptly in love with each other, and boy, oh boy, she had quite a story to tell and I loved every single bit of it! Naomi and Jason had such amazing chemistry as a couple and they definitely kept one another on their proverbial toes thanks to their verbal sparring, which basically qualifies as foreplay for these two. Add to that Birdie’s own side story and this tale of finding yourself, living your best life, and falling in love hit the spot quite nicely. Five-plus stars! ♥

Release Date: 24 September 2018

Date Read: 23 September 2018

Learn more about Tessa Bailey.

Purchase Runaway Girl on Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo.

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