[SX4]⋙ Libro Heartbreaker Buchanan / Renard / MacKenna Book 1 edition by Julie Garwood Romance eBooks

Heartbreaker Buchanan / Renard / MacKenna Book 1 edition by Julie Garwood Romance eBooks

Download As PDF : Heartbreaker Buchanan / Renard / MacKenna Book 1 edition by Julie Garwood Romance eBooks

Heartbreaker Buchanan / Renard / MacKenna Book 1 edition by Julie Garwood Romance eBooks

I love Julie Garwood's books -- the honor she gives her characters, the sexual tension, the cute but determined women, the "hot shot" sexy men.... I thought I had not read this one but realized as I began reading it that I had put it down years ago as being not acceptable. Unfortunately, I bought it before coming to this realization.

But, although I am sure there are others of this type of book out there beloved by their loyal followers, I I couldn't stand it.

This book (at least as much as I read of it before I was sickened and had to stop) focuses on the deranged killer's perspective -- his glee at creatively torturing his victims. Not my thing. Sick.

Not to say Garwood didn't depict the killer effectively. She certainly conveyed his sickness. But thank goodness she came to her senses later -- the other Buchannon brother books are lovely (if memory serves me). I may have to read one of her lovely ones again to get this horrible taste out of my mouth.


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Heartbreaker Buchanan / Renard / MacKenna Book 1 edition by Julie Garwood Romance eBooks Reviews

I started this series (without knowing it was a series) with the 2nd book, Mercy (Heartbreaker being the 5th book in this series I've listened to). While that book worked out just fine as a stand-alone book and I was not confused having not listened to this 1st book yet. Listening to this one (the 1st), however, did help enrich my understanding of certain parts of Mercy. I had wondered, who is Laurant? Why does everybody like her so much? What is Theo talking about when he says/thinks that Laurant soothes everybody? How did she come to be part of the family? (As well as some questions about Nick, of course.) Heartbreaker answered those questions.

This is a story by two people thrown together because of some imminent danger (again, but that's neither here nor there, each danger is somehow different anyway). Each knew who the other was, but neither knew what the other looked like (at this age). They are both apparently mouth-watering individuals. The fact that Tommy is a priest is an interesting twist, though there are some times that I felt he did things rather out of character (which happens to a lot, but these were subtle nuances, not big random acts).

As much as I like a long book, I did feel that this one dragged a little. For the most part, there aren't any peaks of action throughout the book to keep you going. The reader waits until the very end for something to finally happen, for the danger to become real. This is not to say that the characters were stagnant, however. They did progress nicely through the novel and they were doing things that pertained to the threat of danger (just not the actual danger itself). The "heartbreaker" interacts with Tommy near the beginning of the novel and then doesn't do anything directly to Laurant, Tommy, or Nick until the end. There was nothing to really significantly increase the threat as the book went along. Sure, another woman was killed and that helps, but the increased threat did not come from heartbreaker somehow interacting with them directly or sending them a message. While Laurant and Nick's actions did make heartbreaker angrier and angrier until he made a mistake, their actions didn't change much. They were at a pretty even state of fear (even with things like the song being played at the community event) throughout the book. None of their actions in the middle of the book were all that exciting. It felt almost as though life was just completely normal (even with the threat). To me it ended up going beyond being suspenseful to being slightly dull. I would've loved to see more excitement in the middle of the book. In comparison to the rest of the book, the final 'showdown' at the end seems like a short thing in comparison to all of this time waiting. Since that danger is what's driving the book forward, it would've been great to see it more pronounced throughout the book. There were things that definitely could be cut from the book, such as the whole thing with the newspaper and Laurant never being able to keep a guy. I'm not entirely sure what it added to the story; it ended up just being plain irritating. I would've loved for the book to have been at a faster, more exciting/intriguing clip. I think getting rid of these unnecessary things, for example, would help a lot.

