Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I recently had given up Julie Garwood because I felt she lost her magic.....but I enjoyed Murder List, although it definitely wasn't one of her best, but I genuinely enjoyed Cordie and Aiden within that book. Imagine my delight when I receive notification that Ms. Garwood was releasing their story. I pre-ordered the book and anxiously awaited it's arrival with high hopes....but after reading it, disappointment is the only word I can use to describe it. The story starts out well...there is a flashback to the first time Aiden and Cordie meet....actually this is the only time I feel that we really get a true glimpse of Aiden in the book. The we fast forward to the present where Cordie finds out on her father's deathbed that her mother is actually not dead. I thought to myself, ok I am getting a glimpse of the old Garwood magic. However, from this point forward the book veered off track. Was this novel supposed to be a romantic suspense? Or Chick Lit? I'm not really sure since there was very little romance and it was definitely not suspenseful. It wasn't true chick lit. Perhaps Ms. Garwood was aiming for the strong stoic alpha male? If so, I get it. Actually that's what I want when I read a romance, a strong alpha male....I absolutely love the Jacks in both Jill Shalvis' and Lisa Kleypas' novels. And Aiden is described as a very rich alpha man. However, Aiden never fit the bill....actually the appropriate adjective to describe the Aiden in this book is ghost-like....he flickered in and out of this book and left no lasting impression. He was constantly on the phone or the computer. The only time he appeared was during the love scenes and but then he faded away again as soon as it was over. He didn't really pay much attention to Cordie or anything except building hotels. Alec and Liam, who are supposed to be secondary characters practically leapt off the pages in the novel. As for Cordie, there was some depth to her character, but by the end of the book I feel like she had resigned herself to the same fate as her dad..... Overall, I'm a bit disappointed by the recent quality of Ms. Garwood's books. After Slowburn, I stopped pre-ordering her novels. I now only occasionally borrow her ebooks from my local library. I feel like purchasing them is a rip off. I'm not sure if they are being edited to meet the low standards that many publishers are currently using or if her writing has truly stalled. All I can say, I miss the Julie Garwood who wrote my favorite historical romances like The Wedding, The Secret, The Bride, Saving Grace, The Prize and Ransom. So my question is...will the real Julie Garwood please stand up? Or at least step into the light?