Book Review: Grace Under Fire by Julie Garwood

Helen

Jul 7

Title: Grace Under Fire
Author: Julie Garwood
Series: Buchanan-Renard #14
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Date of Publication: July 19, 2022
Publisher: Berkley

Synopsis

A Navy SEAL will need every bit of his extensive skill set when he appoints himself as bodyguard to a woman determined not to need one in this thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood.

Grace Isabel MacKenna had a hundred things to do today. Killing someone wasn't one of them. It was supposed to be a quick visit to Boston for the Buchanan anniversary party, then on to Scotland to collect an inheritance. She checks into the hotel and then decides to go for a brisk walk. But after getting lost she ends up with a wounded man stumbling into her arms, and then his shooter coming after them both. When she fires back in self-defense, she doesn't expect him to drop dead. Thanks to the Buchanans dispatching Navy SEAL and now a lawyer Michael Buchanan to help her deal with the police, Isabel endures hours of interrogation and is finally free to go.

Isabel knows she should be grateful for Michael's help, but since she's harbored an extreme dislike for him for years, gratitude is difficult to muster. Michael has appointed himself her de facto guardian, and she's stuck with him despite their constant bickering and sizzling attraction. Even when Isabel goes to Scotland to claim her inheritance, Michael follows her, but he isn't the only thing she can't shake. Mysterious threats against Isabel surface, and before they can deal with their growing feelings for each other, Michael and Isabel must first survive.

- Goodreads

My Thoughts

Finally, what I've been waiting for for five long years! A new Julie Garwood book! *Insert swooning here*

Julie Garwood writes humorous romantic suspense like no other author. I absolutely love her style and her voice, and this book has numerous nail-bitingly suspenseful parts and gut-bustingly hilarious bits.

This novel is quite lengthy, and as a result, we don't get just the suspense and romance plotlines, but we also get a lot of backstory into the heroine, Isabel, and her love of music. I really loved this plotline, and it provided a nice beginning to the story, which eventually grew more and more suspenseful as the book progressed. That said, while we get a bit of insight into Michael's past, I would have liked for that to have been fleshed out more. I don't quite remember the details of the previous books, so maybe we should remember more about him from those–but this is a standalone, so I would expect a bit more digging into his history in this book.

Isabel and Michael have amazing chemistry. They seem to despise each other at first, and their witty banter is top-notch humour. Michael is swoon-worthy, and his tendency to jump to conclusion adds quite a bit of well-placed humour to the story, but these little scenes also have him (unintentionally) demonstrating how he truly feels about Isabel.

Garwood sure weaves a good yarn, and even the humorous parts have a purpose. There's a running gag earlier on in the book that actually plays a critical part in the climax of the novel. Brilliant!