I liked this book. It wasn't the best book I ever read and the loose ends were tied up a bit too neatly and easily, but I really enjoyed reading it. I liked Max and Ellie. They were a good pair. Sure there were a couple of "are you kidding me?" moments, but it all worked out in the end. Four stars to this purely for entertaining me so thoroughly. ( )

This was an enjoyable story. I enjoy Ms. Garwood’s suspense more than her historicals. For a romantic suspense book however, it wasn’t very suspenseful. There were two completely different suspense story lines so neither one was really done justice. Neither one was particularly suspenseful. There was a lot going on in her relationship with her sisters and other family members. The scenes with them concerning her sister’s wedding seemed to slow down the story and negate any suspense that was gathering.

There was this bad guy who had terrorized her her entire life. The first time he shows up, they capture him and eventually shoot him. Problem over. Same with the second suspense plot. The bad guys decide she is not a threat so they cancel the hit on her. Even though the assassin decides to ignore the cancellation, he is pretty lame and gets caught.

After that, there were several unnecessary chapters that felt like epilogues. There was a small side story with one of her sisters being pregnant and not being able to find the Navy SEAL father to tell him. And I thought aha! next book! But no, in the weird epilogish final chapters, she has the baby and he shows up and apologizes and they get married. The side story was not developed enough to carry much weight and it was just odd that it was wrapped up at the end of the book.

The book felt like it meandered a bit and the plot was not as tight as others of Ms. Garwood’s that I have read. The characters were pleasant but not well developed. The hero especially seemed a bit one dimensional. The love between them happened without a lot of development. The love scenes were nicely done however. It was a pleasant story and kept my interest but was not, in the end, very memorable.

This book was provided to me free from the publisher for review. ( )

Awful ( )

The Ideal Man
3 Stars

Synopsis:
Trauma Surgeon, Ellie Sullivan, is no stranger to crisis. As a teenager, she was almost killed by a psychopathic stalker and now she is in need of FBI protection after witnessing the shooting of an agent. Tough, sexy and no-nonsense agent, Max Daniels, takes on the assignment of shadowing Ellie and soon the two are fighting not only for their lives but for their hearts as well.

Review:
This is my first ARC review and as much as it pains me to write a less than stellar review, I really have no choice.

This is a quick read that never quite lives up to its potential. The writing is overly descriptive and includes several annoying and excessively detailed anecdotes. While one or two might have been entertaining, they only manage to fill up the pages and add nothing to the plot or characterization.

The title should have been “An Ideal Woman” because Ellie is so sweet and perfect that she makes your teeth hurt. No one is that beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, forgiving, etc. It sort of helps to understand why her sister, Ava, dislikes her so much.

The plot has a strong premise but lacks suspense and credibility. It is difficult to believe that so many terrible things can happen to one person. Despite everything Ellie has endured, I could not empathize with her or become emotionally invested in her story. Perhaps this is due to the fact that there are too many sub-plots that distract from the main story and romance. The last chapter is dedicated to tying up the loose ends but merely emphasizes the unnecessary and artificial descriptions.

The romance is the one saving grace in the book. Max and Ellie have tremendous tension and chemistry, and their dialogue is witty and entertaining. The interaction between Ellie and her family is as real as it gets.
Overall, not too bad but not a must read either.

An Ideal Man is scheduled for release on August 9, 2011. A advance copy of the book was provided to me for review by the publisher and NetGalley.com. ( )

This book was far from what this author can deliver. The story was alright, but I didn't feel much emotion for anything, no fear or suspense, no attraction. To me it felt like the author wasn't invested in the characters - just words on a page. Don't get me wrong it's not the worst thing I have ever read - I was able to make it through the book.. I just know what great things Garwood is capable of and this wasn't one of them. ( )