Ransom

Written by Julie Garwood

Narrated by Susan Duerden

Overflowing with all of the majesty and intrigue of medieval glory days, this magnificent New York Times bestseller 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781469261263

Julie Garwood

Julie Garwood (1944--2023) was the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Fire and Ice, Shadow Music, Shadow Dance, Murder List, Killjoy, Mercy, Heartbreaker, Ransom, and Come the Spring. There are more than thirty-six million copies of her books in print.

Reviews for Ransom

[Janet Matteucci · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the highlights of a Julie Garwood novels is her strong heroine and she doesn’t disappoint in Ransom. Funny and romantic Ransom evokes anger against the antagonist, laughter and exasperation regarding Alec and countless other emotions as Jillian finds her way home.

[Sandra Carlin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like this story very much held my interest all the way through. I only gave it four stars because of the narration . The narrator used a lot of yelling and too raspy a voice for the men, it kind of ruined the story for me. I don’t know why she could not have just talked in a normal voice it would have been much better.

[litawantsmore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is one of of my absolute favorite historical romance of all time. I have read it a hundred times before and i never ever get tired of it. The storyline, the characters, the scenes evrerything! This is the first time I've listened to the audiobook and i can absolutely say 100 percent this is the best narrating i have ever heard. I prefer to read than listen to books because the narrators could never get it right the way i have it my head but this narrator did a phenomenal job. Everthing from her tone and the accents to the voices she made for the characters - it blew my mind!! Sure i did got a wee bit anoyed with the too much raspy brogue but didn't ruin the reading for me. Every scene, moment-she just drew me in to the story more than i thought a million times reading it could. The narrator was destined to narrate this story. It was so good! Thoroughly enjoyed this!! Ten stars to both the author and narrator!

[Anjali Agarwal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a brilliant narrative with vibrant characters. A super story. The narrator Susan Duedran did a spectacular job. I love audiobooks besides reading, and Susan Duedran, Rosalyn Landor, Kate Reading are among the best. They modulate to narrators to male, female, children and different accents too. Just brilliant. I wish all Julie Garwoid books will have these narrators. I could not listen to Anne F narration. It was terrible and I hate saying it:(

[jennynebeker_7067900 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love all of her books, but whoever narrated in the audio needs to quit doing so many raspy voices. It drives me crazy. She makes them sound like old feeble men when they are young strong warriors. I almost quit listening, but love julies books too much.

[Cathy H · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s a wonderful story. The reader’s voice is beautiful. I can’t wait to listen to the third book.

[theresahope · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Favorite Garwood book and I love all her books. Strong lead characters. Enjoyed interactions between clans and friends as well. Humor in parts and a mystery to be solved. Great fun read.

[lola27_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite silly historical bodice ripper. Garwood's great sense of humour, strong (to a point) women and oafish, bumbling Liards are all in fine form. I often just open it up to a random page for a few minutes of sillines. As long as you can divorce yourself from realistic history, it is well worth the read!

[avernon1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When writing a review, I usually have a method to my madness. I start with some kind of hook to get the reader interested. Then I move into a brief synopsis of the plot. I then move on to some personal anecdotes outlining why I loved the book. Finally, I wrap it all up with some sweet thought that leaves the reader contemplating the values of humankind. Voila, my review! However, this time, I am doing things a little different. I'm just going to tell it like it is....I'm going to lay it on the line and just say WHY I liked this book. Somehow, I need to let you know what made me say, "Sorry, son, I can't make dinner right now. Mommy's reading. Go ask Daddy." or even "I can't help with your homework right now, can't you see I'm trying to finish this book? Go ask your dad." Wow....it's shameful, but it's the truth. Now why???Reason 1: The setting. I've said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again, there is something about the Scottish Highlands that sweeps me away. I don't want to leave that magical, romantic place. Yes, it's cold and blustery, but it is also serene and epically beautiful with rolling mountains and heather-covered fields. Simply breath-taking.Reason 2: The humour. I couldn't help but laugh out loud many times in this tale. The banter between the lovers had me giggling and I especially enjoyed the "talking to" that Brodick and Ramsey had to endure from dear old Uncle Morgan. Gillian's dear uncle was old and crotchety and very dear to Gillian. He had to endure the hysterics of both Gillian and Bridgid when the two women believed their men were not going to pledge their forever love. Uncle Morgan took his frustrations out on the two warriors, letting them know that they better be good to these women because he couldn't take their whining any more!Reason 3: Hunky men. God....this book is filled with them! Iain Maitland is back. I fell in love with him in book 1 (The Secret). His dark, imposing figure sent me swooning then and now. And then there's the breathtakingly beautiful Ramsey Sinclair, described even by other men in the book as an "Adonis". Women flock to him in hordes, and I am sure that I would have been one of those fair maiden's chasing after this beautiful beast. And of course, our main hunk, Brodick Buchanan. His sheer size blocks out the sun and his long, flaxen hair and tanned skin take your breathe away. What more could a women want....beautiful, strong men and all of them wearing kilts, riding on horseback and carrying dirks!Reason 4: Great female leads. I loved Gillian. She was a formidable woman, with a will to survive and a genuine love for others. She protected the young Alec Maitland from the evil Baron Alford with nothing other than courage and strength. She's my kind of gal....tough enough, yet gentle and knowing. The second strong female character that I enjoyed was Bridgid KirkConnell. She was a fiesty young beauty who was in love with Ramsey, but of course, kept her feelings a secret, until she befriended Gillian. I loved the way she would mutter how stubborn and arrogant Ramsey was one minute, and then suck in her breathe when she looked into his eyes. She sees his flaws, and still loves him. I know where she's coming from!Reason 5: Action and mystery. This was a fast-paced book full of action and a bit of mystery that keeps the reader thinking. Who has that jeweled box and what is in it? I enjoyed the plot and the immediate adventure one takes from the very turn of the first page.Reason 6: Love. Yes, I am a sucker for a good love story. Gillian finds herself unwittingly falling for a brute of a man, and even questions how she could fall so quickly. Love isn't supposed to happen so suddenly. Is it? The following quote is a question I have even asked myself. Can love grab you by the throat and leave you breathless.....or is it only a feeling that is nurtured with time? What do you believe? "Love wasn't supposed to happen this suddenly. Gillian spent most of the ride to Ramsey's holding thinking about Brodick and wondering how in heaven's name he had managed to capture her heart so completely in so little time. The man had all but robbed her of her senses. She was well aware of his flaws, most of them anyway, but she still loved him all the same, and how was such a thing possible? Love was supposed to be nourished. It was a slow realization that occurred afer months and months of courting, and sometimes that awareness took years. Love certainly didn't strike like lightning."

