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Buchanan-Renard #1
Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood
New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood breaks new ground in her first contemporary suspense novel. Long-time fans of Garwood will be amazed at the way the queen of historical romance weaves this tale of love as it blossoms in the face of extreme danger. FBI agent Nick Buchanan is about to take his first vacation in three years when he receives a phone call from his best friend and former college roommate, Father Tom Madden. Tom relates the horrifying tale of a confession that he heard from a killer seeking absolution for a gruesome crime he has yet to commit. Worse yet, the madman, who calls himself the Heartbreaker, confesses that his intended victim is Laurant Madden, Tom's gorgeous younger sister. The Heartbreaker is crazy about Laurant--really, really crazy. When Tom and Nick break the news to Laurant, she is furious at the disruption the psycho is causing in her very busy life. With her best friend's wedding rapidly approaching and Laurant's own business set to open in two weeks, there couldn't be a worse time to be stalked. But when she learns that the Heartbreaker has already broken into her home and watched her sleep, she reluctantly agrees to Nick's protection, even if it means that she's thrown together with her brother's all-too-sexy friend all day--and all night. Nick, posing as Laurant's fiancé, heads back with her to Holy Oaks. There he encounters a strange cast of characters, the likes of which are grown only in small towns where everybody knows everybody's business--except whether one of them might be a serial killer. Along the way, Nick and Laurant also discover their own hunger for each other. Readers will love the change of pace for perennial favorite Garwood. She creates a sensational story with a truly explosive conclusion.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Julie Garwood
151 books12.5k 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 1,036 reviews
May 24, 2017
2.5 Stars
I love Julie Garwood, but I have only ever read her HR books. This book just didn't do it for me. It wasn't bad but it was just okay. The 2 main problems I had with this book was
Problem 1. There was detail overload. There was just so many details about everything. It really slowed the story down and made the plot drag. I got bored from the start. I kept asking my husband why do I need to know the color and make of a counter top? Why do I need to have a whole chapter for a secondary character talking about her dog dying? I get that the dog was killed by the bad guy but that shit could have been wrapped up in a few lines. This book needed to have about 200 pages cut. Here is a few quotes of Detail overload.
leaned back against the wall, and began to read the Holy Oaks Gazette he’d brought along to Kansas City with him. He turned to the society page on the back first, because he got such a kick out of it. He glanced over the usual club news and the smattering of announcements—two births, three engagements, and a wedding—and then he found his favorite column, called “About Town.” The headline was always the same: the bingo game. The number of people who attended the community center bingo night was reported along with the names of the winners of the twenty-five-dollar jackpots. Interviews with the lucky recipients followed, telling what each of them planned to do with his or her windfall. And there was always a comment from Rabbi David Spears, who organized the weekly event, about what a good time everyone had. Tom was suspicious that the society editor, Lorna Hamburg, secretly had a crush on Rabbi Dave, a widower, and that was why the bingo game was so prominently featured in the paper. The rabbi said the same thing every week, and Tom invariably ribbed him about that when they played golf together on Wednesday afternoons. Since Dave usually beat the socks off him, he didn’t mind the teasing, but he did accuse Tom of trying to divert attention from his appalling game. The rest of the column was dedicated to letting everyone in town know who was entertaining company and what they were feeding them. If the news that week was hard to come by, Lorna filled in the space with popular recipes. There weren’t any secrets in Holy Oaks. The front page was full of news about the proposed town square development and the upcoming one-hundred-year celebration at Assumption Abbey. And there was a nice mention about his sister helping out at the abbey. The reporter called her a tireless and cheerful volunteer and went into some detail describing all the projects she had taken on.
Why the fuck do I need to know so much about the damn news paper? There was more boring details but I got sick of typing them all. Here is another smaller detail overload quote
Having made the decision not to fret about Laurant any longer, Bessie Jean sat down at the dining room table and opened the wooden stationery box her mama had given her when she was a young girl. She took out a sheet of pink, rose-scented paper embossed with her very own initials, and reached for her pen. Since Sheriff Lloyd wasn’t going to do anything about Daddy’s murder, Bessie Jean was taking matters into her own hands. She’d already written one letter to the FBI requesting that they send a man to Holy Oaks to investigate, but her first letter must have gotten lost in the mail because a full eight days had passed and she still hadn’t heard a word from anyone. She was going to make certain this letter didn’t get lost. This time she was going to address her request to the director himself, and as expensive as it was, she was going to spend the extra money to send it by certified mail.
That is a little from the whole chapter that was just the little old lady next door talking about her dead dog daddy and all about her neighbors.... blah blah fucking blah. It dragged so badly.
Problem #2 I didn't feel the romance between Nick and Laurant. They showed no interest in each other almost the whole book then at like the 80% we have one super rushed sex scene then the heroine is saying I love you Nick is saying no you don't. Then they are not together again, til like the last few pages. This wasn't a slow burn romance it was a no burn.
Now I bought 6 books from this series at a used book store for a 1.00 each so I am trying to decide if this was just her getting her wings in a new genre and give one more book a chance or just move on.
I love Julie Garwood, but I have only ever read her HR books. This book just didn't do it for me. It wasn't bad but it was just okay. The 2 main problems I had with this book was
Problem 1. There was detail overload. There was just so many details about everything. It really slowed the story down and made the plot drag. I got bored from the start. I kept asking my husband why do I need to know the color and make of a counter top? Why do I need to have a whole chapter for a secondary character talking about her dog dying? I get that the dog was killed by the bad guy but that shit could have been wrapped up in a few lines. This book needed to have about 200 pages cut. Here is a few quotes of Detail overload.
leaned back against the wall, and began to read the Holy Oaks Gazette he’d brought along to Kansas City with him. He turned to the society page on the back first, because he got such a kick out of it. He glanced over the usual club news and the smattering of announcements—two births, three engagements, and a wedding—and then he found his favorite column, called “About Town.” The headline was always the same: the bingo game. The number of people who attended the community center bingo night was reported along with the names of the winners of the twenty-five-dollar jackpots. Interviews with the lucky recipients followed, telling what each of them planned to do with his or her windfall. And there was always a comment from Rabbi David Spears, who organized the weekly event, about what a good time everyone had. Tom was suspicious that the society editor, Lorna Hamburg, secretly had a crush on Rabbi Dave, a widower, and that was why the bingo game was so prominently featured in the paper. The rabbi said the same thing every week, and Tom invariably ribbed him about that when they played golf together on Wednesday afternoons. Since Dave usually beat the socks off him, he didn’t mind the teasing, but he did accuse Tom of trying to divert attention from his appalling game. The rest of the column was dedicated to letting everyone in town know who was entertaining company and what they were feeding them. If the news that week was hard to come by, Lorna filled in the space with popular recipes. There weren’t any secrets in Holy Oaks. The front page was full of news about the proposed town square development and the upcoming one-hundred-year celebration at Assumption Abbey. And there was a nice mention about his sister helping out at the abbey. The reporter called her a tireless and cheerful volunteer and went into some detail describing all the projects she had taken on.
Why the fuck do I need to know so much about the damn news paper? There was more boring details but I got sick of typing them all. Here is another smaller detail overload quote
Having made the decision not to fret about Laurant any longer, Bessie Jean sat down at the dining room table and opened the wooden stationery box her mama had given her when she was a young girl. She took out a sheet of pink, rose-scented paper embossed with her very own initials, and reached for her pen. Since Sheriff Lloyd wasn’t going to do anything about Daddy’s murder, Bessie Jean was taking matters into her own hands. She’d already written one letter to the FBI requesting that they send a man to Holy Oaks to investigate, but her first letter must have gotten lost in the mail because a full eight days had passed and she still hadn’t heard a word from anyone. She was going to make certain this letter didn’t get lost. This time she was going to address her request to the director himself, and as expensive as it was, she was going to spend the extra money to send it by certified mail.
That is a little from the whole chapter that was just the little old lady next door talking about her dead dog daddy and all about her neighbors.... blah blah fucking blah. It dragged so badly.
Problem #2 I didn't feel the romance between Nick and Laurant. They showed no interest in each other almost the whole book then at like the 80% we have one super rushed sex scene then the heroine is saying I love you Nick is saying no you don't. Then they are not together again, til like the last few pages. This wasn't a slow burn romance it was a no burn.
Now I bought 6 books from this series at a used book store for a 1.00 each so I am trying to decide if this was just her getting her wings in a new genre and give one more book a chance or just move on.
March 12, 2015
3.5-4 stars!
This poor book! I actually started it a week ago and had to pause twice and temporarily ditch it to get to other books, but the funny thing about it all is that I actually enjoyed this story more than the other ones I was desperate to get to. Ha! But that doesn’t surprise me much because every book I’ve read from Julie Garwood – both historical and contemporary – I’ve either liked or loved, and this book was no exception. I’ve read a couple of books in this series already, and compared to them this book isn’t my favorite, but it nevertheless delivered a chilling, unpredictable, and suspenseful storyline that had my attention. I was never bored that’s for sure!
Look out everyone – there’s a new serial killer in town and it’s the ‘Heartbreaker.’ From the start it’s clear this guy is demented and that no one or nothing can keep him from killing (and mutilating) victims again and again. In present day of the book, Heartbreaker confesses to a priest in detail who he plans to take next, and it’s none other than the priest’s sister. To protect his sister Laurant, he drags in his best friend and top-notch FBI agent Nick Buchanan to act as her bodyguard while local police and the FBI work on luring out the killer before he strikes again.
Throughout the story, there’s a simmering attraction between Laurant and Nick, and it doesn’t truly manifest until much later in the story, which I like since I’m a fan of slow-burn romances. Reading this book reminded me why I love this author’s books so much. She has such strong depictions of not just the main characters but the side characters too (like Noah Clayborne) and there’s a nice amount of dry humor and witty banter thrown in as well. And the suspense and mystery was done well – for a second there I thought the story would go down the predictable route but I was wrong. There’s quite a number of red herrings and I didn’t figure out who the culprit was until the very end.
The balance between romance and suspense was more tipped towards the latter and since I’m a fan of RS reads to have a little more suspense than romance, this worked well in my favor. The romance was a pretty minor aspect, but the book had just enough to get me giddy and invested in Nick and Laurant as a couple.
However, there were also a few things that didn’t work for me and made the story drag a little. First, there were too many side characters and all their problems and role in the story made my head dizzy. There’s definitely a reason why each and every one of these characters are present but I wish the author could’ve kept their roles at a minimum and shifted her focus mainly on Laurant and Nick. After reading multiple RS books from this author I see a pattern in the way she approaches the romance in these stories – more often it’s the heroine who will realize her feelings for the hero and will voice them and scare off the hero because he just wants to protect her, or he’s too afraid to get hurt. Even though this is the first book in this series, I didn’t read this one first and so to see this same romance timeline yet again bothered me. In the romance department, I wish there was more flair, originality, and development.
Aside from those concerns, the rest of the story was a solid read! I loved the suspense aspect of the book, both main characters were likable and complemented each other well, and the side characters were fantastic too (loved Noah!). If I didn’t have to pause it twice to go to other books, I know this is a story I would’ve finished in one sitting.
Heartbreaker is the first book in the Buchanan/Renard/MacKenna series and just like the other books, is an interconnected standalone.
This poor book! I actually started it a week ago and had to pause twice and temporarily ditch it to get to other books, but the funny thing about it all is that I actually enjoyed this story more than the other ones I was desperate to get to. Ha! But that doesn’t surprise me much because every book I’ve read from Julie Garwood – both historical and contemporary – I’ve either liked or loved, and this book was no exception. I’ve read a couple of books in this series already, and compared to them this book isn’t my favorite, but it nevertheless delivered a chilling, unpredictable, and suspenseful storyline that had my attention. I was never bored that’s for sure!
Look out everyone – there’s a new serial killer in town and it’s the ‘Heartbreaker.’ From the start it’s clear this guy is demented and that no one or nothing can keep him from killing (and mutilating) victims again and again. In present day of the book, Heartbreaker confesses to a priest in detail who he plans to take next, and it’s none other than the priest’s sister. To protect his sister Laurant, he drags in his best friend and top-notch FBI agent Nick Buchanan to act as her bodyguard while local police and the FBI work on luring out the killer before he strikes again.
Throughout the story, there’s a simmering attraction between Laurant and Nick, and it doesn’t truly manifest until much later in the story, which I like since I’m a fan of slow-burn romances. Reading this book reminded me why I love this author’s books so much. She has such strong depictions of not just the main characters but the side characters too (like Noah Clayborne) and there’s a nice amount of dry humor and witty banter thrown in as well. And the suspense and mystery was done well – for a second there I thought the story would go down the predictable route but I was wrong. There’s quite a number of red herrings and I didn’t figure out who the culprit was until the very end.
The balance between romance and suspense was more tipped towards the latter and since I’m a fan of RS reads to have a little more suspense than romance, this worked well in my favor. The romance was a pretty minor aspect, but the book had just enough to get me giddy and invested in Nick and Laurant as a couple.
However, there were also a few things that didn’t work for me and made the story drag a little. First, there were too many side characters and all their problems and role in the story made my head dizzy. There’s definitely a reason why each and every one of these characters are present but I wish the author could’ve kept their roles at a minimum and shifted her focus mainly on Laurant and Nick. After reading multiple RS books from this author I see a pattern in the way she approaches the romance in these stories – more often it’s the heroine who will realize her feelings for the hero and will voice them and scare off the hero because he just wants to protect her, or he’s too afraid to get hurt. Even though this is the first book in this series, I didn’t read this one first and so to see this same romance timeline yet again bothered me. In the romance department, I wish there was more flair, originality, and development.
Aside from those concerns, the rest of the story was a solid read! I loved the suspense aspect of the book, both main characters were likable and complemented each other well, and the side characters were fantastic too (loved Noah!). If I didn’t have to pause it twice to go to other books, I know this is a story I would’ve finished in one sitting.
