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.

Love the Highlands' Lairds

This book was romantic, funny, adventurous, and unpredictable. It was a joy to listen to. I liked the first book "The Secret" but thought this second book was even better.

Gillian and Brodrick are definitely two opposites that attract. They are two strong willed people that have some very funny conversations. I absolutely loved one of the conversations after the marriage. I don't want to give anything away but after they marry and she gets mad and says "I was married on a horse" I couldn't breathe - I was laughing too hard!

The narrator did an excellent job. As with the first book there are some people who didn't like the narration but I thought it was great. She did each character with a different voice and that's not easy. Some people complained she whispered a lot. As far as I heard she only whispered when the book said "he/she whispered"

I'm glad I listened to this one.....I loved it!!

The ultimate page turner

Any additional comments?

Skillfully paced, multifaceted characters, gripping adventure, breathtaking setting, and stunning romance. Susan Duerden does a fantastic job narrating. As a British woman, she seems to have an innate knack for imitating the Scottish brogue.

I continually noticed Garwood’s skill in pacing. Never was there a dull moment. When one exciting thing ended, another was starting. After the 2.5 hour mark, I was having trouble pausing the audiobook - I was totally hooked. The descriptive writing made me feel like I was dropped into medieval Scotland, and the day after I finished the audiobook, I found myself wishing I could go back.

The characters were another strong point for me. The two leads, I’ve decided, are one of my favorite romance couples of all time. Gillian was a brave young woman with strong convictions. She never forgot the horrors she experienced as a young girl, and instead of becoming timid and weak (like her sister), she grew to be bold, fighting to rectify what was done to her and her family. Brodick is your typical alpha male - arrogant, rough-edged, possessive - but with a righteous nature. His character is well-suited to Gillian (she doesn’t need to be coddled, but at the same time she appreciates his protectiveness).

I thought it would be useful to discuss why I preferred Ransom to its predecessor (The Secret). Not to say I didn’t love The Secret and that it isn't worth buying, but The Secret was more strictly a love story, and much more light hearted. Ransom was a love story filled with adventure, danger, injustice, and harrowing journeys. There were kidnappings, deadly battles, family tragedy, cruel villains, assassination attempts, a brush with English royalty, and even a mysterious treasure. The historical detail (about both England and Scotland) was a fascinating touch. When comparing the two books, because The Secret was less of an emotional roller coaster. The love story between Brodick and Gillian was a tumultuous journey. The passion between them was edgier, rougher, and more demanding - which is a plus for me. Because of Gillian’s past and therefore her tough attitude, she seemed, to me, a bolder, more passionate lover than Judith from The Secret. Not to say Gillian is prickly and cold - she and Judith both exhibited emotional warmth and a need to nurture that was wonderfully feminine. Even though the content in Ransom was often dark, Garwood's trademark humor managed to seep in, too. So it really depends on what kind of love story you are drawn to, but if you like more of an action/adventure/suspense, then I think you’ll prefer Ransom’s tempestuous plot. Listen to them both though - Garwood is fantastic! One of my new favorite writers.

Excellent Writing and Narration

I absolutely love Julie Garwood's characters and story telling. The women in this historical romance genre are always demure but strong. This book is similar and not as good as The Secret but still an amazing listen. Again I will comment on how much I love Susan Duerden's narration. Although it's a matter of personal taste as one reviewer didn't like her voices, I think they are absolutely amazing. She bring's Julie Garwood's words to life!

Another Great Book in a Great Series by Ms Garwood

Any additional comments?

This book was a pleasure to read. It had all the characteristics I love in a book: romance, adventures into a new beginning, discovering a whole new life with new people and new everything! I love the author’s ability to take you to another time and place. It definitely keeps me occupied during my two hour commute (each way) to and from work.The narration was… well, you just have to get used to it. The story was too enjoyable to get stuck on the narration. Though Susan Duerden was alright with the female voices, the male voices were grating to my ears. All the men sound the same and the women almost child-like. Despite that, you’ll hardly notice it once you are well into the book and have gotten used to it.I read this book years ago and wanted to relive the story with the audiobook and I’m glad I bought it. I would recommend it to a friend or family. It is definitely worth a credit!

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.

Horrid narration

The absolute worst narration I've ever tried to listen to. Read in breathy, overly dramatic, hammy monotone. What a terrible disservice to Garwood fans.

Instantly captivating!!

Instantly captivating is no exaggeration. Rare is it that a book absolutely grabs me right off the bat, it usually takes a couple chapters, but this one... This one genuinely grabbed me right away, and kept me through the entire thing. I love Julie Garwood but this is my favorite of all of her books thus far.

There were so many facets to the story and the attention to detail was absolutely wonderful. The way she wrote it was at a pace where we could enjoy life with the characters, not just rush through the story. I loved getting to know the secondary characters and the stories that went along with them. There were a couple things in the book that were fairly predictable, but there were actually a few really good surprises. And oh my gosh, little Alec... loved that kid! Lol

The narrator did a decent job, though there were a few characters voices that we’re pretty funny. I guess a person can only come up with so many different voice variations for people and some of them are just super silly. For the most part, though, she did a fine job.

This was, for me, absolutely without question, worth the credit.

LOVED IT. NARRATION WAS EXTRAORDINARY!!!

Any additional comments?

I love these types of books and I was pleasantly surprised at how delightful this one was. Though I like'em dirty I think think this book did enough to make me say Ummmmm. I liked it and don't have any complaints. Worth the credit

Love most of the story!

The story of Brodick and Gillian is terrific, typical Julie Garwood. A great highlander love story. This is the Second time I've listened to the book and I continue to feel gypped because Ramsey and Bridgid KirkConnell, should have a story of their own. I am still scratching my head as to why their story is inadequately combined with this one. C'est la vie, still completely worth the credit, I'm just always wanting more from Julie Garwood.