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Single Dad for the Runaway Bride
Paige Beckett has blown it this time. The whole world just watched her bail on her reality TV fiancé. It’s humiliating. As a doctor, she’s supposed to be smarter than this. Yet no matter how hard she tries, she keeps disappointing people. Now she’s in hiding at the tropical Samoan resort where she’d skipped out on her ‘I do’s, desperate to avoid going home to New Zealand and facing the fallout.
And to complicate matters further, she’s taken a job looking after the resort owner's daughter. The last thing she needs is to let her emotions run away with her again. Which is why she absolutely isn’t looking at her charge’s smoking hot single dad, Mareko. She refuses point blank to drool over his abs. His face. His accent. And she is not, repeat, not going to screw up again.
No matter how messy things get!
And to complicate matters further, she’s taken a job looking after the resort owner's daughter. The last thing she needs is to let her emotions run away with her again. Which is why she absolutely isn’t looking at her charge’s smoking hot single dad, Mareko. She refuses point blank to drool over his abs. His face. His accent. And she is not, repeat, not going to screw up again.
No matter how messy things get!
- GenresRomance
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2024
16 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Courtney Clark Michaels
24 books36 followersWriter of modern, diverse fairytales with a South Pacific twist.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 16, 2025
This might be my new favourite Courtney Clark Michaels book! A beautiful romance in a beautiful setting.
January 22, 2025
❤️Single dad
❤️Runaway bride
❤️Samoa setting & culture
❤️Sweet and fluffy
❤️Anxiety rep
❤️Cinnamon roll MMC
❤️Realistic and complex familial relationships
Courtney’s books really do capture the feeling of being in the Pacific. You feel like you’re on an island holiday when you’re reading them and this was no exception.
The best way to describe this romance is that it didn’t feel like a bubble of tension and heat that was explosive when it popped but rather they gently meandered towards each other which feels right for these two. When they eventually had a physical relationship it was sweet and tender rather than hot and heavy and these characters definitely needed sweetness and tenderness. Courtney also writes familial love so well which this book has in spades.
The only note I’ll make is that it was just a bit too sweet and fluffy for me. This is completely personal preference however as I am a big time angst and tension gal.
I would recommend it if you want a short but very sweet read, packed with emotion and a beautiful vivid setting.
Amount of spice: 🔥
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Open door and explicit
❤️Runaway bride
❤️Samoa setting & culture
❤️Sweet and fluffy
❤️Anxiety rep
❤️Cinnamon roll MMC
❤️Realistic and complex familial relationships
Courtney’s books really do capture the feeling of being in the Pacific. You feel like you’re on an island holiday when you’re reading them and this was no exception.
The best way to describe this romance is that it didn’t feel like a bubble of tension and heat that was explosive when it popped but rather they gently meandered towards each other which feels right for these two. When they eventually had a physical relationship it was sweet and tender rather than hot and heavy and these characters definitely needed sweetness and tenderness. Courtney also writes familial love so well which this book has in spades.
The only note I’ll make is that it was just a bit too sweet and fluffy for me. This is completely personal preference however as I am a big time angst and tension gal.
I would recommend it if you want a short but very sweet read, packed with emotion and a beautiful vivid setting.
Amount of spice: 🔥
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Open door and explicit
August 9, 2024
Being a fan of the Pacific Passions, I bought this book as soon a CCM dropped the surprise release. I patiently saved it for my holiday, which was an excellent plan because once I start her books - I don't stop. Paige is a character I could really relate to - a perfectionist driven by anxiety and people pleasing - who got the exhale she really needed in staying in Samoa after bailing on her wedding. A chance meeting with a determined and intelligent nine year old (almost 10) led Paige to run from a loveless marraige and into a loving house hold - where she learned - she is enough (and Mareko showed her in more ways than one). Beautifully written, inclusive, and sexy.
December 29, 2024
Boring and repetitive
May 31, 2025
This was such a sweet story! Single dad, runaway bride, smart-as-a-whip kid, tropical paradise - what more could you ask for?!
August 11, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
Mareko’s families resort is struggling after being swindled by a previous manager. Desperate to find a solution, he agrees to host a reality TV show’s finale - the contestant’s wedding. However, in the final hours, the bride, Paige, has a sudden change of heart and tries to flee. Hoping to recover the situation, Mareko offers her refuge in his family bungalow, thinking he’ll be able to convince her to continue with the wedding. When Paige’s reasoning comes to light, Mareko finds himself sympathetic to her plight and offers her a job as his nanny, allowing her more time to hide out till the dust settles. As time moves on, their bonding over their own personal trauma and heartache sees love begin to blossom.
🌸 single dad & widow
🌸 multicultural
🌸 slow burn
🌸 personal healing and forgiveness
🌸 set in tropical Samoa
🌸 spice
A sweet, short story told beautifully with an absolute gem in Mareko’s daughter Rosa.
Mareko’s families resort is struggling after being swindled by a previous manager. Desperate to find a solution, he agrees to host a reality TV show’s finale - the contestant’s wedding. However, in the final hours, the bride, Paige, has a sudden change of heart and tries to flee. Hoping to recover the situation, Mareko offers her refuge in his family bungalow, thinking he’ll be able to convince her to continue with the wedding. When Paige’s reasoning comes to light, Mareko finds himself sympathetic to her plight and offers her a job as his nanny, allowing her more time to hide out till the dust settles. As time moves on, their bonding over their own personal trauma and heartache sees love begin to blossom.
🌸 single dad & widow
🌸 multicultural
🌸 slow burn
🌸 personal healing and forgiveness
🌸 set in tropical Samoa
🌸 spice
A sweet, short story told beautifully with an absolute gem in Mareko’s daughter Rosa.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews