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Buchanan-Renard #3
Killjoy
FBI crime analyst Avery Delaney will have to use every one of her skills on a case that hits painfully close to home . . . Avery's beloved aunt Carolyn is on her way to a luxury spa in the mountains of Colorado, but she never arrives. Under false pretences, she is taken to an isolated retreat by a handsome stranger with a dazzling smile, suave demeanour, and the darkest of motives. His name is Monk, and he is a contract killer. With scant clues and fewer resources, Avery must join forces with the secretive but alluring ex-marine John Paul Renard to track down and save Carolyn – and outmanoeuvre a brilliant assassin who is part of an elaborate plot of madness and lethal vengeance.'Intriguing . . . definitely one of Garwood's best' Globe and Mail
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2002
1096 people are currently reading
3860 people want to read
About the author
Julie Garwood
151 books12.6k followersWith more than 35 million books in print and 26 NEW YORK TIMES bestsellers, Julie Garwood has earned a position among America's favorite fiction writers.
Born and raised in Kansas City, MO, Ms. Garwood attributes much of her success to growing up in a large family of Irish heritage. "The Irish are great storytellers who relish getting all of the details and nuances of every situation. Add in the fact that I was the sixth of seven children. Early in life, I learned that self expression had to be forceful, imaginative, and quick," says Ms. Garwood.
She began her writing career when the youngest of her three children entered school. After the publications of two young-adult books, she turned her talents to historical fiction. Her first novel, GENTLE WARRIOR, was published by Pocket Books in 1985. Since then, she has branched into other genres including contemporary romantic suspense. Today, her name appears regularly on the bestseller lists of every major publication in the country, and her books are translated into dozens of languages around the world. Her bestselling novel FOR THE ROSES was adapted for the HALLMARK HALL OF FAME television movie ROSE HILL.
Ms. Garwood lives in Leawood, KS and is currently working on her next novel.
Born and raised in Kansas City, MO, Ms. Garwood attributes much of her success to growing up in a large family of Irish heritage. "The Irish are great storytellers who relish getting all of the details and nuances of every situation. Add in the fact that I was the sixth of seven children. Early in life, I learned that self expression had to be forceful, imaginative, and quick," says Ms. Garwood.
She began her writing career when the youngest of her three children entered school. After the publications of two young-adult books, she turned her talents to historical fiction. Her first novel, GENTLE WARRIOR, was published by Pocket Books in 1985. Since then, she has branched into other genres including contemporary romantic suspense. Today, her name appears regularly on the bestseller lists of every major publication in the country, and her books are translated into dozens of languages around the world. Her bestselling novel FOR THE ROSES was adapted for the HALLMARK HALL OF FAME television movie ROSE HILL.
Ms. Garwood lives in Leawood, KS and is currently working on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 660 reviews
July 2, 2020
Epsilon : Julie Garwood Buchanan-Renard serisinden bir kitap çıkaralım artık.
Ben : Nedense serinin 1.kitabından sonra 2, 3 ve 4.kitapları atlanıp 5, 6, 7 ve 8 basılmış.
Epsilon : Tamam 3.kitabı çıkaralım o zaman.
Ben : Ama 2.kitabı önce çıkartmak mantıklı olmaz mı ? Neden 3.kitap ?
Epsilon : Çünkü neden olmasın ...
Ben : Nedense serinin 1.kitabından sonra 2, 3 ve 4.kitapları atlanıp 5, 6, 7 ve 8 basılmış.
Epsilon : Tamam 3.kitabı çıkaralım o zaman.
Ben : Ama 2.kitabı önce çıkartmak mantıklı olmaz mı ? Neden 3.kitap ?
Epsilon : Çünkü neden olmasın ...
April 7, 2018
10/08/2016 Audio Book Review
4.5 Surly Cajun Loving Stars!!
This is definitely one of my favorites in the Buchanan-Renard series!! We get plenty of action, suspense, and romance. I love John Paul Renard, I was instantly intrigued by him when he was introduced to us in book #2 Mercy, he’s a burnt out ex-military and ex-government agent with a bad attitude and has an aversion all U.S. government agencies.
The thing he wants more than anything is to find Monk a paid assassin (who was also introduced in Mercy), he has a personal vendetta and he’s determined catch him by following a lead to a posh spa in Colorado. When John Paul sets his sights on Avery Delaney walking into the posh spa, he instantly thinks she's nothing more than a California airhead blond, but she may also be the one to lead him to Monk.
Avery arrives to the spa to meet up with her aunt for a week of pampering, she is instantly worried when she learns that not only has her reservation been canceled, but that Carrie never arrived as scheduled. Avery knows that something is horribly wrong, then John Paul introduces himself and when he learns that Carrie hadn’t arrived he proceeds to tell her that he thinks an assassin may have killed her Aunt, which naturally only makes Avery more determined to find and save her aunt especially when she receives a mysterious call sending her and John Paul on a game of cat and mouse, what a wild ride John Paul and Avery have ahead of them!!
John Paul and Avery were great together, both are very stubborn and headstrong. I loved their banter, the connection, the trust they give one another, and their romance.
* Narrated by Joyce Bean who always does a fantastic job!!
Originally Read: January 2012
August 29, 2020
This was my first Julie Garwood romantic/suspense. Kept my attention and had a few twists. Well written.
April 8, 2023
Avery Delaney had a tough childhood. As an infant, her mother abandoned her. Then when the grandmother who took care of her died violently, Avery was shot and nearly died. Now an adult, Avery has planned to meet up with her aunt in Colorado for a spa vacation. But when she arrives, she learns that her aunt has cancelled. Knowing her Aunt Carrie would have contacted her, Avery suspects something is wrong.
John Paul Renard is at the same spa. He has been searching for a contract killer named Monk and has learned that he is working in the area. When John Paul realizes that Avery's aunt is missing, he believes she may be Monk's next victim. Avery and John Paul decide to work together. A phone call from Monk's partner makes them sure they're on the right track. Carrie and two other women were kidnapped and are being held in a remote location. Now it's up to John Paul and Avery to find Carrie and the other women.
