After running from the alter, William “Will” Pemberton must find Gabriella Baressi and push her to go back on the alter, back to his brother. But, unbeknownst to him, he finds that Gabi isn’t the woman he thought she was. As Gabi and Will find themselves stuck with each other, something romantic begins to bloom between each other.

I gave Scandal and the Runaway Bride 3.5 stars, enjoying the growth of Will and Gabi’s relationship. It was a fast relationship, one that developed over the span of a few weeks. Will and Gabi were cute together but I just felt that their relationship went too fast and just felt underdeveloped. I felt that they didn’t have time to develop any deeper feelings. This was span of maybe a few weeks and I just felt that there was really a lack of communication or even time for them to spend. They fell in love so fast, it almost seemed like they didn’t have time to even find out whether they were deep in love or simply loving the idea of them being together.

While this was a fun read, I just felt that this instant love connection Will and Gabi had was just too much for me. There was so little time and while I mentioned this above, I just felt that only a few weeks was too short of a time for the two of them to be fall in love and come to understanding that they wanted to spend their life together.

I felt that overall, their relationship felt wrong and just a lack of chemistry and in the end, the relationship did feel forced.

All in all, I gave this 3.5 stars, enjoying the overall book. Thank you again to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Scandal and the Runaway Bride by Donna Alward
Heirs to the Empire #1

Exactly what one looks for when reading a Harlequin Romance! It might be formulaic but just what one expects, and it was also a great deal of fun. The runaway bride, the reason she ran, the way the other brother doing his part to help out family and prevent scandal fell for the runaway in a way the groom-to-be couldn’t and wouldn’t and then there was a lot of family to provide support, criticism, drama and more and of course…there was the romance and kisses and a little bit more. True love in such books in not usually smooth sailing so there were also obstacles to overcome and both Will and Gabi did so by the end of the story. I am curious about who will be next up in the series and also wonder if the groom, Stephen, will ever get it together. I enjoyed this book and thought it was good fun if not terribly deep…and during a pandemic…just the right amount of escape.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Thank you NetGalley, HARLEQUIN and Donna Alward for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
When Will Pemberton learns his brother’s bride-to-be has run out on his on their wedding day, he is furious. Their family reputation is too important to let this woman ruin it and he’s determined to find her and talk some sense into her. What he didn’t expect was to fall for her. Gabi Baresi makes the rash decision to leave her fiance on her wedding day for one reason: she wanted to find love.
This was a sweet, romantic love story between two star crossed lovers. This was a fast read and I was able to finish the book in one sitting once I really got into it. While some moments were a little cheesy and cliche, but sometimes I just want to pick up a romance and know it will end happily ever after!

Very good book that I read in one sitting. I loved the depth of the conversations between Will and Gabi, the wonderful supporting characters, and the vivid descriptions of the setting. It opens at the wedding of Will's brother Stephen and his fiancée Gabi. Except that the bride didn't show up. Determined to protect his family, Will comes up with a cover story and then takes off searching for the missing bride. He's the only one in the family who knows the truth of their engagement.

Gabi's arrangement with Stephen was purely business. Stephen's father recently died, putting him at the head of the family and business. Gabi's father is ill, and she is in charge of their family business while he recovers. Stephen makes a business proposal that includes Gabi marrying him and providing an heir. Gabi panicked on the wedding day and realized that she couldn't marry a man she didn't love, even to help her family. So she ran.

When Will catches up with Gabi, he is extremely angry with her. Not so much for what she did but because of the timing. Because he knows the truth and disapproved, he understands Gabi's feelings. I loved watching him come up with a plan that would protect both Stephen and Gabi. However, he never expected the turn his plan would take.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Will and Gabi. Will is determined to protect the family, and Gabi feels guilty enough to go along with his plans. Will spirited her away to the family chateau in France where they planned to wait out the media frenzy. Once Will got over his anger, he respected Gabi's bravery in doing the right thing by calling off the wedding. During the time they spent together "hiding out," Will and Gabi became friends. Neither expected the growing attraction that sprung up between them. Though both of them fought their feelings, it was no use.

