A Lot Like Love

A Lot Like Love
Julie James
Contemporary Romance
Berkley/March 1, 2011

From the author's website ~

The FBI wants her cooperation.

As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city’s top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there’s only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother’s release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau.

Agent McCall just wants her.

As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This “date” with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment—one they’re both determined to pull off even if they can’t be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick’s investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they’re a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more. . .

The cover has to get a mention - that dress - Wow! Nick's reaction to the dress was even more priceless. And Nick, well if the placement of his right hand is any indication, he's staked his claim!

I lost track of how many times I laughed, chuckled and no doubt sat there with a grin on my face while reading Julie James' latest romance. What a pleasure to read! Usually, when I like both the hero and heroine, I like one a little bit more than the other but in the case of Jordan and Nick - I loved them both. They come across as opposites, not having much in common, but James makes them fit so very well. This is one couple you will cheer for!

Jordan Rhodes has worked hard for her place as the owner of a well known, and well run wine store. First off, I liked that Jordan wasn't a winy (hehe) spoiled rich girl but can appreciated life's finer things without loosing sight of how hard you have to work for them. A lot of that had to do with her upbringing and the morals her parents instilled in her. She's close with her twin brother Kyle, whose book is next, YEAH! Jordan is a strong heroine while still maintaining her girly side. She's a girlfriend you could picture yourself hanging out with. Whenever I read a character that I can imagine hanging out with, you know the author has done an exceptional job at bringing that character to life. And then there's Nick - who wouldn't want to hang out with him? ;)

Nick McCall just came off a six month undercover op and he's ready for a trip home to New York. Fate has other plans for him. Nick is about to get a crash course in wine tasting from a woman who doesn't easily succumb to his charms. And Nick can be very charming. He is a guy's guy but still manages to pull off the "Tall, Dark and Smoldering" which women love. Nick has this sense of humor that got to me. He had me cracking up with his uniquely Nick observations. Not only what he said but what he thought. His previous undercover work didn't include rubbing elbows with wine connoisseurs. It was amusing to see Nick try new experiences with Jordan leading the way.

Jordan and Nick have chemistry but it's subtle at first. As the story progress, we get to see how that chemistry grows, making the romance that much more believable. Along with the sexual chemistry there is this teasing banter that they fall into. This is a modern Hepburn and Tracy, with the quick wit and easy comebacks that had me eagerly anticipating their next volley of words. Add to that, they are evenly matched with Nick needing Jordan just as much as she needs him. He may try to boss her around but she's no pushover and can hold her own with Nick.

There is a suspense plot running alongside the romance. It's what brings Nick and Jordan together and why they find themselves spending time together with Nick posing as Jordan's boyfriend. The way the suspense is blended with the romance makes for a wonderful balance of anticipation for both. There is also Jordan's great knowledge and appreciation of wine woven into the story. I loved learning all about wine, right along with Nick.

Jack Pallas and Cameron Lynde, the hero and heroine from Something About You make appearances, Jack also works at the same FBI office as Nick and there's some good natured rivalry going on with these two. You don't need to read Something About You before A Lot Like Love but I would certainly recommend it.

If you want a smart, delightful romance with a hero and heroine who will having you laughing one moment and sighing the next, then you'll want to read A Lot Like Love.

Rating: A

April Reads...

*Pics like this make me wish I wasn't allergic to cats. I just want to cuddle him and let him sleep on my lap. So cute!*


Silver Borne ~ Patricia Briggs ~ Urban Fantasy ~ A-
A Certain Wolfish Charm ~ Lydia Dare ~ Historical PNR ~ B
Something About You ~ Julie James ~ Contemporary Romance ~ B
A Delicious Taboo ~ Jennifer Cole ~ Erotica ~ C+ ~ Review to follow
Her Best Friend ~ Sarah Mayberry ~ Contemporary Romance ~ B+
One for the Team ~ Jet Mykles ~ Erotic Romance ~ Review to follow
A Delicious Taboo Plus Two ~ Jennifer Cole ~ Erotica ~ C ~ Review to follow
Stolen Heat ~ Elisabeth Naughton ~ Romantic Suspense ~ B
Long Hard Ride ~ Lorelei James ~ Erotic Romance ~ B+
Blue-Eyed Devil ~ Lisa Kleypas ~ Contemporary Romance ~ B+
Rode Hard, Put Up Wet ~ Lorelei James ~ Erotic Romance ~ Review to follow
Stolen Seduction ~ Elisabeth Naughton ~ Romantic Suspense ~ Review to follow
Hope's Folly ~ Linnea Sinclair ~ Science Fiction Romance ~ A
Anything for You ~ Sarah Mayberry ~ Contemporary Romance ~ B+
Her Vampire Husband ~ Michele Hauf ~ Paranormal Romance ~ B
Lisa's Gift ~ Mackenzie McKade ~ Erotica ~ Review to follow
The Man Must Marry ~ Janet Chapman ~ Contemporary Romance ~ B
Glory in Death ~ J. D. Robb ~ Futuristic Suspense ~ B+
Mind Games ~ Carolyn Crane ~ Urban Fantasy ~ Review to follow
Uncertain Magic ~ Laura Kinsale ~ Historical Romance ~ Review to follow

April was a really good month for reading. Most of that is due to the nook™ that I was lucky enough to win from The Book Binge. I went a little crazy on the erotica, didn't even list a few shorter e-books I read. I hope to have a post/review of the nook™ up soon. There's a lot I want to say about it and I need to get my thoughts together on it. I also need to catch up on my reviews. :)

The breakdown by genre ~

Erotica ~ 6
Contemporary ~ 5
Romantic Suspense ~ 3 (includes Robb)
Historical ~ 2 (includes Paranormal Historical)
Urban Fantasy ~ 2
Paranormal Romance ~ 1
Science Fiction Romance ~ 1

Total read ~ 20

So the majority were Contemporaries and Erotics and the Erotics were Contemporaries. I see a trend here. :) There were a few that, while not DNF yet, just didn't grab me so got set aside for now. I think this month I'll try for more variety. I've got some Urban Fantasies and some PNR I've been wanting to read so I hope to get to those this month. Overall, some very good reads and a few okay ones but no real duds. No surprise that Silver Borne and Hope's Folly were my favorites. And I've got a new series to follow in Lorelei James' Rough Riders. If you haven't started those series you really should give them a try.

Review: Something About You

Something About You
Julie James
Contemporary Romance
Berkley/March 2010
Library book

From the back cover ~

FATE HAS THROWN TWO SWORN ENEMIES. . .

Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends in bloodshed. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago—and nearly ruining his career…

. . .INTO EACH OTHER’S ARMS

Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it’s no joke: the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes—and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension…

First, not what I was expecting. The romance is there but it's muted with the suspense in the forefront of the story. As I was reading I kept wondering when Jack and Cameron would do more than mild flirting. It's not like I was expecting them to jump into bed right away but I did expect things to happen sooner than they did. There is sexual tension but it really didn't pick up until after the half-way point. They knew each other three years ago but were not intimately involved. Then, they kept it on a strictly professional level. Now, they're forced to spend time together in a stressful and dangerous situation which leads to a more intimate setting.

Cameron Lynde is a hard working attorney. She did work in private practice until tragedy made her rethink her priorities. She decided she wanted to be the one to put criminals away so she went to work as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. It's just her dumb luck that has her as a potential witness to murder. And has a ghost from her past coming back to haunt her. That's what it's like for Cameron when she first sees FBI Special Agent Jack Pallas, like seeing a ghost. To say there's tension in the room is an understatement. They didn't part on the best of terms and neither are happy at the situation they find themselves in. Cameron does act professional when faced with Pallas and thankfully doesn't throw a diva fit. I was concerned that the author might take that road but fortunately she didn't.

Jack Pallas is a smart, confident, good-looking guy. He's also got a deep seated, intense dislike for Cameron Lynde. The one and only time they worked together Jack liked and respected Cameron until things went very bad and he now blames her for the black mark on his career. Jack is shocked when he sees Cameron again. He's also pissed off when he finds out he has to work with her. Then things get dangerous for Cameron and Jack finds himself protecting her while they try to figure out who the killer is and what really went on in Room 1308.

Cameron and Jack have a past that is certainly part of their present. It's there in the mistrust that Jack feels for Cameron and in the secrets Cameron is keeping. I did like when they would talk about everyday things and get to know each other outside of the case. The problem was those times were few and the suspense parts were too many. When the antagonist(s) would come on the scene I was interested for a while, then I got bored. It just felt like things were too spelled out for the reader as to who the bad guys are and their motives. If the murder mystery is going to eat up a large chunk of the book than I would rather there be some actual mystery to it.

The romance was light with mild flirtation and some snappy repartee but not as much, IMO, as the two previous books. I missed that. Maybe it was because of the murder and the danger to Cameron, I don't know but it wasn't as funny as what I was hoping for. Julie James does dialogue very well, that smart, witty Tracy/Hepburn dialogue that I love. I just didn't feel a lot of that here.

So while I liked Something About You, it didn't wow me. I didn't feel there was a good balance of the romance and the mystery. I have a feeling I'm the odd one out since it has gotten a number of glowing reviews. I'll continue to read Ms. James. Her next book, A Lot Like Love, is due for release in Spring 2011.

Rating: B

ETA: My reviews for Julie James' other books
Just the Sexiest Man Alive
Practice Makes Perfect

Review: Practice Makes Perfect

Title: Practice Makes Perfect
Author: Julie James
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: March 2009
Contemporary Romance Challenge 2009

WHEN IT COMES TO THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION . . .

Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson are lawyers who know the meaning of objection. A feminist to the bone, Payton has fought hard to succeed in a profession dominated by men. Born wealthy, privileged, and cocky, J.D. has fought hard to ignore her. Face to face, they’re perfectly civil. They have to be. For eight years they’ve kept a safe distance and tolerated each other as co-workers for one reason only: to make partner at the firm.

. . . THERE ARE NO RULES.

But all bets are off when they’re asked to join forces on a major case. At first apprehensive, they begin to appreciate each other’s dedication to the law—and the sparks between them quickly turn into attraction. But the increasingly hot connection doesn’t last long when they discover that only one of them will be named partner. Now it’s an all out war. And the battle between the sexes is bound to make these lawyers hot under the collar . . .

What a fun, laugh out loud read. This is Julie James' sophomore effort and she is going strong with no signs of letting up. Payton and J.D. are a case of opposites attract and play off each other quite well. In Practice Makes Perfect the hero and heroine have been working at the same law firm for eight years and have had time to practice and perfect their razor-sharp banter. When in public they are cordial and polite to each other but behind closed doors the gloves come off! With the decision of who will make partner closing in on them they are willing to do just about anything to succeed. Watching them try to out do the other and still be professional was a delight.

Payton Kendall may come off as a hard working, driven woman in what is a predominately man's world and while she is all those things she's still very female. What I mean by that is that while she does dress for business she wears slim-fit skirts, Jimmy Choo heels and the occasional thong. :) She's not a woman trying to be more "manly" simply to fit into a man's world. She holds her own and capitalizes on her strengths and downplays any weaknesses. I really liked Payton and the fact that Ms. James didn't make her, how should I put it, the more "intellectually challenged" in the relationship. I would put Payton up against J.D. in a courtroom any day.

Speaking of J.D.... I liked him. Which surprised me since he started out with a stick up his ass. :) He was funny in his somewhat "caveman" type outlook on women in the workplace. I didn't find his views insulting so much as more the views of a man who really doesn't know as much as he thingks he does about women. He may think he knows women well but I have a feeling his good looks have gotten him far. It's not that he isn't smart, he is but I think he's only touched the surface in discovering what makes a woman tick. Payton definitely helped J. D. see the light concerning women. That they are more than capable of doing the same job as a man. And once J.D., with a push from his amusing sidekick Tyler, decides to be nice to Payton he not only surprises her but he surprises himself by how much he enjoys being with her.

Payton and J.D.'s relationship evolved in a way that was not only believable, given their history but also showed how each one gradually changed their views of the other. At the beginning they both had very set ideas of what the other was like, what their priorities were and even what their hangs up were. By the end of the book they had gotten to know each other and respect each other. That to me was so important, more so than the strong physical attraction that I think was always there but denied by both.

Practice Makes Perfect is an enjoyable romantic comedy. The situations the h/h find themselves in, while not always of their own making, were fun to read and watch how J.D. and Payton reacted. There were some emotional scenes and you do get below the surface of each character. You get to see them interact with their parents and get an understanding of how their were raised. Very different upbringings that make them both so driven. Even given that depth there is still a distinct comedic flair to the story.

But all was not perfect. The problem I had with the story was the "big misunderstanding" and how it was so anti-climatic. Even Payton thought it was lame. When it was revealed my reaction was "That's it?! That's why they've spent the past eight years bickering?" And eight years? They're both smart, good-looking, single, work for the same company and spent at least part of those years in offices across from each other. So why did it take eight years for them to get together? Yes, I'm a bit hung up on the eight years. ;)

Even given the problems, they were not what I would consider major. Overall, I would recommend Ms. James if you're looking for a funny, quick contemporary read. The book came in at just under 300 pages and the writing was easy to get into and get lost in the story. Kind of like a relaxing Saturday matinee. All kinds of author info can be found on Julie James' website.

Rating: B++

ETA: You can read my reviw of Ms. James first book, Just the Sexiest Man Alive, here.

Doctors and books = Good medicine...

I'm almost finished with Charles De Lint's The Mystery of Grace. My first from this author but not my last. It's fantasy with a very authentic feel to it. Different from my usual reads but in a good way. I also have de Lint's The Onion Girl and The Wild Wood on my TBR pile.

Tomorrow I should have my review posted of Julie James' Practice Makes Perfect. I say should have it posted because RL has been very unpredictable lately. My youngest had a follow up doctor visit today. I took him two weeks ago because of a cough that would not go away. Pediatrician said lungs didn't sound clear so off we go to get an x-ray. That came back fine so he was given medicine to try to clear up the cough. But he's still not better so back to the doctor we go. Now he's taking Claritin in addition to the Singular he already takes plus the doc gave him a nebulizer for Albuterol. And we've got a referral to see a pediatric pulmonologist. But the pediatrician kept telling me that she doesn't think it's asthma. *sigh* He doesn't like the breathing treatments but they do seem to help.

Then my mom called today with the date for her surgery. She has been having abdominal pains since last summer. I bugged her to go to the doctor until she finally went. Then after some tests she was referred to a gynecologist who did more tests and an ultra-sound. A cyst the size of a softball was found to be causing the pain. Then mom was referred to a gynecological oncologist who confirmed surgery was needed. The good news is that the doctors don't think it's cancer. So we're trying to stay positive but I still worry, she's 82.

And the ever so patient nath :) from Books, books and more books asked me to do a buddy review with her. This was my first attempt at a buddy review and it was a lot of fun. The review for The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie should be up at nath's blog soon.

So at this point I'm very thankful for good health care and books. I take my book bag with me to all the doctor appointments and believe me they really help to pass all the time spent in the waiting rooms. I've tried to get my mom to bring a book when I take her to her appointments but she's too nervous to read. :)

Review: Just the Sexiest Man Alive

Title: Just the Sexiest Man Alive
Author: Julie James
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: October 2008

Taylor Donovan knows that being a lawyer takes a lot of hard work. She has put in long hours, taking work home, working weekends and having very little free time. All of this so that she can reach her goal of making partner. So when she's sent to her firms office in Los Angeles to work on an important case she stays true to form and gives it her all. That is until she's asked to help out one of the firms star clients. And they do mean star. Jason Andrews is an award winning, international movie star. He's also drop dead gorgeous and uses his looks and status to get what he wants. Taylor just wants him gone. But he's not going anywhere until he gets what he wants and what he wants is Taylor.

This is Julie James' first novel and if it's any indication of her talent I'll be keeping her on my list of authors to watch and read. Word in romance land is that the contemporary is a dying breed. Not true. Case in point is Just the Sexiest Man Alive. It's an engaging, quick read with nary a vampire, shape shifter or witch in sight.

Taylor is a born and raised Midwestern gal. The Hollywood lifestyle of the rich and famous is not at all what Taylor is use to. She works in her law firms Chicago office but temporarily moves to Los Angeles to work a case that she hopes will help her towards her goal of making partner. She has neither the time or patience to deal with an arrogant movie star who thinks Taylor should be at his beck and call.

Enter Jason Andrews. Tall, gorgeous, every woman's dream. Except for Taylor - he's her nightmare. Taylor is forced to change her schedule to suit Jason's which causes her extra work. She's tries to get rid of him but it's a no go. He only wants her. So she's stuck with him. As they work together, getting Jason an inside look at the workings of a courtroom, Taylor gets to know Jason better, sees his other, more personal side. She realizes he's not always the arrogant jerk she first thought he was.

Jason Andrews *sigh, scream, swoon*. The Sexiest Man Alive. And he knows it! He also takes his work very seriously. He may be beyond beautiful but he's also one hell of an actor. He likes getting into his roles, researching and figuring out what makes his character tick. So when he meets Taylor Donovan and sees her in action he knows she the one he wants to learn from. He refuses her continued tries at getting him to agree to having another lawyer work with him. He wants her to work and train him on all things about the law.

The book starts out a bit slow but once Jason and Taylor meet it picks up quickly. The dialogue between the two was the best part of the story. They're both quick witted and not afraid to say what's on their mind. There were times when they both act too childish and it did get to be irritating. That and the fawning and swooning of Taylor's friends when they meet Jason were cause for a few eye rolls.

Taylor and Jason make a good pair. The fact that Taylor doesn't treat Jason like the movie star he is but instead treats him like another guy, a guy who she finds extremely attractive, but still treats him like more than just a pretty face. Talk about a role reversal! And Jason at first finds the fact that Taylor doesn't bow down to him frustrating. Once he realizes that she takes him seriously and her interest goes beyond his face he finds he likes how she acts when she's with him. Jason isn't used to people wanting to stay out of the spotlight. Most people he meets want to share that spotlight with him. But not Taylor.

I found Just the Sexiest Man Alive an entertaining, quick read. Ms. James next book Practice Makes Perfect is due out March 3. More author and book info can be found on her website.

Rating: B+