This is a solid romantic suspense with a good plot. I enjoyed the search for the women; but thought the romance between John Paul and Avery was just OK. My rating: 4 Stars.
John Paul Renard is at the same spa. He has been searching for a contract killer named Monk and has learned that he is working in the area. When John Paul realizes that Avery's aunt is missing, he believes she may be Monk's next victim. Avery and John Paul decide to work together. A phone call from Monk's partner makes them sure they're on the right track. Carrie and two other women were kidnapped and are being held in a remote location. Now it's up to John Paul and Avery to find Carrie and the other women.
This is a solid romantic suspense with a good plot. I enjoyed the search for the women; but thought the romance between John Paul and Avery was just OK. My rating: 4 Stars.
August 11, 2012
Mediocre romantic suspense. I'm getting real tired of heroes and heroines falling in love within a couple of days just because they have good sex. It's called lust people, not love.
Also, I had a hard time buying the whole story line of the hit man falling for Jilly and doing some of the stupid stuff he did. The first night they sleep together, he tells her all about himself. He also rushes what he's doing to please her. You don't get to be a top notch hit man by rushing. As for telling her who he is when they first meet, you don't get to be a top notch hit man by doing that either. It doesn't matter how pretty the woman is. A hit man who the FBI cannot catch should be very smart. He sure wasn't acting like it. And if the bad guy isn't acting smart, yet the cops can't catch him, that makes the cops appear stupid.
The plot was good but a lot of the backstory to tell me how evil Jilly was kept throwing me out of the story. I also had most of the storyline figured out without much in the way of surprises. Just a hint writers, if you want to pretend someone is dead, don't kill them in a fiery crash. (I'm not giving anything away here. The crash was announced in the first chapter and by about the third you knew the person didn't die. Most readers will assume it in the first chapter.)
If you want an easy read without much in the way of surprises, this is a good book for that. There's great detail in the way of description. Ms. Garwood puts you in every scene very well. There were actually times I felt I could smell some of the descriptive detail. However, the suspense wasn’t very suspenseful.
Also, I had a hard time buying the whole story line of the hit man falling for Jilly and doing some of the stupid stuff he did. The first night they sleep together, he tells her all about himself. He also rushes what he's doing to please her. You don't get to be a top notch hit man by rushing. As for telling her who he is when they first meet, you don't get to be a top notch hit man by doing that either. It doesn't matter how pretty the woman is. A hit man who the FBI cannot catch should be very smart. He sure wasn't acting like it. And if the bad guy isn't acting smart, yet the cops can't catch him, that makes the cops appear stupid.
The plot was good but a lot of the backstory to tell me how evil Jilly was kept throwing me out of the story. I also had most of the storyline figured out without much in the way of surprises. Just a hint writers, if you want to pretend someone is dead, don't kill them in a fiery crash. (I'm not giving anything away here. The crash was announced in the first chapter and by about the third you knew the person didn't die. Most readers will assume it in the first chapter.)
If you want an easy read without much in the way of surprises, this is a good book for that. There's great detail in the way of description. Ms. Garwood puts you in every scene very well. There were actually times I felt I could smell some of the descriptive detail. However, the suspense wasn’t very suspenseful.
September 16, 2013
★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I don’t know why I’m enjoying JG’s Contemporary Romances more on audio than I did when I read their dead tree versions, but I am. I’m one of those people who was vastly disappointed when she stopped writing Historical Romances. However, I ♥loved♥ this one; it held my attention though-out. Nicely narrated by Joyce Bean.
July 6, 2024
This is an elaborate mess. The setup for the story took up 25% of the beginning of the book, and contained so many superfluous details I got bored. Then something finally happened, but the focus immediately shifted to something boring again. Even the exciting stuff—the chase over the mountains by the hired killer!—got buried under piles of unnecessary twaddle and ridiculous bickering.
I’d describe the main characters but apart from good-looking I couldn’t tell you. Each was given a backstory but the reader isn’t privy to how the characters feel about those backstories. At no point was I ever convinced that this former CIA operative and current FBI analyst were anything but stubborn children in adult clothing. The villains are superficially more interesting, but still cliches. That couple running the store in the mountains was lifted straight from Deliverance without the laughs, and of the three women trapped in the bomb-rigged house I was only rooting for Sara to survive. (Could someone please explain Anne to me? Because I don’t know what the hell she was about.)
As for the romance, you’ll need a microscope to see it.
I’d describe the main characters but apart from good-looking I couldn’t tell you. Each was given a backstory but the reader isn’t privy to how the characters feel about those backstories. At no point was I ever convinced that this former CIA operative and current FBI analyst were anything but stubborn children in adult clothing. The villains are superficially more interesting, but still cliches. That couple running the store in the mountains was lifted straight from Deliverance without the laughs, and of the three women trapped in the bomb-rigged house I was only rooting for Sara to survive. (Could someone please explain Anne to me? Because I don’t know what the hell she was about.)
As for the romance, you’ll need a microscope to see it.
April 26, 2014
Pardon me while I stifle a slight yawn. The blurb billed this as a gripping novel of unrelenting suspense... hmm, perhaps I slept thru those scenes. Few surprises with predictable plot. Main character Avery seldom demonstrated usage of her so-called razor-sharp mind, but scored an A+ in the PITA department. Sad, really, when this reader felt no reason to cheer her on as she compulsively blundered about... I did, however, occasionally feel the urge to B-slap her. Working as an expert crime analyst for the FBI, her rash, immature behaviors while trying to save her aunt had me shaking my head. Enter handsome ex-FBI agent John Paul, (the real hero ~ and saving grace of this book~) tried herding the headstrong Avery away from certain calamity. Of course his efforts were rewarded by her newly-reawakened sexual cravings. Same ol' girl meets guy, emotional/verbal sparring while on the pre-destined path to the bedroom drivel.