Heartbreaker is the first book in the Buchanan/Renard/MacKenna series and just like the other books, is an interconnected standalone.
May 23, 2013
I am very late to be reading one of Julie Garwood's romantic suspense, especially since I consider her one of my favorite authors, and I love her historicals. Honestly, I had my pout on because she doesn't write historicals anymore, and I just never got around to reading the contemporaries, although I planned to do so at some juncture. I am glad I finally got that nudge from the Julie Garwood group on Goodreads, because what most of what I love about her historical book is here in Heartbreaker. The main difference is the contemporary setting, the subject matter being much darker, and more emphasis on the suspense. That is as it should be, of course.
As far as characterizations, as usual, I loved the main characters. Laurant has both the sweetness and determination of the usual JG historical heroine. I like that she's a very nice woman, but strong and stands up for herself. She really earned my respect that she fought past her fears and took personal responsibility of helping the FBI draw out the killer who was stalking her. And she was very afraid. But she didn't want any more women to die in the meantime. She was brave enough to admit she fell in love with Nick, even knowing that chances were against them working out. I also loved Nick. He is the strong, solid hero that JG writes so well. He also expresses the bewilderment that cracks me up about JG's heroes when he falls so hard for Laurant, despite his determination not to do so. It was hilarious how he acted when Laurant told him she loved him. He was determined not to believe her because he was afraid to acknowledge that he loved her back. I think his gesture at the end was perfect, considering how petrified he was about flying.
If you've read enough of my reviews, you know I am not a big fan of the serial killer theme, so I won't beat a dead horse. I do have to say that the villain in this book was pretty darn nasty, and Garwood surprised me at who it was. I had gone through my list of suspects and the culprit was not who I expected. She did a good job with the red herrings, where you couldn't immediately pick out the bad guy. I'm glad she wasn't too descriptive with the acts of the killer. That is a real turnoff for me. I had enough information to realize he was a sick puppy, and that was good for me. I felt terrible for his victim. The poor girl never got a chance to make a good life for herself.
I also loved the secondary characters like Tommy, Laurant's brother, Noah, an FBI colleague of Nick's who is absolutely shameless, and the inhabitants of the small town of Holy Oaks. I would love to see more of Tommy because he's a sweet guy. And Noah is definitely a character I want to follow. He made me laugh a lot! Garwood's homey storytelling was evident in the interactions between her main characters and the supporting ones. I laughed a lot and it tempered the disgust and fear the villain engenders. The climax was very exciting. The sense of risk very evident. I loved how Laurant thought on her feet, despite her desperate situation. The villain was suitably dangerous, definitely not a paper tiger. I was glad they got him, and although it wasn't without cost, things worked out well. And I was able to see how much Nick cared about Laurant, despite his determination to walk away. He tickled me at how he was acting in the emergency room!
With a combination of Julie Garwood's singular romance writing and intense suspense, Heartbreaker is a very good book. I can't give it five stars because it doesn't quite measure up to her historicals and like I said, the serial killer theme isn't a favorite of mine. But despite those things, I enjoyed reading it and I am glad to find more Julie Garwood characters to follow. Looking forward to diving into Mercy next, as soon as I am able to find a copy and have time to read it!
As far as characterizations, as usual, I loved the main characters. Laurant has both the sweetness and determination of the usual JG historical heroine. I like that she's a very nice woman, but strong and stands up for herself. She really earned my respect that she fought past her fears and took personal responsibility of helping the FBI draw out the killer who was stalking her. And she was very afraid. But she didn't want any more women to die in the meantime. She was brave enough to admit she fell in love with Nick, even knowing that chances were against them working out. I also loved Nick. He is the strong, solid hero that JG writes so well. He also expresses the bewilderment that cracks me up about JG's heroes when he falls so hard for Laurant, despite his determination not to do so. It was hilarious how he acted when Laurant told him she loved him. He was determined not to believe her because he was afraid to acknowledge that he loved her back. I think his gesture at the end was perfect, considering how petrified he was about flying.
If you've read enough of my reviews, you know I am not a big fan of the serial killer theme, so I won't beat a dead horse. I do have to say that the villain in this book was pretty darn nasty, and Garwood surprised me at who it was. I had gone through my list of suspects and the culprit was not who I expected. She did a good job with the red herrings, where you couldn't immediately pick out the bad guy. I'm glad she wasn't too descriptive with the acts of the killer. That is a real turnoff for me. I had enough information to realize he was a sick puppy, and that was good for me. I felt terrible for his victim. The poor girl never got a chance to make a good life for herself.
I also loved the secondary characters like Tommy, Laurant's brother, Noah, an FBI colleague of Nick's who is absolutely shameless, and the inhabitants of the small town of Holy Oaks. I would love to see more of Tommy because he's a sweet guy. And Noah is definitely a character I want to follow. He made me laugh a lot! Garwood's homey storytelling was evident in the interactions between her main characters and the supporting ones. I laughed a lot and it tempered the disgust and fear the villain engenders. The climax was very exciting. The sense of risk very evident. I loved how Laurant thought on her feet, despite her desperate situation. The villain was suitably dangerous, definitely not a paper tiger. I was glad they got him, and although it wasn't without cost, things worked out well. And I was able to see how much Nick cared about Laurant, despite his determination to walk away. He tickled me at how he was acting in the emergency room!
With a combination of Julie Garwood's singular romance writing and intense suspense, Heartbreaker is a very good book. I can't give it five stars because it doesn't quite measure up to her historicals and like I said, the serial killer theme isn't a favorite of mine. But despite those things, I enjoyed reading it and I am glad to find more Julie Garwood characters to follow. Looking forward to diving into Mercy next, as soon as I am able to find a copy and have time to read it!
July 30, 2015
Mmmm. It was OK but didn't make the four or five star mark for me. I was on holidays and dipping in now and again to the book. Maybe if I had read it in one or two sittings it would have worked better. It felt a bit dated and old fashioned at times. Sometimes that works for me but not really this time.
Sorry for the short review, but I finished this a while back ...
Sorry for the short review, but I finished this a while back ...
January 5, 2015
Montgomery Clift in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1953 “I Confess.”
★★★★☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I’ve heard Tanya Eby read before and thought she delivered nice performances; however, I wasn’t thrilled over her narration in this one. Especially her supposed subtle “French” accent for Laurant Madden, the heroine who grew up in a French convent. It did NOT sound remotely French to me. Ms. Eby’s diction is good, as is her pacing. Her differentiation of characters wasn’t terrible, but I’ve heard her do better. Nick and Noah sounded exactly the same.
I’m one of those readers who still laments Garwood’s shift from Historical Romance to Romantic Suspense. Still, I did like this darker foray into this popular contemporary genre. The psycho was just a tad too perverted for me, but I was expecting it.
The story starts off with Father Thomas Madden, a Catholic Priest, who hears the “confession” of an evil man. However, part of this “confession” hasn’t take place yet. One other important thing: it involves sinister plans towards Father Thomas’s sister, the heroine.
