Inspy Romance

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Runaway Brides or Jilted Brides?

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Which do you prefer to read about, brides with cold feet? Or their grooms standing them up?

As I was planning out my Cavanagh Cowboys Romance series, I knew the fifth novel would be either a runaway or jilted bride… but it took me a while to decide which!

Noah Cavanagh had previously been cast as a guy with a rescuer complex. He has a soft spot for anything rejected – animal, mineral, vegetable, or person! Sometimes what he rescues doesn’t even need it. Sometimes, it does.

But when he’s driving down the highway and a sudden spring blizzard overtakes him just before he sees a sports car in the ditch, he cannot drive by without helping. The woman in the car is young, pretty, and has a wedding gown in the backseat.

Noah had not envisioned holing up at his elderly friends’ ranch with a strange woman in tow, but it’s even worse when he finds out they’re not even home. Now he’s stuck for a few days with a runaway bride who seems bent on NOT letting anyone know where she is or why she vanished.

I had so much fun with Noah and Taryn’s romance. He’s busy trying to give her time to get over her ex-fiancé… while she’s trying to tell him that she’s totally ready to move on. All she needs to know is that Noah is ready to choose her for always, not for a short-term project or while looking out for his own (other) interests.

Itinerant farrier Noah Cavanagh has driven in some of the worst conditions in western Montana, yet this whiteout has him considering options for holing up until the storm passes. Then he spots a woman in a white parka trying to shovel out a sports car that slid off the remote highway. He can’t let her freeze to death out here on her own.

Taryn Bellamy’s unwelcome discovery had billowed her previous niggles about her fiancé into full-blown doubt, so she’d driven right on by the wedding venue. Now she’s stuck in a spring blizzard instead of Hawaii-bound on her honeymoon. When a cowboy in a solid-looking truck stops and suggests she join him at a nearby ranch to wait out the storm, her spidey-senses are on full alert, but what choice does she have?

Four days stranded together in an off-grid cabin, each holding secrets. What could possibly go wrong? Or right?

If you enjoy the runaway bride trope, I hope you’ll give Choose Me for Always, Cowboy a read! It’s coming in early August.

Here’s a roundup of a few runaway and jilted bride stories I’ve read and enjoyed, and/or were written by fellow Inspy Romance authors. Which of these have you read? Do you have any other titles I should look up?

Runaway Brides


Choose Me for Always, Cowboy by Valerie Comer
Finding Love in Seaside, Oregon by Angela Ruth Strong
And Cowboy Makes Three by Deb Kastner
Runaway to Romance by Cathryn Brown (clean, not specifically Christian)
The Bride’s Broken Bond by Lee Tobin McClain

Jilted Brides


A Heart Redirected by Elizabeth Maddrey
Sheltered Hearts by Lee Tobin McClain
A Baby for the Minister by Laurel Blount
Carolina Breeze by Denise Hunter
Operation: Married by Christmas by Debra Clopton
Winning Over the Cowboy by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

If you’re curious what Elizabeth, Narelle, and I had to say about these two tropes (including some books we enjoyed with either of them) check out Episode 61 of StoryChats podcast!

Valerie Comer (341 Posts)

Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.


Comments

  2. Hi Valerie! I prefer reading about runaway brides. Can’t think of a story I have read, but Hallmark has several Runaway Bride movies. A colleague / former student was kind of a runaway bride – she called her wedding off a month before the date. The weekend of her wedding coincided with her Independence Day weekend birthday. As a friend and since we both taught American literature, I took her on a Mark Twain (Missouri / Mississippi River) Road Trip. Our principal gave me some fun ideas. As we took a cave tour on the day of her wedding – the guide looked at her and said: “Nice place for a wedding. We do weddings.” I almost died. Not sure how she was going to take that news. That was the turning point. She said she knew she had made the right decision. (Would make a great tidbit in a runaway bride story.) Enjoy your week and summer.

  3. I like both but prefer runaway brides. Thank you for sharing. Blessings

  4. I enjoy runway brides who need rescuing at some point. Looking forward to your book.

  5. Jo Grafford had a runaway bride in her book, Guardian Hero. I’ve read more, but right now I can’t think of the names or authors! I’ve read a couple with the bride (or groom) left at the altar, but can’t think of the names of those, either. I really prefer it NOT to happen at the altar, though!!

  10. If it’s much earlier than the wedding day/ altar then it’s more like “she broke up with him” instead of being a runaway? Hmm. Unless she just disappeared without telling him even then. Hmm.

  11. I like both. I have read and cowboy makes three by ded kastner and a baby for the Minister

  12. Ah, a Love Inspired fan! Deb and Laurel are two of my favorite LI authors. A Baby for the Minister had an interesting twist to the jilted bride trope for sure.

  13. True! I don’t like it right at the altar, but leaving him standing there is good! Like in your book, she drives by the venue! Technically, not at the altar! lol!!

  15. I like them both. I have watched movies about both of them. Have a great week.

  17. welcome. depending on my mood as to which one I would like to read at the time. this sounds like such a fun book

  21. I pre-ordered this one when I finished the other books in the series last month. I’m really looking forward to Noah’s story.

  23. It sounds fun. The picture at the top of the page reminds me of the movie Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

  25. The title image reminded me of Narelles first book Falling for the Farmer which has a runaway bride. I think it can depend on the story. I remember the storychat and probably commented. The reason for the runaway or jilted can make the book. Its interesting if its a bride running away it seems to be more accepted or if its a bride left at the alter she gets the sympathy. But when its the groom who is left it doesn’t tug the heart strings as much or if its a runaway groom he must be the cad.
    I haven’t read any where it was the runnaway groom or the jilted groom left at the alter but would love to see a switch up and what their story is.
    PS really late spent the day doing admin work and napping (and explaining to one cat why bringing in pets at 1.30am is not acceptable)

  26. I prefer girlfriends abandoned at the altar… or boyfriends, I feel sympathy for them but I prefer that they don’t get together again with the same person who abandoned them something like that would completely break my trust in the person. Unless there is a very good reason for not even having the consideration to tell your partner sooner…or if he or she ran away out of fear or immaturity, then come back years later a different person knowing he/she did wrong without trying to justify his/her actions.

  27. That’s a really good point, Lilly. A few of the stories I’ve read have the same couple reuniting years later, but you’re right, it shouldn’t be quick/impulsive because how would they (or we!) be able to trust that it was a good choice this time.

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