Shadow Dance

An interesting whirling snapshot of a few months in the lives of Morris and Edna, Honey and Emily, and Ghislaine's story as the background to it all... True to life, nothing much good comes out of the story, more like life it leaves you with the sense that this was just an episode (it is a short book)...
This is Angela Carter's first novel, and it is not as allegorical or fantastical or magical realistical (?) as some of her later novels/stories with which I am more familiar. Will look forward to seeing how this stacks up on a re-read.

DESCRIPTION: Jordan Buchanan is thrilled that her brother and best friend are tying the knot. The wedding is a lavish affair–for the marriage of Dylan Buchanan and Kate MacKenna is no ordinary occasion. It represents the joining of two family dynasties. The ceremony and reception proceed without a hitch–until a crasher appears claiming to be a MacKenna guest. The disheveled and eccentric professor of medieval history warns that there’s “bad blood” between the couple’s clans, stemming from an ancient feud that originated in Scotland, and involving the Buchanan theft of a coveted MacKenna treasure.

Jordan has always led a cautious life and has used her intelligence and reason to become a successful businesswoman. So she is show more intrigued but skeptical of the professor’s claims that the feud has been kept alive by the grave injustices the Buchanans have perpetrated over the centuries. But when Noah Clayborne, a close family friend and a man who has never let a good time or a pretty girl pass him by, accuses Jordan of being trapped in her comfort zone, she determines to prove him wrong and sets out on a spontaneous adventure to the small, dusty town of Serenity, Texas, to judge the professor’s research for herself.

Maneuvering through a close-knit community in which everyone knows everyone else’s business, Jordan never anticipates the danger and intrigue that lie in her path, nor the threat that will shadow her back to Boston, where even in familiar surroundings, her life is at risk.

A powerful thug who rules by fear, a man who harbors a simmering secret, and an unexpected romance that pierces all defenses–beloved author Julie Garwood weaves these dazzling elements into a brilliant novel of romantic suspense. Shadow Dance is a searing tango of passion and peril. show less

Jordan Buchanan, independently wealthy from the recent sale of her wildly successful computer business, is at loose ends. Her best friend has just married her brother, and everyone in her family is involved in living their own lives. An offhand remark from sexy Noah Clayborne -- that she needs to get out and live life -- irks Jordan, and on a whim, she heads to Texas to do some family research. A couple of dead bodies in trunks later, she's calling on her family law-enforcement ties, and of course, Noah, to get her out of jail.

After reading and enjoying Garwood's older titles such as Castles, the Secret, and the Prize, I've found her recent books to be somewhat disappointing. Unfortunately, Shadow Dance is no exception. While the main show more characters have promise, and Garwood's premise is certainly intriguing, the books suffers from an overabundance of minor characters and too many plot threads, some of which are ultimately unresolved, (perhaps to be revisited in later books?). If Garwood is attempting to capitalize on the success of Catherine Coulter and Nora Roberts (as J.D. Robb), both of whom have created romantic suspense, law enforcement-related series, she really needs to tighten up her writing. The suspense aspect is lacking, and the romance between Noah and Jordan is both predictable and lacking in tension. With a bunch of editing, this would have made a great novella. Stretched to novel length, it suffered. show less

When this book first came out, it was the story we'd all been waiting for. We were first introduced to him in Heartbreaker as Nick Buchanan's partner, and saw him again in Mercy and Killjoy. The super sexy womanizer, FBI Special Agent Noah Clayborne, a descendant of Cole Clayborne from an earlier historical series, finally gets his own story.

Jordan Buchanan is in Serenity, TX doing some research when she finds the body of the professor she's met with in the trunk of her car. Knowing she'd been set up, she calls her brother Nick. Noah answers, and it's a good thing she called before the cops arrive, because not only was she set up, but the sheriff isn't exactly playing by the book. Noah is ordered to stay with Jordan until she gets home, show more but they have to stay longer because things keep happening.

Not only did I enjoy Jordan and Noah, but also many of the characters in Serenity. If you've read the most recent releases in this contemporary series, you'll find this one has a great deal more humor between our hero and heroine as well as some interesting situations. And of course there is the mystery of who killed the professor and why. The day Noah realizes he loves Jordan is very touching.

Of course, if you haven't read any of the prior books listed above, you will be able to follow what's going on, but won't experience the same impact on Noah's reaction to Jordan.

This is one of my favorites from the author's Contemporary Series. I'll bet I've read this book at least 6 times since it originally came out. show less

I picked this up at a Safeway on a whim, and while I don't regret it, I could have found something better.

I've read nothing else by the author, so I don't know how representative it is of her work. I couldn't decide whether this book was an attempt at light-hearted farce (which Jennifer Crusie and Janet Evanovich do so well) or serious romantic thriller. In my mind it doesn't work well as either. Everything about it seemed forced, from the main character's epiphany about her boring life to her "romance" with the FBI agent.

Ah well, new-to-me authors can't always turn out as well as my recent discovery of Kay Hooper.

The book is ok. The story is engaging; but there's something flat about it. I think Garwood's strong point is creating characters that can play parts in other novels in the series.

Fairly entertaining dock read, but I found the repeated use of 'frickin' to be annoying. Garwood is always a reliably well-paced writer I enjoy.