So, who should Father Thomas call to protect his beloved Laurant? His best friend, FBI agent Nicolas Benjamin Buchanan.
And what better way to shield Laurant and rile the psycho than to pretend to be Laurant’s fiancé?
Throw in the upcoming wedding of a dear friend, a jealous co-worker, and a few arrogant home town characters - young and old - and you have a nice little suspense.
★★★★☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I’ve heard Tanya Eby read before and thought she delivered nice performances; however, I wasn’t thrilled over her narration in this one. Especially her supposed subtle “French” accent for Laurant Madden, the heroine who grew up in a French convent. It did NOT sound remotely French to me. Ms. Eby’s diction is good, as is her pacing. Her differentiation of characters wasn’t terrible, but I’ve heard her do better. Nick and Noah sounded exactly the same.
I’m one of those readers who still laments Garwood’s shift from Historical Romance to Romantic Suspense. Still, I did like this darker foray into this popular contemporary genre. The psycho was just a tad too perverted for me, but I was expecting it.
The story starts off with Father Thomas Madden, a Catholic Priest, who hears the “confession” of an evil man. However, part of this “confession” hasn’t take place yet. One other important thing: it involves sinister plans towards Father Thomas’s sister, the heroine.
So, who should Father Thomas call to protect his beloved Laurant? His best friend, FBI agent Nicolas Benjamin Buchanan.
And what better way to shield Laurant and rile the psycho than to pretend to be Laurant’s fiancé?
Throw in the upcoming wedding of a dear friend, a jealous co-worker, and a few arrogant home town characters - young and old - and you have a nice little suspense.
December 15, 2025
The emotional weight of half a teaspoon of sugar
I will DIE on the hill of Julie Garwood Medieval HRs. All of them have been 5 star, rereads for me.
Which is why I'm so baffled as to why this book barely impacted me at all...
───〃⟡ ⋅ The hero
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I will DIE on the hill of Julie Garwood Medieval HRs. All of them have been 5 star, rereads for me.
Which is why I'm so baffled as to why this book barely impacted me at all...
───〃⟡ ⋅ The hero
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
March 8, 2025
3.9⭐️ My first romantic suspense novel. It was discovered by accident as a preview at the end of Julie Garwood’s, The Lion’s Lady. Well, not so much an accident as a cleverly laid trap by the publisher to provide a compelling peek at the first chapter.
To be honest, I was already becoming curious about this romance offshoot. How well does danger and romance blend together? Apparently, I had a memory lapse and forgot about the movie, “Charade.” 😍
As promised, the first act held up. It was slick and fast paced and I fell a little bit in love with Nick. Laurant was charming and sweet (perhaps too goody two shoes or is that jealousy speaking?)
What Worked
🎯The Menace. Fear Factor.
🎯Secondary characters: Tommy, Noah, Bessie Jean, and Viola were outstanding. Even the baddies were interesting.
🎯Speaking of baddies, The Big Bad had me guessing.
🎯For someone whose violence level doesn’t go much above theme park rides, this was surprisingly tolerable.
🎯The Steam😍
What Did Not Work
🤔 Teensy to moderate plot holes.
🤔 Not so teensy length. At 520 pages, 20% could have been trimmed.
🤔More Bessie Jean and Viola.
🤔 Insta-love:
…I do love you,” she stubbornly insisted.
“When the hell did that happen?” he demanded.
Yeah, I wanted to know too. To give Garwood credit, she had the characters discuss the possibility of transference. Hell, if it were me in Laurant’s situation, I’d fall in love with a bacon cheeseburger if it comforted me. Why not a hot, handsome male?
I’d like to try the second in the series, “Mercy” and other books in the genre, but it might be too formulaic to sustain my interest for long.
To be honest, I was already becoming curious about this romance offshoot. How well does danger and romance blend together? Apparently, I had a memory lapse and forgot about the movie, “Charade.” 😍
As promised, the first act held up. It was slick and fast paced and I fell a little bit in love with Nick. Laurant was charming and sweet (perhaps too goody two shoes or is that jealousy speaking?)
What Worked
🎯The Menace. Fear Factor.
🎯Secondary characters: Tommy, Noah, Bessie Jean, and Viola were outstanding. Even the baddies were interesting.
🎯Speaking of baddies, The Big Bad had me guessing.
🎯For someone whose violence level doesn’t go much above theme park rides, this was surprisingly tolerable.
🎯The Steam😍
What Did Not Work
🤔 Teensy to moderate plot holes.
🤔 Not so teensy length. At 520 pages, 20% could have been trimmed.
🤔More Bessie Jean and Viola.
🤔 Insta-love:
…I do love you,” she stubbornly insisted.
“When the hell did that happen?” he demanded.
Yeah, I wanted to know too. To give Garwood credit, she had the characters discuss the possibility of transference. Hell, if it were me in Laurant’s situation, I’d fall in love with a bacon cheeseburger if it comforted me. Why not a hot, handsome male?
I’d like to try the second in the series, “Mercy” and other books in the genre, but it might be too formulaic to sustain my interest for long.
January 19, 2023
Jan. 2023 - reread on audio for group buddy read
Wow again! I loved Heartbreaker on audio - great job by the narrator! This story stands the test of time and is the perfect blend of suspense and romance. It's the first book in Garwood's Buchanan/Renard series. It begins as Father Thomas Madden waits in the confessional to hear a man's confession. This unknown tells the Father some pretty disturbing things - a disturbing story of murder including his intent to kill again. He adds fuel to the fire when he names Father Tom's sister as his next victim. In a panic, Tommy seeks the help of his FBI buddy Nick to keep Laurant safe. The story that ensues is a race against time to identify the killer and prevent him from killing Laurant. The pace is fueled by the intensity of the story, and the romance kicks in when Nick and Laurant fall for each other...and Nick is in denial.
Heartbreaker is a chilling thriller that starts off on the slow side as Garwood carefully lays the foundation for the story to come. I found it to be meticulous and enjoyable especially as she adds some much needed humor via two elderly sister neighbors to break up the intensity. The main cast is supported by fantastic secondary characters that share the spotlight. I enjoyed the blend of suspense and romance and found it to be a perfect blend. Highly recommended to fans of romance suspense. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.
4.5 Stars! Another series/author on my must read list!
Wow again! I loved Heartbreaker on audio - great job by the narrator! This story stands the test of time and is the perfect blend of suspense and romance. It's the first book in Garwood's Buchanan/Renard series. It begins as Father Thomas Madden waits in the confessional to hear a man's confession. This unknown tells the Father some pretty disturbing things - a disturbing story of murder including his intent to kill again. He adds fuel to the fire when he names Father Tom's sister as his next victim. In a panic, Tommy seeks the help of his FBI buddy Nick to keep Laurant safe. The story that ensues is a race against time to identify the killer and prevent him from killing Laurant. The pace is fueled by the intensity of the story, and the romance kicks in when Nick and Laurant fall for each other...and Nick is in denial.
