Ransom

Highlands' Lairds, Book 2

By: Julie Garwood

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Overflowing with all of the majesty and intrigue of medieval glory days, this magnificent New York Times best seller is a captivating story of passion and loyalty, justice and honor. Beloved storyteller Julie Garwood steps back to the silver-shrouded Highlands of her classic tale The Secret - and hails the return of two unforgettable warriors: Ramsey Sinclair and Brodick Buchanan.

In the dark days after the death of Richard the Lionhearted, lives and lands would fall into upheaval at the hands of a power-hungry British ruler and his violent minions. One victim of the scourge is innocent Gillian, who is a mere child when the cruel and ambitious Baron Alford slaughters her father and tears her family apart. Alford, determined to recover a jeweled box for the despotic King John, is furious when the precious treasure slips through his fingers - only to be lost for more than a decade.

Now a beautiful young woman, Gillian finds the key to resolving her past in handsome Scottish chieftains Ramsey Sinclair and Brodick Buchanan. With the cunning and courage of the daring Scotsmen, and with the friendship of a new ally, Bridgid KirkConnell, Gillian at last fights the unscrupulous Baron Alford, laying claim to her home, her family, and her father's reputation. But in the presence of the mighty warriors, Gillian and Bridgid discover that desire can be a weapon of conquest...betrayal can slay trust in a heartbeat...and the greatest risk of all is surrender - to the deep emotions of unexpected love.

©2010 Julie Garwood (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

PART 2 =LOVE!!

Loved, loved, loved it! While the romance portion of the story is slow to start, the background information and plot development is well worth the wait.

I will say that I agree the phrase "you know what" spoken by the small child becomes grating, however, if you have children...this is true to life and I believe intentional on the authors part. The secondary romance between Ramsey and Brigid could have gone into a bit more detail for me. I feel that they had great potential as a side story. I loved Brodick in the first novel, and Ms. Garwood stays true to his character in Ransom.

Again in this novel, Susan Duerden's voice is an adjustment for some of the characters. It is not bad, just different. If you were able to enjoy the first novel, I feel her performance is better in this one. Again, if you can't get through the sample...don't BUY the book and then complain about the narration!

Worth a credit if you are a Garwood fan!

Completely Enjoyable

If you could sum up Ransom in three words, what would they be?

Unlikely Romance and Humor

What did you like best about this story?

While introducing a new heroine, the story revisits many of the characters from the prior novel _The Secret_, which is extremely engaging. It offered the chance to see Judith and Ian's outcomes while the exploits of Gillian and Brodick unfold.

It is not serious literature, but ever so diverting!

What about Susan Duerden’s performance did you like?

Her performance was quite solid and the pacing was on target.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Garwood is known for staging quirky weddings. The marriage of Gillian and Brodick equals or exceeds her standards for humor.

Any additional comments?

Having a stressful job makes me so appreciate books that offer a bit of escapism, a bit of historical perspective, and a bit of humor. These are trademarks of Garwood historicals.

Cute and action packed!

The story definitely has plenty of action and heart racing moments. The romance between the characters is sweet. I love Susan Duerden! She does a great job with both the male and female characters.

Wonderful love story! To bad the narrater is BAD.

Would you consider the audio edition of Ransom to be better than the print version?

I believe if the narrator was different the audible would rate higher than the book. This narrator drags out her words which is very annoying

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She likes to whisper at times when trying to imitate a mans voice and she drags out her voice which is very annoying

Any additional comments?

Please don't use this narrator again.

You will love

if you love reading Julie Garwood's books you will love how alive the characters become in your mind while listening to books here on Audible.

reader, not so much.

Sometimes the reader should be male. This is one. Spoiled the whole thing for me. I love Julie Garwood, but with this one, i'll stick with the hardcover book.

Much better

I enjoyed this story, and the narration much easier to listen to than The Secret. The story was great, and I suppose I got used to the readers style of storytelling, and her voices weren't near as annoying, although there were a few Gollum type voices.

Ransom

i Enjoyed the story,it is very well read. The narrater kept the story alive with energy and consistancy. I will recommend this book and look for other books read by this narrater,

Great writer

I really enjoy this writer's storytelling, pace, humor, and sentiment. Very easy to read. Lovely

Great tale of love and war

This is one of my favorites by the author and narrator. Some of the banter makes me giggle and the love story is great.