November 23, 2020
Bana kalsa puanını çok daha düşük verirdim fakat biraz daha objektif yaklaşmaya çalıştım :( Julie Garwood historicalın kraliçelerinden biriyken neden polisiye/aşk yazmaya yönelmiş ki ?😞 Polisiye kitaplara çok bayılmam ondan belkide hiç sevemedim 😞
January 14, 2018
"Killjoy" is the story of John Paul and Avery.
Avery has had a difficult life. Within three days of her birth, she was abandoned by her psychopath and sociopathic mother, and then taken care of by her grandma Lola and aunt Carrie. When she is 12, her mother Jilly and her boyfriend return- something which leads to the murder of her grandma and leaves Avery almost on the deathbed with permanent scars.
This motivates her to get a job in law enforcement where she works as a FBI typist.
When her now successful aunt Carrie, who is struggling with a bad marriage to Tony invites her on a retreat- she finally agrees- only to find out that her aunt has been kidnapped by a "familiar looking" woman and a man named "Monk"- and soon with the help of secret agent John Paul, realizes that the conspiracy runs deeper and her aunt might be the target of a serial killer.
But the kidnapping has a personal connection to Avery, and soon secrets start to unveil..
Decent thriller with well written characters and truly detestable villains. Kept me hooked from first chapter.
However, the chemistry between the leads is barely explored except in the last 1/4,and even then we are more invested in the mystery than them (because of less screen time).
In the end, I really liked both Avery and John Paul, hated Jilly (i felt she should have suffered more, but being the sociopath she was, I dont think she was capable of remorse) and felt bad for Carrie.
Overall a good read but ended kinda abruptly.
Safe
3/5
Avery has had a difficult life. Within three days of her birth, she was abandoned by her psychopath and sociopathic mother, and then taken care of by her grandma Lola and aunt Carrie. When she is 12, her mother Jilly and her boyfriend return- something which leads to the murder of her grandma and leaves Avery almost on the deathbed with permanent scars.
This motivates her to get a job in law enforcement where she works as a FBI typist.
When her now successful aunt Carrie, who is struggling with a bad marriage to Tony invites her on a retreat- she finally agrees- only to find out that her aunt has been kidnapped by a "familiar looking" woman and a man named "Monk"- and soon with the help of secret agent John Paul, realizes that the conspiracy runs deeper and her aunt might be the target of a serial killer.
But the kidnapping has a personal connection to Avery, and soon secrets start to unveil..
Decent thriller with well written characters and truly detestable villains. Kept me hooked from first chapter.
However, the chemistry between the leads is barely explored except in the last 1/4,and even then we are more invested in the mystery than them (because of less screen time).
In the end, I really liked both Avery and John Paul, hated Jilly (i felt she should have suffered more, but being the sociopath she was, I dont think she was capable of remorse) and felt bad for Carrie.
Overall a good read but ended kinda abruptly.
Safe
3/5
March 10, 2022
3 stars. I really loved the hero and heroine of this story. However, the story didn’t focus on them in the same way that the first two books did. I felt like they were put on the back burner for a lot of the story and there were too many scenes with secondary characters. Personally, I didn’t enjoy those parts of the story as much because I felt like those characters acted in a fairly predictable manner and I quickly became bored.
I especially am pissed because I feel like the author didn’t really give Jilly any punishment and allowed her to keep playing her games at the end. If anyone needed to suffer, it was definitely her.
Overall, there were really good parts to this book, but also really annoying and frustrating parts. I’ll continue with this series and hope the next few books will be more similar to the previous two in this story.
Safe; no om/ow, no scenes with OP, no cheating, no virgins, hero not a manwhore.
I especially am pissed because I feel like the author didn’t really give Jilly any punishment and allowed her to keep playing her games at the end. If anyone needed to suffer, it was definitely her.
Overall, there were really good parts to this book, but also really annoying and frustrating parts. I’ll continue with this series and hope the next few books will be more similar to the previous two in this story.
Safe; no om/ow, no scenes with OP, no cheating, no virgins, hero not a manwhore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2020
This book was a hot mess. The pacing was off, the writing and characters were inconsistent and unrealistic, the romance was weaker than a wet paper bag, and the book was stuffed full of old-fashioned sexism. It I have anything good to say about this book, it’s that the mystery started out with a lot of promise and that I finished the book. I can already tell this is going to devolve into a rant, so let’s hop right in.
Let’s start with the characters. Avery was nauseatingly perfect. She was so physically perfect that it was unbelievable to John Paul that she hadn’t had any work done whatsoever. She was beautiful, intelligent, and had a tragic backstory as the cherry on top of her sundae. In reality, she was impossible to identify with and had no real defining characteristics. Every other word out of her mouth was meant to show that she didn’t enjoy participating in “girly” activities, but in fact preferred running with the guys. John Paul didn’t vary from his stereotype either. He was judgmental and rude, and not in an endearing way. He was never actually fleshed out, and the most we ever find out about him is that he was a marine who was recruited to some kind of special op. Now he lives in a small town in Louisiana and works as a carpenter. I think I literally found of more about him from the previous book in this series when he was a side character. He was so forgettable that at one point Garwood wrote his name as Jean Paul and I had to look back to find more mentions of his name because I thought I had been calling him by the wrong name the whole book. But no. His name is actually John Paul.
And oh my god the pacing. The first twenty-two pages of this book are dedicated to irrelevant exposition. Avery’s past is important to the plot of the story, but the sheer amount of information we are given in the beginning is gratuitous and unnecessary. Within this initial flashback, we are treated to a second flashback in which Carrie, Avery’s aunt, takes us on a long mental anecdote before returning four pages later to answer the question that Avery had asked all those pages ago. All of the attention given to the exposition in the novel was obviously taken from the climax and resolution. The end of the novel was confusing and disappointing. After so much build up we didn’t even get to see one of the murderers get arrested, and the conspirator at the end also gets almost no screen time. Avery and Carrie’s reunion isn’t even mentioned. The pacing also affects the romance in this novel, as Avery and John Paul don’t even meet until page 126, and from there the reader gets to see them together for all of seven days, three of which take place on a three-day road trip that lasts four pages. They spent so little time together that the marriage proposal at the end was almost laughable. At this point they have spent almost no time talking or doing things other than what pertains to the kidnapping/attempted murder. In the last two pages of the novel we suddenly discover that Avery is going to change professions to become a teacher in Bowen, despite her master’s degree and successful career as an FBI analyst, the job we were previously told she wanted since she was ten. The ending was sloppy. It read as though Garwood had a page limit that she suddenly realized she was approaching and had to quickly resolve the book with ten pages left.
