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Summary: cheekyface
Review: I am a great fan of Julie Garwood and like all her other books-EXCEPT THIS ONE! This book made me really ANGRY.
The heroine Gillian did not have any backbone at all. How could she not know that she was getting married, for God's sake????
And the hero Brodick did push her around a lot, did not value her opinions. Did not even ask her if she wants to marry him! Now that is stretching things a little too far.
But to be fair, the plot of the book was really good. And this book did not stop me from reading Garwood's other books.
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Summary: This book deserves more then 5 stars
Review: THE BEST YET!
Julie is the best when it comes to Highland Love stories. Couldn't put this book down.
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Summary: Scottish Laird Meets English Lady
Review: Ransom is a beautiful, epic story about a young English woman's quest to save her uncle, and at the same time three Scottish Laird's journey to take revenge on an evil Baron who has threatened them all. Ransom is also about the developing relationships between Gillian and Brodick Buchanan and Brigid and Ramsey Sinclair. Some reviewers have mentioned that they felt Ramsey and Brigid deserved more time or that they should have had a separate book. They have also commented that Brodick and Gillian were not so interesting. I don't normally comment on other reviews - we all have a right to our opinions after all! - but in this case I just had to respond, as I couldn't disagree more. Gillian and Brodick are a wonderful couple; Gillian is clever and smart as well as beautiful and brave, and Brodick is confident, protective, sexy and brave too. What I loved was that he always had respect for Gillian's abilities unlike many alpha heroes, even when Gillian doubted herself he always reassured her. He even defended her skills to other people rather than belittling her or treating her badly as heroes in other historicals are prone to do with alarming regularity. Gillian and Brodick in my opinion deserve the extra time - although Brigid and Ramsey were great too - because they were much less conventional than the other couple, which made their story even more engrossing. Their dialogue was electric and it was clear to me that they belonged together - no one else would have been quite right for them. Overall Ransom was fantastic and included all the elements I love in a romantic novel. I would caution readers that Brodick and Gillian don't meet up right away, I think it's a hundred pages in, but as the book is 450 pages+ this doesn't matter as the two are together almost continuously after that point so there is plenty of time for their relationship to develop. Read this if you like Scottish Laird meets English Lady stories that are charming, funny and above all romantic. I have a feeling this novel is just what you're looking for. JoAnne
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Summary: VERY ROMANTIC!!
Review: Wow! What a great read! I couldn't put this book down. I loved it! I even got my husband to read parts of it.... I love all of Judy's books - but my favorites have to be the ones about the Scottish Lards! Brodrick is also a character in 2 other books (I believe). Gillian's character was bought out and well written. It showed her past and set the book up for a the great ending! Brodrick is a strong Scottish Lard of the Buchanans - who are barbarians... even the women..... Gillian has to learn to accept Brodrick and his people. Brodrick doesn't think that Gillian can live among his people. He doesn't belive she's strong enough - emotionally or physically but he loves her anyway.
This book has it all - heart, comedy, denial, suspense, mystery, loyalty, and love. Great great book!!! It's a must read.
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Summary: LOVED IT
Review: I loved this book and can't relate to anyone that thinks this book lacked depth. Garwood focused on the characters as always. You see lots of dialogue and thought. Brodick is absolutely breathtakingly powerful. Gillian is brave yet innocent. I loved Alec (Maitland). I appreciated that Julie took time to develop the story rather than cramming everything into 300 pages.
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Summary: You won't be able to put it down!!!
Review: I absolutely LOVE this book. It is my favorite JG book!! I love those Buchanan men, they are so sexy and so funny!! Gillian is such a courageous woman and she is definitely the perfect match for grumpy Brodick. They make such a cute couple!! Ramsey and Bridgid definitely need a story of their own!! Christen pisses me off and I can't believe she would treat Gillian that way. Ugh!! Gillian has suffered so much and for Christen to not want to have anything to do with her was heartbreaking. This book has it all, suspense, comedy, romance...etc I love Julie Garwood and wish she would write more historical novels!!
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Summary: BEAUTIFUL
Review: MY GOSH I THINK THIS WAS PROBABLY THE BEST OF JULIE GARWOOD....PERFECT SPIN OFF OF THE SECRET...A MUST MUST HAVE!!
