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65th out of 394 books
—
770 voters
The Ideal Man (Buchanan-Renard #9)
New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood delivers a contemporary romance that's pulse-pounding in every sense of the word.
Dr. Ellie Sullivan has just completed her residency at a large urban hospital. While jogging in a park nearby, she witnesses the shooting of an FBI agent in pursuit of wanted criminals, a couple identified as the Landrys. The only person to see...more
Dr. Ellie Sullivan has just completed her residency at a large urban hospital. While jogging in a park nearby, she witnesses the shooting of an FBI agent in pursuit of wanted criminals, a couple identified as the Landrys. The only person to see...more
Hardcover, 322 pages
Published
August 9th 2011
by Dutton Adult
(first published August 3rd 2011)
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Oh. My. Freaking. Goodness! What can I say? (maybe this would be a good time for a warning)
*WARNING* Hair pulling, foot stomping, red-face screaming, hissy fit tirade about to commence...
Are you kidding me? ARE YOU STINKING KIDDING ME?!?!? THIS is what happens once a talented author hits superstardom and is content knowing her adoring hordes will never leave??? (Listen up, Janet Evonovich, Iris Johansen, Catherine Coulter and the Trest.) They sit back and write CRAP?! (No that's not a swear word...more
*WARNING* Hair pulling, foot stomping, red-face screaming, hissy fit tirade about to commence...
Are you kidding me? ARE YOU STINKING KIDDING ME?!?!? THIS is what happens once a talented author hits superstardom and is content knowing her adoring hordes will never leave??? (Listen up, Janet Evonovich, Iris Johansen, Catherine Coulter and the Trest.) They sit back and write CRAP?! (No that's not a swear word...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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8 likes · like · see review
Blog post: http://happilyeverafter-reviews.blogs...
Nice romance, ok suspense. I loved Ellie. A successful trauma surgeon, she deals with a past trauma of her own that won't let her fully live her life. She's everything I enjoy about a leading heroine - smart, take charge, strong. She doesn't make dumb choices (one of my huge pet peeves with characters) and she was very enjoyable to read.
Max was a nice balance to Ellie. He's a FBI agent who, due to Ellie being in the wrong place at the wrong time...more
Nice romance, ok suspense. I loved Ellie. A successful trauma surgeon, she deals with a past trauma of her own that won't let her fully live her life. She's everything I enjoy about a leading heroine - smart, take charge, strong. She doesn't make dumb choices (one of my huge pet peeves with characters) and she was very enjoyable to read.
Max was a nice balance to Ellie. He's a FBI agent who, due to Ellie being in the wrong place at the wrong time...more
Apr 28, 2011
Shawna
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of romantic suspense "lite"
Shelves:
contemporary-romance,
cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military,
julie-garwood,
romantic-suspense,
im-a-cover-hottie-ho,
doctor-or-nurse-in-the-house-shrink,
arc-review-copy-galley,
netgalley,
kindle,
i-read-kindle,
2011-reads,
3-to-4-stars,
brothers-sisters-cousins-family,
hero-alpha,
heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape,
hh-love-commitment-marriage-phobic,
hh-sweet-nice-paired-vs-gruff-cynic,
steam-1-tepid,
hero-bad-boy-playboy,
hero-brooding,
hh-smart-intellectual-brainy-geek
3 ½ stars – Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
Ideal Man is my first read by popular romance author Julie Garwood, which is surprising considering how many romances I've read. It's a good, not great, romantic suspense read that focuses more on the character relationships, and is therefore rather light on the suspense element.
Dr. Ellie Sullivan is a prodigy surgeon finishing her residency in the trauma center of a major urban hospital. While out running in a nearby park, she witnesses a shoot...more
Ideal Man is my first read by popular romance author Julie Garwood, which is surprising considering how many romances I've read. It's a good, not great, romantic suspense read that focuses more on the character relationships, and is therefore rather light on the suspense element.