Finally we get to the sexism in this novel. Yay! There is so much to unpack here that I’m just going to go chronologically.
On page 318 John Paul ridicules Avery for putting on makeup and questions her about whether it is just to look good for her “FBI buddies.”
On page 320 the chief of police asks John Paul if he’s “sure that little girl’s going to be ok.” We are discussing a twenty-something FBI agent with a master’s degree and a successful career, not a four year old. Barf.
On page 349 Avery wonders if she’s turning into a slut because she wants to have sex with John Paul. I have two thoughts here. One being that somehow, despite John Paul being the one insinuating that he finds Avery attractive and wants to have sex with her, and even though he’s the one that has initiated any intimate contact, Avery is the one who is a slut because she has impure thoughts. Secondly, is literally every one of Garwood’s heroines going to question if she’s turning into a slut because she occasionally experiences hormones? I should make a game of finding the slut comment in each of her novels, and once I do I get to take a shot, because I need it to get through some of these icky moments.
These aren’t really sexist, but on pages 346 and 359 Avery feels the need to say “oh brother” during sex, and on page 359 we discover that Avery shouted “heavens to Betsy” during intercourse. Why??? On page 358 Avery dedicates a paragraph to wondering why John Paul isn’t praising her after they had sex, because I guess that’s something that is normal? And before anyone says it’s because of her history I feel the need to mention that this scene makes its way into almost every single one of her historical romance novels. So this isn’t a one time, circumstantial thing.
On Page 385 John Paul tells Avery that she’s “showing too much skin,” despite wearing sneakers, a t-shirt, and shorts, because his male friend will see her and hit on her.
On page 405 Avery wakes up after having sex with John Paul twice, looks in the mirror, and says, “Hi. My name’s Avery, and I’m a sexaholic.” WTF? This is the third time total they’ve had sex, and somehow Avery is convinced that she’s addicted to sex?
Finally, we get to the female villain in the novel. I can’t help but notice that every female villain that Garwood ever writes sleeps with every male within eyesight and uses her feminine wiles to gain a male’s loyalty and get them to do her dirty work. It’s such an overused trope to vilify sexually available women, and I’m so tired of hearing about the sexually innocent heroine and the promiscuous villain.
My final, last nitpicky thing: can romance authors stop dumping on millennials and gen z? At one point Garwood says that Avery’s teenage waitress has a tongue ring that gives her a speech impediment (as a side note, has Garwood ever met someone with a tongue ring? If so, she probably didn’t realize it, because they don’t affect your speech whatsoever), and I just flashed back to Karen Marie Moning constant harping about the younger generations’ penchant for using cell phones, piercing and tattooing themselves, and having sex prior to marriage. Why can’t they just let it go?
This ended up being about ten times longer than I meant it to be. And this was after I really boiled it down to my top complaints. This was a terrible book, and I think the only reason why I can stomach this series at all is because I initially read them when I was younger and had lower standards, and now for my re-reads I have an irrational, residual fondness that keeps me from throwing them out the window with rage. I do not recommend this book, and if you like this series I would continue it without reading this one. They work well as standalones anyway.
Let’s start with the characters. Avery was nauseatingly perfect. She was so physically perfect that it was unbelievable to John Paul that she hadn’t had any work done whatsoever. She was beautiful, intelligent, and had a tragic backstory as the cherry on top of her sundae. In reality, she was impossible to identify with and had no real defining characteristics. Every other word out of her mouth was meant to show that she didn’t enjoy participating in “girly” activities, but in fact preferred running with the guys. John Paul didn’t vary from his stereotype either. He was judgmental and rude, and not in an endearing way. He was never actually fleshed out, and the most we ever find out about him is that he was a marine who was recruited to some kind of special op. Now he lives in a small town in Louisiana and works as a carpenter. I think I literally found of more about him from the previous book in this series when he was a side character. He was so forgettable that at one point Garwood wrote his name as Jean Paul and I had to look back to find more mentions of his name because I thought I had been calling him by the wrong name the whole book. But no. His name is actually John Paul.
And oh my god the pacing. The first twenty-two pages of this book are dedicated to irrelevant exposition. Avery’s past is important to the plot of the story, but the sheer amount of information we are given in the beginning is gratuitous and unnecessary. Within this initial flashback, we are treated to a second flashback in which Carrie, Avery’s aunt, takes us on a long mental anecdote before returning four pages later to answer the question that Avery had asked all those pages ago. All of the attention given to the exposition in the novel was obviously taken from the climax and resolution. The end of the novel was confusing and disappointing. After so much build up we didn’t even get to see one of the murderers get arrested, and the conspirator at the end also gets almost no screen time. Avery and Carrie’s reunion isn’t even mentioned. The pacing also affects the romance in this novel, as Avery and John Paul don’t even meet until page 126, and from there the reader gets to see them together for all of seven days, three of which take place on a three-day road trip that lasts four pages. They spent so little time together that the marriage proposal at the end was almost laughable. At this point they have spent almost no time talking or doing things other than what pertains to the kidnapping/attempted murder. In the last two pages of the novel we suddenly discover that Avery is going to change professions to become a teacher in Bowen, despite her master’s degree and successful career as an FBI analyst, the job we were previously told she wanted since she was ten. The ending was sloppy. It read as though Garwood had a page limit that she suddenly realized she was approaching and had to quickly resolve the book with ten pages left.
