BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Monday, July 21, 2014

Review & Quote-Tastic: Fast Track by Julie Garwood


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"Fast Track" is a romance, with a mystery sub-plot. Aiden and Cordie have known each other for years, and she's had a crush on him all that time. In this scene, Cordie is recovering from some injuries while staying at Aiden's place; in her boredom, she's taken to watching a show about fishing. I could completely relate to poor Cordie and this scene made me laugh.

"I have to get out of here for a little while."
Aiden shook his head at her. It wasn't the thing to do at the moment. She turned to him and grabbed hold of his shirt. "I'm losing it," she said. She let go of him and took a step back. 
"Stop smiling. I mean it. I'm really losing it." She raised her hand in front of his face and put her finger and thumb close together until they were almost touching. "I'm this close to writing Larry a fan letter, for God's sake. This close Aiden."
"Who the hell is Larry?" Alec asked.
She whirled around to face him. "Larry the fisherman." Her tone suggested he should already know that.



Publisher: Dutton Adult
Series: Buchanan-Renard #12
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 29, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A corrupt congressman, a mother’s secrets, and a sizzling romance ignite passion and suspense in the new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood.

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.

In Australia sparks are flying between Cordelia and Aiden, but multiple attempts on Aiden’s life are made while Cordelia is with him, and he realizes he must put a stop to the madness before he loses the thing he values most.

Bea's Thoughts:

I enjoyed this series when it first started but the last few books haven't excited me. I thought about breaking up with the series and with Garwood's book, but I haven't been able to. I thought about skipping this book but decided to try again. It didn't work for me. As I was preparing this post, I saw that it has a 4 star rating on goodreads. I gave it 2 stars.

I'm not a fan, in real life or fiction, of domineering males, who think they know everything. Aiden, our hero, is arrogant, rude, overbearing, occasionally kind, and veers between treating Cordie like a princess and a prisoner. When she's injured after an attempt on her life, he holds her in his penthouse, under close guard, for her protection. Sounds okay, right? He's trying to keep her safe and simultaneously providing medical care for her. But he completely ignores her wishes, refuses to let her leave when she asks, and orders the guards to prevent her from leaving. She's a competent adult, capable of making her own decisions but you wouldn't know it by the way he behaves.So most of Aiden's scenes annoyed me or pissed me off.

Then there's the chauvinism. I had to keep checking to verify that this was a contemporary story and not from the 50s or 60s or a historical. Several times during the story, when Garwood describes scenes where Aiden is at a meeting or a dinner, only the men conduct business while the women are just eye candy.

From that point on he was distracted by a steady stream of men and women who recognized him. Each man wanted to talk about various projects he just knew Aiden would want to invest in, and each woman simply wanted Aiden. 

This occurs several times. WTF? Is this a fantasy world where women don't engage in business? It's presented as a contemporary romance but scenes like this pulled me right out and left me wondering when and where this story was occurring.  

I wanted to like this story. I did like Cordie, though she was a little too perfect at times, a little too Mary Sue. She and Aiden have been part of this series for years as secondary characters and they finally got their book and their romance. Although there's been simmering heat between them for a while, when the sex finally happened it, felt too fast and not all that sexy. After the first one, I skipped over the sex scenes.

There's a 'mystery' that wasn't really a mystery as Garwood telegraphed the identity of the perpetrator early on; I think it was supposed to be a twist but she was too obvious about it. The search for information about Cordie's mother was interesting and I enjoyed that part of the story. The romance lacked heat and I just didn't see Aiden's appeal, other than being rich and good-looking. Yes, Cordie has loved him for a long time but as I said, I just didn't see it. I did enjoy re-visiting her friends Regan and Sophie and their husbands. There are small inconsistencies, lots of cliches, tired stereotypes, and most of the story was predictable. It felt as if the author simply phoned in the story while sleeping.

Will I continue with the series? Maybe, but doubtful. Your mileage may vary.

15 comments:

  1. The quote is really funny, great pick!
    Here's my Quote-Tastic: http://takeawalkonthewriteside.blogspot.it/2014/07/quote-tastic-21072104.html

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  2. Is this the same Julie Garwood who writes historical romances? If they're the same, I had no idea she also wrote contemporary romances. Also, that scene you picked was cute! I can totally picture this scene in my head! :)

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  3. Well, this sounds like it would irritate me really bad too. I worked for years as a deputy while my husband stayed at home with all the kids, so I am a firm believer that woman aren't just eye candy. :)

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    1. It bothered me a lot. I don't recall Garwood doing that in previous books though her men are the overbearing types.

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  4. It is fine line between protecting and captivity. Is this the same Garwood author as the one who writes historical romances or do they just have the same name?

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    1. It is a fine line, and IMO he crossed it. This is the same Garwood who also writes historicals.

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  5. I've read one of her historicals and really enjoyed it but not tried any of her contemps. I'd been thinking about this one. Maybe a library pick up instead. Sorry to see it didn't work better for ya!

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    1. I've not read her historicals but I like some of her contemporaries. Maybe try her earlier contemps.

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  6. Wow. that quote is something else. I think I am going to pass on this series. Obviously it is not keeping you engaged. I wish I lived in KY I would love to adopt that sweet dog.

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    1. Some of animals on that widget are so darn cute. :)

      The early books in this series were good, it's just the recent ones that are meh.

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  7. "I'm not a fan, in real life or fiction, of domineering males, who think they know everything." Amen! I don't think I've ever read anything by Garwood, and I won't be starting here.

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  8. I had heard of this author before. Sounds good. :) Thank you.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Let's talk!