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Family secrets and a hidden past—a woman’s search to uncover the truth ignites danger and passion in the latest novel from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Julie Garwood.
Cordelia Kane has always been a daddy’s girl—her father raised her alone after her mother died in a car crash when Cordelia was just two years old. So when he has a serious heart attack, Cordelia is devastated, and the emotion is only intensified by the confusion she feels when he reveals the shocking truth about her mother.
Cordelia can’t suppress her curiosity about the woman who gave birth to her, and when she discovers the answers to her questions lie in Sydney, Australia, she travels there to get them.
Hotel magnate Aiden Madison is Cordelia’s best friend’s older brother. He’s oblivious to the fact that she’s had a crush on him for years. When he gets railroaded into taking her along to Sydney on his company jet, he’s unwittingly drawn into a volatile family drama.
Aiden wants to help Cordelia get answers about her mother, but threats from her wealthy, high-powered family are quickly becoming dangerous. Sparks are flying between Cordelia and Aiden, but after multiple attempts are made on Cordelia’s life, Aiden realizes he must put a stop to the madness before he loses the thing he values most.
After Cordelia Kane learns startling new facts about her birth mother, she hitches a ride aboard the corporate jet of hotel mogul Aiden Madison, on whom she has long nurtured a secret crush. Their time spent together in Australia sparks the hoped-for romance, but there is a disturbing complication: A business decision of Aiden's has angered a corrupt politician who is now hell-bent on deadly revenge. An aromatic thriller that sizzles.
JULIE GARWOOD is among the most critically acclaimed—and popular—romance authors around, with nearly forty million copies of her books in print. She is the author of numerous bestsellers, including Hotshot, Sweet Talk, The Ideal Man, Sizzle, Fire and Ice, Shadow Music, Shadow Dance, and Slow Burn. She lives near Kansas City.
***This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected proof***
Copyright © 2014 Julie Garwood
O N E
Some deathbed confessions are expected, others surprising, but this one . . . well, this one was a real doozy.
It was Andrew Kane’s third heart attack, and he wasn’t going to come back this time. Too much damage had been done to the anterior wall to hope for a recovery. He knew it, and so did his daughter, Cordie, who sat by his side in the critical care unit and prayed for a miracle.
Her father was hooked to a plethora of machines by a series of tubes and IVs. The constant beep from the heart monitor was a comfort to Cordie because it assured her that, even though his eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow, he was still alive. She wouldn’t leave him, not even for a minute, fearing he would take his last breath alone in the cold, sterile environment while machines sounded his passing with wailing alarms.
Cordie’s life had come to a screeching halt at eleven o’clock Friday night when she got the news. She had just arrived home from a charity event at St. Matthew’s High School for Boys, and she was exhausted. Her day had started at six fifteen in the morning when she left her brownstone to go to work. After teaching three chemistry classes and two biology classes, she graded papers during study period, supervised two lab experiments, broke up a fight, and filled in for a math teacher who was home with stomach flu. Then, once the students had been dismissed for the day, she, along with most of the other underpaid teachers, helped transform the gymnasium into a Monte Carlo atmosphere for the annual charity auction. The remainder of the evening was spent serving soft drinks and smiling at donors until her face felt frozen.
She had been teaching at St. Matthew’s for three years while she finished her PhD. The school was located on the edge of Chicago’s south side, a rough area of the city, to be sure, but thus far she hadn’t had any real trouble. A ten-foot-high wrought-iron fence that had been there since the school was built surrounded the property and the parking area, and she had to drive only two blocks from the highway exit to get to it. There was always a guard at the gate. An anonymous benefactor had made a substantial contribution to the school with the condition that there would be a guard on duty at all times, and ever since the principal had hired the highly recommended security firm, the number of slashed tires and smashed windshields had plummeted.
Although her father wouldn’t admit it, Cordie suspected he was the benefactor. When she started working at the school, he became a staunch supporter. He even took over the auto shop classes when the regular instructor quit in the middle of the semester. The boys could be difficult. Most of them were high risk, but her father didn’t have any problem controlling them. He’d grown up in New Jersey and, even now, after all these years living in Chicago, still had a bit of a Jersey accent and a tough-guy façade. He treated the boys with respect, and they responded in kind. His gruff, no-nonsense attitude and his enthusiasm won them over. The fact that he had built a national chain of auto repair shops from the ground up didn’t hurt. In the eyes of his otherwise cynical students it gave him credibility. While he was teaching the class, attendance was one hundred percent.
