Review: "Run to You" by Rachel Lacey (Contemporary Romance)

Run to You by Rachel Lacey
	Publisher: Forever Publishing Series: Risking It All (#1) Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: August 30, 2016 (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher:
ONE LITTLE LIE. A WHOLE LOTTA TROUBLE. 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 . . .
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My Musings:
Really, really enjoyed this. Gabby, our heroine, has secluded herself while she figures out what her next move is. And Ethan is trying to start up a business to make his grandmother (who could die at any moment) proud. The personal development that happened for both Gabby and Ethan (especially Gabby) was so well done, and so very believable. I really liked how Gabby was strong enough, eventually, to not just stand on her own, but to know that it's okay to need help from others and lean on them sometimes. This was really hammered home by what happens during Ethan's business's event, The Adrenaline Rush. And Dixie. She was the perfect grandma - wise, stubborn, romantic, funny. Her death was touching and sad, and you felt what Gabby felt - you knew it was coming, but were sad anyway. The setting of the town was good too. All the townspeople were more in the background, but fleshed things out nicely, adding that little something extra. The Off-the-Grid Adventures (Ethan's business) aspect was also fun. I do have to say that I didn't care much for Gabby's job though. It wasn't believable for me or necessary. That may be because my husband works in the Games industry though. It likely won't bother anyone else. I think that Gabby could have been freelance anything and it would have been fine though. Things between Gabby and Ethan seemed to move quickly at first (he seemed to fall for her basically immediately after they started fake-dating), which was sort of confusing. I was wondering at about 25% how the rest of the book would go since he already seemed in love with her. Things slowed a bit on that front about a third of the way through, which I thought was a good thing for the story. Some great sexytimes (skinny dipping and the sex in the ocean? Ha, yes please!), some amusing mishaps, and a lot of character growth make this a really great read!
I received a digital ARC from the publisher for an honest, unbiased review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is my 100% own.

About Rachel Lacey
Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She's been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.