Don’t save the last dance for me
“Shadow Dance” by Julie Garwood
Dear reader, I am confused. I have been confused about this book ever since I finished it a couple of days ago while lying by the fireplace sipping my mug of hot cocoa, and I am confused now, seated at my desk writing this review. I really liked this book and didn’t put it down once I started but yet I didn’t like it. I love Noah Clayborne (have secretly loved him since “Heartbreaker” and was quite eagerly anticipating his story), but I swear to the Almighty that there were times I wanted to organize a search party for his missing set of Alpha Male balls.
Now for those of you who have been following Julie Garwood’s latest foray into the Buchanan family of gorgeous law enforcing brothers (and the occasional sister), you will need to excuse me for I have not. Other than “Heartbreaker”, I’m pretty sure I haven’t read anything else from Julie Garwood since “Shadow Dance” and now I’m not sure that I will. Or I might. ARGH! You see?! Confused!!
“Shadow Dance” features Jordan Buchanan, the baby of the family, the computer genius who happens to be the heroine in a Romance novel which means she is stunningly good looking, is the possessor of an ample bosom and fiery wit. Having met a rather eccentric Professor at her brother’s wedding and intrigued by the slur said Professor had cast upon her family lineage, she decides to up and head to the town of Serenity (where the Professor has taken up residence), to challenge his findings and clear her ancestors’ tarnished name. It was kinda cool that Julie Garwood decided to directly link the new generations of Buchanans with the gorgeous GORGEOUS Brodick Buchanan of “Ransom”. Though I must say, the Buchanan family should perhaps think about practicing a little in-breeding because their men of today, are watered down versions of my man Brodick. Brodick is a man’s man. A real man. A warrior man. He can scale my castle anytime, cross my moat anytime and throw me over his plaid repeatedly. I *heart* him. Oh Brodick…I…wait. Sorry where were we?
Now the book starts out promising enough. Noah arrives late for his buddy’s wedding, and inference is made that he was having a last minute celebratory lay with one of the bridesmaids in honor of the special occasion. What a stallion. He and Jordan engage in brotherly-sisterly banter, and Jordan is tasked to make sure that Noah doesn’t form any more bridesmaids groupie followers, since she is immune to his legendary charms. Uh-huh. If you’re thinking “hmm, I’m guessing that she will soon, by the end of the book, realize that she is not immune to Noah’s charms and start developing a complex as to why he does not see her as a wo-man, and it will then transpire that Noah has always had the hots for her and thinks she is sexy as hell but she’s like a kid sister to him and yet inevitably the two will, find themselves alone in a motel room having hot monkey sex”… my friend, you deserve a RMB shot of ice-vodka and a “Romance is my life” t-shirt.
Now ordinarily I don’t have a problem with the aforementioned plot device. But when the author does such a good job with the whole brotherly-sisterly-there-is-no-chemical-attraction thing at the beginning and then all of a sudden the people you thought were related are having hot monkey sex, you…pretty much want to find a metal spike to take to your eye. The only thing burning up the pages in this book was a chemically triggered fire, as opposed to the chemistry between Jordan and Noah. The only part I liked in the story that is Jordan and Noah is when Jordan got s-h-o-t and Noah kneeled beside her in absolute devastation and despair. And yet that wasn’t enough. Remember when Judith was felled by a stone and Iain went into meltdown just trying to run fast enough to get to her? Heart. Twinge.
And let me tell you something about Noah. Remember how he was in “Heartbreaker”? He was that cheeky gorgeous sun-kissed Adonis with a tinge of darkness whom you wanted to roll around in the hay with, never mind that he was wearing a priest’s robe at the time (undercover! He was undercover!!) In “Shadow Dance”, he was a completely different person who just happened to have the same name as that sexy hunk of burnin’ intense love we read about in “Heartbreaker”. WHY?! WHY ye gods of Romance?! WHY?!!