Heartbreaker is a chilling thriller that starts off on the slow side as Garwood carefully lays the foundation for the story to come. I found it to be meticulous and enjoyable especially as she adds some much needed humor via two elderly sister neighbors to break up the intensity. The main cast is supported by fantastic secondary characters that share the spotlight. I enjoyed the blend of suspense and romance and found it to be a perfect blend. Highly recommended to fans of romance suspense. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.
4.5 Stars! Another series/author on my must read list!
February 11, 2019
3.5 stars
May 18, 2018
Meh... It passed the time, but lacked the charm of her historical romances. Maybe she gets more in the groove in later volumes?
Audio was average.
Audio was average.
January 12, 2023
I first read this book before I joined Goodreads over 11 years ago and now a group I'm in is reading the series. I remember reading this book and loved it. I expect to enjoy revisiting this series and writing reviews this time around. With the exception of some tech details, this book is as wonderful today as it was in 2000 when it was published. I really felt for poor little rich girl, Laurent, having grown up separated from anyone who really loved her. I get how she fell in love with the small town of Holy Oaks, Iowa, she needed that. Nick was damaged goods who although he has a great supporting family and best friend, was falling apart due to the stress of his FBI job. Two damaged people who really needed each other. I loved it!
Father Thomas Madden is hearing confession as a parish he is staying at while undergoing tests for cancer. The confession he hears terrifies him. The man claims he is going to kill his sister, and he is going to enjoy making Tom and Laurent suffer.
Tom contacts his best friend, FBI Special Agent Nick Buchanan and Nick sets in motion a plan to capture this nasty piece of s--- with the help of fellow Agent Noah Clayborn. Together, they plan to stick close while Laurent sets herself up as bait to catch this nasty. As Nick and Laurent fall in love, the baddie spirals out of control, even if it was all for show, at least at first.
I have read this book before, and I still missed who the baddie was. I also need to point out that both Buchanan and Clayborn are families from Garwood's Historical Romance books. Loved seeing her bring these awesome families into modern times.
Father Thomas Madden is hearing confession as a parish he is staying at while undergoing tests for cancer. The confession he hears terrifies him. The man claims he is going to kill his sister, and he is going to enjoy making Tom and Laurent suffer.
Tom contacts his best friend, FBI Special Agent Nick Buchanan and Nick sets in motion a plan to capture this nasty piece of s--- with the help of fellow Agent Noah Clayborn. Together, they plan to stick close while Laurent sets herself up as bait to catch this nasty. As Nick and Laurent fall in love, the baddie spirals out of control, even if it was all for show, at least at first.
I have read this book before, and I still missed who the baddie was. I also need to point out that both Buchanan and Clayborn are families from Garwood's Historical Romance books. Loved seeing her bring these awesome families into modern times.
June 24, 2010
2.5 stars
I had a hard time getting into this book. While I usually like mystery/suspense books, this one felt too formulatic and predictable: girl is target of crazy killer, agent acts as bodyguard, girl and agent hook up. I found Laurant, the lead gal, to be an insipid pollyanna of a character. I didn't connect with her and found her annoying. Nick, the agent/bodyguard, was more a bit more believable. I didn't buy into their romantic relationship. It wasn't developed enough and then, boom, she supposedly loves him. I forced myself to keep reading. The last 15% picked up and got a bit better, which is why I'm squeezing out 2.5 stars for the book instead of only 2.
If you are looking for good romantic mystery/suspense, I'd recommend the I-team series by Pamela Clare, In Death series by JD Robb, Mr Perfect & Cry No More by Linda Howard, Deadly series by Cythia Eden, Bodyguards/Black Ops by Cindy Gerard or Steele Street series by Tara Janzen over this book. I highly enjoyed all of these.
If you like straight suspense thrillers (ie, light on the romance), check out the Lucas Davenport cop books by John Sanford, Tami Hoag thrillers, Alexandra Cooper series by Linda Fairstein, Forensic series by Kathy Reichs, Alex Davenport series by Jonathan Kellerman, and Greg Isles thrillers. Great reads!
I had a hard time getting into this book. While I usually like mystery/suspense books, this one felt too formulatic and predictable: girl is target of crazy killer, agent acts as bodyguard, girl and agent hook up. I found Laurant, the lead gal, to be an insipid pollyanna of a character. I didn't connect with her and found her annoying. Nick, the agent/bodyguard, was more a bit more believable. I didn't buy into their romantic relationship. It wasn't developed enough and then, boom, she supposedly loves him. I forced myself to keep reading. The last 15% picked up and got a bit better, which is why I'm squeezing out 2.5 stars for the book instead of only 2.
If you are looking for good romantic mystery/suspense, I'd recommend the I-team series by Pamela Clare, In Death series by JD Robb, Mr Perfect & Cry No More by Linda Howard, Deadly series by Cythia Eden, Bodyguards/Black Ops by Cindy Gerard or Steele Street series by Tara Janzen over this book. I highly enjoyed all of these.
If you like straight suspense thrillers (ie, light on the romance), check out the Lucas Davenport cop books by John Sanford, Tami Hoag thrillers, Alexandra Cooper series by Linda Fairstein, Forensic series by Kathy Reichs, Alex Davenport series by Jonathan Kellerman, and Greg Isles thrillers. Great reads!
September 13, 2025
3.5/5⭐️
2.5/5🌶
📚 Primer libro de la serie Buchanan-Rennard de Julie Garwood. Sirve un poco de presentación para el grupoespecialde agentes llamado "los apostoles".
📚 Solo había leído la autora en romance histórico, tenía pendiente esta serie de suspense.
📚 Me gustó la trama de misterio/thriller. El romance no tanto.
Nada se revela hasta el final y los giros estuvieron bien. El villano tiene cierta profundidad y hay una investigación sobre su perfil psicológico.
📚 El romance me quedo flojo. Por un lado fue muy instantáneo y no se desarrolla bien. Faltó más. Punto a favor: no hay spicy innecesario.
📚 Creo que es un libro qué envejeció bastante bien. No hay situaciones polémicas, pese a tener mas de 25 años.
♥️Lo recomiendo para entrar en esta serie que promete. (El 2do libro gustó mucho mas)
2.5/5🌶
📚 Primer libro de la serie Buchanan-Rennard de Julie Garwood. Sirve un poco de presentación para el grupoespecialde agentes llamado "los apostoles".
📚 Solo había leído la autora en romance histórico, tenía pendiente esta serie de suspense.
📚 Me gustó la trama de misterio/thriller. El romance no tanto.
Nada se revela hasta el final y los giros estuvieron bien. El villano tiene cierta profundidad y hay una investigación sobre su perfil psicológico.
📚 El romance me quedo flojo. Por un lado fue muy instantáneo y no se desarrolla bien. Faltó más. Punto a favor: no hay spicy innecesario.
📚 Creo que es un libro qué envejeció bastante bien. No hay situaciones polémicas, pese a tener mas de 25 años.