Dr. Ellie Sullivan is a prodigy surgeon finishing her residency in the trauma center of a major urban hospital. While out running in a nearby park, she witnesses a shoot...more
17 likes · like · see review
After the Buchanan series, I've waited for ages for another JG's suspense book. And seems that I have to wait some more. This book was of romantic-suspense genre, being 70% romance, 20% suspense and 10% about the damn wedding.
Ellie was a brilliant gorgeous surgeon who met Max, a brooding hot FBI agent at a shoot-out near her hospital. They kinda reminds me of Vishous and Doc Jane of JR Ward's book a bit. Anyhoo, after the mishap, Max was assigned to protect Ellie from the bad guys. So Max went...more
Ellie was a brilliant gorgeous surgeon who met Max, a brooding hot FBI agent at a shoot-out near her hospital. They kinda reminds me of Vishous and Doc Jane of JR Ward's book a bit. Anyhoo, after the mishap, Max was assigned to protect Ellie from the bad guys. So Max went...more
Originally posted on Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2011/08...
Ellie Sullivan was a child prodigy whose life was almost cut short at a young age by a brutal stalker. Now a surgeon, Ellie does her best to keep her life normal. But a run in the park leads to Ellie witnessing a FBI agent being shot. She saves the man’s life, but now hers is under threat from the criminals still at large. Agent Max Daniels is determined to protect Ellie at all costs, so if he has to go to South Carolina t...more
Ellie Sullivan was a child prodigy whose life was almost cut short at a young age by a brutal stalker. Now a surgeon, Ellie does her best to keep her life normal. But a run in the park leads to Ellie witnessing a FBI agent being shot. She saves the man’s life, but now hers is under threat from the criminals still at large. Agent Max Daniels is determined to protect Ellie at all costs, so if he has to go to South Carolina t...more
2.5 stars
Dr Eleanor (Ellie) Sullivan has witnessed the shooting of a Federal agent. FBI agent Max Daniels is on the case, hunting down the two shooters and protecting Ellie.
You think romance writer and a few authors immediately spring to mind. Julie Garwood is one. Unfortunately this story does not showcase Julie Garwood's credentials as one of the great writers of the genre.
The plot is predictable. The heroine, Ellie is just way too perfect. She's beautiful, she's a highly-skilled surgeon, she...more
3 likes · like · see review
Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a big Julie Garwood fan but this one just didn't quite make it for me. It started out great and promising but somewhere along the way it seem to fizzle. It felt as if someone else came along about midway through and finished it for her. The action/suspense was lacking and had more of a feel of a contemporary romance. But even the romance portion seemed to suffer at times. I didn't feel the chemistry and sexual tension I normally feel in Ms Garwood's stories. That s...more
2 likes · like · see review
Aug 23, 2011
Brenda Audiobooks Only
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1-mp3-i-have,
contemporary-romance
Narrated by Christina Traister - Narration 3*s - She gets the attitude / emotion right so that part's good. But the slow delivery pace made the book semi-boring to listen to. The slower delivery compared to the much faster pace in my head when I read it myself was detrimental to the audio version of the story.
I enjoyed listening anyway, because I'm a Garwood fan and I'd already read the book and knew where it was going.
Julie Garwood is a comfort read / listen (with a good narrator) and a decen...more
I enjoyed listening anyway, because I'm a Garwood fan and I'd already read the book and knew where it was going.
Julie Garwood is a comfort read / listen (with a good narrator) and a decen...more
Dr. Ellie Sullivan was a child prodigy who at the age of 11 was traumatized over the course of a year by a 17 year old stalker who eventually savagely beat her and left her for dead. After realizing they couldn't protect her her parents sent her away to live with a foster family. She grew up to be a renown trauma surgeon. One day after work while out running in a nearby park, she witnesses a FBI agent get shot by a couple known as the Landry's. After saving the FBI agents life she meets another...more
Julie Garwood delivers again! Her latest suspense was a thrill to behold.
