Lauren Layne does it again with this newest series. A grumpy jilted groom and the girl who is supposed to make him appear on TV to make everyone swoon over him. What a fun read! The sizzling chemistry these two had had !me flipping pages impatiently waiting for their first kiss! LL has a knack for making you fall for the main characters and the side characters, but my favorite thing about all her books is how believable they are. The way she writes makes the characters love so natural like you couldn't imagine them with anyone else. Another 5 stars for LL! I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Lauren Layne gives her characters complex emotional backstories which always pay off without feeling forced. This is my second book by Layne and I was floored by how invested she got me in the first one I picked up so I jumped at the chance to read this new series which, let's be honest, has one heck of a premise, "The Bachelor meets The Runaway Bride."

I wasn't sure what to expect plot-wise but Layne quickly created a world in this small town and I hope we return to it (although everyone there seems pretty much paired up so it might not be the setting for future books in the series). Things played out slowly with the two main characters dancing around each other: Jordan Carpenter, who desperately wants a small-town firefighter to star in a reality show about runaway grooms finding love, and Luke Elliott, the aforementioned firefighter who wants no part of it. Every plot point that seems a little off - why is everyone in this small town trying to force this poor man to agree to do a reality show he'll clearly hate? what is up with all these ex-brides he's still friendly with? - are there for a reason, typical of Layne. She doesn't start a plate spinning and then abandon it.

I do wish Jordan and Luke talked a little bit more about their emotional baggage once it's out in the open. They both have "probably need therapy"-level issues which Layne doesn't pretend are fixed just because they've found each other, which I appreciate, but they aren't fully developed at the end either.

Overall I liked these people and this world and that alone will have me looking for the next book.

Jordan Carpenter is a TV producer sent to get the perfect star for a reality TV show which is supposed to rival with the Bachelor. The concept is that the guy who the girls compete for has run away from a wedding before. Which is perfect since Luke hasn’t run from one wedding but three.
So Jordan goes to the small town Luke lives in, but Luke has no interest in being on TV.
The attraction between them is immediate, even though they both fight it as much as they can.

I have read every single book Lauren Layne has written and I have loved them all.
I was looking forward to reading this book series ever since I first heard about it. The concept was intriguing and I’m always looking forward to books set in the TV or cinema world.
Though this was hardly about it after all, it didn’t disappoint.
I really liked the whole chemistry between the characters and the characters themselves, especially Jordan who was very loveable and so very feisty.
I’m really looking forward to the next books in this series.

Rating: ★★★★

Trope: Small town romance

Chemistry: Off the charts Scorchio

One-Sentence Summary: City Girl meets Small Town boyLauren Layne - Luke

Review: Goodreads tells me this is the 18th Lauren Layne romance I’ve read and I’m sure that it’s the first one that hasn’t been set in a big city.

The small town element was a nice change of pace and proves that no matter where Layne sets her novels she nails the atmosphere perfectly. I loved meeting the residents of Lucky Hollow and watching the city girl fall in love with the place.

The set up of the romance – TV Producer falling for the guy she is trying to rope into being the star of a reality dating show – is not one I think I’ve read before and I loved the dynamic between Jordan and Luke and the reluctant attraction between them.

Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop until, just like Jordan, you’ve discovered the truth about Luke’s romantic history. This is a shortish book (compared to Nora Roberts-type sagas) and I am sure most fellow LL fans will end up devouring it in one setting.

Can’t wait for more in this series!

'Ready to Run' is sort of a spinoff take on The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, only that it ups the stakes for the guy in question in a new reality tv series that is touted to get the whole world talking. He has to be a runaway groom (which, by extension, means he's probably a playboy who truly sweats at commitment) who's going to find his true love on screen and be tied down as millions of eyes watch.

In this case, Luke Elliott is Jordan Carpenter's target, and he's so elusive that she has to fly all the way to a small town in Montana just to pitch her case. It's a difficult return to small town life for her, though it's way harder for Luke, whose 3 'failed' altar runs aren't exactly what they seem at all.

I'll admit that from the beginning, Lauren Layne's premise of this particular reality show was, well, a distasteful one to begin with - at least in the way I think of the trashy series that just goes on and on. It's a shallow, mocking spectacle out of relationships, catering (mostly) to people who want their 15 seconds of fame and aren't afraid to do anything to get it. But I am sort of at the point where I'll pick up some books of Layne's just so I can read the banter as well as some surprisingly heart-stopping moments that she's known to write.

Consequently, there were parts I liked, and others that I didn't as I struggled through several scenes. Characterisation was unfortunately, one of those. Luke's nuanced backstory and his standup nature became clear as the story went on (and as I'd suspected, there was a lot more to those 3 altar failures than met the eye) and it was easy to root for Luke's HEA, though the town's methods of going about it were questionable and annoying. That he didn't want to give an inch to Jordan was, frankly, his right and prerogative and I was glad to see that he stood by his own principles as much as he could.

