Book ReviewsRomance

Review: The Wedding Audition by Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock

The Wedding Audition (Runaway Brides #1)The Wedding Audtion
by Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Release Date: April 7th, 2015
Pages: 146 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Heat Level: Hot
Series: The Runaway Brides

ABOUT THE BOOK

The tabloids call her the Hit and Run Bride after reality show star Annamae Jessup walked out on Atlanta’s favorite baseball player on cable television. Eager to escape her notoriety, Annamae takes a road trip to find the grandmother she’s never met and winds up discovering a whole lot more than a band of back woods relatives. There’s no escape from reality TV, even in Beulah, Alabama, population 3000.

The last thing Wynn Rafferty needs in his new life is a spoiled television princess who can’t even know his real name. He’s in temporary witness protection as an apple farmer after his undercover work put his life in danger. He needs to lay low until the heat dies down from his last case— even if he sucks at growing apples as badly as he sucks at relationships. But Annamae turns his new town into a media circus, unwittingly threatening the lives of him, her and most of Beulah. Wynn is an expert at keeping the world at arm’s length, but when it comes to Annamae, the only way he can keep her safe is to keep her very, very close.

FIND IT AT

Tule Publishing | Amazon | Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW

After a stellar debut with How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days, Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock return with their second book in the Runaway Brides series, The Wedding Audition. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book from the publisher to review and in my honest opinion, this is another great read by two great authors.

The story starts right in the center of the action, where Reality TV star Annamae Jessup is struggling with her decision to marry baseball star, Boone Sullivan. In the midst of her increasing panic over perhaps marrying the wrong man, Annamae makes the ill-fated decision to escape to a restroom where she calls into a radio talk show and winds up breaking up with Boone on live TV because she didn’t realize the reality show cameras were recording her. Instead of sticking around to deal with the fallout of her actions, Annamae skips town, intent to hideout while also wanting to find and meet her paternal grandmother. It’s during her trip to Beluah and her search for a safe place to sleep at night that Annamae meets the hero, Wynn Rafferty, an undercover cop doing his best to lay low until the criminals in his last case go to trial.

Not only is this story extremely well-written, with a seamlessness that makes it impossible to tell which author might have written what, the novel itself has a great situational setup. Thanks to the hero and heroine’s troublesome external conflicts and their need to stay under the mass public’s radar, it’s easy to see why they are the worst people in the world for each other, particularly right now. It’s also easy to see how Annamae and Wynn fit together and understand one another. They might be opposites in one way, but they’re also really similar in another, which actually makes them absolutely perfect for each other.

Once Annamae and Wynn get to know each other better, the chemistry between them amps up in a big way, as do the stakes of their being together. This was such a great read, and it had the added benefit of mixing in some more of my favorite things, sexual tension, angst, and suspense.

Over all, this was a great read, and one I highly recommend checking out.

RATING

halfredstar_rating

 

ABOUT THE SERIES

The Runaway Bride Series
Novella: How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days (Melanie and Grady)
Book 1: The Wedding Audition (Annamae and Wynn)

About the Author

Catherine Mann

USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann and RITA Award winner, Catherine writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Tule. With over seventy-five books released in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated six RITA finals, an RT Reviewer’s Award win, and a Bookseller’s Best win. A former theater school director and university instructor, she holds a Master’s degree in Theater from UNC-Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts: Theater (with minors in both English and Education) from the College of Charleston. After years as a military spouse moving around the country bringing up four children, Catherine has settled in her home state of South Carolina. The nest didn’t stay empty long though as Catherine is an active volunteering with the Sunshine State Animal Rescue and Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS).

About the Author

Joanne Rock

USA TODAY bestselling author Joanne Rock credits her decision to write romance to a book she picked up during a flight delay that engrossed her so thoroughly, she didn't mind at all when her flight was delayed two more times. Giving her readers the chance to escape into another world has motivated her to write over one hundred books for a variety of Harlequin series.

Deanna | Okie Dreams

Deanna Lynn is the owner and founder of okiedreams.com. She is a multi-genre music lover, a movie and television show fan girl, and an avid reader, with a long-time devotion to thrilling adventures, epic fantasy sagas, and any and all kinds of HEA romance. She holds a BA in Developmental Psychology, a BS in Criminal Justice Law Enforcement, a MS in Criminology with a focus in Human Behavior, and currently works with trauma and behavior clients. She reads widely, laughs often, and loves to talk about this confusing thing called life.

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