Max and Ellie are thrown together when she witnesses a shooting of a federal agent while she was out for a jog. Although she finds Max rather rude, it doesn’t cool her intense attraction to him.
There was true chemistry between Max and Ellie. Their relationship took time to develop and progress in a manner that was believable and not rushed. Both Ellie and Max were great characters. You wanted Max in your bed and Ellie as yo...more
Max and Ellie are thrown together when she witnesses a shooting of a federal agent while she was out for a jog. Although she finds Max rather rude, it doesn’t cool her intense attraction to him.
There was true chemistry between Max and Ellie. Their relationship took time to develop and progress in a manner that was believable and not rushed. Both Ellie and Max were great characters. You wanted Max in your bed and Ellie as yo...more
A light fluff of a novel, perfect for reading while on vacation. Child prodigy and now 24-year old doctor, Ellie Sullivan, is completing her residency in trauma surgery when she inadvertently becomes a witness to the attempted murder of an FBI agent. After she performs the surgery that saves the agent's life, one of his partners, Agent Max Daniels, becomes determined to keep Ellie from having to testify as a witness to the crime. He has no doubt that the perpetrators of the attempted murder are...more
This book was all over the place. I guess that's what I get for reading a romance turned "thriller" writer. Some make the transition well, others...not so much. Come on Garwood, this is no bestselling material here. I was surprised to find that the characters were so flat and uninteresting. Romance authors thrive on character studies, if you don't have dynamic fully-fleshed leads, your romance is dead in the water. For a former romance author, I cannot believe these characters were so lame. We a...more
I guess my expectations were low, because I liked this one despite it's obvious weakness as a novel.
The Ideal Man follows the Garwood suspense template closely. Dr. Ellie Sullivan goes for a quick run and manages to witness a shooting. FBI agent Max Daniels puts himself in charge of her safety. They're instantly attracted to each other and they're playing kissy-face within two days of meeting each other.
There's plenty of Garwood's trademark humor and the chemistry was boosted by their casual b...more
The Ideal Man follows the Garwood suspense template closely. Dr. Ellie Sullivan goes for a quick run and manages to witness a shooting. FBI agent Max Daniels puts himself in charge of her safety. They're instantly attracted to each other and they're playing kissy-face within two days of meeting each other.
There's plenty of Garwood's trademark humor and the chemistry was boosted by their casual b...more
3 likes · like · see review
SYNOPSIS:
This is a romantic suspense novel about a lady surgeon who witnessed a shooting. The bad guys put a hit out on her to stop her testimony, she’s falling for a FBI Agent, she’s always looking over her shoulder for the twisted creep who’s been stalking her since she was a child, her dad demands she come home for a family wedding where her very own ex-fiancee plays the part of the groom, and.... her baby sister makes BRIDEZILLA look like a kitty cat.
CONS:
I was INSULTED that the author allow...more
This is a romantic suspense novel about a lady surgeon who witnessed a shooting. The bad guys put a hit out on her to stop her testimony, she’s falling for a FBI Agent, she’s always looking over her shoulder for the twisted creep who’s been stalking her since she was a child, her dad demands she come home for a family wedding where her very own ex-fiancee plays the part of the groom, and.... her baby sister makes BRIDEZILLA look like a kitty cat.
CONS:
I was INSULTED that the author allow...more
i'd give this 3.5 stars for the narrator (first listen) and 1.5 for the plot.
you know how they accuse some legislators of crafting policy via pollsters and focus groups? well, this is Julie Garwood writing via focus groups.
if you poll women what they like in a heroine and a hero in a romance novel, Ellie and Max caricatures will come up on top. she's a genius child prodigy (solving complex math problems at age 5), who in her tweens was a victim of a crazy psycho stalker, violently assaulted to...more
you know how they accuse some legislators of crafting policy via pollsters and focus groups? well, this is Julie Garwood writing via focus groups.