♥️Lo recomiendo para entrar en esta serie que promete. (El 2do libro gustó mucho mas)
December 6, 2008
In this Julie Garwood thriller, a psychopath a/k/a "the Heartbreaker" confesses to the brutal murder of a young woman to a priest. Then he makes his intentions known to kidnap, torture and murder the priest's sister, Laurent, next. The priest contacts his best friend, local FBI super agent, Nick, and a full blown whodunit takes place as Nick fights to protect Laurent.
It is fair to say that the first chapter of this book scared the unholy crap out of me. I suspect this was because I listened to the audio version while commuting to work. The voice of the villian was ... creepy. Very, very creepy. But so perfect for the part.
While this book held my interest, it was predictable. The romance and the sex scenes were written with a little too much purple prose for my taste. Laurent (a former European model) went from 30-something virgin to instant sex kitten. (Another cliche' that I'm not crazy about.) But all in all, it was an okay book. I highly recommend the audio version if you can get your hands on it.
It is fair to say that the first chapter of this book scared the unholy crap out of me. I suspect this was because I listened to the audio version while commuting to work. The voice of the villian was ... creepy. Very, very creepy. But so perfect for the part.
While this book held my interest, it was predictable. The romance and the sex scenes were written with a little too much purple prose for my taste. Laurent (a former European model) went from 30-something virgin to instant sex kitten. (Another cliche' that I'm not crazy about.) But all in all, it was an okay book. I highly recommend the audio version if you can get your hands on it.
August 30, 2017
Well, it was interesting, but it didn't made me rave.
The romantic part of the story between Nick and Laurant was lukewarm and didn't made me feel the fizz. It developed toward the end with one sex scene and soon after the usual "I'm bad for her, so I'll leave" trope. I didn't feel the love... sorry..
The most interesting part was the suspense part. And I'm glad, because this is mainly a suspense/crime novel.
Some tedious parts that could have been avioded, but that I didn't hate.
So, summing all up it's a solid 3 stars!
The romantic part of the story between Nick and Laurant was lukewarm and didn't made me feel the fizz. It developed toward the end with one sex scene and soon after the usual "I'm bad for her, so I'll leave" trope. I didn't feel the love... sorry..
The most interesting part was the suspense part. And I'm glad, because this is mainly a suspense/crime novel.
Some tedious parts that could have been avioded, but that I didn't hate.
So, summing all up it's a solid 3 stars!
June 30, 2023
Препрочетена и отново харесана 😁, в памет на авторката мисля да продължа с поредицата. Книгата е написана много увлекателно, любовен трилър с леко напрежение, надявам се, че и другите книги от поредицата няма да ме разочароват.
April 9, 2018
4.5 Holy Smokes Stars!!
I completely enjoyed my reread of my very first Julie Garwood book! I loved Father Tommy, Nick Buchanan, Father Tommy’s sister Laurant, and Noah!
Father Tommy is in the confessional when a madman confessed to murdering a women and tells him his beloved younger sister Laurant is his next victim. Tommy calls his childhood best friend FBI Agent Nick Buchanan to help keep his sister safe. Nick is on (a forced) vacation for a month and must take orders from the local head agent in charge who is a blowhard and resentful of Nick, who he has history with and Nick’s fellow FBI Agent friend Noah Claybourn’s involvement in “his” case.
Now it’s a game of cat and mouse and it’s up to Nick to keep the beautiful Laurant safe while trying to keep his distance.....
I loved this book and all the characters. I couldn’t wait to get to Noah’s book when I first read this book he’s a hoot!!
* Narrated by the very talented Tanya Eby
* Originally read (but not reviewed) June 2011
January 16, 2023
Father Tom Madden is listening to a confession when the man confesses to a murder. Not only has he killed a woman, but he plans to kill another...Tom's sister, Laurant. Tom doesn't know who gave the confession; but he contacts his best friend, FBI Agent Nick Buchanan, to protect his sister. Nick isn't about to let anything happen to Laurant. Since he is prepared to stick with her 24/7, they tell everyone that they are engaged after a whirlwind courtship. The hope is that the killer will become jealous and make his move.
The first book in Julie Garwood's romantic suspense series gets off to a slow start. It took me a week to read this book. I had a hard time with the continuous descriptions and extraneous facts that were thrown into the story. I think a good editor could have slimmed this book down to a manageable story.
Thankfully, the pace of the story picked up after 100+ pages. The suspense was well done. There were a handful of suspects to sort through. I did guess the killer but not his true identity. My favorite part of the book was the elderly sisters who lived beside Laurant and kept an eye on everything that happened in the neighborhood. They set a lighter tone to the story, which was needed. I believe this was Julie Garwood's first romantic suspense book. I'm hoping her writing gets stronger and the series continues. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
The first book in Julie Garwood's romantic suspense series gets off to a slow start. It took me a week to read this book. I had a hard time with the continuous descriptions and extraneous facts that were thrown into the story. I think a good editor could have slimmed this book down to a manageable story.
Thankfully, the pace of the story picked up after 100+ pages. The suspense was well done. There were a handful of suspects to sort through. I did guess the killer but not his true identity. My favorite part of the book was the elderly sisters who lived beside Laurant and kept an eye on everything that happened in the neighborhood. They set a lighter tone to the story, which was needed. I believe this was Julie Garwood's first romantic suspense book. I'm hoping her writing gets stronger and the series continues. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
August 23, 2014
The first book in Julie Garwood's Buchanan series and, really, all I can say is WOW. When compared to her historical romances, I would probably only give this 4 stars but compare to other romantic suspense, I think it holds up quite well. Well enough to deserve 5 stars from me. Father Thomas Madden waits in the confessional and a man comes in. He proceeds to tell the Father some pretty disturbing stuff. How he has killed and will kill again. In fact he has his next victim picked out. The Father's sister, Laurant Madden. Tommy seeks the help of his FBI buddy to keep Laurant safe.
Interesting twists and turns. For such a dark theme, Ms Garwood added in some needed humor to keep the story from becoming too intense. But it was done tastefully. The main characters were both very likable and there were some really great secondary characters to truly added to the enjoyment of the story.
Interesting twists and turns. For such a dark theme, Ms Garwood added in some needed humor to keep the story from becoming too intense. But it was done tastefully. The main characters were both very likable and there were some really great secondary characters to truly added to the enjoyment of the story.
May 2, 2024
3.7/5
I really enjoyed this 💛🧡. This is the first time reading for this author, one if my best friend told me about her books . Thanks to her, really 💛🧡
This book has a beautiful Romantic Suspense and honestly I was in the mood for this 🤭🧡loved the story and the characters 🧡💛🔥
I really enjoyed this 💛🧡. This is the first time reading for this author, one if my best friend told me about her books . Thanks to her, really 💛🧡
This book has a beautiful Romantic Suspense and honestly I was in the mood for this 🤭🧡loved the story and the characters 🧡💛🔥
July 2, 2020
3,5 / 5
July 23, 2021
Oh my! Where do I begin? Its painful giving 3 Stars to my favourite author. Julie Garwood to me is a good writer and never miss her historical romance and always devoured back to back in one sitting. For that I want to try her modern contemporary.....but this book too lengthy, detail description on everything and becoming information overload! I'm bored! Love connection between H/h feel lukewarm. No intensity. Where is the suspense? Maybe next book in this series will be better or not but......don't think I will continue.
