Customer Reviews

Ransom

5 star:		(257)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This was my second Garwood book and I loved it just as much as the first one (The Secret). This time Brodick Buchanon and Ramsey Sinclair from The Secret are the heroes with a brief appearance by Judith and Iain. In a plot to kidnap Ramsey's younger brother, Iain and Judith's son, Alec, is taken by mistake. Lucky for him, a young woman, Gillian,is also being held. Baron Alford believes she knows where a certain box belonging to King John is and he will stop at nothing to get it first. After beating Gillian and threatening her uncle's life, she is sent to find her sister. When Baron Alford killed her father when she was a child, she and her sister were given the box and sent into hiding. The two children were separated and Gillian never saw her again. If she didn't find the box and return it, Baron Alford threatened to torture and kill her uncle. Knowing that Alec's true identity would cause the baron to kill him, she escapes with him and hands him over to Brodick. Of course it was attraction at first sight and the fun begins here. There were many humorous parts and I loved seeing Gillian stand up to Brodick at every turn. There was a secondary romance between Ramsey and Bridgit that could have very easily been made into its own book. These two books have made me a big fan of Julie Garwood.

I loved this story.

If you have read the story "The Bride" by Julie Garwood this story is a must. This is Brodrick and Ramsey's story.

In this story the characters are wonderfully developed. The women are strong and are not weak little push overs. This is evident when Gillian's arm is treated, as well as when Birgid and Gillian foil the soldiers who just want a "little kiss" from them.

In this story Gillian helps to save a little boy (I won't spoil it for you) while trying to solve a very old mystery about "Adrianna's Box", find her sister and keep her Uncle safe as well as herself. Enter the highlanders - Alec, Brodrick and Ramsey who are uniquely drawn into the story. They are all lairds of their own land now and it is interesting how JG shows that they are all still good friends even though they are very different and their "ruling" style is very different.

I don't want to say to much about this but there is romance, lots of laughter, courage, humor (if the little boy had said "You know what" once more I think everyone would have had to throttle him)and love woven in around the fierceness of the situation...

I have read the book (5+ stars) and also listened to the tape (the abridged one is about 3 stars, as it looses a lot of the depth to the story).

Ransom by Julie Garwood is only my second book by this author (the first being Heartbreaker which is more contemporary but nonetheless very good). Overall this book is simply wonderful, heartwarming, romantic, exciting... I could go on forever. I would recommend this book to any mystery, romance, historical fiction lovers out there. Judging from my first two Julie Garwood novels, she is a very talented author and I look forward to enjoying much more of her work. I have already placed three of her novels on order at my local library.

Ransom is the story of Lady Gillian, whose father is killed and family destroyed when she is only five and Baron Alford invades her home. She is separated from her sister Christen, who flees into Scotland for protection. Gillian remains in England with her Uncle Morgan. When she grows up, her uncle is held for ransom until Gillian can find Arriana's box, King John's missing treasure that holds the clue to who killed his one true love. Gillian has reason to believe that her sister has the box, so she escapes the baron with a kidnapped Scottish boy, Alec. They head to Scotland to find Christen, and fall together with the laird and a few soldiers of the Buchanan clan. Gillian falls in love with the laird, Brodick.

Also included included in the storyline is the romance of Ramsey Sinclair and Bridgid, although it plays a disappointingly secondary role to the main romance between Brodick and Gillian. Between searching for her sister, finding a traitor in the midst of the Sinclair clan whom only Gillian can recognize, and falling in love, the plot is amazing in its complexity. The setting feels utterly real and the dialogue is witty and entertaining. (I especially love the conversations between Alec and Gillian because it makes Alec innocently lovable while being realistic - hey, all five year olds talk practically nonstop about the most mundane things and then say all the things they shouldn't!

