The Getaway Groom (Harlequin Temptation) [Paperback]

Eight years ago, Emma Delaney was abandoned at the altar with only a telegram stating, "Sorry, darling, but I can't marry you." Forsaken by her lover, Maxwell Thorne, Emma picked up the pieces by rallying herself and soon discovering a new career. Emma has now become a wedding planner, and she guarantees to take the headaches and worries off the bride's shoulders. Her friend from college, Meg Cooper, calls her to help her plan her wedding to Frasier, her groom to be, within the next two weeks. Although it is short notice, Emma agrees to help out her friend. Only Emma never dreamed that Frasier was actually Maxwell Frasier Thorne of the devastating, runaway groom fame!

Maxwell Frasier Thorne has a good reason for leaving his love at the altar all those years ago. He would like to make amends to Emma, but he still plans on marrying Meg. He can't help the feelings that Emma arouses in him, but he is determined to NOT let them get the best of him. Certainly not now that he has his life on track and is striving to be a better person. As a forensic investigator, Frasier has been called in to investigate the disappearance of money within Meg Cooper's family-run publishing company. Meg's father has hired him as vice president of finance to investigate the crooked dealings in his company because he knew Frasier/Max was an investigator who could uncover the truth.

The Getaway Groom is a rerelease of a soap opera type story from the late `90's. In my opinion, it started out really well, but went down from there. Emma came across as the clichéd other woman while Max/Frasier constantly tried to be the better man and even stated that he was better than he was before. Yet, he was the one that crossed the line. He claimed he loved Meg so much, but he also pushed Emma into sealing the deal in a very unforgiveable way. The Getaway Groom did not make Emma out to be the sweet, innocent virgin either. She really was the other woman and she tempted Max/Frasier on purpose. Emma knew Max/Frasier was engaged to one of her best friends and they both claimed that they loved each other . . . repeatedly.

I couldn't believe how quickly The Getaway Groom had Max/Frasier falling in love with someone without really knowing them. He constantly lied to the women that he claimed to love, and he didn't even really know them at all and they didn't know him either. The Getaway Groom has Max/Frasier's job as a forensic investigator, but he really didn't seem that great of one. Max/Frasier gave away a lot to the other characters that he really shouldn't have while he investigated the thefts at the publishing company. Max/Frasier claimed he did not know that Emma was Meg's friend yet, her picture was in Meg's office and he had been in there several times! The Getaway Groom made me feel like Max/Frasier had some secret deadline to get married and it really didn't feel like a sweet happy ending to me. As far as Emma was concerned, it was like she was just happy to get her man and would take him whatever way she could get him. After all is said and done with The Getaway Groom, I couldn't find anything really redeeming with either character.

Vanessa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I read the 2011 ebook edition. Don't know if different at all. I enjoyed it. Max thou I did not admire his thinking along the way. Meg was getting married in two weeks and did not have any thing planned for it. She called her college roommate Emma for help.
Emma started a business after she was left at the alter by Max. Have wedding dress, will travel. So other brides won't have to go through what she had to do.She takes what ever the worries are and solves them. Emma would be able to help Meg plan wedding in two weeks. No problems untill she met the groom Frasier, but she knew him as Max.
One other problem someone was stilling from Meg's family business and her brother Jay was number 1 suspect. Meg was more worried about editing books and getting authors to finsh on track than planning her wedding. So a lot was left to plan between Max and Emma. They both kept rembering how their relationship went.
I liked most of the characters. Lots of couples had relationship in the book.
But I had problems with Max. Would read more of her books. I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review.