The wedding between Kate MacKenna and Dylan Buchanan is a glamorous and lavish affair even with all the undercover agents in attendance. Jordan Buchanan, Dylan's sister and Kate's best friend, couldn't be happier. Everything is going along smoothly until a scruffy old man crashes the reception claiming to be invited by Kate's sister, Isabel MacKenna. Jordan is asked to handle the matter and makes the acquaintance of Professor MacKenna, who's been corresponding with Isabel concerning his research into the MacKenna family history and the feud between the MacKenna and Buchanan clans that originated in Scotland centuries ago. Jordan knows the man is wacko when he vehemently states that no good will come from the joining of a MacKenna and a Buchanan because of that ancient feud involving a stolen treasure. The professor claims to have several boxes of research materials at his home in Serenity, Texas, that prove how ruthless and savage the Buchanans have always been.

Since Jordan has just sold her lucrative computer company, she's at loose ends. She just may do some research of her own and prove the creepy professor wrong about the Buchanans. When FBI agent Noah Clayborne, her brother Nick's partner and a close family friend, needles her about what a careful, controlled and boring life she leads, Jordan sets out to prove him wrong. And a trip to Serenity to look at the professor's research is just the spontaneous act that will do the trick. Little does Noah know just how much Jordan's trip will change his life, too.

The area of Texas where Serenity sits is so hot and dry, Jordan regrets immediately that she let Noah's irritating comments about her unadventurous life lead her here. At least the trip has resulted in her acquiring three boxes of Professor MacKenna's papers to copy. And Jordan finds that most members of the close-knit community seem friendly and helpful. However, things soon turn dangerous, which means she has to call on her brother, Nick, and his partner, Noah, to help her out. Realizing that Jordan is in more trouble than any of them could have imagined, Noah decides to stick around and protect her. And that close proximity ignites undercurrents of passion that neither of them expected.

Add to the plot a dangerous bully, as well as a powerful, ruthless man concealing a deep, dark secret, and you have a clever and riveting romantic suspense. Catching up with members of the Buchanan family featured in previous novels just adds to the enjoyment. The end of this book seems to be the springboard for Ms. Garwood's next historical novel, which she has said will be a story revolving around the origin of a feud between two clans in medieval Scotland. Surely, that's the MacKenna/Buchanan feud, isn't it? I sure hope so!

Book Summary

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 represents the joining of two family dynasties. The ceremony and reception proceed without a hitch–until a crasher appears claiming to be a MacKenna guest. The disheveled and eccentric professor of medieval history warns that there’s “bad blood” between the couple’s clans, stemming from an ancient feud that originated in Scotland, and involving the Buchanan theft of a coveted MacKenna treasure.

Jordan has always led a cautious life and has used her intelligence and reason to become a successful businesswoman. So she is intrigued but skeptical of the professor’s claims that the feud has been kept alive by the grave injustices the Buchanans have perpetrated over the centuries. But when Noah Clayborne, a close family friend and a man who has never let a good time or a pretty girl pass him by, accuses Jordan of being trapped in her comfort zone, she determines to prove him wrong and sets out on a spontaneous adventure to the small, dusty town of Serenity, Texas, to judge the professor’s research for herself.

Maneuvering through a close-knit community in which everyone knows everyone else’s business, Jordan never anticipates the danger and intrigue that lie in her path, nor the threat that will shadow her back to Boston, where even in familiar surroundings, her life is at risk. A powerful thug who rules by fear, a man who harbors a simmering secret, and an unexpected romance that pierces all defenses–beloved author Julie Garwood weaves these dazzling elements into a brilliant novel of romantic suspense. Shadow Dance is a searing tango of passion and peril.