Finally we get to the sexism in this novel. Yay! There is so much to unpack here that I’m just going to go chronologically.
On page 318 John Paul ridicules Avery for putting on makeup and questions her about whether it is just to look good for her “FBI buddies.”
On page 320 the chief of police asks John Paul if he’s “sure that little girl’s going to be ok.” We are discussing a twenty-something FBI agent with a master’s degree and a successful career, not a four year old. Barf.
On page 349 Avery wonders if she’s turning into a slut because she wants to have sex with John Paul. I have two thoughts here. One being that somehow, despite John Paul being the one insinuating that he finds Avery attractive and wants to have sex with her, and even though he’s the one that has initiated any intimate contact, Avery is the one who is a slut because she has impure thoughts. Secondly, is literally every one of Garwood’s heroines going to question if she’s turning into a slut because she occasionally experiences hormones? I should make a game of finding the slut comment in each of her novels, and once I do I get to take a shot, because I need it to get through some of these icky moments.
These aren’t really sexist, but on pages 346 and 359 Avery feels the need to say “oh brother” during sex, and on page 359 we discover that Avery shouted “heavens to Betsy” during intercourse. Why??? On page 358 Avery dedicates a paragraph to wondering why John Paul isn’t praising her after they had sex, because I guess that’s something that is normal? And before anyone says it’s because of her history I feel the need to mention that this scene makes its way into almost every single one of her historical romance novels. So this isn’t a one time, circumstantial thing.
On Page 385 John Paul tells Avery that she’s “showing too much skin,” despite wearing sneakers, a t-shirt, and shorts, because his male friend will see her and hit on her.
On page 405 Avery wakes up after having sex with John Paul twice, looks in the mirror, and says, “Hi. My name’s Avery, and I’m a sexaholic.” WTF? This is the third time total they’ve had sex, and somehow Avery is convinced that she’s addicted to sex?
Finally, we get to the female villain in the novel. I can’t help but notice that every female villain that Garwood ever writes sleeps with every male within eyesight and uses her feminine wiles to gain a male’s loyalty and get them to do her dirty work. It’s such an overused trope to vilify sexually available women, and I’m so tired of hearing about the sexually innocent heroine and the promiscuous villain.
My final, last nitpicky thing: can romance authors stop dumping on millennials and gen z? At one point Garwood says that Avery’s teenage waitress has a tongue ring that gives her a speech impediment (as a side note, has Garwood ever met someone with a tongue ring? If so, she probably didn’t realize it, because they don’t affect your speech whatsoever), and I just flashed back to Karen Marie Moning constant harping about the younger generations’ penchant for using cell phones, piercing and tattooing themselves, and having sex prior to marriage. Why can’t they just let it go?
This ended up being about ten times longer than I meant it to be. And this was after I really boiled it down to my top complaints. This was a terrible book, and I think the only reason why I can stomach this series at all is because I initially read them when I was younger and had lower standards, and now for my re-reads I have an irrational, residual fondness that keeps me from throwing them out the window with rage. I do not recommend this book, and if you like this series I would continue it without reading this one. They work well as standalones anyway.
August 16, 2021
2,5 ☆☆
Şipşak aşklar beni hiç etkilemiyor (tabii ona aşk denilebilirse)...
Ruh halimden kaynaklı çok hızlı okudum yoksa kitabın ilk yarısında olaylara bir türlü giriş yapılmadığı için yarım bırakırdım.
Şipşak aşklar beni hiç etkilemiyor (tabii ona aşk denilebilirse)...
Ruh halimden kaynaklı çok hızlı okudum yoksa kitabın ilk yarısında olaylara bir türlü giriş yapılmadığı için yarım bırakırdım.
October 2, 2020
Julie Garwood | Oyunbozan
Kısa bir özetle geçersek Avery ebeveyn yönünden aşırı şanssız bir kızımız. Yıllar sonra annesinin ölüm haberini alıp bir rahatlama yaşasa bile belalar peşini bırakmaz. Çünkü çocukluğunda annesinin talimatıyla kendisini kaçırmaya çalışan adamın davası olacaktır ve Avery ve teyzesi Carrie bu davanın en önemli tanığıdır. Son davanın görülmesine az bir zaman kala Carrie'ye onun adına bir spa merkezinden tatil rezervasyonu yapıldığı haberi gelir ve bu tatilde yeğeni de olsun ister ve olaylar uçaktan indiği anda başlar.
Esas oğlan eski bir ajan olan John Paul seni ilk başta asla ama asla sevesim gelmedi. Çünkü Avery'i ilk gördüğün an aklında beliren o sığ düşüncelerden iğrendim resmen. Ama sonra sonra kendini sevdirdin. Avery kız sen o psikolojik sorunlarla dolu aileden nasıl sağlam dik duruşlu kendine güvenli çıktın hayret yani.
Kitaba dair her şey iyi hoştu ama olayların çözülme hızının aşırı hızlı geçiştirilmesini sevmedim. Daha sindire sindire olayların çözüme ulaşmasını isterdim. Birde sanki çeviriden mi kaynaklı bilmiyorum ama sanki kitapta sahne atlaması var gibime geldi. Sonlara doğru bölümler arasında büyük kopukluk olduğu hissine kapıldım bilmiyorum. Editoryal hatalara alışmak istemiyorum ama sayenizde çevirmenlerin emekleri zayi oluyor bari hiç değilse editör var diye künyeye yazmayın.
Ha birde diğer bir Epsilon klasiği serilerde karmakarışık sırayla kitapları çıkarmak. Neden çünkü biz Türk okurlara seriyi sırayla okumak ne lazım sonra alışırız falan Allah korusun yayınevlerine büsbüyük külfet...