She knew it couldn’t have been easy for him raising her alone. It had always been just the two of them. There weren’t any relatives on either side of the family. Her mother had died when Cordie was a baby, so of course she didn’t have any memories of her. Her father told her she looked like her mother, but he never shared any stories about her. Cordie believed it was too painful for him to talk about losing the love of his life.
She wasn’t ready to lose him. He was her dad. He had always been . . . indestructible. Until his first heart attack six months ago, he had never been sick, never missed a day of work. Cordie depended on him for strength when times were difficult, and he was always there for her. Always.
When she had first entered the ICU room, the shock nearly undid her. A priest was standing over him administering the last rites. She barely recognized her father, and she stood there paralyzed with fear. He was a big man, almost six feet, with a muscular frame, but he looked so much smaller in the hospital bed, so weak and vulnerable.
Now, sitting next to him, she was overwhelmed with the need to help him. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she impatiently wiped them away. It took several minutes for her to gain control of her emotions. If he opened his eyes, she didn’t want him to see her crying.
A senior cardiology resident came in to check on her father and assured her that he was resting comfortably. He couldn’t tell her how long it would be before his heart stopped beating.
“The heart is an amazing organ,” he told her.
“Then he could get better,” she whispered, clinging to the possibility.
Snatching her hope away, he shook his head. “No,” he said. “Dr. Platte explained the severity—”
She interrupted. “Yes, he explained.”
“The damage—”
“I know,” she interrupted again. “He’s dying.”
She couldn’t let herself believe it, though. Oh God, please don’t let him die.
She knew she wasn’t being rational, pleading for the impossible. She was a fully grown woman, yet sitting there watching him she felt like a little girl again. And she was so scared.
She took hold of his hand. She wanted him to know she was there and that he wasn’t alone. Gradually her panic began to ease. The initial shock wore off, and she was calm once again.
As she sat there hour after hour, she thought about her father’s life. He really was a remarkable man. When she was just a toddler, he went back to school to finish his college degree in business. To support them, he worked as a mechanic in a tiny auto shop. By the time she was five years old, he owned that shop and four more. Then he expanded to sixteen shops in neighboring cities. By her tenth birthday, Kane Automotive was nationwide, and her father was a multimillionaire. Last year he’d sold the company, which had grown to more than twelve hundred shops around the country, but he still tinkered in his garage rebuilding old cars just for the love of the work.
There was never a time he wasn’t busy. Yet he was always in the front row for any of her school events. He took her to dance classes and piano lessons and never missed a recital. He was at every parent-teacher night as well. And how many times did he put up with all those sleepovers with her two best friends, Regan and Sophie? Three little girls who giggled over everything must have driven him crazy, but he took it all in stride. The countless trips to the art museum, the zoo, the science exhibits, and the children’s movies she wanted to see again and again—her dad had the patience of a saint. W hen he wasn’t teaching her how to rebuild an engine or change the oil, he was monitoring her schoolwork. Smiling at the memories, she realized how very blessed she was to have such a great father.
Around two in the morning she dozed off. She awakened with a start when he squeezed her hand.
“Cordie.”
She jumped up and moved closer to the bed. She thought his complexion wasn’t quite as gray, and he seemed surprisingly alert.
“I love you, Dad,” she whispered.
“I love you, too.” He took a breath and said, “This one wasn’t like the other two. It snuck up on me and grabbed me from behind. It felt like my heart was being squeezed by a vice. Dropped me to the ground.”
“Are you in pain now?” Fear made her voice quiver.
“No, no pain at all. I didn’t think I would go like this . . . or so soon. I thought I had more time, but I guess everyone thinks that.” He closed his eyes, took another shaky breath, and called her name again.
“I’m here,” she answered.
“You’re going to be okay. You know I don’t want to leave you all alone, but you’ll be okay.”
She thought he needed her assurance. “I know.”
“The lockbox at the bank. The papers are there. Jared Newton, my attorney, will help you. You remember him.”
