Book Review: About that Night by Julie James

At First Sight: Fresh out of her first year of Law School, Rylann Pierce was celebrating with her friends in a college bar when she met Kyle Rhodes - who was out celebrating that he had been accepted into a doctoral program and who also happened to be the son of a billionaire- and he offered to walk her home.

One mind-blowing kiss later, Rylann agrees to go on a date with him the following night... only that he never shows up, Rylann indirectly finds out why and she moves on without ever expecting to run into him again.

Nine years later, Rylann has become an Assistant US Attorney (AUSA) in San Francisco and following her break-up with her long time boyfriend Jon - who decided that he suddenly just HAD TO move to Italy - Rylann decides to move Chicago and unexpectedly runs into Kyle... in the courtroom.

A few months before, after his then girlfriend broke up with him via Twitter and later posted a video of her practically having sex with someone else, Kyle Rhodes got a little drunk and had the brilliant idea to shut down Twitter for two whole days, and since he's a computer geek and and a network security expert this was no problem for him whatsoever.

Until he sobered up and realized it was time to own up to what he had done. He pleaded guilty and was in jail, but then his sister Jordan reached an agreement with the FBI and US Attorney's office and he was released. Going to the courtroom that day was a mere formality and Kyle was expecting to see his nemesis Cade Morgan in the prosecution side of the room but instead Rylann walked in. 

Second Glance: About That Night is the third book in the FBI-US Attorney series by Julie James but you don't really need to have read the previous books Something About You and A Lot Like Love to understand this one - though Kyle does start showing up in A Lot Like Love since that's his sister Jordan's story.

Anyway, About that Night is a pretty charming story. I liked Rylann okay and I really liked Kyle - I mean, sure what he did with Twitter was pretty dumb but he owns up to it and takes the repercussions, so that's definitely a plus for him.

They actually have a nice chemistry going on that has endured a lot of time and a lot of distance and other relationships, and that was sweet. I like Rylann and Kyle together but I also felt like their relationship totally lacked conflict.

I mean, Rylann thinks is a bad career move to date him - since she's a prosecutor and he's an ex-con and witness in one of her cases - and maybe it is but it's not the end of the world, really. And Kyle well, he hasn't forgotten her after nine year of not seeing her, he's wasn't planning on jumping into a relationship after the way the last one ended, but he's pretty on-board with exploring a relationship with Rylann from the start.

So, see, no real conflict here.

That being said. It was a good story, I think Julie James is one of the best contemporary authors out there right now, the lack of tension makes for an easy to put down read but it was fun and kind of fluffy and I liked reading about all the lawyery stuff (I like that Ms James's lawyers actually do lawyery stuff).

Bottom Line: In TV terms, it was an average pisode of a really good procedural show leaning a bit on the Ally McBeal side of procedurals rather than, say, The Practice or The Good Wife. If you're in the mood for a easy to read, well written book with good characters, go for it. 

1/2

Book Review: A Lot Like Love by Julie James

The guy looks like a mannequin

At First Sight: Fresh off a long undercover assignment, Special Agent Nick McCall was supposed to head off to New York for his mother's 60th birthday party, but instead he got roped into helping with a high profile investigation to catch Xander Eckhart a successful Chicago restaurateur and wine snob who also happens to launder money for a mob boss.

Billionaire heiress and wine-shop owner Jordan Rhodes was also roped into the investigation, mostly because the subject of it - Xander Eckhart - is a costumer of hers, she has an invite to an exclusive party the FBI needs to have someone at, and because her beloved twin brother is currently in prison and Jordan would do anything to have him out of there, safe and sound.

What should have been an easy operation turned far more complicated, and soon Nick and Jordan are in a fake relationship trying to save the day while fending off some very real feelings.

Second Glance: In the past, I've really liked Julie James' books, even if I didn't love her previous book, Something About You.

However, I did like A Lot Like Love,  a lot more. I enjoyed the plot - I felt it was more streamlined than the one from the previous book - and I found Jordan a very likable protagonist, same as Nick and I liked how, though they were very different, they shared certain important values, like how much both of them loved their families. 

I loved Kyle - Jordan's twin brother and evil computer genius. 

However, I did feel like it took forever to set-up the story, and though I enjoyed the beginning of the book, I was very easily distracted from it, and it wasn't until about mid-way through that things really began to speed up and take shape. The ending was a bit fast but I'm not really complaining about it.

Also, I have to mention A Lot Like Love is steamier than other works by Ms. James, which up to now had had very modest love scenes that mostly happened off the page. In this story, Ms James does turn up the heat, but it doesn't feel forced - I'm of the opinion that you can tell when an author is writing something she/he isn't comfortable with - and I really like seeing how her style is evolving. 

Finally, we get to catch up with some people from Something About You, namely Jack Pallas and Cameron Lynde, and that was nice. I liked them a lot more this time around than I did in their own book.

 

Bottom Line: A Lot Like Love is easily the best contemporary romance I've read so far this year. It's funny, the writing is good and I really liked the characters. Sure, I had some issues with it, but over all it was a very good book.

