Leo Mok isn’t expecting a runaway bride…
When I arrive late to my cousin’s wedding—thanks to my first speeding ticket—I’m surprised to see his fiancée, Yvonne Siu, fleeing the scene. She’s in distress, having realized that my cousin isn’t good enough for her and she agreed to the wedding mainly to make her family happy. I have to come to her rescue, right?
I’ve always had a thing for Yvonne, and when this beautiful pushover gets angry, it’s irresistible. I move her stuff out of the apartment she shared with her ex, and I help her discover who she really is.
And when she reveals that she’s never particularly enjoyed herself in bed…well, I know it’s a terrible idea to assist with that problem, but I can’t hold back forever.
Our lives are getting more entangled, especially since she’s temporarily moved in with my parents, and I’m not sure how I’ll ever walk away from her.
But Yvonne doesn’t seem interested in another relationship, and then there’s the fact that she nearly married my cousin…
Review:
I’ve been looking forward to this book since I read the first one in the series, and it did not disappoint!
Leo Mok has always known that he wasn’t the “smart one” of his brothers, and he’s OK with that. Sure, his post-secondary school choices weren’t the ones his parents wanted for him, but he’s content with his life choices…mostly. And then he meets his cousin’s fiancée.
Yvonne Siu seems to be everything Leo didn’t even know he was looking for, and she’s marrying Leo’s least favorite cousin, Carl. Is that why he left his place a little late for their wedding? Maybe. But since having to stop for his first ever speeding ticket en route meant he was in the right place at the right time to give the runaway bride a ride, he’s not going to examine his motivations too closely.
I loved watching Leo and Yvonne grow closer as they spend more time together–theirs is a slow burn romance, at least partly due to the guilt they both feel about Carl. Once they decide to go for it, though, things heat up FAST. (And there are no complaints here!) Their path to an HEA was still complicated, though–Leo doesn’t feel he’s good enough for Yvonne, and she’s determined to focus on rebuilding her life and stay relationship free (for now)–but of course, ultimately oh so satisfying.
I really liked that Ms Lau isn’t afraid to have her MCs make somewhat unconventional “life” (by which I mean life inside a romance novel) choices–this time about marriage and having children. HEAs aren’t going to be the same for everyone, IRL and in fiction, and I love that she always lets her characters choose their own paths.
Also–OMG, Yvonne’s search history sections! Pretty sure each list made me snort laugh at least once. And don’t get me started on Leo’s conversations with Francine–even when Francine wasn’t even there. So gosh darn adorable.
As she did in the first book, Ms Lau gave us a “Hang on…WHAT???” moment at the end of the epilogue that pretty much guarantees you’ll be anxiously haunting her profile page to see when Evan’s book will be out…
I see what you did there, Ms Lau 😉
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.