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Summary: Julie Garwood will blow your mind.
Review: Having just finished "Gentle Warrior," which was a disappointment, I was eager to recapture the Garwood magic with one of her most popular books--"Ransom." I was not disappointed. I read the 500+ pages on this book in a single sitting and could not bear to be torn away from Ms. Garwood's wonderful characters for even a second. I never read "The Secret," but did not feel like I missed out by reading this book first. "Ransom" is one of Julie Garwood's best writings as it is laced with all the elements that make her such a great writer--a courageous heroine, a handsome giant of a hero (with a gentle heart), characters we want to hold close to our hearts, a love that fills your eyes with tears, and an adventure you feel grateful to be part of. Brodick Buchanan finds himself as champion and protector of Gillian, whose life has been painful and difficult, and he knows almost immediately that he will never let her go. Their love story develops quickly and intensely. The moments they share are written so beautifully that you can feel the love between them. Both characters are intelligent and kind, complimenting each other's personalities to perfection, and you want to hold them both close to your heart. Gillian is sweet, kind and noble, but also brave, strong, and so pure of heart. Brodick is the stereotypical warrior, but his demeanor gentles when he meets Gillian. Like he says at some point in the book, the "mere wisp of a woman" changed his life forever. Read this book. It's beautiful. It will make you laugh and cry and celebrate love. Brodick and Gillian are a treat to get to know. Make them your friends.
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Summary: One of the best!
Review: This book was great! I enjoyed every moment, and actually read it twice. Gillian is a strong character, and is a perfect fit for Brodick. In the first book that featured Brodick, "The secret", I did not think much of the character. He seemed gruff and slow-witted, in this book. J.G. builds a splendid well-developed character, which makes you want to swoon. If you like your men strong, kind, protective yet not overpowering- this book is for you. The storyline is intriguing and suspense holds until the end. In a nutshell- BUY IT NOW! Its one the best and I've read many, it takes a really good book to get me to write such a review. While you're at it- get the first book to, and read them together.
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Summary: great...wish it were longer!
Review: Julie has done it again! The sequel to The Secret was amazingly done, if it did end a bit quickly. I guess she got tired towards the end and just decided to cut it. The beginning was so heartwrenching I couldn't help but cry. Two helpless little girls. Such loyal soldiers. A kind and loving father. It was so devastating. They were torn from their home and Gillian had to witness the murder of her father. Forward to the future and she is saving little Alec Maitland from death. Alec's talkativeness is very heartwarming and you can't help but smile. Once she runs away with him toward Scotland, she enlists the help of Brodick, Laird Buchanan, to bring the boy back to his parents. Along the way, they fall in love. All through the story, Gillian tries to find her estranged sister, who is said to live in the Highlands, with the Macphersons. Ramsey Sinclair is also in this story. He falls in love with the beautiful Bridgid. Since his land borders the Macphersons, Gillian travels there with Brodick after parting with the Maitlands. On their way there, Brodick tricks her into marrying him. Gillian and Bridgid become fast friends, and since Bridgid had blond hair, I thought that she might have been Gillian's long-lost sister. But that was an anticlimax. Gillian's sister didn't want her. It was very disappointing that Gillian couldn't have had a perfect ending. Some of the shortcomings of this book were the fact that Gillian kept on retelling the story of how she was abused by Baron Alford, the same one who captured Alec. There were so many instances where she repeated part of the story or it was written that she repeated the story. Garwood even made Alec repeat what happened to them over and over again. I got so sick of that. Another thing was how they never returned to Buchanan land. I really wanted a description of her home and how the people accepted her. In Ramsey and Bridgid's love story, the details were few and far between. I had no chance to see their relationship develop and throughout the book, it was frustrating how they never came together as a couple until the very end, and even then, all I got was them talking for about two pages, and then it ended with him proposing. Garwood didn't even show me her response. It just skipped right over to Brodick and Gillian, with Brodick narrating that Bridgid and Ramsey went home to get married. I felt that the author could have further developed Ramsey's story. But don't despair. Despite the drawbacks, the good still outweigh the back, and I would definitely read this book again. It has a lot of appeal and emotion. Well-written, if a bit abrupt.
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