Showing posts with label Series. Show all posts
Killjoy by Julie Garwood
Series: Buchanan-Renard Series
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Her razor-sharp mind and ability to gather data and decipher evidence has made Avery an expert crime analyst for the FBI. But soon she will have to use every one of her adroit skills on a case that hits painfully close to home.
Avery’s workaholic aunt, Carolyn Salvetti, is certain her (hopefully soon-to-be ex) husband sent her the gold embossed reservation to the posh Utopia Spa in the mountains of Colorado. At first she is resistant, but then figures it will be a welcome respite from the cutthroat advertising business, not to mention a networking extravaganza. Plus she persuades her niece to join her for the two weeks of luxury and decadence.
But Carolyn never makes it to Utopia. Under false pretenses, she is taken to an isolated retreat by a handsome stranger with a dazzling smile, suave demeanor, and the darkest of motives. His name is Monk, a hired assassin. Now, with scant clues and fewer resources, Avery must track down and save Carolyn—and outmaneuver a brilliant killer who is part of an elaborate plot of madness and lethal vengeance.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble
I've actually lost count of the number of times I have read & listened to this book. Which is a common theme amongst this series. I am pleasantly surprised at how the books still hold up after all these years. For Killjoy yes there is the slightly outdated "typist" reference but that's pretty much the only thing that stands out as dated. The narrator of the audio book version does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.
I will say this is the first time I have ACTIVELY noticed how much time we (the readers) spend getting perspectives outside of Avery and John Paul. That's not really a gripe just something I noticed standing out a bit more when compared to the other books in this series. And another thing that isn't exactly a gripe is the ending for Jilly. I am glad that after all these years and countless rereads the story still pulls the response, I have towards her. Though I suppose that could be in part due to my distaste for unfinished business.
I've actually lost count of the number of times I have read & listened to this book. Which is a common theme amongst this series. I am pleasantly surprised at how the books still hold up after all these years. For Killjoy yes there is the slightly outdated "typist" reference but that's pretty much the only thing that stands out as dated. The narrator of the audio book version does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.
I will say this is the first time I have ACTIVELY noticed how much time we (the readers) spend getting perspectives outside of Avery and John Paul. That's not really a gripe just something I noticed standing out a bit more when compared to the other books in this series. And another thing that isn't exactly a gripe is the ending for Jilly. I am glad that after all these years and countless rereads the story still pulls the response, I have towards her. Though I suppose that could be in part due to my distaste for unfinished business.
Official Blurb:
Avery Delaney has always tried to put the past far behind her. Abandoned by her rapacious, conniving mother when she was only three days old, Avery was raised by her grandmother and beloved aunt Carolyn. Then, when she was eleven, she witnessed her grandmother’s violent death, before Avery herself was shot and left for dead. Miraculously she survived. The man responsible is serving time in a Florida prison. This traumatic experience propels Avery into a life of law and order.
Her razor-sharp mind and ability to gather data and decipher evidence has made Avery an expert crime analyst for the FBI. But soon she will have to use every one of her adroit skills on a case that hits painfully close to home.
Avery’s workaholic aunt, Carolyn Salvetti, is certain her (hopefully soon-to-be ex) husband sent her the gold embossed reservation to the posh Utopia Spa in the mountains of Colorado. At first she is resistant, but then figures it will be a welcome respite from the cutthroat advertising business, not to mention a networking extravaganza. Plus she persuades her niece to join her for the two weeks of luxury and decadence.
But Carolyn never makes it to Utopia. Under false pretenses, she is taken to an isolated retreat by a handsome stranger with a dazzling smile, suave demeanor, and the darkest of motives. His name is Monk, a hired assassin. Now, with scant clues and fewer resources, Avery must track down and save Carolyn—and outmaneuver a brilliant killer who is part of an elaborate plot of madness and lethal vengeance.
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Kraven by Laurann Dohner : Book 2 VLG series
Kraven by Laurann Dohner
VLG SERIES Book 2
Goodreads Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Actual rating 2.5 Stars
Why the low rating? In a word, Bat! At first her bickering with Kraven held promise and humor but that was something that quickly became annoying about her. She had to fight him on every single freaking thing.
And despite being a “Tough Lawyer,” which she stressed all the time, she did stupid things and was in denial or selfish for what felt like 85 percent of the book.
Now do not get me wrong there were some good moments, ones that made me laugh and kept my interest, but this was still a tough and sometimes tedious read.
I wasn't that into having to re-read things from the first book but I get it. Doing so makes it so readers could skip one and just pick up book two and start reading. But don’t.
While I love Kraven’s character even more so because of what you see of him in this book, you can get a lot of his story from “Drantos”. So, if you have to skip anything make it this one.
Having read this series before I can say this book is the odd one out. If you read this and think it's bad don’t let it put you off the series. The later books are so much better.
*****
If after reading book 1 you are interested in finding out more about Bat and Dusti’s parents there is some new information in this book. But overall, it doesn’t make or break the story that is established in the previous book.
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Goodreads Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Actual rating 2.5 Stars
Why the low rating? In a word, Bat! At first her bickering with Kraven held promise and humor but that was something that quickly became annoying about her. She had to fight him on every single freaking thing.
And despite being a “Tough Lawyer,” which she stressed all the time, she did stupid things and was in denial or selfish for what felt like 85 percent of the book.
Now do not get me wrong there were some good moments, ones that made me laugh and kept my interest, but this was still a tough and sometimes tedious read.
I wasn't that into having to re-read things from the first book but I get it. Doing so makes it so readers could skip one and just pick up book two and start reading. But don’t.