Kısa bir özetle geçersek Avery ebeveyn yönünden aşırı şanssız bir kızımız. Yıllar sonra annesinin ölüm haberini alıp bir rahatlama yaşasa bile belalar peşini bırakmaz. Çünkü çocukluğunda annesinin talimatıyla kendisini kaçırmaya çalışan adamın davası olacaktır ve Avery ve teyzesi Carrie bu davanın en önemli tanığıdır. Son davanın görülmesine az bir zaman kala Carrie'ye onun adına bir spa merkezinden tatil rezervasyonu yapıldığı haberi gelir ve bu tatilde yeğeni de olsun ister ve olaylar uçaktan indiği anda başlar.
Esas oğlan eski bir ajan olan John Paul seni ilk başta asla ama asla sevesim gelmedi. Çünkü Avery'i ilk gördüğün an aklında beliren o sığ düşüncelerden iğrendim resmen. Ama sonra sonra kendini sevdirdin. Avery kız sen o psikolojik sorunlarla dolu aileden nasıl sağlam dik duruşlu kendine güvenli çıktın hayret yani.
Kitaba dair her şey iyi hoştu ama olayların çözülme hızının aşırı hızlı geçiştirilmesini sevmedim. Daha sindire sindire olayların çözüme ulaşmasını isterdim. Birde sanki çeviriden mi kaynaklı bilmiyorum ama sanki kitapta sahne atlaması var gibime geldi. Sonlara doğru bölümler arasında büyük kopukluk olduğu hissine kapıldım bilmiyorum. Editoryal hatalara alışmak istemiyorum ama sayenizde çevirmenlerin emekleri zayi oluyor bari hiç değilse editör var diye künyeye yazmayın.
Ha birde diğer bir Epsilon klasiği serilerde karmakarışık sırayla kitapları çıkarmak. Neden çünkü biz Türk okurlara seriyi sırayla okumak ne lazım sonra alışırız falan Allah korusun yayınevlerine büsbüyük külfet...
April 18, 2010
This is my favorite so far out of the Buchanan series. Filled with action/adventure, romance and suspense, it was a perfect book IMO. John Paul is ex-military and hates all that is related to the government. The one thing he wants more than anything is to find the paid killer Monk and catch him before he kills anyone else. When John Paul first sees Avery walking into a spa, he thinks she's nothing more than a California fake blond. He thinks she might be able to lead him to Monk's whereabouts, so he suffers to talk with her.
Avery arrives at the spa thinking she is meeting her Aunt Carrie for a nice week away. And is distressed when she learns that not only has her own reservation been canceled, but that Carrie never made it to spa either. Avery knows that she is missing and is determined to find her. When John Paul tells her that he thinks the assassin Monk may have already killed her, it only makes her more determined.
The first step, is to find out who would have wanted Carrie dead. Avery can think of many people, and some might be in her own family.
I've read some other reviews that state that there is a drag in Garwood's stories, I don't think that's the case with this one at all. It's very fast paced, and the characters are on the move from the beginning. What was interesting about this book, is that you know who is behind everything. It's not a matter of figuring out who is doing it, but it's a matter of catching the person. I think that this made the book more suspenseful because instead of trying to determine who the bad guy was, I was caught up in the action right along with the characters.
I have to go harass my local library for the next book, because I want more action!
Avery arrives at the spa thinking she is meeting her Aunt Carrie for a nice week away. And is distressed when she learns that not only has her own reservation been canceled, but that Carrie never made it to spa either. Avery knows that she is missing and is determined to find her. When John Paul tells her that he thinks the assassin Monk may have already killed her, it only makes her more determined.
The first step, is to find out who would have wanted Carrie dead. Avery can think of many people, and some might be in her own family.
I've read some other reviews that state that there is a drag in Garwood's stories, I don't think that's the case with this one at all. It's very fast paced, and the characters are on the move from the beginning. What was interesting about this book, is that you know who is behind everything. It's not a matter of figuring out who is doing it, but it's a matter of catching the person. I think that this made the book more suspenseful because instead of trying to determine who the bad guy was, I was caught up in the action right along with the characters.
I have to go harass my local library for the next book, because I want more action!
August 17, 2021
İki karakterde biraz aptaldı. En başında düşünmeleri gereken şey bir türlü akıllarına gelemedi. Ve kitabın sonu oldu bitti oldu. Ve ben sonda Teyze Carrie'nin duygularını okumayı gerçekten isterdim. Bence bu çok önemli bir ayrıntıydı. Eğer okusaydım veya onun da bir şekilde bir sona bağlanağını bilseydim puanım yüksek olacaktı.
September 2, 2019
Добре, де, как можа тази книга да ме държа под напрежение през цялото време и да е с този незавършен финал? Да вляза аз в книгата да убия Джили? 😤
September 18, 2017
This is my third or fourth time reading this book. It is a part of Julie Garwood's Buchanan series which is her first time moving away from the historical romance genre into contemporary romanic suspense.
I read many of the reviews written by other members and it seems that a lot of the reviewers were complaining about the very characteristics that define the genre. I also think that readers should be forwarned that some of the inside jokes and other references may be lost on you if you don't read Heartbreaker and Mercy first. It is especially important to read Mercy first because this is the reader's first introduction to the male protagonist.
I read many of the reviews written by other members and it seems that a lot of the reviewers were complaining about the very characteristics that define the genre. I also think that readers should be forwarned that some of the inside jokes and other references may be lost on you if you don't read Heartbreaker and Mercy first. It is especially important to read Mercy first because this is the reader's first introduction to the male protagonist.
June 25, 2020
Bana göre ne yazsa okunur bir yazar. Zaten Buchanan-Renard serisi ile tanıştığım bir yazardı kendisi, bizde yayınlanan tüm kitaplarını okumuş ve oluruna bırakmıştım kalanları. Nihayet epsilonun aklıma geldi ve seriye döndü. Bu seride karakterlerden en az biri bir çeşit kanun görevlisi ve bu da aile mesleği gibi bir şey haline gelmiş. Temposu düşmeyen, size göz devirtmeyen, polisiyesini tadında bulacağınız bir hikaye diye düşünüyorum. Sizi şaşırtacak kadar acayip bir kurgu yok - neticede bu bir romantik gerilim ama bana güzel vakit geçirtti. Sabah başladım, uzun zamandır okumadığım kadar okumamı sağladı ve akşam da bitti. Akıcı, rahat okunan bir şey arıyorsanız buna şans verebilirsiniz.