One thing I found interesting (in a good way) was that Julie Garwood didn't use one of her signature phrases (so to speak) "...the big jerk." I've always found that phrasing very funny and pleasant. In a world full of swearing, I have found this a fantastic, light hearted, good natured description of each situation (in context). Before listening to Heartbreaker, I had already listened to 4 other (unabridged) books in this series including #2 - Mercy, #3 - Killjoy, #4 - Murder List, and #5 - Slow Burn (I have also listened to the abridged versions of Killjoy and Murder List in Julie Garwood CD Collection Killjoy, Murder List, and Slow Burn). All of them have used this phrase. It appears the phrase developed in the 2nd book (where it was used the most frequently) and it stuck. I can't say I mind entirely, as I do find the phrase entertaining. After hearing it in the 2nd book and thinking it was great, it stuck out to me in the 3rd book, making me think "That's funny. She used it again." I didn't think too much of it. When I listened to the 4th, however, I noticed it again. I think somewhere in the 3rd or 4th book I started actually listening for it specifically. It was almost like a game and it made me smile every time I heard it. Sometimes, however, I feel as though it somehow makes all of the female characters seem slightly unoriginal. Garwood makes up for this by creating such vivid (original) characters in each book that it seems like a mere coincidence (and perhaps it is; I do not know whether or not Garwood is aware of this trend). Now that I've come to look forward to when it's used in each book, I sincerely hope she does not stop using it. I have recently ordered Shadow Dance (again, as the 1st appears to have gotten lost in the mail) and will definitely be listening for it when it arrives (whether intentionally or not).

Conclusion I did on a whole enjoy the book. It really was enjoyable to listen to. It just didn't draw me in as much as some of the other books in the Buchanan-Renard series. Still, absolutely a fun read and I am looking forward to continuing the series!
But a great ending. I love Julie Garwood and her historical romance novels so I was sad to see that she went contemporary but really looking forward to what I anticipated to be another great read. I have to admit that some of the lure was lost in translation and it read more like a suspense novel rather than the hot and heavy romance novels I was used to. But I will say the climax made up for the slow start and the bits of humor throughout made it an enjoyable story. Why 3 stars...it was a little predictable. I knew who the unsub was, why he was doing it, how he found them, and who he was pretending to be. Yet, there was still enough to the story to only suspect who he was masquerading as so the story remained interesting. I know this was her first contemporary romance and while I'm looking forward to her next attempt, I sure hope to see more of the supreme alpha male, hot and heavy that I loved so much.
Julie does contemporary with all the right stuff; mystery, thriller, who-done-it, suspense and romance in a story you have to start on Friday night. You won't want to put it down even to answer the phone. The spiteful actions of one man wanting to make a name for himself have repercussions that astound time and time again. Pay attention to the details because every word is woven intricately into the whole. The FBI, the psychiatrist, the churchman, the serial killer, the woman - everyone has a part. Obsessions, egoes, power, narcissism, competition, and the race to identify the killer before he gets to the heroine.
It begins in the confessional and ends with a showdown. The best thing about it is that this is the book that begins the Buchanan / Renard series, so there are lots more to read. You will wonder why you haven't read Julie Garwood before.
I adore JG historicals but I was very disappointed in this book. I put off reading it forever because its not a historical. I should have gone with my gut and not read it. The audio version was beyond bad. The woman sounded like a robot. I don't even think this book deserves 3 stars but there parts I really liked so I gave it a 3 star rating. There isn't another person in this world that can write historicals like JG and it's heartbreaking to see she has stopped writing them.

What I didn't like about this book
Figured out who the unsub was immediately
Only 1 sexy time, and it was disappointing
No alpha male
Didn't feel the love between the H&h, and that shocks me because JG always makes the reader FEEL

I'll stick to her historicals. Even though I didn't like this book JG is still my favorite author.
I love Julie Garwood's books -- the honor she gives her characters, the sexual tension, the cute but determined women, the "hot shot" sexy men.... I thought I had not read this one but realized as I began reading it that I had put it down years ago as being not acceptable. Unfortunately, I bought it before coming to this realization.

But, although I am sure there are others of this type of book out there beloved by their loyal followers, I I couldn't stand it.

This book (at least as much as I read of it before I was sickened and had to stop) focuses on the deranged killer's perspective -- his glee at creatively torturing his victims. Not my thing. Sick.

Not to say Garwood didn't depict the killer effectively. She certainly conveyed his sickness. But thank goodness she came to her senses later -- the other Buchannon brother books are lovely (if memory serves me). I may have to read one of her lovely ones again to get this horrible taste out of my mouth.