Ready to Run (I Do, I Don’t: Book 1) by Lauren Layne

Title: Ready to Run

Author: Lauren Layne

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: August 22nd, 2017

Genre: Humor, Romance

POV: 3rd person

Series: I Do, I Don’t

Ready to Run – Book 1

Runaway Groom – Book 2

Just Run With It – Book 3

Where you can find Ready to Run: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The Bachelor meets The Runaway Bride in this addictive romance novel about a reality TV producer falling for her would-be star: a Montana heartthrob who wants nothing to do with the show.

Jordan Carpenter thinks she’s finally found the perfect candidate for Jilted, a new dating show about runaway grooms: Luke Elliott, a playboy firefighter who’s left not one but three brides at the altar. The only problem? Luke refuses to answer Jordan’s emails or return her calls. Which is how she ends up on a flight to Montana to recruit him in person. It’s not Manhattan but at least the locals in Lucky Hollow seem friendly . . . except for Luke, who’s more intense—and way hotter—than the slick womanizer Jordan expected.

Eager to put the past behind him, Luke has zero intention of following this gorgeous, fast-talking city girl back to New York. But before he can send her packing, Jordan’s everywhere: at his favorite bar, the county fair, even his exes’ book club. Annoyingly, everyone in Lucky Hollow seems to like her—and deep down, she’s starting to grow on him too. But the more he fights her constant pestering, the more Luke finds himself wishing that Jordan would kick off her high heels and make herself comfortable in his arms.

Trigger Warning: None

My review:

In the market for a light, humorous and romantic read. Then pick up Ready to Run. Trust me, you will not be disappointed by this book. I giggled from page one and this book did something that most romance/humor books don’t do to me….got belly laughs. Between Jordan and Simon’s witty banter to the townspeople of Lucky Hollow pushing Luke into accepting Jordan’s offer, I was amused almost the whole book.

The plotline of Ready to Run was very interesting and I could actually see a TV show like Jilted being picked up by a network. I thought it was pretty interesting at the lengths Jordan was prepared to go to have Luke agree to star on the show. I mean, she was willing to go track down his ex-fiancees to get the dirty about why Luke was a runaway groom. She even rented a house in town just to be close to him and hopefully wear him down.

The nuances of small-town life were perfectly captured also. It made me want to pack up and move to such a town. I live in a smallish city (population around 40k) and I have always wondered what it would be like to live in a small town where everyone knew everyone. I thought it was hilarious that the townspeople were not only siding with Jordan but were also trying to play matchmaker between them.

I liked Jordan. She was sassy, thought on her feet and wasn’t afraid to show or tell Luke what she thought of him. Her backstory was very sad…when she got around to revealing it. She loved the city….with all of its hustle and bustle but secretly wanted to live in a small town again. I think she fell in love with Lucky Hollow before she fell for Luke. The only thing that I didn’t like about her was that she did come off as almost teenagerish at points in the book. But that is such a small detail to the book and overall, she was a pretty fleshed out character.

Luke, I liked but I found it a little hard to connect with him. Understandably, he didn’t want to take about his ex’s but he was really rude to Jordan. He even called her a vulture at one point in the book. But, he did have a reason for being a jerk and it was really sad. Let’s just say that it involves his best friend and his ex and leave it at that. But I did end up liking him towards the end of the book. He did something very unexpected that gave me warm fuzzy feelings inside.

I do have to give a shout out to the secondary characters in Ready to Run. They truly made this book. While Luke and Jordan did a great job on the romance angle, it was the secondary characters that really fleshed the book out. I could only wish to have a best friend as supportive as Simon or ex’s as great as Hailey and Stacey or a family member who wasn’t afraid to tell you how it was like Tawny and all of the other characters.

The romance between Luke and Jordan wasn’t a slow-burn and it did have a touch of Instalove. But it was cute to watch them both fight it and then give in. And when they gave in….the sex was hot. What I liked is that the sex wasn’t overly descriptive (and don’t get me wrong, I like that but sometimes a change of pace is needed) and you got to use your imagination as what happened between the sheets.

The end of the book was perfect and I loved the epilogue. If I was Jordan, I would have been nervous too. Want to know what I’m talking about….read the book!!

How many stars will I give Ready to Run: 4

Why: great storyline, great characters, and a sweet romance

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language and sex

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**