Runaway Bride romance books

She left him at the altar — and ran straight into the love she actually wanted.

The runaway bride heroine bolts from a wedding that was wrong for her, and the escape becomes the start of everything right. Whether she flees a loveless match, a controlling fiancé, or a life mapped out by everyone but her, the dramatic exit signals a woman finally choosing herself — and often running straight into the arms of the love she was meant for. The fantasy is liberation and second chances, the courage to walk away from the wrong thing.

She's a lively fixture of contemporary and historical romance, full of dramatic getaways, road-trip meet-cutes, and small-town refuges. She overlaps with the reluctant, fish-out-of-water, and dutiful-daughter types, and the romance runs on the freedom of her fresh start and the right hero who appreciates the woman she's becoming. The heat ranges from sweet to steamy.

For readers who love dramatic beginnings, liberation, and a heroine choosing herself, the runaway bride is a delight.

What to expect