“Yes. Please don’t worry about me. You taught me how to take care of myself.”
Several minutes passed in silence. His grip had loosened on her hand. She watched him struggle for each breath, and she could feel the fear catching hold once more.
She thought he had fallen asleep, but suddenly he spoke again. “It’s all in your name. She won’t be able to get her hands on it.”
What? Was he hallucinating? “Who are you talking about?”
He didn’t answer her. “When you fall in love with the right man, I won’t get to walk you down the aisle. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about such things now, Dad.”
“Just don’t make the same mistakes I made. Don’t long for what you can never have. Before you know it, you will have wasted years waiting. And then it’s too late. I should have remarried, but I couldn’t let her go.”
“Do you mean Mother?”
“Yes,” he said, his voice weaker now, his eyes closed. “It’s all there in the box. I waited too long.”
His words came slowly and were whispered between labored breaths. “When you were little I didn’t know how to tell you. And when you grew up it didn’t seem important. There was never the right time.”
She softly stroked his hand. “Tell me now.”
“There was no accident . . . Your mother didn’t die in a car accident.”
Cordie was confused. Why would he lie about that? They never talked about her mother, so why was he focusing on her now? “Then how did she die?”
His last words were faint but unmistakable. “She didn’t.”
Anonymous
Posted Wed Aug 27 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I Also Recommend:
I have read all of Julie Garwood's books and all I can say is I can't wait to read her next creation. I've read some of the other reviews and I have to ask the people who gave "Fast Track" 1, 2 or 3 stars if they read the same book I just finished. Some say that Aiden was cold and all business, and that would be a correct, but if you knew the history behind Aiden Madison the peaces of that puzzle would fit. In most cases Men are Stupid! They don't know what's good for them until it hit's them in the face and Aiden is no different.
Cordelia Kane is a great character even at 5 years old. Like I've said, you need to know the history of these characters, and to know them is to love them. Sarcasm is plastered throughout this book, I found myself laughing out loud to where I dog's thought I lost my mind, and most of the time I had to stop reading until my eyes and vision would clear up. I also had a hard time sleeping, because I couldn't stop thinking what would happen next. Overall I liked the romance of it but it was predictable and I've read much better by Julie Garwood.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Fast Track by Julie Garwood is the 12th book in her Buchanan/Renard series. I have read the last few books in this series, and have loved them. However, after reading this one, I need to go back and see which of the earlier books have the characters from this story. I totally loved them all. Unless you want to read the other books, it is not necessary as these books can be read as standalones very well.
We are introduced to our heroine, Cordelia (Cordie) when she was just 5 years old. She lives alone with her father, as her mother died not long after she was born. When she attends her first day at kindergarten, she meets her friends, Sophie Rose and Regan Madison. The three girls, would remain inseparable friends for life, as well as the other members of their families. Even at the age of 5, Cordie developed a crush on Regan’s older brother Aiden, but she hid her secret well.
We switch to current day, where Cordie, now in her twenties, is sitting by her father’s bedside in the hospital, as he is near death. Andrew Kane was a simple auto mechanic in the early days, who rose to be a multi-millionaire, owning all the Kane Automotive stores he built. Before he takes his last breath, he tells Cordie that he has protected her in his will, so that “she” cannot touch it. Confused, Cordie asks “who”? In his last breath, he tells her that her mother was still alive.
After the funeral, with her friends (Regan and her husband Alec; Sophie and her husband, Jack; both of whom we met in earlier books, Aiden and the other brothers) there to give her support, Cordie confides to them the shocking truth about her mother. She shows them the goodbye letter her mother wrote her father when she left him, saying she it was mistake, she wanted a better life, and did not want custody “You can have her”. With that statement, Cordie wants nothing to do with her mother. Only after a bit, she decides she would just like to see her once, to see if she got everything she wanted in life, with no feeling about her betrayal of her heartbroken father.
What follows is a great story of finding her mother with the help of her friends (Alex and Jack are FBI agents). Aiden, who begins see the grownup Cordie in a different light, finds himself being attracted, as well as protective of her. The story becomes very exciting, as she reveals to her mother who she is, and the repercussions are escalated. Her mother is part of a wealthy powerful family, and Cordie is deemed a threat. Her life is now in danger, and Aiden protectively guards her and brings her home. It is her friends and family that will stand by her and help her fight against the threats that follow her home.
Besides this suspenseful storyline, the romance between Aiden and Cordie is wonderful to watch. Cordie may have had a crush all her life on Aiden, but she never thought that there was ever any hope. This romance built with each passing day that they spent together, with Aiden taking control. The sparks flew over the pages, as their chemistry together was sizzling. I loved the humor between them
Fast Track is a fun filled story, with a wonderful couple, super secondary characters, and an exciting climax at the finish. The romance was a sweet and delightful one, and I adored the friendship of them all. Being a true romantic, I love when there is a nice epilogue, giving us a peek at our heroes at the end. Julie Garwood has another winner.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Loved the no-smut,vulgar free diolog. Alpha-males who respect their women. Love Ms. Garwood novels. Ido wish however that she would throw in some historicals. Love love love her historicals!
5 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
One of the best books I have in a long time. I didn't want it to end. :)
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I have read all of Garwoods books. She never disappoints!
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Jul 30 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I have been waiting for this story for a long time and it didn't disappoint.Great read
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Kind of let me down. I expected more romance and emotion between the characters.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Finally she let us simmer for years waiting for this couples book. Damn her its totally worth the wait. I hate it when an author gets it right.
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Cordelia Kane sits by her father’s hospital bed, knowing he is dying and hearing from his lips shocking words. Her mother, who was thought to be dead, is alive and well. After her father’s death and funeral, Cordelia finds her mother’s last letter to her father in which she states she wanted a different life than the one she found with him. In it she leaves Cordelia to him and asserts she wants no further contact. Along with that letter are the numerous letters from Cordelia’s father to her mother, marked “Return to Sender.”
Cordelia is a complex character. She has just earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and is a well-loved teacher of at risk students, but she decides to take off for a year and find her mother. She has no idea what she will do when she finds her but is determined to at least see and meet this mother who abandoned her and hurt her father in a way that scarred the rest of his life. However, there are complications, to say the least. For now, she finds out through friends that her mother is living in Sydney, Australia; so Cordelia’s itinerary begins to take shape, albeit with much interference!
Aiden Madison is Cordelia’s past boyfriend who now reappears and in his usual aggressive way begins to take over Cordelia’s life. In the beginning it’s not clear why he does so other than his desire to wow her with his sexual prowess. Here is where Cordelia becomes an enigma. Although she mildly protests Aidan’s constant presence, commands and insistence that she will be in danger if she carries out her plans to travel to Sydney, she never really protests loudly enough to change his mind. The reader is not even sure that would make a difference if it were to happen. Still time will prove Cordelia does have need of protection; and as she really is in a vulnerable position from the shock of losing her father and finding she has an alive mother, this may be the reason she constantly gives in to Aidan.
This is the story of her journey, her discoveries about her mother and her mother’s family, Aidan’s wooing and passionate love-making, and some very dire scenes meant to block from Cordelia from making any announcement in Sydney about her connection to her mother. It seems her mother had given a false name when she initially married Cordelia’s father. Now, all secrets are out and about to have some disastrous results.
Fast Track is another well-crafted contemporary, dramatic novel written by an author who perfectly plots a complex story and adds rivetingly dangerous scenes in just the right places. Nicely done again, Julie Garwood – a pleasing novel full of ample thrills and romance to please every reader.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Jul 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I enjoyed this latest addition to the Sophie/Regan/Cordelia friendship saga. We all knew she'd get Aiden in the end, but it's always delightful to read Garwood's rendering of it. Got a look a some possible new leading men and will look forward to reading about them in the future. Thank you Julie Garwood for a good read that was well written, without smut or bad language.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Oct 11 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Great story. I love all of Julie Garwood's books and this is no exception.
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Posted Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I have waited for Cordelia and Aiden's story and it was worth the wait. Absolutely loved it. I have read fast track multiple times. I just hope this doesn't mean the end of seeing Reagan, Sophie and Cordie.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Hott Synopsis:
Cordelia Kane, Cordie, never really missed not having a mother. She had a great father and the best friends anyone could ask for. Then her father died and his deathbed confession causes Cordie to rethink her life.
Revamping Cordie’s life means quitting her job, moving to a new town, giving up on her unrequited love, and confronting the woman who deserted her. Only, not everything is as easy as it seems – and sometimes the past should stay buried.
Someone is willing to do anything to leave the past in the past.
Hott Review:
What I liked: This is going to be added to my favorites list! It was more sarcastic romance than thriller even though it did have a suspenseful mystery thrown in. Cordie is a bit unemotional and very logical so, for me, she was easy to relate to. Aiden was very alpha and adorable so I just loved him. All in all, Fast Track is a book I’ll be keeping on both my physical and e-shelves.
What I didn’t like: Honestly, the worst thing about this book was that I couldn’t put it down, but it was too long to read in one sitting!
More…
Author: Julie Garwood
Source: Dutton Adult via Netgalley
Grade: A+
Steam: Adult — a couple of page but not too intense
Setting: Chicago, IL
Series: Buchanan-Renard #12
ssdl
Posted Wed Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I really like Julie Garwood's books, but I feel like the last 4 or 5 have been the same plot line with just the names of the main characters changed. Men who don't want to fall in love, don't have time for a serious relationship and women who love them hopelessly anyway. I can't figure out why these smart, on the ball women would put up with the way the guys treat them. Case in point, Adrian can't be bothered to call Cordie. Even after they start sleeping together he never calls her, even to see how she is doing over the death of her father. When she is living in his suite he doesn't bother to talk to her for days. What the heck? Why would you still be hopelessly in love with someone that acted so rudely. This is why I no longer buy the books. I check them out from the library.
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Posted Sun Sep 07 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Another great book from Julie Garwood. This is the second book that I have read in this series by Garwood. I was excited to see previous characters incorporated in this series. However, what I really liked about this book was that she included romance, mystery and suspense in the book.
In addition, I really liked that how she developed the romance between Cordelia and Aiden through out the book. She didn't have them fall into each others arms right away. She really showed how a how their relationship would develop. In addition she did a great job of showing how a strong woman like Cordelia could hold her own against a strong willed know it all man.
Lastly, I enjoyed the friendships that Cordelia had with her two girl friends Sophia and Regan and their husbands Alec and Jack. I thought Julie did a good job of showing how friends can really be there for a person in a time of need. It also added comedy and laughter to the story!
This was a great book in the series and I can't wait to read more from her. I am hoping the next book will involve Walker because I would like to learn more about him and his past. She did a good job of peeking my interest in his story!
Anonymous
Posted Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Great!!!~
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Posted Sun Aug 31 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Hello?
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SadieHunt
Posted Sat Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I’ve long been a Julie Garwood fan, mostly because she’s one of a kind – no one else writes a story quite like Garwood, although many have tried. Her heroines are all a little bit ditzy, and walk around as is everything in their lives – even their own emotions – constantly take them by surprise. All of her heroes are alpha males, protective and possessive and unwilling to put a name to it. Garwood’s writing is simple, but it never feels condescending. Instead its fun, lighthearted, and joyful, even when story lines turn dark.
Fast Track fits the mold, its classic Garwood. I’ve read several negative reviews, but I’m really not sure why those reviewers were expecting more than what we were given. There’s not a lot of plot or nuance to a Garwood novel – you know right from the beginning what you’re going to get, but its OK. It’s practically impossible not to love her books, just for the simple joy you can take in the love Garwood has for her characters.
Verdict: Light romance, light suspense, classic Garwood. 4/5
Anonymous
Posted Sat Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I love all of Julie Garwood's books. Haven't read one that I did not enjoy.
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Posted Fri Aug 29 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I have never been disappointed with any of Ms. Garwood's books. 'Fast Track' was one her best. She writes exciting and romantic novels and they keep your interest from the first page to the last. Can't wait for her next book!
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Overview
Family secrets and a hidden past?a woman?s search to uncover the truth ignites danger and passion in the latest novel from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Julie Garwood.
Cordelia Kane has always been a daddy?s girl?her father raised her alone after her mother died in a car crash when Cordelia was just two years old. So when he has a serious heart attack, Cordelia is devastated, and the emotion is only intensified by the confusion she feels...