if you poll women what they like in a heroine and a hero in a romance novel, Ellie and Max caricatures will come up on top. she's a genius child prodigy (solving complex math problems at age 5), who in her tweens was a victim of a crazy psycho stalker, violently assaulted to...more
While out on a run during a break between patients, trauma surgeon Dr. Ellie Sullivan happens to come into the middle of an FBI shootout involving two impossible-to-catch criminals. One of the agents is seriously wounded in the melee and Ellie is the one to operate on him, thus saving his life. His colleague, Max Daniels, is particularly perturbed at the near miss of catching the Landrys, the most notorious crime couple since Bonnie and Clyde. But the Landrys have spotted Ellie - and that puts h...more
I was incredibly disappointed in this book. The bad guys were hardly present, there was no real suspense and the climax was over in a matter of paragraphs!! I was so sad because Garwood is one of my favorite authors and she usually does an amazing job with character development and getting inside the bad guys head but none of that was present in this book. I felt like I was reading it and suddenly I was at the end and I thought "Wait, that's it? It's over?" I also had a problem with the way Elli...more
Reviewed for: http://www.paper-cup.org
*sigh*
I love Julie Garwood. She was one of the first romance writers that I read and after reading Saving Grace, I went out and stocked up on Garwoods because that book was beautiful. Unfortunately, she was branching out into her contemporary market by then and they just aren't as strong, and honestly, they've been getting worse with each one, culminating with this.
Her heroines are always perilously close to Mary Sue territory, and her heroes are usually the...more
*sigh*
I love Julie Garwood. She was one of the first romance writers that I read and after reading Saving Grace, I went out and stocked up on Garwoods because that book was beautiful. Unfortunately, she was branching out into her contemporary market by then and they just aren't as strong, and honestly, they've been getting worse with each one, culminating with this.
Her heroines are always perilously close to Mary Sue territory, and her heroes are usually the...more
I have been voraciously reading any and all over Julie Garwood's books since I had the pleasure of stumbling across "Heart-breaker" in a garage sale.
By comparison, "The Ideal Man" seems less in depth, although the characters are solid and well developed. Ellie and Max are a good fit for one another. Ellie who cannot come to terms with the trauma she suffered as a child, becomes a trauma surgeon, and a damn good one at that. This is incredibly plausible, as a person who couldn't control the trau...more
By comparison, "The Ideal Man" seems less in depth, although the characters are solid and well developed. Ellie and Max are a good fit for one another. Ellie who cannot come to terms with the trauma she suffered as a child, becomes a trauma surgeon, and a damn good one at that. This is incredibly plausible, as a person who couldn't control the trau...more
First - I am a HUGE Garwood fan and have been anxiously awaiting another romantic suspense. Usually her male and female leads are excellent - and I liked them in this book as well. However, I was a little disappointed with this one. One minor issue was the spoiled sister. She was unbelievable...and I found myself very angry with Ellie and her mother for wanting Ellie to "be mature" about the situation. It was over-the-top and ridiculous!
But the biggest part of my 3-star rating was the romantic...more
But the biggest part of my 3-star rating was the romantic...more
I enjoy Julie Garwoods books, but this was the best one I have read so far. I picked it up to skim the first page or two to see what it was about and did not put it down until I was done. Read this one a few hours. This story is typical of the genre but written in an interesting and entertaining way . I liked the main characters and became invested in what they would do next.
Ellie is a top notch surgeon and Max is a FBI agent. Elle has been stalked since childhood by a crazy and now stumbles int...more
Ellie is a top notch surgeon and Max is a FBI agent. Elle has been stalked since childhood by a crazy and now stumbles int...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Requested from NetGalley by Me
Overall Rating 4.25
Story Rating 4.25
Character Rating 4.25
NOTE: This is one of those books I picked up based on the cover (yes they sell books people) and can say I really enjoyed it. The pacing, plot, and romance were all really well done!
What I Loved: I really love when authors aren't afraid to write really smart, strong, and arrogant in their professions women. In The Ideal Man, Ellie is that type of character. She is a prodigy. Ellie knows that she is good at her...more
Overall Rating 4.25
Story Rating 4.25
Character Rating 4.25
NOTE: This is one of those books I picked up based on the cover (yes they sell books people) and can say I really enjoyed it. The pacing, plot, and romance were all really well done!