July 22, 2022
Re-reading.
February 19, 2025
Re-read June 2017
Mmmm, I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed this. It's a great romantic suspense, and exactly what I was in the mood for. The cast is fantastic, there's no TSTL bullcrap, and the plotting is intricate and twisty and awesome.
*delicious happy shivers*
Re-read February 2025
So I last read this a heck of a long time ago. Romantic suspense is a genre I dip into occasionally for a change of pace, but don't read a ton of, which is probably why it's been so long.
I still enjoyed it, but it also made me sad. The FMC (Laurant) has been alone since she was a baby. The woman is so deprived of affection that it not only makes me sad, it also makes me frankly not like her brother, Tommy. Basically, when they were orphaned, Laurant was a toddler, Tommy in grade school. He had been visiting the US with his dad, who died in an accident while he was getting his business set up over there (mom and baby were going to follow later when everything was set up). Because Tommy was enrolled in school, and had become best friends with the Buchanans - at their place all the time - that father said Tommy could stay for the remainder of the school year. When mom died shortly afterwards (grief, maybe suicide), they offered to keep him. But not Laurant. Fuck her, I guess - orphaned toddler, but sure, let's keep her separated from her brother too. He can grow up in a big, boisterous family full of love; she grew up in boarding schools. There was a tossed off line early on that Tommy tried to get her sent to the States - I assume a decade or more later, when he'd be old enough to file for guardianship - but was unsuccessful, the estate trustee deciding she should stay at the boarding school in Switzerland. And that was that. No one really cares about Laurant - Tommy can claim to all he wants, but it's just virtue signaling, because he left his sister all alone from infancy until she graduated college and came to him. If she couldn't get sent to the States, he could have gone there, but didn't. Hell, when the book starts, she's been living here 3 years but hasn't even met Nick Buchanan, his best friend, or the Buchanan family that was, in reality, Tommy's family (because Laurant sure isn't his family). Because she's not important enough to meet them, is the only conclusion you can draw. Laurant also talks about Tommy being diagnosed with cancer a couple years ago, but not really telling her - the Buchanans took care of him. If she hadn't come to the US to be in his life, it's a guarantee he still wouldn't be in her life at all, because why would he change? He's ditched her for 20+ years, if she was an infant when they were orphaned and a college graduate when she came to the US. He's not her family, just some lame-ass distant relative she sort of knows.
I had a really hard time enjoying the story, honestly, because I just couldn't shake off how sad Laurant's life made me. And she didn't express any unhappiness about it, which was just more sad, because she has been an afterthought for so long that she has normalized it. She's sweet and quiet and just goes along with what anyone wants her to do, probably because she's afraid of rocking the boat, given how little people care for or about her. As it is, there's a different big secret she's keeping from her brother because, as she says, she doesn't want to upset him. This poor woman tries to be as small as possible, probably utterly believing that if she doesn't keep things happy and easy, she'll be dropped like a hot potato again.
And while I liked Nick, I also blame him and his family for most of it. How could they ask to keep the brother and not the sister? I didn't want her with him because fuck them all. They didn't want her when she was alone in the world, I don't want her to end up with those fuckers now. She deserves better, not self-absorbed shits who only want to be around her when it is convenient, but are happy to raise her brother like one of their own.
So yeah, it was a weird read. I'm not sure if this is a perspective shift in the 8 years since I last read this book, or just a melancholy mood, or what, but it really did impact the story for me because it was all I could think about. Poor Laurant. I wish for her to leave these people all behind and make a life of awesome people who think she hung the moon, because she's a great character.
Mmmm, I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed this. It's a great romantic suspense, and exactly what I was in the mood for. The cast is fantastic, there's no TSTL bullcrap, and the plotting is intricate and twisty and awesome.
*delicious happy shivers*
Re-read February 2025
So I last read this a heck of a long time ago. Romantic suspense is a genre I dip into occasionally for a change of pace, but don't read a ton of, which is probably why it's been so long.
I still enjoyed it, but it also made me sad. The FMC (Laurant) has been alone since she was a baby. The woman is so deprived of affection that it not only makes me sad, it also makes me frankly not like her brother, Tommy. Basically, when they were orphaned, Laurant was a toddler, Tommy in grade school. He had been visiting the US with his dad, who died in an accident while he was getting his business set up over there (mom and baby were going to follow later when everything was set up). Because Tommy was enrolled in school, and had become best friends with the Buchanans - at their place all the time - that father said Tommy could stay for the remainder of the school year. When mom died shortly afterwards (grief, maybe suicide), they offered to keep him. But not Laurant. Fuck her, I guess - orphaned toddler, but sure, let's keep her separated from her brother too. He can grow up in a big, boisterous family full of love; she grew up in boarding schools. There was a tossed off line early on that Tommy tried to get her sent to the States - I assume a decade or more later, when he'd be old enough to file for guardianship - but was unsuccessful, the estate trustee deciding she should stay at the boarding school in Switzerland. And that was that. No one really cares about Laurant - Tommy can claim to all he wants, but it's just virtue signaling, because he left his sister all alone from infancy until she graduated college and came to him. If she couldn't get sent to the States, he could have gone there, but didn't. Hell, when the book starts, she's been living here 3 years but hasn't even met Nick Buchanan, his best friend, or the Buchanan family that was, in reality, Tommy's family (because Laurant sure isn't his family). Because she's not important enough to meet them, is the only conclusion you can draw. Laurant also talks about Tommy being diagnosed with cancer a couple years ago, but not really telling her - the Buchanans took care of him. If she hadn't come to the US to be in his life, it's a guarantee he still wouldn't be in her life at all, because why would he change? He's ditched her for 20+ years, if she was an infant when they were orphaned and a college graduate when she came to the US. He's not her family, just some lame-ass distant relative she sort of knows.
I had a really hard time enjoying the story, honestly, because I just couldn't shake off how sad Laurant's life made me. And she didn't express any unhappiness about it, which was just more sad, because she has been an afterthought for so long that she has normalized it. She's sweet and quiet and just goes along with what anyone wants her to do, probably because she's afraid of rocking the boat, given how little people care for or about her. As it is, there's a different big secret she's keeping from her brother because, as she says, she doesn't want to upset him. This poor woman tries to be as small as possible, probably utterly believing that if she doesn't keep things happy and easy, she'll be dropped like a hot potato again.
And while I liked Nick, I also blame him and his family for most of it. How could they ask to keep the brother and not the sister? I didn't want her with him because fuck them all. They didn't want her when she was alone in the world, I don't want her to end up with those fuckers now. She deserves better, not self-absorbed shits who only want to be around her when it is convenient, but are happy to raise her brother like one of their own.
