The Ideal Man

I started this book as a new experience with Julie Garwood and was great as expected. Lots of action, drama, suspense, love and laughter. I recommend this story to anyone who loves a great love story with action.

This was my first Julie Garwood book, and I bought it only due to the reviews and the description of the characters - a strong funny woman - I did not find Dr. Ellie Sullivan funny or strong - but insecure and fearful. The no-nonsense, by-the-book, and tantalizingly handsome agent Max Daniels - was full of nonsense and not so by the book... ;-))

I did not finish the book, Julie Garwood is unfortunately not my of type writer.

love Julie Garwood, like the historic books and the more modern day books she writes. i have read a lot of them & enjoy the characters. have several favorites by her & have read many more than once or twice.

In St. Louis, trauma surgeon Dr. Ellie Sullivan works at St. Vincent's ER while also training residents; however, she leaves the hospital in a few days though the administration would agree to anything for her to stay. She begins her run in Cambridge Park thinking about her facing the ordeal of going home to Winston Falls, South Carolina to attend her sister's wedding to Ellie's former fiancé and the possibility that Evan the maniac will be in town. Shots are fired and FBI Agent Sean Goodman is hit. Ellie stops the bleeding so the victim can be rushed to St. Vincent ER to finish saving his life. Agents Tom Bradley and Max Daniels thank her and question her,

Ellie and Max are attracted to one another from the moment he learned she was the trauma expert and not a high school soccer player and she when she realized he had a self-deprecating sense of humor. Cal and Erika Landry are the gun dealers who escaped the Feds; they try to kill Ellie as she saw their faces while Evan the psycho stalker is free from prison planning a return engagement with Ellie. Max arrives at the Magnolia State wedding to protect witness Ellie so she can testify against the recently captured Landry duet, known for killing or frightening away anyone who fingers them.

Although the suspense is over the top of Sassafras Mountain with two stalkings, readers will enjoy this entertaining contemporary romance due to the sassy observant Ellie. The fast-paced story line grips the audience with Ellie's trauma life saving work while also appreciating Max's dedication to duty and his smile. This is a wonderful tale of two delightful heroes in love.

Harriet Klausner

I was apprehensive about buying this book because of the price, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. I didn't want the book to end. I liked the two main characters, but I can't help feeling a sense of familiarity - have they been in some of her other books? Now that I think about it, not much happened in the book, but despite that it was still a compelling read. Some readers might have a problem with the fact that there are two villains who are after Ellie for different reasons. My only complaint is that the ending was rushed in order to tie up loose ends,(probably a result of having two villains) therefore it was a little anti-climatic. But otherwise I enjoyed this book a lot more than her last few books. It's a shame you have to wait so long for a new book though, and have to wait almost a year for the cheaper paperback version. The price of the hardback version is still reflected in the kindle price.

In this book by Ms. Garwood, the writing was good, the plot was good, the pacing was good, but the interactions between the members of the Sullivan family was really well-developed.

It felt authentic and natural, just how a family would bicker, ignore, and complicate fights. There was anger, love and grudging acceptance. It was done very well.

But this is still going to be my last contemporary by this gifted author; these books are too plot driven with very little being given to develop real heat and an emotional connection between the H and the h.

I also prefer a hotter read. So, back to Ms. Garwood's historicals.