What I Loved: I really love when authors aren't afraid to write really smart, strong, and arrogant in their professions women. In The Ideal Man, Ellie is that type of character. She is a prodigy. Ellie knows that she is good at her...more
1 like · like · see review
For the longest time Julie Garwood was one of those authors that I bought her newest book without even hesitating because I love her so much. However, since she moved from writing historical romances to focusing on contemporary suspense romances I've lost some of the excitement over her books. I read maybe the first 3 or 4 of her contemporary books and they were so blah I gave up on them. The only reason I picked this one up was a friend told me she thought it was so much better than the rest of...more
This is the dumbest named book ever. I don't even know why it's called that. Julie Garwood fans, you'll love this book. The rest of you...sure, why not.
Ellie Sullivan is a trauma surgeon in a St. Louis Emergency Room. She has had a creepy stalker her entire life, so she was basically raised witness protection, and her own family hasn't heard much from her in ten years. She communicates with them very little, since no one knows where her stalker is. He wants to kill her, that's all the family kno...more
Ellie Sullivan is a trauma surgeon in a St. Louis Emergency Room. She has had a creepy stalker her entire life, so she was basically raised witness protection, and her own family hasn't heard much from her in ten years. She communicates with them very little, since no one knows where her stalker is. He wants to kill her, that's all the family kno...more
***WARNING: SLIGHT spoiler on one minor plot point at the end of the book that was a completely unnecessary part of the book anyways***
I'm always excited for a few Garwood novel - she's one of my all-time favorite authors. This one was enjoyable, but in no way one of her bests. Maybe it's the effect of having read the entire backlist of an author, but I definitely started thinking about similarities of AN IDEAL MAN to other Garwood books. There were definitely shades of MERCY and HEARTBREAKER .....more
I'm always excited for a few Garwood novel - she's one of my all-time favorite authors. This one was enjoyable, but in no way one of her bests. Maybe it's the effect of having read the entire backlist of an author, but I definitely started thinking about similarities of AN IDEAL MAN to other Garwood books. There were definitely shades of MERCY and HEARTBREAKER .....more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The contemporary alpha male obviously comes from military or law enforcement career. Beside that, I was not quite sure what else was attractive (or not) about Max Daniels - the hero, not withstanding the instant attraction between him and the heroine, Ellie. He just develops this instant and overwhelming need to protect Ellie and as things happen, he is able to do just that. He comes from a foster family background ending up with 6 brothers. She comes with a lot of baggage: enduring life threate...more
The Ideal Man is the first novel I've read by Julie Garwood, but if more of her novels are like this one was then I'll be reading many more. This novel wasn’t just good, it kept me up until 3am reading. I couldn’t put it down.
Ellie is a wonderful heroine. She’s smart, extremely attractive and one of the nicest people you’d ever read along with. She’s also the best surgeon on staff at the St. Vincent Hospital. Ellie meets Max during a shooting with a modern day Bonnie and Clyde. From the first t...more
Ellie is a wonderful heroine. She’s smart, extremely attractive and one of the nicest people you’d ever read along with. She’s also the best surgeon on staff at the St. Vincent Hospital. Ellie meets Max during a shooting with a modern day Bonnie and Clyde. From the first t...more
2 likes · like · see review
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Let's Talk About ...: The Ideal Man | 1 | 6 | 08 avr. 15:29 |
Julie Murphy was born in 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri to a large Irish family. At the age of six, Julie had her tonsils removed and complications from the surgery resulted in a long period of recuperation. She fell hopelessly behind in school and never caught up. "I was a slow, slow reader," Julie says. "I hated it." At the age of 11, her mother discovered her daughter's secret and promptly enrol...more
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“I love you. We’re getting married, and that’s the way it is. Get used to it.”
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