After all my praise, I must add one tiny complaint. The first few chapters are very hard to get through. I was completely confused as to what was going on with Gillian and Alec (why was he hanging off a cliff, why was Gillian chasing him, how did Gillian come to know about Alec being held prisoner, etc.). Maybe I missed a few hidden clues about what was happening, but it took me a few chapters for everything to make sense and at the time I was getting very frustrated. Perhaps Julie Garwood was attempting to try something different by plunging right into the action, but I feel she could have started at the beginning and the effect could have been the same if not better. This might also have prevented a few readers from giving up in the beginning. However, once everything clicks into place, this book is awesome. I loved it and stayed up till 2 in the morning reading.

*****Also, I shall be going back to read The Secret, which I have discovered is the prequel to this, centering on Iann and Judith, who are the parents of Alec and minor characters in Ransom. I look forward to it!

This was actually two romances in one--although the Gillian-Brodick romance takes center stage, and the Bridgid-Ramsey relationship develops in the margins. But you won't mind.

Like the other reader who would have liked a little more history, I too would have liked a little more detail from the period. The novel's real strength is that it really moves along...you really feel like you are on an adventure with these characters. While with some novels you can see a predictable conclusion on the horizon, this one really keeps you guessing. I really couldn't guess how things were going to end. What fun!

The characters are also very likable--Brodick is a man who wins you over by his compassion and his rough edges.

Overall, a very enjoyable read that I too found very hard to put down (I read well into the evening one night!).

"Ransom" is a wonderful book. Unlike other romance authors, Julie Garwood knows how to tell a story, instead of just writing detailed sex scenes. This book is the sequel of "The Secret" which is written about the romance between Ian and Judith, the parents of the little boy Alec who was responsible for the meeting between Gillian and Brodick.

The characters were well defined. The painful past made Gillian strong and courageous. Brodick, though a fearsome warrior, possessed a tender and gentle heart. His character was somewhat different from the description in "The Secret", but this book took place 8 years later and therefore, didn't really present itself as a problem. I love those Buchanan men, they were very protective and possessive of Gillian and I think they were real cute!
Contrary to what other viewers belief, I think that it was not the intention of the author to develop two separate love stories in this book. Make no doubt that this book was all about Brodick and Gillian. I think that the reason of the detailed description on Ramsey and Bridgid's first meeting was to lay groundwork to the treachery and deception. I believe that the mystery of Christen's identity also played an important role in the detailed description on the secondary characters. Personally, I don't really care about Ramsey and Bridgid's romance as much as Brodick and Gillian's. I think it's refreshing to read a novel in which the hero of the story knew his own intention and not `mean'; most of the author of romance seemed to think it was necessary that heros don't know their own hearts. (No wonder Bridgid though men were stupid.)

I was surprised by the outcome of Christen and Gillian's meeting and must applaud for Garwood. Though I am sorry about the outcome, it made the story more realistic and unpredictable.

With all the treachery and deception, this book was full of wits, too. I laughed so much when I was reading the part involving the wedding. It was terribly funny and I appreciated the humor.

I strongly recommend this book to you. If you like to read love stories and do not like to be overloaded with sexual descriptions, I suggest you read the novels by Julie Garwood.

JULIE GARWOOD IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE ROMANCE WRITER. I'VE READ EVERYONE OF HER NOVELS (EXCEPT FOR HER ROSE SERIES)AND I WASN'T DISSAPPOINTED WITH THIS ONE. THE HEROINE WAS STRONG, THE HERO WAS FUNNY AND TENDER, AND THE STORY LINE JUST CAPTURED MY ATTENTION. I READ THIS BOOK IN JUST 2 DAYS!!!! I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN IT CAME OUT AND I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO LOVE TO READ GREAT ROMANTIC STORIES TO GET RANSOM!!! I CAN'T WAIT FOR HER NEW BOOK TO COME OUT!!!

Julie Garwood never disappoints. Lock the door, take the phone off the hook and just enjoy. This is definitely a keeper, you will read it again and again and again. Brodick and Gillian are wonderful characters and the marriage scene (or when she finds out they are married) is a real laugh - something a little bit different. It was also wonderful to return to the Scottish Highlands and find out what happened to Judith and Ian from The Secret.Keep it up Julie!

