Fast Track by Julie Garwood

Author: Julie Garwood
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Date of publication: July 2014

Cordelia Kane has always been a daddy’s girl—her father raised her alone after her mother died in a car crash when Cordelia was just two years old. So when he has a serious heart attack, Cordelia is devastated, and the emotion is only intensified by the confusion she feels when he reveals the shocking truth about her mother.

Cordelia can’t suppress her curiosity about the woman who gave birth to her, and when she discovers the answers to her questions lie in Sydney, Australia, she travels there to get them.

Hotel magnate Aiden Madison is Cordelia’s best friend’s older brother. He’s oblivious to the fact that she’s had a crush on him for years. When he gets railroaded into taking her along to Sydney on his company jet, he unknowingly puts her life at risk. He’s recently angered a powerful congressman by refusing to purchase overvalued land. Congressman Chambers is not a man to let such an offense slide, and he has the resources to get even and to get what he wants.

Even though I have liked the last couple of books by Ms. Garwood, I have hoped that she would return to this series and give Cordelia her story.  She has done just that in Fast Track.  This was a fun read and a great HEA for her.  Cordelia has always been in love with Aiden. But, he is her best friend's brother so she has hidden her feelings.  Until recently, Aiden has always thought of Cordelia as a little sister.  Until a passionate kiss one night turns everything around.

I loved these two together.  I thought that their relationship was that much sweeter because they had known each other for so long.  For me, it wasn't an insta-love and didn't move too fast.  Aiden was a bit over protective, but I could understand why.  It was also great to check in with characters from the last two books in the series.  

There are actually a couple of mysteries going on.  Cordelia finds out the truth about her mother through her father's death bed confession. (What a sad scene that was!)    Well, it's almost the truth, because she finds a few surprises as she looks for the woman who abandoned her as a baby.  Also, someone keeps attacking Cordelia.  But, who and why and what is it related to?  I won't tell because there are a couple of twists. Let's just say that justice is sweetly served to a few parties in the end!

Hotshot by Julie Garwood

Author: Julie Garwood
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Date of publication: August 2013

Peyton Lockhart and her sisters have inherited Bishops Cove, a small, luxurious oceanfront resort, but it comes with a condition: The girls must run the resort for one year and show a profit only then will they own it.A graduate of a prestigious French culinary school, Peyton has just lost her job as a food critic. Out of work and in a bad place personally, a year doing something completely different sounds wonderful.There are countless challenges and too many people who want to stop the sisters from succeeding. Among them are Peytons contentious cousins, who are outraged that they didnt inherit the resort, as well as a powerful group of land developers who have been eyeing the coveted beachfront property.Its soon apparent to Peyton that their efforts are being sabotaged, but she refuses to let the threats scare heruntil shes nearly killed. She calls on her childhood friend and protector, Finn MacBain, now with the FBI, and asks for his help. He saved her life once; he can do it again.

I definitely can't say that this is my favorite of the series, but I did enjoy the book.  I liked the overall story of childhood friends finding each other again and realize there is something more there for them.  I liked both Peyton and Finn together.   Their relationship sizzled off the pages and their love story was fun to read.  The mystery wasn't too hard to figure out.  It wasn't rocket science to figure out who was trying to sabotage the resort. So that part was a little ho-hum.

My biggest issue with the book was all of the TSTL moments that Peyton had throughout the story.  I was surprised that Ms. Garwood would write a character like this.    How many times does someone have to try to kill you to make you stay home? Aside from that, that peripheral characters were fun and there were a few really funny moments.  I do wish that we could have seen more of Lucy and the hotel manager's romance.  I think that one looked like fun as well.

Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

Author: Julie Garwood
Publisher: Penguin
Date of publication: August 2012

Attorney and IRS agent Olivia Mackenzie is the kind of tough, wise-cracking, powerful woman fans expect from a Garwood protagonist—but this time she has outdone herself. Olivia is not just any woman, she is every woman; flawed in the familiar ways so many of us are. 

When she meets FBI Agent Grayson Kincaid there is an immediate and obvious attraction, palpable on both sides. Together they make an excellent team to fight corruption but Olivia is also fighting the immediate and intense attraction she feels for Agent Kincaid, and that may be a battle she is bound to lose.

I'm a fan of Ms. Garwood's books.  I was really looking forward to Sweet Talk.  While it wasn't the best of her books that I have read, it was still enjoyable.  I think what I enjoyed the most was the romance.  Grayson and Olivia were great together.  I loved how he just barrels his way into Olivia's life and won't take no for an answer.  Especially when she is so reluctant to commit.  

The mystery wasn't that exciting.  It really wasn't too hard to figure out who is trying to kill Olivia.  The secondary mystery was a little more surprising.  I didn't see that solution coming.  I liked the addition of the Pips.  I hope that future books feature the other three friends.  Maybe Collins will be next?  I think fans will enjoy this book.  The audio book was well done.  I always enjoy a book read by Angela Dawes.

The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

Author: Julie Garwood
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Date of Publication: August 2011

Dr. Ellie Sullivan has just completed her residency at a large urban hospital. While jogging in a park nearby, she witnesses the shooting of an FBI agent in pursuit of wanted criminals, a couple identified as the Landrys. The only person to see the shooter's face, Ellie is suddenly at the center of a criminal investigation. 

Agent Max Daniels takes over the Landry case. A no-nonsense lawman, he's definitely not the ideal man that Ellie has always imagined, yet she's attracted to him in a way she can't explain. Ellie heads home to Winston Falls, South Carolina, to attend her sister's wedding. Shortly after she arrives, though, she receives a surprise visitor: Max Daniels. The Landrys have been captured, and she'll be called to testify. But they've been captured before, and each time the witnesses are scared into silence-or disappear before they can take the stand. Max vows to be Ellie's shadow until the trial, and it isn't long before sparks fly.


I had been looking forward to reading Julie Garwood's latest for a while now.  It finally hit the top of my TBR pile and I devoured it. The Ideal Man  has a great balance of romance, mystery and action.  Everything I love about a good romantic suspense!  Ellie and Max are great characters.  I loved the chemistry between the two of them.  Ellie is a strong female character and is very well matched to Max's confident and protective nature.  Who wouldn't want to fall in love with a guy like Max?  I was so rooting for their HEA.


There are a couple of  mysteries going on in this book.  Ms. Garwod throws in a few twists that keep you guessing.  The peripheral characters of the book round out the tale nicely.  Ellie's family is entertaining, especially her bridezilla sister.  The only thing that I didn't like about the book was the side story of her sister's missing baby daddy.  I felt like the story line was thrown in as an after thought and the resolution to it was way too rushed.  I think the book would have done well without it.   I can't wait to see what Ms. Garwood comes out with next!