REVIEW: Run to You by Rachel Lacey

Run to You by Rachel Lacey: In Run To You by Rachel Lacey, Gabby Winters has escaped an abusive relationship and has run to the small town of Haven to pull herself together. It’s there she meets former Olympic gold winning swimmer, Ethan Hunter. Ethan’s busy starting up a new outdoor adventure business with his two childhood friends, but he’s also dealing with the fact that his grandmother, the woman who raised him since he was ten, was dying. All Dixie wants is to see Ethan settled before she passes, so in an attempt to make her happy, Ethan convinces Gabby to pretend to be in a relationship with him.

I felt for poor Ethan. First his mother was killed when he was a child, and now all he can do is sit by and wait for his grandmother to die. He’s very sweet with Dixie, trying to make sure she can cross everything off her bucket list, including taking a weekend trip to the beach she loved. He also worries that he’s going to become abusive like his father was, which was why he was afraid of getting into a committed relationship.

I liked Gabby. She’s strong and determined. When her abusive ex tracks her down in Haven, she’s not afraid to stand up to him. She even gets mad at Ethan for interceding because she wants to be able to stand up on her own two feet. Gabby also tries to conquer her fears of the adventure course by signing up to do the course with a group of local women.

While this is the first full length book in the series, there’s also an introductory novella, Rock with You. This is the story of Carly and rock star Sam, both of which make a very brief appearance in this book (Sam helps out on the day of the obstacle course, and Carly is on Gabby’s team, Flower Power). While you definitely do not need to read Rock with You before reading Run to You, I still recommend giving it a read because it’s a short, sweet story.

Run to You is full of laughter, love, and heartbreak. The characters are well-written, realistic, and enjoyable. This was a great beginning to the series, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the trope of a fake romance turning into a real one.
 

Book Info:

Publication: August 30, 2016 | Forever | Risking It All #1

Moments after meeting the most gorgeous guy ever, Gabby Winters promptly gets stung by a zillion yellowjackets and falls-not gracefully-into a stream. Yup, Ethan Hunter is trouble with a capital “hot,” and Gabby definitely needs to keep her distance. Except in the small town of Haven, there’s nowhere to hide from Ethan’s sexy, infectious grin . . . and all the residents are conspiring against her.

At the center of the town’s matchmaking is Ethan’s grandmother, who’s convinced their relationship is a done deal. Rather than break her heart, Gabby and Ethan find themselves cornered into pretending to be falling in love. The problem: there’s serious sizzling attraction between them. And if this charade continues, they won’t fool just the entire town – they might fool themselves too . . .