[lexi1022 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an amazingly well written book. Julie Garwood knows how to write historical romances that will suck you right in. The characters were ones that are still some of my favorites even several years and hundreds of books later. This is the second Romance noval I ever read. If mystery, intrigue, and love is what you crave this book is for you!

[bakersfieldbarbara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Julie Garwood is an author that I just discovered and each book is better than the last. In this book, the author kept me spell-bound until the ending, with romance, intrigue, wars between Scottish clans, Kings, and lairds. A child is kidnapped, but it is the wrong child and our heroine, Gillian has misadventure after misadventure in helping the child be returned to his parents. At the beginning of the novel, Christian and Gillian are in trouble, as their dad is murdered; separated for years, the novel follows Gillian, and the ending puts Christian and Gillian back together. But with a twist on that ending, as only Ms. Garwood is able to do without insulting the reader. Again, another book that kept me up until 2AM. A wonderful way to lose sleep, and a book to be read with the intent to be fully entertained on every page.

[cindyloumn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

good book, good strong characters. Alittle bit of exaggeration on descriptions of the men.6/30/98

[blingtastic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

sequal to The Secret. A wonderful tail; she takes the reader yet again into the highlands with a bit of mystery, adventure, clan-loyalty, and romance. a definite re-read!

[foreigncircus · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've been a fan of Garwood's work for years, and rate several of her novels as among the best ever written in the genre. I love The Secret and was eager to read this sequel and to learn more about Ramsey and Brodick's quest for true love. Unfortunately, for me at least, this book fell pretty flat. The plot was needlessly complicated (I feel like a lot of explanatory details were left on the cutting room floor) and I think would have worked best as two separate stories. The entire Ramsey-Bridgid plot had a lot of potential, but to me was never satisfactorily fleshed out. A separate book would have allowed for some expanation of Gideon's motives, of Ramsey's rise to power, and of Bridgid's early life; I think they (and we) deserved that story.

Ransom deserves 3.5 stars (oh Amazon, give us half stars) and even a luke-warm Garwood is better than many of the other romance novels out there. Her trademark humor and steamy scenes make this novel well-worth the read, but I recommend following it up with some of her earlier, 5 star works (The Bride is my personal favorite).

[darla_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this while I was really, really sick, so my first complaint is that the book (I have the hardcover) was WAY too heavy. LOL But that does lead me to an actual complaint--it was a good story, but it dragged on too long, and got repetitious in spots. I loved the interaction between the h/h, but they had the same argument with nothing resolved too many times--I accept that people do this in real life, but in a book, showing it to the readers once should do the trick. It was also two romances in one, and the two stories weren't well intertwined. Although we're told that the two heroes were friends, and we see the two heroines become friends, there's not much interaction between the pairs. My other complaint is that, oddly though it seems from my complaint that the book was too long, there was a lot left out. For example, we jump from the heroine's escape to someone informing the hero's men that his bride has arrived. It yanked me out of the story for a page or two while I surmised that that must have been the heroine's plan to enlist his aid, though why or how she came up with that plan is never explained, and since the rest of the story hinges on that, it's a real weak spot. That's not the only time I felt that way, either. It's obviously a sequel, because when several characters were introduced, I swear I could read "pause for applause" between the lines. Complaints out of the way, it was a good story. A little too complex to easily sum up here, but the main heroine is strong and brave and honorable and never once disguises herself as a boy, and the hero just makes me grin. Clueless, gruff, and--get this!--he falls in love with her because he's impressed with her, not because she's "the most beeeyouteeful woman he's ever seen." For that, I'll forgive a book a lot. Like her sister, who just disgusted me no end--I couldn't believe they shared genes. The secondary story was cute and predictable, and could have been developed better, IMO.

[lara.elio · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read this book at least ten times. I love the characters and the humor Garwood brings to this Medieval period mystery/romance. Ransom is my perfect comfort food book. This book = Chocolate.

[dorothy uwnawich · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely love all Julie garwoods books I have read this book many times at least 5-8 time this is the first time I listened to it and I have to say this was a horrible Narrator I could not enjoy the book because of her the voices that she did she made a lot of the men sound like Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter I feel that she should not read for anyone ever again

[B Stewart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brodick is the best. I love this story. I wish I got more of Ramsey in it, but even without, it’s a favorite. Julie Garwood’s highland romances are the best on the market.