One runaway bride. One grumpy billionaire. One small town that changes everything.
Rosey
I never thought I’d be a runaway bride. But when it came down to it, I just couldn’t marry the wrong man.
So, I ran.
And somehow, I ended up in Star Falls, Colorado—stranded, no luggage, no plan—in a wedding dress with a past I’d rather forget.
Fate lands me in the only available rental in town, a cozy little cabin… right next door to Byron Miller, the brooding billionaire who wants nothing to do with me. Or this town.Byron
I left Star Falls years ago, along with every mistake. Now I’m back, determined to build a legacy that might just rewrite my past.
The last thing I need is a distraction—especially not one like the runaway bride that moved in next door. She has too many secrets and a smile so wide, I just can’t look away.
But no matter how hard I try to keep my distance, there’s something about her, that refuses to be ignored.
Snow falls. Sparks fly. Late-night porch talks turn into something more, something neither of us expected. But Rosey’s past isn’t far behind, and my future here is hanging by a thread.
She’s just passing through. I’m trying not to put down roots. But Star Falls, Colorado has its own plan.A standalone romance, perfect for fans of small-town romance, sizzling chemistry, and fresh starts.
TW – Cruelly manipulative parent. Parent who was addicted to gambling
Dear Ms. Bay,
One of our readers, LML, recommended this to me (in a discussion on Bettie Neels) and I’m delighted it worked so well for me. I think it’s part of a series, or a new series off-shoot, but that wasn’t a problem except maybe for the epilogue which turned into ‘reunion at the old home NYC penthouse.’ Readers can dive right in with this book.
There is a lot packed into this story. Years ago Byron fled and Rosey is now trying to flee from their pasts. Both had constricting childhoods and both realize they need to get past the past. Byron has become a self-made billionaire (no indication how and he’s only in his mid-ish thirties) while Rosey is actually a run-away bride complete with wedding dress who arrives in the small town where Byron grew up and has returned to open a lavish resort. Events keep shoving them together until they come to terms with what they need to come to terms with. Self-discovery and subtle humor, here they come.
The book opens with Rosey on her wedding day, desperate to escape the life her manipulative mother (a true bitch) is forcing Rosey into. Mama has trained her daughters like the East German Stasi. Do what I say, hand over your paychecks, rat each other out to get back in my good graces, and don’t think of defying me. Except Rosey does and now finds herself having to make decisions in life for herself. When she reaches Star Falls and discovers that she’s almost out of money and all the local hotels have been rented, she does accept the offer from a local for a place to stay. She’s not a nitwit though and first thinks that if he’s a serial killer, enough people have seen them together that he’ll go to jail.
Byron high-tailed it out of Star Falls after his gambling addict father mortgaged and lost the farm. Despite building a billionaire focused resort here, he’s wary of going into town because it’s a small town and everyone knows everyone’s business and no one can have forgotten what happened and how he left. He’s providing local jobs but he needs to make good with the locals who seem standoff-ish. Then this bewildered bride arrives and he finds himself feeling responsible for renting out every local accommodation for his work staff so he offers her a (separate) place to stay.
Soon these two are thrown together even more when Rosey gets a job but needs to stay in these accommodations.
“I have a favor to ask you, actually,” I say. “Well, at least, I think it’s you I need to ask.”
“I see. The hot chocolate is a bribe, is it?”
I snap my head around, horrified. “No!” Of course not,” I say.
He smiles at me. “It would take more than a mug of hot chocolate to bribe me.”
I narrow my eyes, thinking what I could add to sweeten the deal. “What if I told you I have marshmallows?”
“Damn,” he says, fisting his hands. “I thought I could resist. Whatever you need, Rosey. It’s yours.”
The two begin talking early on and several things that in other books would be the cause of a third act break-up are taken care of early. Byron learns that Rosey was set to marry a man she didn’t love just because he was rich but also learns that Rosey didn’t want to, that she called off the wedding because she knew it was a mistake, and that it was her mother who wanted the security the marriage would have brought. It quickly becomes clear that Rosey has never been allowed the chance to make her own decisions but that this is something she wants and needs to do.
“It sounds like you escaped a future you didn’t want. That’s not selfish. It’s self-preservation.”
“You say that like you know how that feels, too.”
Meanwhile, Byron is still flustered trying to get the town on his side but discovers that Rosey’s got great ideas to help with that. And he’s willing to help take on the care of a stray cat that Rosey’s “adopted” when Athena deigns to allow it.
Yay that none of their issues are resolved too fast. These are lifelong things and to completely work them out will take time. Rosey begins to live the life she wants, makes her own decisions, and faces her past to resolve it and put it behind her. She tries to help her sisters but is wise enough to see that she can’t take over and tell them what to do or she’d just be a kinder version of her mother. She makes her past wrongs right before moving on with her future. She also doesn’t try to latch onto wealthy Byron as she’s lived with a rich man making the choices and doesn’t plan to let that happen again.
Byron slowly comes to see that this small town he ditched hasn’t ditched him. He’s one of them and they will welcome him back while also noting everything he does, especially with Rosey who they also adopt. Byron’s friends also give him good advice about laying his past ghosts to rest so he can move forward with his life.
Something passes between us. Maybe it’s an understanding that we’re not whoever’s hurt us in the past.”
One thing I wasn’t expecting is for Byron and Rosey to start having smoking hot sex so early in their relationship given Rosey’s past and the fact that Byron is her boss. They do try and maintain a distance in public but come on, small towns and workplaces catch onto things quickly. Still it’s Rosey who makes the first move on Byron so she is taking charge of her choices.
What I really love overall is that the book shows adult people thinking their way through their problems and making considered decisions and choices. Plus the humor. I didn’t roll my eyes or think here comes that trope again. Let me tell you, it was pleasant. B+
~Jayne
AmazonBNKoboBook DepositoryGoogle
Related
Jayne
Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.