March 15, 2023
My favorite of the series thus far!! Killjoy has it all...great plot line, a ton of action and laugh out loud banter between the two leads as they fight their attraction with all they've got! Their chemistry is insane, but neither are looking for more than a fling. Famous last words. This book cements my commitment to the Buchanan-Renard series. I'm in for the long haul!
March 25, 2023
This is a reread for me. My first time was BG (Before Goodreads) so I am writing a review for this book for the first time. I love Julie Garwood, her Historical and her Contemporary books, I just love her. It is fun rereading these books because I remember parts, but not anything major. I love both John Paul and Avery. They make a great couple, both hard-headed and determined individuals. The story is unique and grabs you from the first page. The suspense and action are fantastic.
Avery Delaney's mother, Jilly, abandoned her when she was three days old. She was raised by her grandmother and aunt. Her mother was a piece of work who terrorized the family, and it was good riddance when she finally disappeared and years later died in an auto accident. At eleven Avery's grandmother dies and Avery was left for dead when Jilly's boyfriend tried to kidnap her. She grew up to be an FBI analyst and is a really good one, solving a major case and saving lives. She is also drop dead beautiful but doesn't seem to notice that men drop at her feet with no effort on her part. But the hours are long, and the stress is high, and Avery doesn't trust easily. When her aunt, Carolyn Salvetti, received a gift of two weeks at the exclusive Utopia Spa near Aspen, CO, Carolyn convinces Avery to join her for a week. Closing up at work causes Avery to miss her flight and when she arrives a day late at Utopia, she finds that her aunt never arrived, even though she left a message for Avery that she was picked up.
John Paul Renard has been hunting the paid assassin, Monk, for over a year and he finally has a lead that takes him to the Utopia Spa. Across the lobby he spies a gorgeous blonde and immediately dismisses her as a California Airhead. John Paul is a solitary man who prefers his own company and doesn't trust easily. When he finds out that Avery is looking for the same person he is, he wants to know if there is a connection to Monk and if Avery's aunt could be one of his contracts. When an unknown woman sends them on a Treasure Hunt with the prize being Carrie's life, Avery and John Paul have no choice but to go along. Together they uncover an elaborate plot for murder that is totally unlike Monk's MO and Monk doesn't work with partners, so who is the mysterious woman?
Avery Delaney's mother, Jilly, abandoned her when she was three days old. She was raised by her grandmother and aunt. Her mother was a piece of work who terrorized the family, and it was good riddance when she finally disappeared and years later died in an auto accident. At eleven Avery's grandmother dies and Avery was left for dead when Jilly's boyfriend tried to kidnap her. She grew up to be an FBI analyst and is a really good one, solving a major case and saving lives. She is also drop dead beautiful but doesn't seem to notice that men drop at her feet with no effort on her part. But the hours are long, and the stress is high, and Avery doesn't trust easily. When her aunt, Carolyn Salvetti, received a gift of two weeks at the exclusive Utopia Spa near Aspen, CO, Carolyn convinces Avery to join her for a week. Closing up at work causes Avery to miss her flight and when she arrives a day late at Utopia, she finds that her aunt never arrived, even though she left a message for Avery that she was picked up.
John Paul Renard has been hunting the paid assassin, Monk, for over a year and he finally has a lead that takes him to the Utopia Spa. Across the lobby he spies a gorgeous blonde and immediately dismisses her as a California Airhead. John Paul is a solitary man who prefers his own company and doesn't trust easily. When he finds out that Avery is looking for the same person he is, he wants to know if there is a connection to Monk and if Avery's aunt could be one of his contracts. When an unknown woman sends them on a Treasure Hunt with the prize being Carrie's life, Avery and John Paul have no choice but to go along. Together they uncover an elaborate plot for murder that is totally unlike Monk's MO and Monk doesn't work with partners, so who is the mysterious woman?
February 20, 2014
3.75 or 4 stars. Solid narration by Joyce Bean. Good story. Not as good as the prequel, Mercy, but better than most of Garwood's contemporary novels. Happy to see John Paul Renard again -- he was great in Mercy. Glad he didn't blow hot and cold, but knew he wanted Avery soon enough. No stupid misunderstandings, either. Decent suspense with a few surprising plot twists.
Garwood's most vivid character is the antagonist. That sociopathic, seductive siren brings to mind a cobra -- I felt unwillingly entranced. She's compelling and repelling. Quite the villain.
Poor Monk. I almost felt sorry for him. Garwood created a somewhat sympathetic villain, lonely, alone, and hungry for love. Compared to psycho-siren, he was almost harmless. And that's saying a lot.
I also felt for Anne, one of the three kidnapped women. Unpleasant. Unlikeable. At least, till you understand why. Then, a shift in perspective. Nicely done.
This book is certainly not a testament to the faithfulness of married men.
Good to see Noah Clayborne again. Wanted to see characters from the prequel: Theo, Michelle, and Big Daddy Jake. No such luck. Wanted a longer epilogue. Wanted to see JP's entire extended family safe and happy in Bowen.
Most memorable scenes: (Beware, big spoilers!)
Garwood's most vivid character is the antagonist. That sociopathic, seductive siren brings to mind a cobra -- I felt unwillingly entranced. She's compelling and repelling. Quite the villain.
Poor Monk. I almost felt sorry for him. Garwood created a somewhat sympathetic villain, lonely, alone, and hungry for love. Compared to psycho-siren, he was almost harmless. And that's saying a lot.
I also felt for Anne, one of the three kidnapped women. Unpleasant. Unlikeable. At least, till you understand why. Then, a shift in perspective. Nicely done.
This book is certainly not a testament to the faithfulness of married men.
