Thank you to Devney Perry and the team at Valentine PR for the advance reader copy of Forsaken Trail, the fourth standalone in The Runaways series.

The final Devney release of 2020! What a year it has been from her, if you had missed any of my previous reviews from her check them out here. I am such a huge fan and I cannot wait to see what Devney brings us next year! Getting to read and review this series has been phenomenal and the new year will bring us the conclusion. If you have not started it yet, check out my review for the first installment, Runaway Road here.

Check out the Goodreads synopsis…

“Aria Saint-James has planned the perfect getaway: sweatpants, takeout and two weeks alone with her sister and nephew. Nowhere on that list is wearing a low-cut dress and uncomfortable heels to attend a wedding where she knows neither the bride nor the groom. Toss in her nemesis, Brody Carmichael, and her road trip to Arizona is officially a bust.

But at least there is champagne.

She blames the bubbly for falling into bed with Brody that night. Enemy or no, the billionaire is irresistible in a tux. But after their one-night tryst, Aria has no choice but to cut her vacation short, returning home to escape his devilish smile, vowing never to see Brody again.

Except Aria gets a surprise a few weeks later—she’s pregnant. When he learns that she’s carrying his child, Brody offers Aria the chance of a lifetime. The catch? She has to live under his roof until the baby is born.

Either they’ll kill each other in nine months. Or discover love buried beneath their hate.”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

Characters: Brody Carmichael and Aria Saint-James are the main characters of the latest installment in the Runaway series. Aria is someone you’ll be aware of if you had read Katherine’s book, Quarter Miles. Aria and her sister Clara were the youngest of the junkyard kids. Aria’s turn to journey with the Cadillac brings her to Arizona to drop it off with her younger sister. Her sister lives there as the personal assistant to Brody, that is how he and Aria connect. Having grown up in the junkyard and having been the one who basically raised her sister, Aria is no-nonsense, stubborn, and a survivor through and through. While Brody was raised in a very different situation, raised in wealth. Yet in common with Aria he did not receive tons of love growing up. Rather his family continually just bought him things, which did stunt Brody into viewing love as something that is shown through gifting things of material wealth. As the story progressed the tough guy exterior he put up, melted away to reveal the softie within.
Pacing: This story was paced really well. I really enjoyed that Devney chose to have a decent chunk of time before the night Aria and Brody fall into bed together. You really got to understand the nature of their slightly antagonistic relationship, which began to fade away the better they got to know each other.
Setting: Welcome, Arizona was the main setting. Naturally, there is a little time on the Oregon coast as that is where Aria had settled. When she tells Brody about her pregnancy, he insists that she come to Arizona to live with him. What initially sounds like it is coming from a pushy place, is really from the stance that Brody wants to be a better parental figure than those he had.
Romance: What starts as an enemies-to-lovers romance, turned into a beautiful opposite attract couple coming together as they prepare for their child to come. Brody and Aria started off in a place of misunderstanding and overtime as they opened up to each other, they started such a beautiful relationship. This relationship was not easy, but that made it almost more worth it. I could not help but cheer these two on. They brought out the best in each other, and as a bonus great chemistry in romantic scenes.
I cannot wait for the next installment! After all this buildup with finally get to meet Karson!