Review: Ransom by Julie Garwood

by Jewels E 6/16/2013 0 comments

Mass Market Paperback, 546 pages

Published December 27th 2002

by Pocket Books (first published 1999)

Overflowing with all of the majesty and intrigue of medieval glory days, this magnificent New York Times bestseller is a page-turner of passion and loyalty, justice and honor. Beloved storyteller Julie Garwood steps back to the silver-shrouded Highlands of her classic tale The Secret--and hails the return of two unforgettable warriors: Ramsey Sinclair and Brodick Buchanan. In the dark days after the death of Richard the Lionhearted, lives and lands would fall into upheaval at the hands of a power-hungry British ruler and his violent minions. One victim of the scourge is innocent Gillian, who is a mere child when the cruel and ambitious Baron Alford slaughters her father and tears her family apart. Alford, determined to recover a jeweled box for the despotic King John, is furious when the precious treasure slips through his fingers--only to be lost for more than a decade.

Now a beautiful young woman, Gillian finds the key to resolving her past in handsome Scottish chieftains Ramsey Sinclair and Brodick Buchanan. With the cunning and courage of the daring Scotsmen, and with the friendship of a new ally, Bridgid KirkConnell, Gillian at last fights the unscrupulous Baron Alford, laying claim to her home, her family, and her father's reputation. But in the presence of the mighty warriors, Gillian and Bridgid discover that desire can be a weapon of conquest...betrayal can slay trust in a heartbeat...and the greatest risk of all is surrender--to the deep emotions of unexpected love.

♥My Thoughts♥

Another fabulously wonderful read by Julie Garwood. She's never a miss. This one is a highlander romance featuring yet another English heroione, and Lord, but I loved this book. It was romantic, had a meaty plot, great supporting characters (and familiar ones) and just drew me right in.

Gillian: A really strong character. She puts everything on the line for her uncle and for Alec, and I honestly admired how stubborn she was about taking care of her problems herself even though Brodick could have handled it on his own. I loved that she talked back to Brodick and yet was still a very warm, gentle sort of heroine. Gillian falls in love with Brodick almost immediately even though she's annoyed with him for being so bossy. He's so bossy he declares she won't make a sound when her infected arm is being treated with something that sounded so horribly painful that I cringed for her. She doesn't make a sound though because she tethers onto to Brodick through it. I think if she wasn't in love with him by then, that she fell in love with him right then. I know I did a little. And that's what I loved about Gillian, she rises to Brodick's challenges. She was a real risk taker, had spunk and determination and I really thought she was perfectly suited to Brodick.

Brodick: Mmmm. Probably one of my favourite highlanders to date. I have no doubt he will stand out in my mind for a long while. He was tough--a real sort of alpha. Big, brawny, hot as hell, feared by other clans, downright disliked even. Women were afraid of him. He was intimidating, deceptive, bossy and I adored him. Because even though for more than half the novel he was all hard on the exterior--never betraying emotion--it was clear he had a bit of a soft spot for Gillian. And then I fell head over heels because what he says to Gillian is so telling. He asks her if she has a man back in England. And it just opened him up in this unexpected way because suddenly you saw that he was vulnerable and not just a strong and stubborn laird. I totally loved how Garwood let us into his character. It was a sheer stroke of genius, and made the characters and story so powerful.

You know what the worst thing about this book is? That I'll never again read it for the first time. Ransom is such a delightful read that it will be one I'll return to repeatedly, I'm sure. And even though it will be nice to visit it again, I'll never again have the thrill of reading it for the first time. Do yourself a favour--read it for the first time. Be swept away by this novel. And then, like me, put it on a shelf where you'll see it every day until that day you need to read it again--because it's one of those books you will want to read again.

5 glittering stars