Ransom (Mass Market Paperback)

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

Brodick becomes 'protector' to Judith and Iain's youngest son who is kidnapped and taken to England by our villain where he becomes fellow captive with our courageous heroine. Garwood spends a fair amount of time with relationship between the boy Alec and Gillian, who risks her life to save his vowing not only to return him to his family but uncover the Scottish traitor that betrayed them both. To do so she has to trust someone and Alec convinces her that she does indeed need the intimidatingly gruff highland warrior Brodick Buchanan.

Garwood writes children's characters so very well that you forgive her delaying the meeting of the two central characters for so long. Alec is so full of life and provides so much pathos that the novel looses some of it's sparkle without him. Still The Ransom keeps it's humour rolling along nicely thanks to the clashing of the cultures as represented by Brodick and Gillian. A little less sensual than The Secret (another thing Garwood makes you wait for), but still pretty hot and with those gruff highland giants barking things like "you will marry me - I will have it no other way" (mmm yaahh mama)and a touch of action to fill in the spaces this book is a lot more fun than the blurb would have you believe. She has a pleasant but sadly underdeveloped second story between the amazingly handsome Laird Ramsey Sinclair and Gillian's best friend (I personally thought that it was storyline that merited a novel apart) but that said, The random satisfies those of us who like our historical romances more or less non-historical, propelled by the characters and relationships rather than events, oh and steamy!

I for one am hooked and will have to read the rest of the series.