I have many books on my bookshelf that I've gotten over the years from friends and quite I few I brought from my Mom's house. She was happiest when she had a good book and a whole afternoon in which to read! I think this was one of hers and while we didn't always have the same taste in books, I quite enjoyed this one. Not too heavy with well written characters, it was perfect for a few nice hours in the sun.

And finally, it’s Noah’s turn

So we finally have Noah Claybourne’s story and his perfect match? Jordan Buchanan of course. Here’s what I loved about this book:
- It’s funny. Yes, there are several murders and it’s still funny. The trunk thing - okay yes, it was dead bodies but was hilarious. After all, only Garwood could make dead bodies in trunks funny.
- The setting. This is another small town setting for Garwood which I believe she’s quite good at writing. All of the colorful, oddball, and quirky bits which are so very true to small town living are in full force here in the ironically named town of Serenity, Texas
- The heroine. We’ve met Jordan before in other books and really only briefly. Now we find out that she’s incredibly intelligent, driven, and at a crossroads in her life (which serves as the impetus to get her down to Texas). Oh and I absolutely loved that Garwood made her the somewhat nerdy computer genius who took things apart as a kid to figure out how they worked. All hail the female nerd!!!
- Noah, Noah, Noah. We’ve met him - several times in fact. He’s funny, sarcastic, a bit of a rebel, and after reading about him posing as a priest in Heartbreaker (hands down, best part of that book), I couldn’t wait for his story. He did not disappoint!

On top of my list, you have fires, crooked cops, murder, blackmail, and attempted murder. In other words, it’s definitely not a slow plot! This earned an enthusiastic five stars from me.

Three's a crowd and maybe four

Murder where you least expect it! Jordan Buchanan and Noah Clyborne work together to solve the mystery. Add in blackmail, small town friendliness, and dead bodies in car trunks.....and, of course, romance. This fun read has it all as Julie holds you captive one chapter at a time! I Have enjoyed all of the books in this modern series and recommend them to anyone who enjoys following characters from one book to another and watching them each fall in love. Due to bedroom scenes I would recommend these books to older teens and adults. Julie Garwood never disappoints me. Happy reading!

Wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book...but then Noah came along...

reread

A while ago when I was at the used book store, I had a coupon for $5 off of a $25 purchase. When you've got credit for half off of an already half off the cover price book, it takes quite a while to get up to $25! So, I'd started reading some romance so I looked at which authors had the most books on the shelf and picked one. Of course, no where does it say that this is part of a series, so I'm annoyed when I get home. But I'm thinking it's one of that that probably doesn't matter. Still, annoyed.

So this one wasn't too bad. I thought for sure it was going to one person, but it was actually another. I had no idea of the why or how the stupid professor figured in on it. And some of the people in Serenity were just a bit weird in their actions...like Jaffee and the hotel owner lady. But overall it was a pretty good one. I'll probably pick up some more of Garwood's at some point.

I'd give it between 3 and 3,5 stars
I have to admit, when I arrived to the middle of the novel, I had a feeling I couldn't continue it. But then I encouraged myself to finish and I'm glad I did. The last chapters were incredible. The romantic development is kind of fast and I'm glad there is not a lot of drama centered around the protagonists' relationship. The drama was mainly based on the mystery and I kind of liked the conclusion at the end. It is enjoyable but I don't think that I would re-read it.

#177 - 2019
Genre: Romantic Suspense

A rare miss from a Julie Garwood. Noah has been a side character in the previous books and I really liked him. He’s charming and funny.

His romance with Jordan seemed really underdeveloped, especially with how crowded the rest of the story is. There’s the murder plot in Texas, which was interesting. And then there’s the research on the historical side of the Scottish clans Buchanan and Mackenna, which was boring. I assume this is a tie in with her historicals?? But it was too much and the romance suffers for it.

Also with as overprotective as her brothers are, they were ok with Noah (who is an established playboy) with their sister? I was hoping to see some funny moments and it just wasn’t there.

This might be a case of I love the author and had high hopes for this secondary character. I still will read the series - I really have been enjoying it.

Shadow Dance is my favorite of the series thus far! Noah and Jordan have danced around each other for awhile now and in this one, they are pushed into close proximity long enough to be forced to face their true feelings. I love Garwood's wry sense of humor as the banter between these two is perfect - as is their sexual chemistry. Great case+romance+sexy banter+laughter= the perfect blend of romance suspense. Highly recommended.

I can't believe I missed this...!

Jordan was the most awesome character! Honestly she was so much fun! The dry humor of this mystery was just amazing! Noah was Jordan's perfect match! Truly, I do not know how I could have possibly put this book down, which is why after starting at 9pm, putting it down to race to store and back, I am writing this review at 1am!
As expected, Ms Garwood, in know way was this book a disappointment! No, this book was a bonus in top of expecting a great read, I got an awesome, dry humor, off the charts novel.
Thank you for laughter, insanity, and of course a terrific mystery!
Absolutely terrific book!


Karen

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this book before, I am definitely missing some of these in my attempt to keep up with every book I've ever read. Anyway, this is one of my favorites in the Buchanan series, Jordan's story. The book opens with Jordan attending the wedding of her best friend to her brother. A slightly crazed looking man, Professor McKenna, breaks in and tells Jordan that her friend is making a mistake because their two families (he's a distant relative of the bride) have been feuding... more or less since the dawn of time and it's all the Buchanan's fault. Well, this gets Jordan's dander up and she says that she wants to take a look at the professor's research so that she can prove him wrong.
Well, the professor turns out to be exactly the overbearing jerk that he seemed to be at the wedding, but that doesn't mean that Jordan wants to find him dead in her car, but she does. First thing, she calls her FBI brother but it's his infuriating (but totally hot) partner Noah Clayborne who answers the phone. It's a good thing that they can get to Jordan fast because the local sheriff wants to lock her up and toss the key. Jordan is glad that Noah sticks around to help her sort out the mess, especially when the body count starts climbing, but she's not enthused about her growing attraction to the man. For his part, Noah is frustrated to discover that he has some feelings of his own for his best friend's little sister.