Good to see Noah Clayborne again. Wanted to see characters from the prequel: Theo, Michelle, and Big Daddy Jake. No such luck. Wanted a longer epilogue. Wanted to see JP's entire extended family safe and happy in Bowen.
Most memorable scenes: (Beware, big spoilers!)
March 13, 2018
Suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride. That was the sentence I said to myself more than once as I listened to this book during my commute.
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. A lovestruck hitman, a sociopathic deadbeat mom with a vengeance, an FBI-in-training, and an ex-Navy seal with questionable motives all make colorful characters. Add in a high-priced spa, some raging rapids, and a house bomb, and you've got a good way to pass the time.
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. A lovestruck hitman, a sociopathic deadbeat mom with a vengeance, an FBI-in-training, and an ex-Navy seal with questionable motives all make colorful characters. Add in a high-priced spa, some raging rapids, and a house bomb, and you've got a good way to pass the time.
July 23, 2022
Re-reading
April 7, 2025
Hmm... unfortunately, this is a mediocre read for me. Very mediocre. Forgettable too. If you ask me what happened in this book a week from now, I will probably forget everything about it. Mainly, I don't feel the chemistry between these two people. More like, I couldn't believe they would work with each other. Oh and the pacing and writing were also a little janky. Scenes were skipped out of nowhere. The ending... was weird too. Heck, what was that?
September 7, 2022
In this third book of the Buchanan-Renard series, we have John Paul Renard, Noah Clayborne and Monk returning from the earlier book, Mercy.
John Paul has tracked Monk to Aspen, Colorado, a year after he wreaked havoc in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Avery Delaney is trying to find her aunt, Carrie Salvetti, who she was supposed to join at a spa in Aspen called Utopia. John Paul and Avery connect in the lobby of the facility as they both are on the hunt for the same people for different reasons. It doesn't take long before they realize they must work together.
While this is an interesting story, I struggled with the main characters' inability to follow some of the most obvious clues to move them in the right direction. Avery, who is an analyst for the FBI, failed to mention salient points from her Aunt's messages to John Paul and he failed to ask the most simplest of questions of Avery at the onset. It seemed implausible that they would have been so obtuse.
The pace of the story wasn't as crisp as the earlier books in the series but we do find equally interesting characters, good dialogue and an intriguing story. It just isn't on the same level as Mercy and John Paul and Avery deserved more romance. I recommend the book but don't expect the thrills and humor of Mercy.
John Paul has tracked Monk to Aspen, Colorado, a year after he wreaked havoc in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Avery Delaney is trying to find her aunt, Carrie Salvetti, who she was supposed to join at a spa in Aspen called Utopia. John Paul and Avery connect in the lobby of the facility as they both are on the hunt for the same people for different reasons. It doesn't take long before they realize they must work together.
While this is an interesting story, I struggled with the main characters' inability to follow some of the most obvious clues to move them in the right direction. Avery, who is an analyst for the FBI, failed to mention salient points from her Aunt's messages to John Paul and he failed to ask the most simplest of questions of Avery at the onset. It seemed implausible that they would have been so obtuse.
The pace of the story wasn't as crisp as the earlier books in the series but we do find equally interesting characters, good dialogue and an intriguing story. It just isn't on the same level as Mercy and John Paul and Avery deserved more romance. I recommend the book but don't expect the thrills and humor of Mercy.
June 29, 2024
It started off so good! The pacing and thriller aspect was very well done. I just hold an unexplainable hate for John Paul.
June 14, 2014
4 ½ stars. A good time. Good romantic suspense. I didn’t want to stop reading.
BUT, I did not like:
After they had sex, she said no more sex because she felt they should distance themselves because they would split eventually. Is that believable? Do people really do that? We like each other now but we should not enjoy each other?
I also wanted a little more time spent in Monk’s mind (the bad guy). One example: how did he find Avery when she was in the motel?
I wanted to know what was in Ann’s letter.
THE BUCHANAN/FBI SERIES:
This is book 3 in the series. I did not like books 1 and 10 “Heartbreaker” and “Sweet Talk.” But I really liked book 2 “Mercy” and this one. I suggest reading Mercy before this. John Paul is introduced in Mercy. He’s the hero in this book.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Joyce Bean was good.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 12 hrs and 13 mins. Swearing language: mild with the f-word used once or twice. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 1, plus 3 briefly referred to with no details. Setting: current day mostly Colorado. Book copyright: 2002. Genre: romantic suspense.
BUT, I did not like:
After they had sex, she said no more sex because she felt they should distance themselves because they would split eventually. Is that believable? Do people really do that? We like each other now but we should not enjoy each other?
I also wanted a little more time spent in Monk’s mind (the bad guy). One example: how did he find Avery when she was in the motel?
I wanted to know what was in Ann’s letter.
THE BUCHANAN/FBI SERIES:
This is book 3 in the series. I did not like books 1 and 10 “Heartbreaker” and “Sweet Talk.” But I really liked book 2 “Mercy” and this one. I suggest reading Mercy before this. John Paul is introduced in Mercy. He’s the hero in this book.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Joyce Bean was good.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 12 hrs and 13 mins. Swearing language: mild with the f-word used once or twice. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 1, plus 3 briefly referred to with no details. Setting: current day mostly Colorado. Book copyright: 2002. Genre: romantic suspense.
August 11, 2014
The third book in the Buchanan-Renard series by Julie Garwood. Avery Delaney was abandoned by her mother and raised by her grandmother and aunt. When she was eleven her grandmother died and Avery was left for dead. Now Avery is employed by the FBI as a crime analyst. She goes on vacation to meet up with her aunt, Carolyn Salvetti, at an exclusive spa in Colorado. But when Avery gets there she is told the reservations were all canceled and her aunt is nowhere to be found. There Avery meets John Paul Renard. John Paul is in pursuit of "Monk", the hit man that attempted to take his sister's life.
Lots of non-stop action and suspense. Hard to imagine how a romance could be squeezed in but it was and it worked.
Lots of non-stop action and suspense. Hard to imagine how a romance could be squeezed in but it was and it worked.
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