Now I said I liked the book and didn’t put it down and that is true. I thought the plot was intriguing and there was a little something to this book that you couldn’t put it down. I felt compelled to keep on reading; what’s going to happen to Jordan? Who is behind the murders? How do I get a piece of that famous chocolate cake? When will I read a great Romance novel from Ms McNaught and Julie Garwood again? Sheridan Sakura Carlotta is not having a good 2008 thus far. Mimi was right. Perhaps we do need to increase the alcohol budget this year.
gracie clay said,
January 14, 2008 @ 4:58 am
I read a book a few months ago, can’t remember the name of it now, but anyway it was bad. Written by a man who was trying to write women (and failed horribly) he created such an interesting mystery of what the badly written women were doing that I had to keep going. I literally couldn’t put the book down. And when it was over I felt like I had run a marathon. But I’ll never read another book by this man.
I picked up a book this weekend, Anna Campbell Untouched, I’m not sure what I think of it yet as I haven’t gotten much time to really sit down and read, but I’ve managed to sneak in a few minutes here and there and it has a bit of darkness to it, a good darkness. I can’t expalin it, but someone there at RMB might enjoy it.
La Lola said,
January 14, 2008 @ 9:41 am
Oh I wanted to read that! I read “Claiming the Courtesan” by Campbell last year partly coz of all the hype, but was quite indifferent to it. I tried to tell Mimi and Sheri about “Untouched” but once I mentioned “virgin hero” their eyes bulged and they ran screaming from the room, moaning “why God why” so I didn’t push it. Looks like I might have to go get “Untouched” then.
gracie clay said,
January 14, 2008 @ 10:05 am
He’s a virgin?!?!?!?! I had no F-ing clue he was a VIRGIN!!! *thinks* Damn…welll, I’m still going to enjoy it. Besides there has to be an advantage of being the one to teach a virgin the ways o’love.
Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas basically had a virgin hero and it’s one of my favorite books.
La Lola said,
January 14, 2008 @ 11:31 am
That’s different… Plus Nick Gentry was only a virgin in the first chapter thankfully, and from Chapter 2 onwards became the biggest stud in the tool box.
gracie clay said,
January 14, 2008 @ 1:00 pm
True, hadn’t thought about that and he was damn tasty….*shivers*
Well my darling I’m off to bed so I can do some reading on our new virgin hero…I’ll let you know how it turns out.
lauren said,
January 15, 2008 @ 5:04 am
I guess you can forgive a guy for being a virgin if he;s been locked in a cell since puberty hit, I mean it’s not like it’s HIS fault.
cutepolishgirl68 said,
January 15, 2008 @ 8:22 am
I read Untouched last week and enjoyed it. Even though he was a virgin he did what some men don’t- actually focused on the heroine and realized what she needed to get her going and coming!! I really liked the ending.
Sheridan Sakura Carlotta said,
January 15, 2008 @ 8:34 am
lauren: HAHAHAHAHA!
I don’t know about the whole virgin thing you guys. I kinda like the traditional experienced rake who has never had any lack of panties being thrown at him but when he gets it on with the heroine, he completely loses it. Whereas the virgin man…well, everything would be special for him so I don’t know. *shrug* I’m staying away from the virgin Alpha Heroes for now.
Nick Gentry and his karma sutra ways…oh be still my beating heart.
Wendy said,
January 15, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
I thought that best thing about Untouched was the virgin hero!
Of course, I married my own particular virgin hero, so I am partial.
I seem to have a strange immunity to Anna Campbell’s writing. She doesn’t shock me, she doesn’t offend me, she doesn’t excite me, she doesn’t do anything to me. Her books are just… there.
La Lola said,
January 15, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
“Of course, I married my own particular virgin hero, so I am partial.”
All the things you never wanted to know about your friends…
lauren said,
January 16, 2008 @ 12:26 am
In honesty I don’t really get all excited about a book with a virgin hero and can’t think of one that I have enjoyed, but I have heard so many good things about Anne Campbell that I am willing to give the guy a break since it sounds like he’s been through quite a lot.
gracie clay said,
January 16, 2008 @ 7:25 am
Hey Wendy I have to agree with a tad on her writing, it is kind of just there. At the same time though I keep thinking, “Damn this a little too dark and tormented for me at the moment.” I’ve yet to totally finish the book, it just feels like there can be no happy ending to this thing.
Wendy said,
January 16, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
La Lola, we met in 1986. Virgins were looking pretty damn good about then!