So yeah, it was a weird read. I'm not sure if this is a perspective shift in the 8 years since I last read this book, or just a melancholy mood, or what, but it really did impact the story for me because it was all I could think about. Poor Laurant. I wish for her to leave these people all behind and make a life of awesome people who think she hung the moon, because she's a great character.
February 6, 2017
Some spoilers, but no names are revealed.
I'm reading this for the 'Romance involving Murder' category of the Unapologetic Romance Readers Halloween Challenge
22/10 - This was such a disappointment! Maybe if I hadn't loved Mercy so much this wouldn't have paled in comparison so badly, but Mercy has been one of my favourite classic romances (I call it 'classic' not because of when it was written, but because it was one of the first contemporary romances I ever read, all Mum's previous books were medieval, regency or western) for so long (over 10 years now) that I couldn't help but compare Nick and Laurant with Theo and Michelle. Nick and Laurant are totally in Theo and Michelle's passion shadow. I felt absolutely nothing for Nick and Laurant and I don't believe they actually felt anything for each other, either. They spent 80% of the book as platonic housemates (there's no more heat between them than there was between Nick and Tommy or Laurant and Tommy), there was some 'forced' sexual contact (forced by the situation, not an individual) that was completely awkward and so not sexy and then at the end they're in love and he's chasing her to Paris to make her marry him. Their love was so unbelievable that I kept thinking "Yeah, right" as he professed his undying love and proposed marriage.
The mystery of the story was just as bad. The bad guy, 'Heartbreaker', could have been really scary (just consider why he gave himself that name) but he ended up being more of a caricature of a psycho killer. His internal monologue was ridiculous and just made me want to laugh more than anything. His old-fashioned way of speaking - using the phrase 'Yes, sirree' when he was talking to himself - the way he kept telling the reader that he was oh so intelligent, but he never really behaved intelligently. And then there's the oh so easy to spot red herring, he practically had a neon sign above his head that screamed "I am not the killer".
If I had read this book first I would have been hesitant about reading the next in the series, thankfully that's not the way it happened. I'm hopeful (and only slightly nervous) that I'm not remembering Mercy with rose-tinted glasses, that it really was as good as I remember.
I can say with absolute certainty that I'm never going to read this again, but unfortunately it's one that I actually own so I'm going to have to find someone to give it to. It's a hardcover and it's in pretty bad condition (ex-library book), but if anyone's interested in reading it I would be happy to pay postage to wherever you are.
I'm reading this for the 'Romance involving Murder' category of the Unapologetic Romance Readers Halloween Challenge
22/10 - This was such a disappointment! Maybe if I hadn't loved Mercy so much this wouldn't have paled in comparison so badly, but Mercy has been one of my favourite classic romances (I call it 'classic' not because of when it was written, but because it was one of the first contemporary romances I ever read, all Mum's previous books were medieval, regency or western) for so long (over 10 years now) that I couldn't help but compare Nick and Laurant with Theo and Michelle. Nick and Laurant are totally in Theo and Michelle's passion shadow. I felt absolutely nothing for Nick and Laurant and I don't believe they actually felt anything for each other, either. They spent 80% of the book as platonic housemates (there's no more heat between them than there was between Nick and Tommy or Laurant and Tommy), there was some 'forced' sexual contact (forced by the situation, not an individual) that was completely awkward and so not sexy and then at the end they're in love and he's chasing her to Paris to make her marry him. Their love was so unbelievable that I kept thinking "Yeah, right" as he professed his undying love and proposed marriage.
The mystery of the story was just as bad. The bad guy, 'Heartbreaker', could have been really scary (just consider why he gave himself that name) but he ended up being more of a caricature of a psycho killer. His internal monologue was ridiculous and just made me want to laugh more than anything. His old-fashioned way of speaking - using the phrase 'Yes, sirree' when he was talking to himself - the way he kept telling the reader that he was oh so intelligent, but he never really behaved intelligently. And then there's the oh so easy to spot red herring, he practically had a neon sign above his head that screamed "I am not the killer".
If I had read this book first I would have been hesitant about reading the next in the series, thankfully that's not the way it happened. I'm hopeful (and only slightly nervous) that I'm not remembering Mercy with rose-tinted glasses, that it really was as good as I remember.
I can say with absolute certainty that I'm never going to read this again, but unfortunately it's one that I actually own so I'm going to have to find someone to give it to. It's a hardcover and it's in pretty bad condition (ex-library book), but if anyone's interested in reading it I would be happy to pay postage to wherever you are.
October 11, 2017
"Heartbreaker" is the story of Laurent and Nick.
When Laurent and her brother Tommy are targeted by a killer who calls himself "The Heartbreaker", Tommy's best friend, the FBI agent Nick steps in to help.
The book is the story of them racing against time to catch the killer, while living in Holy Oaks, the small town where everyone knows each other, discovering each other and rooting out the miscreants.
Both the lead characters were average, their love story played a very minor role but their occasional interactions were well written. The secondary characters were more fascinating, and hopefully we will see some of them in the coming books.
The mystery was'nt predictable as such, but OK over all.
I honestly am the biggest fan of JG historicals, and maybe that is the reason I felt a bit let down by this book- even though I knew this is a completely different genre.
Overall a good read.
Will see what the rest of clan is up to.
Safe
3/5
When Laurent and her brother Tommy are targeted by a killer who calls himself "The Heartbreaker", Tommy's best friend, the FBI agent Nick steps in to help.
The book is the story of them racing against time to catch the killer, while living in Holy Oaks, the small town where everyone knows each other, discovering each other and rooting out the miscreants.
Both the lead characters were average, their love story played a very minor role but their occasional interactions were well written. The secondary characters were more fascinating, and hopefully we will see some of them in the coming books.
The mystery was'nt predictable as such, but OK over all.
I honestly am the biggest fan of JG historicals, and maybe that is the reason I felt a bit let down by this book- even though I knew this is a completely different genre.
Overall a good read.
Will see what the rest of clan is up to.
Safe
3/5
September 1, 2015
Picked this up after reading Fast Track, I have to say in one sense it's not as good. (Nick just isn't as hot as Aiden!) But, in one sense, it's much better. The mystery/suspense element is excellent. Considering this is Garwood's first foray into the contemporary romantic suspense that is excellent.
I was a little disappointed in myself for not picking up on some plot points, though.
I was a little disappointed in myself for not picking up on some plot points, though.
July 23, 2018
Relectura 2018: No recordaba casi nada de la trama (solo algunas escenas sueltas), así que lo he disfrutado casi como la primera vez. No obstante, creo que le pondría algo menos de nota en esta ocasión. Quizás un 3/5 (antes tenía un 4/5).
November 12, 2018
Lo tiene todo. Imposible tener un mejor comienzo de la serie. Te mantiene intrigada hasta el final, sin prever quien es el asesino y sospechando de todos. Nick y Laurant son perfectos el uno para el otro, conectan desde el primer momento y la evolución de su relación es sencilla pero profunda. Noah y Tom hacen una pareja perfecta para entretenerte y sacarte más de una sonrisa. ¡Adoro esta serie!
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