Accidental Runaway Groom is the second book in Carrie Ann Ryan’s Clover Lake series. In this series the McBride and Montgomery world collides. It delivers that familiar blend of small-town emotion, family dynamics, and slow-building tension. This ties both series together, giving readers exactly what they love.
Title: Accidental Runaway Groom
Author(s): Carrie Ann Ryan
Series: Clover Lake #2
Published by Self Published on February 9, 2026
Pages: 234
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Format: eArc
Purchase: Amazon
Heat Level:
I picked up a groom on the side of the road on the way to a wedding.
One problem: I wasn’t the bride.
And he didn’t mean to run away.
Sometimes things happen for a reason and six months later, I’m back in Clover Lake and Sharp McBride is single, not-so-heartbroken, and my new best friend.
Only neither one of us wants to be just friends.
I don’t know where his heart belongs, and I don’t want to be the person to break what’s left. Yet I’m only in town for a short time and I’m not sure I’m made for small time life.
And if we’re not careful, this time I might have to be the one who runs away.
**Accidental Runaway Groom is a next generation, grump rancher, friends to lovers, not-what-you-think romance set in the Montgomery World & Clover Lake series featuring Jamie Montgomery & Sharp McBride. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!**
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Accidental Runaway Groom gives us Sharp McBride and Jamie Montgomery’s story, and their first meeting is as unexpected as it gets. Jamie finds Sharp stranded on the side of the road on the morning of his own wedding. How he ended up there is the million-dollar question. A question he can’t answer, and that mystery sets the tone for everything that follows.
Since that first chaotic meeting, the two have grown closer through daily text messages. Six months later, Jamie returns to Clover Lake, and her arrival sparks an unexpected romance neither of them planned for. But with Jamie living in Denver and Sharp rooted in Wyoming, the distance between them becomes the first real test of what they’re building together.
The conflict in Accidental Runaway Groom is layered, and it goes well beyond the physical distance between them. After what happened with Sharp six months earlier, Jamie returned to town with a few people still whispering and labeling her a homewrecker. While this was far from the truth it still manages to linger. Their relationship grows in that uneasy space where they’re both craving something solid yet scared it might crumble under the weight of everyone’s opinions and their own doubts.
The pacing is steady and well-balanced. The author blends small-town interactions, family dynamics, and quiet emotional beats without ever letting the story drag. The unresolved questions around Sharp’s stranded wedding day add a subtle tension that keeps readers turning pages while allowing the romance to bloom naturally.
Overall, Accidental Runaway Groom is a heartfelt story. Sharp and Jamie’s connection is built on vulnerability and trust. Now while the distance and town gossip add real stakes, it only makes their romance feel more meaningful. This is a satisfying follow-up to the first Clover Lake book. It gives readers a mix of suspense, small-town charm, and slow-burning love that hits just right.
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About Carrie Ann Ryan
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Wilder Brothers, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She’s the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.
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This sounds like a fun one! You don’t often get runaway grooms in romance novels. 😀
Well, that’s quite the meet up!
That sounds good. Happy Valentine’s Day to you
Great review Nadene I think I would enjoy this series and I’m glad this was a good follow-up.