Runaway Bride and Prejudice by Emma St. Clair: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

There's one rule smart hockey players know not to break: never, and I mean, NEVER date the coach's daughter. But no one ever accused Van of being smart.

When the mouthy bad boy of the Appies catches the groom cheating on the coach's daughter, he can't just walk away. Not on her wedding day.

Maybe his own relationships are casual, but he would never cheat and never treat wedding vows so carelessly. Not after he and his sisters watched their divorced parents cycle through marriage after marriage.

But forcing the groom to come clean sets off a chain reaction Van couldn't have expected.

Ending with a black eye, an unexpected trip to Florida with one runaway bride, and a secret bargain struck with Coach.

A bargain that may just jeopardize the very real and very inconvenient feelings he's developing for the very last person he ever should.

Runaway Bride and Prejudice is a closed door hockey romance featuring the team bad boy and a very good girl who also happens to be the coach's daughter. It's a sports romance with all the sizzle and swoon, but no spice.

This is part of the Appies hockey romance series, featuring Just Don't Fall, Absolutely Not in Love, a Groom of One's Own, and Romancing the Grump. These books are standalones but may be best read in order.

The Author

Emma St. Clair is a USA Today Bestselling Author who loves sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. Her books have sizzling chemistry while keeping the bedroom door closed. She has an MFA in Fiction and lives in Katy, Texas (go, Tigers!) with her hubby, five children, and Great Dane. Her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine. No Emmas have been hurt in the writing of these novels. (Yet.)

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Book Review

Runaway Bride and Prejudice is the third book in the Appies Hockey Romance series (and the fifth book featuring the team, if you include the two from the Sweater Weather series as well.) While you may have a better understanding of the team dynamics if you've read the previous books in the series, I definitely think this could be enjoyed just fine as a standalone as well. 

Oh my goodness, just when you think the Appies cannot possibly get any better... Emma St. Clair just goes and knocks it right out of the park (or you know, whatever the hockey equivalent of that might be). This book was SO good! Right from the start, I was drawn in. When Van walks in on his coach's daughter's groom cheating on her right before the wedding, it sets off a chain of events that left me laughing out loud and unable to put it down. When Van ends up going on Amelia's honeymoon with her, we get to see their amazing chemistry... and a softer side to the Appies' resident 'bad boy'. I loved getting to know this other side of him and to see how he supported and encouraged her throughout the story. (I also adored his relationship with his sisters... who were both super sweet and perhaps a little scary!)

And then we get to Chapter 17. 

Well, let's just say I did NOT see that twist coming! No spoilers here... but you'll definitely want to read it to find out what happens because it truly is SO good! Yeah, the story has some instalove and miscommunication which I know aren't everyone's favorites, but I promise it's done well. I've never read an Emma St. Claire book that I didn't enjoy... but this one is my absolute favorite yet! 

Runaway Bride and Prejudice is a closed-door romance with sizzling kisses only. 

You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4cEM2fh