I have loved the writings of Julie Garwood since I was about 20 years old. I started reading her and couldn't get enough. I have since had two children and gotten behind in my reading. By chance I picked up Ransom at Christmas to give my mother as a gift for her to read and hopefully like as much as I had in the past. She, at 67 years old, has lost her husband (my dad) and I had hopes of giving her something to do to keep her mind off the loneliness. She loves this book! She told me she read several parts over again and again. After she finished, I borrowed the book from her and I couldn't stop reading it. I had to wait until the children were in the bed to read without any interruption and read into the wee hours of the morning. Gillian and Broderick are great! I loved how they just fit together. Reading about the whole group was like reading about someone you know personally because you know about them from reading The Secret. This book held me spellbound. I can't wait to go back and re-read The Secret over again to refresh my mind on the characters and their lives during that time. Well done to Julie Garwood. I, for one, hope to see more and my mom is just getting started! She has already started looking for more! She has her nose buried in For the Roses right now! Thanks Ms. Garwood for that excited feeling we get when we see one of your new releases on the shelf!

As a child innocent four year old Lady Gillian watches as her father is violently murdered by a ruthless English Baron. Now years later the same baron has called on her to find King John's missing box in Scotland and bring it back to him. She is told if she does not return with the box and her missing sister her beloved uncle will be killed. Gillian is able to escape, along with the kidnapped child of Laird Iain Maitland. In order to make her way to Scotland, she calls for Laird Brodrick Bucannan, claiming to be his bride. Intrigued, Brodrick goes to her and she safely returns Iain's son Alec to him.

Brodrick has sworn never to trust the English, but when he first sees the fair Lady Gillian he is instantly smitten. Gillian is drawn to Brodrick in ways she cannot determine either and the two finally fall in love. Gillian is tricked into marrying the handsome young Laird and the two leave to find Gillian's sister. Will Gillian be reunited with her sister? Will King John's box ever be found and will her father's name ever be cleared?

Julie Garwood once again brings us back to beautiful medeival Scotland, reuniting us with the wonderful characters from The Secret. If you love Julie Garwood's medeival series, this book is highly recommended. But one warning, plan on clearing your day since you will undoubtedly be immersed in the story all day long.

This story is set in England and Scotland between the years 1198 to 1215. It begins during the reign of King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England, and takes the reader into the reign of his younger brother King John.

Gillian and Christian are two innocent little English girls who lose their father and their ancestral home when Baron Alford, a friend of King John's, goes on a murderous rampage. He thinks their father is in possession of a treasure box filled with jewels. The jeweled box once belonged to the beautiful Arianna who was the lost love of King John. The sisters are separated; Christian is taken to Scotland, and Gillian remains in England with her Uncle Morgan and near her old home which is now ruled by Baron Alford, her father's murderer.

Baron Alford has never been able to locate the treasure and finally comes to realize that it must be in Scotland with Christian. Gillian is now a beautiful and intelligent young woman and Alford sends her to Scotland to find her sister and locate the treasure box. She's threatened with the death of her beloved Uncle if she does not return with the information about the location of Arianna`s box.

Gillian is well received in Scotland because during her flight from England, she managed to save a young Scottish boy was also being held hostage by the evil Alford. One of the Scots who she meets is Brodick Buchanan, a handsome warrior who lets her know from the beginning that he's very interested in her and does not plan to let her return to England. The attraction between them is pretty intoxicating and Gillian falls in love with him; however, she's determined in her quest to find her lost sister and return the box to England. Brodick and the other Scottish warriors have their own ideas on how to deal with Baron Alford.

This is the first book that I've read by Julie Garwood and I found it to be a fast-paced and exciting story. As an avid reader, it's a thrill to discover an author who you've somehow missed. Now, I'll go back and read her earlier books.