I ached for them both because of the obstacles that made a relationship difficult, if not impossible. The biggest was Gabi's former engagement to Stephen. Both she and Will felt that it would be disloyal to him to pursue their feelings. On Will's side, there is the gratitude he feels toward Stephen for saving him from a destructive path when he was younger. There is also the business relationship between the two families' companies. Gabi's fears about her abilities to run the family business were a motivating factor of her actions during the book. I loved how Will's support helped bolster her confidence. It also made her love him even more. When their relationship is discovered before they are ready, both Will and Gabi decide to face it head-on.

The scenes at the Pemberton estate were heartbreaking. I hurt for both Will and Gabi as they dealt with his family's attitudes. It was especially painful to witness Stephen's actions as they struck at the heart of Gabi's insecurities. I didn't blame her for what she did then and loved the strength that she showed. The ending was fantastic. Once the truth was out, I loved how Will's sisters got involved in bringing them back together in a sweetly romantic scene.

It was interesting to see the differences between Will's family and Gabi's family. There was no doubt about the love that existed, but the differences in the expression of that love were significant. I much preferred Gabi's family and their exuberance to the more reserved Pemberton's. And I ended up detesting Stephen. It will be interesting to see if and how he redeems himself.

Perfect example of a Cinderella type of romance story. Not that the female lead is poor but there is an element of modern financial well-being. There are no fairy godmothers but there are two amazing mothers who have produced rather amazing kids determined to have the same type of marriages that their parents have enjoyed. So one key ingredient is of course love.

So what’s a girl supposed to do when she realizes that even the deal of the century isn’t enough to compensate for the absence of love and passion. Well Gabi runs. But it was a timing thing in SCANDAL AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE since groom Stephen was already waiting at the altar. And the groom’s brother William is now charged with fixing whatever went awry.

Tall order. William and his brother Stephen are close. In fact their entire family is protective of each other especially since their fathers passing. The family runs a hugely successful fashion business and wisely keep their private lives away from any hint of scandal.

Will and Stephen are concerned that Gabi impromptu escape will be scandalous for sure. Will has his work cut out for him but then fate steps in. What was supposed to be a simple escape, hiding from the possible circus of scandal and tabloids, put Will and Gabi together. Unfortunately these two realize they have more in common then protecting their businesses.

Will, Gabi and Stephen make for an interesting and challenging romantic triangle. Each has a history that colors their decision making especially in the love and trust department. Will definitely has his work cut out for him. Keeping his feelings in check while protecting his brother and the runaway bride from curious eyes.

SCANDAL AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE is the introduction a three part series, Heirs To The Empire by Donna Alward. Have always thoroughly enjoyed reading about the cowboys and cowgirls Donna Award creates. In SCANDAL AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE there are equally endearing characters to meet. After all what romantic soul can pass up love triangles featuring wealthy aristocrats.

Endearing tale of wealth, success, family and love creatively fashioned by Donna Alward.

This was a fun close proximity style romance, where the runaway bride has the PR brother of a big business family sent to babysit her to avoid a scandal. Little did they know that they would fall in love and cause a scandal of their own.
Though this one was fairly formulaic once you get into it, I still found the story to be really sweet. I understood the motivations of the characters, and read the book in one sitting.

Will Pemberton is furious when he learns his brother's bride, Gabi, has run off on the day of their wedding. He is all about protecting his family's name and comes up with a quick plan of action. What he didn't see coming was his attraction to Gabi and the potential to create an even bigger scandal because of their love.
This was a cute story and it was interesting to see a hero with a rough past like Will's. He overcame so much and worked on rebuilding his reputation. But being with Gabi could mean seeing his reputation in shreds and put him at odds with his family.
What I absolutely loved were Gabi's interactions with her family. They were so loving and supportive. I enjoyed seeing how they were with each other.
Here is a line that warmed my heart: "He liked her as a person, desired her as a woman." Overall, this read made me smile. Thank you #Netgalley and #Harlequin for the ARC.