On the other hand, I found Jordan extremely dislikable, and her intent to sell out Luke's personal plight made her embodiment of reality tv in all its ugly glory as she canvassed the whole town for his back story when it was clear he didn't want a thing to do with the show at all. The lack of respect she refused to give Luke as she relentlessly pried into his life was abominable and the many insulating layers that she'd put between herself and Luke made it difficult to think that the 'connection' between them was anything but skin deep.

The long and short of it really, is that 'Ready to Run' has been a mixed bag for me. Despite my qualms about Jordan, Layne quite nicely wraps up the whole ugly scenario without shortchanging either protagonist in a way that leaves you unsatisfied. That Luke and Jordan can walk into their sunset by the time the epilogue rolls around is quite the restoration of my tentative faith in this series, which I hope can only get better.

Lauren Layne's books are the perfect mix of humor, heart and heat. We always buy her for our library.

As with every story Ms Layne writes, Luke and Jordan's story, the first in the new I Do, I Don't series, is touching, romantic, with drama and a touch of intrigue thrown in...a truly winning combination. The couple evokes an emotional connection with readers that is trademark Lauren Layne...sure to create a heartwarming reaction.

There is a vulnerability and kindness to Luke that touched me deeply. The Firefighter who has so many layers under the surface, and such goodness overall, that it was difficult to let the emotions not take over, without including Jordan's hidden pain to their story. The two of them created for me such a deep attachment to their story, that it was hard to let go at the end.

This story is the gateway to a series that is sure to touch each reader as this author's other series preceding I Do, I Don't have. I look forward to the next book in the series, I'm sure it'll be just as captivating as this first one was.

This ARC book was a complimentary copy provided by the Publisher and Netgally, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Lauren Layne is one of my go-to authors! I absolutely love everything she writes, and this book is no exception! I loved the story, the chemistry between Jordan and Luke, and mostly I loved Luke (because how could I not?)! The side characters were awesome, and I want to know more about all of them! A great start to the series!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Jordan works for a reality TV production company, whose latest idea is for a show featuring a likeable, decent guy who has repeatedly left women at the altar, but who is now ready to marry one of the carefully chosen candidates (yes, really). Jordan and Simon (the company lawyer, a character for whom the author apparently decided being gay was enough of a personality – I did not believe for one moment that he was a lawyer, for example) travel to a small town in Montana so Jordan can persuade Luke to star in the show. Luke has apparently jilted three brides at the altar, but has no interest at all in appearing on television. Jordan decides to rent a house in the town so she can devote more time to persuading him.

There was so much about this set up that staggered me:

1. We are supposed to accept as our heroine some one prepared to exploit people in this way (I am not a fan of reality TV!)? Luke is “stubborn as hell” because he won’t participate? Or is he rather normal? Or sane?
2. This is really a viable idea? Why would a likeable, decent man repeatedly jilt women on their wedding days?
3. A production company would really pour as much money and effort as this into persuading one particular candidate to participate?

Then there were things along the way that grated on me:

1. The overuse of the word “adorable”.
2. The idea that small town and big city people are two distinct tribes with different cultures and morals; small town people being the ones who eat meat, dress badly, never wear stilettoes and know nothing about skincare or hair products. Small towns also seem to consist of a cohesive friendship unit with one mind on things like “what is best for Luke”.
3. The way we always have to know what Jordan is wearing (and on one occasion, details of the make up she has applied).
4. Jordan basically stalks Luke, won’t take no for an answer, inserts herself into his friendship group – is this acceptable?

But… things did pick up towards the end and I thought the final few chapters wrapped things up nicely. Jordan’s backstory was not the one I was expecting and made the HEA more believable. The true stories behind each of Luke’s failed engagements were revealed gradually and I found them convincing.

I struggled though the first half, but was enjoying it by the end.

I always lose a night’s sleep whenever a new Lauren Layne books hits my kindle shelves and READY TO RUN was no exception to my insomnia! I stayed up all night to finish it because I simply could not put it down.

Billed as the next level to the reality tv show the Bachelor, JILTED will depict that old romance trope the runaway bride with a twist – it’s going to be the groom who leaves the girls at the alter and show producer Jordan Carpenter is determined to find the perfect runaway bridegroom. She thinks she has in Montana firefighter Luke Elliot.

After reading a tiny article on his doomed love life, Jordan heads to Montana to get her made-for-reality-tv guy. Only problem? Luke wants absolutely nothing to do with reality tv, the money Jordan’s throwing at him, or even Jordan herself. But our little network girl is determined. So determined she rents a house for a month just so she can – hopefully – wear Luke down.

Who wears who down is the basis for the story. Seems Luke has some secrets about his doomed past love life – secrets the whole town knows. Jordan is determined to find the truth behind those secrets but while she does, she’ll have to keep her heart protected because Luke may not be the perfect groom ( in her mind) but he’s certainly the perfect man- for her.

No spoilers here – and there are a few! Just know that a Lauren Layne book is like your favorite cookie – you can never have just one and you’ll want to finish the whole batch in one sitting!

5 well deserved stars for a night of missed sleep and a fabulous book!