While I love Kraven’s character even more so because of what you see of him in this book, you can get a lot of his story from “Drantos”. So, if you have to skip anything make it this one.
Having read this series before I can say this book is the odd one out. If you read this and think it's bad don’t let it put you off the series. The later books are so much better.
*****
If after reading book 1 you are interested in finding out more about Bat and Dusti’s parents there is some new information in this book. But overall, it doesn’t make or break the story that is established in the previous book.
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Grace Under Fire by Julie Garwood
Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble
Even though I love Julie Garwood and the world she has built around the Buchanan- Renard series, I struggled to find the desire to read this book when I found out who the main characters were going to be. But once I got started, I grew to love Michael and Isabel. The book was filled with chemistry, humor and great characters but also a few bumps along the way.
Grace Under Fire attempts to follow the formula for the previous books in the series but doesn’t quite nail it. There is something off about the mystery aspects of the story. And since I still find it a really good read, I am hesitant to explain in detail for fear of spoiling the book. I will say this though, the mystery in the beginning felt like a jumbled scenario at first but towards the end it felt lackluster.
Especially when compared to the previous books and how well-crafted the mystery and killer aspects were. For instance, Killjoy book 3 in this series and my favorite, was practically a master class in merging the mystery and romance genres. Both sides of that story felt fully fleshed out and woven together beautifully. Whereas in “Grace Under Fire” the mystery sometimes feels like it was haphazardly thrown together and with the exception for a handful of scenes, it feels almost unnecessary. Yes, it does initially push our main characters together but for what feels like the first 60 % of the book they are actually brought together for other reasons. And because of those reasons the Mystery and Scotland related parts are on the backburner and sometimes a bit forgettable.
The characters have some pretty solid and believable chemistry and are fun to read. I enjoyed Isabel’s strengths, sense of humor and her drive to find her place not only in the family but in life. She was an easy heroine to like. She doesn’t turn into a whimpering mess when Michael does stuff to push her away and she knows that she is worth loving. But I felt a few of her traits were overstated to the point that it was kind of unbelievable and just shy of annoying. For example, how EVERYONE she meets magically opens up to her because she is willing to listen. It was made out to be such a big deal and shocking for her friends to witness, which is fine, except for every time it happens it is made out that way. So, it loses quite a bit of its impact.
Michael Buchanan is a twenty-eight-year-old former Navy Seal, Lawyer and soon to be FBI agent. Add in the fact that he graduated college at twenty and it’s easy to see he is an overachiever. Now the above-mentioned résumé had me rolling my eyes skyward. But thankfully this is something addressed by Isabel in what is one of the funniest moments in the book. No, I am not going to spoil it by sharing a quote from the book, you got to read it for yourself. Overall, as the Hero of the story he is a solid character. He is likeable and has pretty good reasoning behind his actions. And the banter between himself and Isabel is so much fun to read.
Overall, I am glad I read this book. It surprised me and reminded me that things aren’t always what they seem. Plus, I got to revisit characters that I loved from past books and fall in love with two more. This also serves as a reminder to me that I have yet to not enjoy a book written by Julie Garwood. And aside from my previous mentioned nitpicks I enjoyed it enough that I didn’t put it down once I started and I can’t wait to buy a copy to go on my bookshelf.
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Official Synopsis:
Michael Buchanan will need every bit of his extensive skill set when he appoints himself as bodyguard to a woman determined not to need one in this thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood.
Grace Isabel MacKenna had a hundred things to do today. Killing someone wasn’t one of them. It was supposed to be a quick visit to Boston for the Buchanan anniversary party, then on to Scotland to collect an inheritance. She checks into her hotel and then decides to go for a brisk walk. But after getting lost, she ends up with a wounded man stumbling into her arms—and his shooter coming after them both. When she fires back in self-defense, she doesn’t expect him to drop dead. After Isabel endures an interrogation by police, she is free to go, thanks to the Buchanans dispatching former Navy SEAL and now lawyer Michael Buchanan to assist her.
Isabel knows she should be grateful for Michael’s help, but since she’s harbored an extreme dislike for him for years, gratitude is difficult to muster. Michael has appointed himself her de facto guardian, and she’s stuck with him despite their constant bickering and sizzling attraction. Even when Isabel goes to Scotland to claim her inheritance, Michael follows her—but he isn’t the only thing she can’t shake. Mysterious threats against Isabel surface, and before they can deal with their growing feelings for each other, Michael and Isabel must first survive.
Grace Isabel MacKenna had a hundred things to do today. Killing someone wasn’t one of them. It was supposed to be a quick visit to Boston for the Buchanan anniversary party, then on to Scotland to collect an inheritance. She checks into her hotel and then decides to go for a brisk walk. But after getting lost, she ends up with a wounded man stumbling into her arms—and his shooter coming after them both. When she fires back in self-defense, she doesn’t expect him to drop dead. After Isabel endures an interrogation by police, she is free to go, thanks to the Buchanans dispatching former Navy SEAL and now lawyer Michael Buchanan to assist her.
Isabel knows she should be grateful for Michael’s help, but since she’s harbored an extreme dislike for him for years, gratitude is difficult to muster. Michael has appointed himself her de facto guardian, and she’s stuck with him despite their constant bickering and sizzling attraction. Even when Isabel goes to Scotland to claim her inheritance, Michael follows her—but he isn’t the only thing she can’t shake. Mysterious threats against Isabel surface, and before they can deal with their growing feelings for each other, Michael and Isabel must first survive.
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