Favorite Quote: "Ridiculously overpriced Ralph Lauren suit? Sixteen hundred dollars, all of which had better be reimbursed by the Bureau. Back up Man? Technically free, although he'd be hearing about this from Pallas for a long time. Nabbing a money man of the city's most notorious gangster while infiltrating an exclusive wine tasting?
Priceless."

Cover Love #16 - A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Yet another cover love!
I think the ones for 2011 are starting to roll out. Anyway, I really love the covers for Julie James' books, they have this very contemporary - urban feel. And the dresses in the last two covers have been hot.

A Lot Like Love comes out in March 2011

Summary (from the Julie James' site)

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...

I hope I like this one - Loved her first two books, only liked the third... *sigh* c'est la vie.

Something About You by Julie James

When Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde decided to stay overnight at The Peninsula, she was hoping for a nice, relaxing stay at a fancy hotel but what she got was half the night of hearing the couple in the next room having sex and then unsuspectingly witnessing a murder (kind of).

Since the sex-marathon/murder involves an US Senator, the FBI took notice of the case, and just like that Cameron found Jack Pallas - the Special Agent that blames her for having him transfered out of Chicago three years ago - back into her life. Angry but Oh-so-handsome Jack who's too good looking for Cam's peace of mind.

Jack isn't any happier than Cam with this situation, he's still mad but more than that, Cam has been pretty much the only person to ever get under his skin and he isn't sure being around each other is all that wise. But Cam is the key witness in Jack's investigation and he isn't about to let anything happen to her.

Something About You is the latest offering from Julie James and it starts off quite nicely, I was giggling and laughing during the first third of the book, loving the dialogue and Cam's gay best friend Collin (great characterization by the way! Collin is very manly, very confident, not in the least effeminate, witty and fun. Definitely not a bad, cartoonish stereotype! Loved Him). But then the story sort of begins to drag... I could spot the plot twist a mile away, and I found myself speed reading through some places because I just wanted something to happen.

Again, it has nice characters - like Collin and Jack's partner Wilkins - but some others, like Cam's other best friend Amy, seem a little to convenient (situations revolving around Amy and her wedding usually just serve to further the relationship between Jack and Cam) and I couldn't like her.

Over all, the book is enjoyable yes, but I had no problem putting it down after the first third of the book because nothing much was going on.

Grade:

1/2

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

To say that Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson do not get along would be an understatement, both of them are senior associates at one of Chicago's most prestigious law firms and have been at war with each other for nearly 8 years. Payton thinks J.D. is a spoiled, rich boy who got ahead in life thanks to his family's name and fortune, while J.D. thinks Payton is an uptight, tree-hugging feminist; and while they might be a little right about each other, they are a lot wrong.

When just a few weeks before they get to be made partners of the firm Payton and J.D. find themselves working together to lure in an important new client, everything can happen.

I've to say this is a very funny book, I didn't quite expect it to be so - even after reading Julie James' first book Just the Sexiest Man Alive - but I was happily surprised. Actually, at times it reads almost like an romantic comedy with a bit of old-Hollywood flair, and I mean that in the best sense.

The story is fast paced and it was very entertaining to see J.D. and Payton battle it out for the win and even act silly a time or two and, through it all, I liked them both.

Grade

Book Gossip (#16)

Book Gossip # 16 - A cover, a summary and a follow up. Plus a couple of heads up!

Well, okay, the cover and the summary are of the same book, Julie James' Something About You, due out March 2, 2010

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...

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On a follow up to Book Gossip #15, it has been confirmed that Lisa Kleypas' upcoming books Married by Morning and Love in the Afternoon (the 'Me' in this title was a typo) are bout about the Hathaways - Leo and Beatrix respectively. I so can't wait.

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And, onto the heads up!

First, there are some good news about Maureen Johnson over at The Compulsive Reader.

And second, for those of you eagerly awaiting The Van Alen Legacy (which comes October 6), Melissa de la Cruz is posting Daily Mini-Exceprts of it via Twitter.

That's all!

Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

Taylor Donovan is an up and coming lawyer from Chicago who has come to L.A. to work on a case. She likes the sun and the sea very much, though she doesn't quite understand the celebrity obsession that seems to be the norm in town. So she's a bit baffled when her L.A. boss orders her to help Hollywood's favorite leading man Jason Andrews to research his upcoming role as a lawyer.

After he stands her up -twice- Taylor isn't very inclined to help him when he actually does show up, but since her boss won't let her wiggle out of it, Taylor is stuck with Jason much to her annoyance and his delight. Taylor is the first woman who hasn't automatically fallen in love with him and he finds that intriguing.

Taylor is a very nice, well-rounded character, I quite liked her and understood why she was a bit reluctant about falling in love, let alone falling for Jason. She's smart and funny and you get the sense she's a heck of a good lawyer. Now, Jason, he's an acquired taste, he starts as a bit childish and immature (and he's in his late thirties, by the way) but he eventually finds it within himself to grow up and then he actually turns into a very likable character.

Add an evil-ish up and coming Australian actor who wants Jason's career, Jason's best friend Jeremy and Taylor's best friends and her secretary, and the story is quite funny.

Grade: