Review: The Ideal Man

The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Romance
Pages: 347 (Ereader)
Source: NetGalley
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Description:

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 the shooter's face, Ellie is suddenly at the center of a criminal investigation. Agent Max Daniels takes over the Landry case. A no-nonsense lawman, he's definitely not the ideal man that Ellie has always imagined, yet she's attracted to him in a way she can't explain.
Ellie heads home to Winston Falls, South Carolina, to attend her sister's wedding. Shortly after she arrives, though, she receives a surprise visitor: Max Daniels. The Landrys have been captured, and she'll be called to testify. But they've been captured before, and each time the witnesses are scared into silence-or disappear before they can take the stand. Max vows to be Ellie's shadow until the trial, and it isn't long before sparks fly.

My Rating:

My Review:
For some reason, bad guys like to come after Dr. Ellie Sullivan.  This time, she's got a protector in Max Daniels who is determined to keep her safe.  The Ideal Man is heavier on the romance than the suspense, but I don't mean to say that I wasn't hanging on the edge of my seat waiting to see if the bad guys were going down.  Though a bit heavy on the perfect characters, the family element adds a nice touch.

I loved Max more than Ellie, though she was a likeable character.  I can't help that I love rough and tough and he is all that and more.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover a complex backstory about his childhood and family, which made him a more well-rounded character.  Ellie is a child prodigy, gorgeous, great at her job, and everyone wants her.  In other words, she's perfect.  Luckily the book scoots past her syrupy sweetness and gets to the good stuff.

A memorable line by Max: "Do you mind if I watch 'SportsCenter'?  The roundup is coming on soon."  

He asks before he turns on ESPN?  Really?!  This is definitely a romantic guy.  I'm accustomed to the the guys *cough..my husband...cough* who turn on the TV and turn it straight to ESPN and then look shocked that you might want to watch something else.

I had a hard-time putting this one down and loved when Max and Ellie were together for their playful banter.  Don't be fooled by the cover and blurb; I recommend this for lovers of romance.