Review: An Early Runaway Bride
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 26, 2013
Elizabeth Stanhope, or Betty as she is known, becomes a runaway bride. Her stepmother and stepbrothers try to force her to marry the younger stepbrother, whom she despised because of his cruelty. They secretly want to have legal access to her fortune that she knows little about. She reluctantly agrees to marry the older stepbrother, because he is mistreated also and not as loathsome as his younger brother. When she walks down the aisle, however, she sees she's been tricked, and the younger brother is there waiting for her. She gets to the front and falls limply to the floor. A doctor takes her to another room and tries to help. When she is left alone for a few minutes to recover, she escapes. She begs another young lady on the street to help her, and they manage to get away.Warren had escorted his cousin to the wedding, but it was crowded, so he stood in the back. He had a good view of the fragile, young bride's collapse, and he felt for her. She looked so unhappy. When he gets a chance to possibly help, he's determined to try his best.I liked the premise of this story.  Betty was a little to insipid and retiring, but she was still likeable. The end, however, was a disappointment. Not all of the questions were answered. What had happened to the older stepbrother that he had not come? What happened to the cousin who had always been so helpful but blew her off about the wedding? And, Betty ends up getting married, but the reader has been given no courtship, no declaration on love, and no kisses. It just happens in about two sentences. This story had great potential, and it was good until the last part, when it was told about and not shown and felt way too rushed. At only 153 pages, it needed more.