Robin M. (robinmy) -
Grace Isabel McKenna is taking a trip to Scotland to collect her inheritance; but first she stops in Boston to attend a Buchanan Anniversary Party. Upon arriving in Boston, she decides to go for a walk. Isabel ends up in the middle of a shootout in the street, and eventually ends up in police custody. Michael Buchanan, a lawyer and Navy SEAL, helps Isabel through the interrogation. They've met before when her sister married his brother a couple of years ago. They did not hit it off then and it doesn't look like anything has changed. When Isabel flies to Scotland, Michael is hot on her trail because he believes she is in danger. Credible threats have been made against her and Michael is determined to bring her back home alive.
I have to say I'm happy that this is the last book in Julie Garwood's Buchanan-Renard Romantic Suspense series. It took me nine days to slog through this book. I ended up skimming parts of it. The last few books in the series have felt like the author is cutting and pasting the same hero and heroine into these stories. All she had to do was change the names. This one was even worse since the romance was terrible. There was absolutely no chemistry between Isabel and Michael. There was no character development as the story progressed. Suddenly they were in love...the end.
I really couldn't stand Isabel. That character was ridiculous. She sings a song at a party which someone records. Suddenly she is a viral sensation that everyone in the world just loves. Popular singers want to duet with her. Isabel is also impossibly beautiful, compared to a Greek Goddess a couple of times. Isabel tends to drift off into her own mind while she is composing songs. This happens as she wanders Boston and ends up in a bad part of the city. An injured man falls into her arms during a shootout. She ends up saving his life. After hours in police custody, Isabel is released and finally admits she was shot, and the bullet is still in her arm. Who would do that? This is just the beginning of her idiotic behavior. Isabel's rambling inner monologues made me want to throw the book against the wall.
The suspense portion of the story finally picked up when Isabel traveled to Scotland. Someone is claiming her inheritance, Glen McKenna, as his own. I found it hard to believe that a bully can claim to be the rightful heir with no proof, and everyone just goes along with him. He wants Isabel out of the picture so he can take over.
I know I'm in the minority about this book, but I just can't stand a naive nitwit of a heroine. I also find it hard to believe that Julie Garwood wrote this book. My rating: 1.5 Stars.
I have to say I'm happy that this is the last book in Julie Garwood's Buchanan-Renard Romantic Suspense series. It took me nine days to slog through this book. I ended up skimming parts of it. The last few books in the series have felt like the author is cutting and pasting the same hero and heroine into these stories. All she had to do was change the names. This one was even worse since the romance was terrible. There was absolutely no chemistry between Isabel and Michael. There was no character development as the story progressed. Suddenly they were in love...the end.
I really couldn't stand Isabel. That character was ridiculous. She sings a song at a party which someone records. Suddenly she is a viral sensation that everyone in the world just loves. Popular singers want to duet with her. Isabel is also impossibly beautiful, compared to a Greek Goddess a couple of times. Isabel tends to drift off into her own mind while she is composing songs. This happens as she wanders Boston and ends up in a bad part of the city. An injured man falls into her arms during a shootout. She ends up saving his life. After hours in police custody, Isabel is released and finally admits she was shot, and the bullet is still in her arm. Who would do that? This is just the beginning of her idiotic behavior. Isabel's rambling inner monologues made me want to throw the book against the wall.
The suspense portion of the story finally picked up when Isabel traveled to Scotland. Someone is claiming her inheritance, Glen McKenna, as his own. I found it hard to believe that a bully can claim to be the rightful heir with no proof, and everyone just goes along with him. He wants Isabel out of the picture so he can take over.
I know I'm in the minority about this book, but I just can't stand a naive nitwit of a heroine. I also find it hard to believe that Julie Garwood wrote this book. My rating: 1.5 Stars.
Laura P. (hemmputnam) reviewed Grace Under Fire (Buchanan-Renard, Bk 14) on + 1118 more book reviews
As much as I enjoy an escape into the fantasty of a happy romance, my complaint about this one is that everyone is a little too perfect. Maybe my tastes have changed over time because I remember really enjoy Garwood in the past. Grace not only receives an amazing inheritence but is also a good enough singer/songwriter to become an instant sensation after one performance. She is also so beautiful that no man can think clearly when she is around, and everyone tells their life story and/or troubles to her. Michael is not only strong and sexy but also served as a Navy SEAL, earned a law degree, and has friends and relations that can instantly get him a hotel room and/or a getaway car no matter where he is in the world. If you want a happy ending for perfect people then this is a good book for you. If you prefer your romance characters with some quirks and flaws you may not enjoy this one too much.
