Shadow Dance: A Novel (Buchanan-Renard)

by Julie Garwood

Book Overview

Jordan Buchanan is thrilled that her brother and best friend are tying the knot. The wedding is a lavish affair-for the marriage of Dylan Buchanan and Kate MacKenna is no ordinary occasion. It... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345453875
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.0" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Great Book

Jordan Buchanan has always lived a quiet, safe life. At her brother Dylan and best friend Kate Mackenna's wedding, Jordan meets a very strange man that claimes to be a history professor. The professor says that there has always been bad blood between the Buchanan's and the Mackenna's, and that he has proof. Jordan is a little intrigued but not as much as when Noah Clayborne tells her she needs to get out of her safety zone, then Jordan decides to show him and go to Texas to see the nutty professor's proof. Going to Texas alone was her first bad choice, her car breaks down and takes 2 days to get it fixed. When she does get it back she has a dead body in the trunk. Then Jordan gets arrested for the murder, she calls Noah for help and he and her brother Nick shows up. Jordan needs someone to watch over her after finding the dead body, Nick has to go back home, so that leaves Noah to stay with her. They get another car from the FBI, another body in the trunk. The FBI agents were actually calling Jordan a corpse magnet. Noah has always been a ladies man and in the small town of Serenity, Texas all the women are tripping over him. Jordan swears she will never be a NCG ( Noah Clayborne Groupie). But the time together takes it's toll on both Jordan and Noah, they have always been friends, but now they are more than that. When Jordan and Noah finally get to go home to Boston, Jordan knows that what happened in Serenity between them will stay in Serenity. Until a killer follows them home, then what they feel or don't feel for each other is put to the test. This book was great, the story line was good, the people funny and enjoyable. I just wish the story had lasted longer. I always liked the character of Noah Clayborne in Julie Garwood's earlier books. I hope Noah shows up in more of her books, I hope this will not be the last we see of him.

Dance

I owned all of Julie Garwood's books prior to Hurricane Rita destroying my home and books, each book was read about 50 times. I have started rebuilding my collection and this is the second book I have bought. I love the Buchanans and all of her historical books. I especially like the link to For The Roses - Cole was always my favorite brother. Jordan's trip to Texas (where I live now!!!!!) was a real eye opener to the dirty side of life out of her "comfort zone" (I love Noah, too!!!!) I can hardly wait for the next Buchanan sibling to have a book. Yes, I Love Julie Garwood's books.

It's not "War and Peace"

Come on people. To everyone that has written to say that this is a disappointing read, I would like to say one thing, this is a romance novel, not "War and Peace" or "The Grapes of Wrath". I have also read and re-read everything that Ms. Garwood has written, and I can honestly say she is my favorite writer. I love the fact that she does not linger on the sex portion of the story like some writers. I am interested in how they get there, the rest is all gravy. I read this book on my way to Fargo, and I can honestly say that I had everyone's review going on in my mind. I was not sure what to expect. I, like most of Ms. Garwood's readers, know these two characters so well already, so why would she go deeper into them? We knew that Noah was a womanizer, and the Jordan was a computer genius. Most people are missing the fact that these two characters already knew each other, had in fact been friends for many years. Why are some people finding it hard to believe that love could not come so easily to two people that were already so comfortable with each other? We read to be entertained, let's not forget that one point. Ms. Garwood has come through with a captivating look at this family, and I look forward to reading her next novel.

Finally Noah and Jordan's story!

For me this was the story I have most anticipated from this series. I have been dying for Noah's story since book one, and for Jordan's since book two or three. I was very happy to see that Julie Garwood decided to write about Noah and Jordan in the same book. Jordan Buchanan is the computer whiz of the family. With her genius she built a computer business, made her family rich and then sold that business, making her family richer. She is a detailed oriented, color inside the lines kind of girl. Noah Clayborne is a FBI agent and Nick Buchanan's partner and best friend. Noah is charming, charismatic and loved by women. At the wedding of Kate MacKenna (Jordan's best friend) and Dylan Buchanan, Jordan meets an eccentric professor from Texas. He claims to have come across documents from Scotland that prove bad blood between MacKenna's and Buchanan's that date back hundred's of years. There is also a tale of a treasure that was taken from the MacKenna's from the Buchanan's. After Noah makes a comment about Jordan's `safe' and `in the box' lifestyle, she hastily agrees to go to Texas to make copies of the documents. Soon dead bodies are piling up and shady police force is looking at Jordan as public enemy number one. Nick and Noah fly to Texas to come to Jordan's aid. Soon Nick is called back home on another assignment. Leaving Noah to take care of Jordan and solve the mystery of the dead bodies. Noah and Jordan are opposites that definitely attract. Their relationship is believable and exciting. I am very happy Julie made them a couple and I wasn't disappointed in the least. They have a lot of energy between them. I have to admit that all through the book I thought I knew `who done it'. I was thinking I was so smart. I was wrong. I so didn't know who did it. The mystery portion of this story was excellent. Everything about it was good. The mystery has twists, turns and suspense. The romance has heat, sex and love. What more could you ask for?

Noah finally gets his story....a great comeback for Garwood...

Shadowdance is probably the best of the Buchannan series. It's not perfect, but it's light years better than her previous book Slow Burn (which was full of lackluster characters, and predictable plot development). This book focuses on Jordan Buchannan, the organized, predictable Buchannan child. While, at her brother and best friend's wedding she's accused by Noah of being too predictable and not willing to step out of her comfort zone. In an attempt to prove to him that she can be spontaneous she takes a trip to Texas to meet with a Professor who crashed the wedding talking about a centuries old feud between the Buchannan's and the MacKenna's. Jordan goes to Serenity, Texas, and after several mishaps (broken down car, lack of usable photocopier in town), she discovers a body in the trunk of her car. In a panic she calls her older brother Nick and Nick and his partner Noah come down to Serenity to clear things up for her. One of the reason's I liked this book so much more than many of Garwood's other books is that both Jordan and Noah were introduced in previous books, but Jordan, in particular, is pretty well-fleshed out in this book. In addition, Nick (who appeared in Heartbreaker) plays a supporting role, and Nick and Noah's boss Pete Morgansten makes several appearances. I think this is a good read for those for anyone, but for people who have read the other Buchannan books and have been patiently waiting for book focusing on Noah, it's a great read. And for anyone who has read For the Roses, there is a nice little mention of Cole Clayborne. My only (and it's relatively minor) issues are that we didn't get to see the Buchannan's family reaction to seeing Noah and Jordan, and I never quite got how Noah moved from the NCG Club (Noah Clayborne Groupie Club) to being a one woman man. But, in the end I didn't care. The plot is relatively predictable, but I didn't guess who set Jordan up for murder or why until close to the end. But, it's a fun read, and provides some nice payoff for those us who have been waiting for the character of Noah to be featured.