Veena’s review of Fast Track (Buchanan/FBI, Book 12) by Julie Garwood
Romantic Suspense published by Dutton Adult 29 Jul 14
Ms. Garwood has long been a favorite author, but her last few books have left me wanting. Don’t get me wrong – she still has a strong story line and some very enjoyable characters, but the story just doesn’t keep up the level of intensity which turns good characters and plot line into an unforgettable, compelling story.
Cordelia is devastated when she loses her beloved father and finds out at his death bed that the mother who supposedly died when she was two is actually alive and thriving in Australia with her new family. Cordy has never really missed her mother, thanks to her close-knit relationship with her father and her extended family consisting of Sophie and Regan, who’ve been friends since kindergarten, and Regan’s brothers, especially Aiden, whom she’s imagined herself in love with for the longest time, and both Sophie;s and Regan’s husbands who are like older brothers to her.
Deeply hurt and determined not to fall into the same trap that kept her father without sexual companionship all his life, she determines to get over Aiden by selling her condo and moving away from her friends and life to start life afresh. But before she can re-invent herself, she wants to put all the ghosts from her current life to bed, which includes confronting the mother who was heartless enough to abandon her at the age of two.
Now that Cordelia has determined to get over Aiden, she’s triggered the opposite reaction in him. He’s constantly underfoot and interfering in her life – starting from insisting on escorting her to Australia and sharing his hotel suite so he can keep an eye on her. Almost overnight he transforms from an overprotective older brother into a possessive love. There doesn’t appear to be in buildup in the story that I can point to which creates the extreme changeover in Aiden, other than proximity, which drives them to share each other’s bed and then I suppose nature takes over.
Cordelia, however, has set off a hornet’s nest and someone is gunning for her. Aiden scoops her up and cocoons her in his hotel suite once again, this time in Chicago, while her friends’ FBI husbands try to get to the bottom of her attacker(s). While I feel the story drags or is somewhat predictable in places, there are parts that I definitely enjoyed, especially the comeuppance Aiden and his siblings give a crooked politician.
Grade: C
Summary:
Family secrets and a hidden past—a woman’s search to uncover the truth ignites danger and passion in the latest 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’s unwittingly drawn into a volatile family drama.
Aiden wants to help Cordelia get answers about her mother, but threats from her wealthy, high-powered family are quickly becoming dangerous. Sparks are flying between Cordelia and Aiden, but after multiple attempts are made on Cordelia’s life, Aiden realizes he must put a stop to the madness before he loses the thing he values most.
Other books in this series:
