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."

At the Movies: Fast Five

Okay, since last time we caught up with the dudes from fast Dominic and Mia Toretto, and Brian O'Conner, they had busted Dom out of jail and riding off to parts unknown. Parts unknown turns out to be Brazil, where the three of them get tangled with the local big mob boss. 

Deciding to pull one last job and steal 100 million dollars, Dom and Brian put together a crew to manage this feat. And they also have a FBI hunter on their back.

Let me start by saying that I was in a very good mood when I went to see this movie, and I had already heard it was kind of bad so I wasn't expecting much. And I had a really good time. 

Fast Five is more Italian Job/Ocean's than Fast and Furious but there is plenty of unbelievable action and crazy stunts and I just thought it was a nice popcorn movie. 

Go without any big expectations and just have fun. I give it a solid C

Retro Friday (16): Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time! 

This week I chose Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot.

Original Cover

At First Sight: Kate Mackenzie didn't think her life could get more crazy after her boyfriend of 10 years told her he isn't ready for commitment, which resulted on Kate having to crash on the couch of her best friend Jen's tiny apartment.

But, at least, she has her job at the New York Journal, which might not be changing lives, but that she at least likes. That is until her boss - Amy, the Tyrannical Office Despot -  forces Kate to unjustly fire a widely popular dinning room employee, Ida Lopez because she refused to give pie to Amy's boyfriend Stuart Hertzog (legal counsel for the paper Kate works for)

Now sweet Mrs. Lopez is suing the paper, and Kate is in the middle of it all.

Enter Mitch Hertzog, Stuart's brother and lawyer in charge of the Lopez case. At first, Kate doesn't want to like him - he's a corporate lawyer! - but she soon realizes that he's nice and kind, and tie-him-to-the-bed hot.

And Mitch is all of those things... and he likes Kate too.


Second Glance: Told in a series of funny emails, IM-conversations and notes scribed on whatever, Boy Meets Girl is my favorite of the Boy Series by Meg Cabot. I love how I can just fly through this book.

Current Cover

It's incredibly funny, the pace is snappy, and it is surprisingly cute and romantic. And it always amazes me how Meg Cabot can fit so much family drama, humor and romance into a book told in Emails, because somehow you do feel like you're getting to know these characters. I love that.

There are some characters returning from The Boy Next Door - and a few references to what happens there - which was very nice, I loved catching up with them too.


Bottom Line: Though I always felt like the ending was a bit abrupt, I really love Boy Meets Girl, as I said, it's my favorite of this series and a read that never fails to cheer me up.

Cover Love #23 - Froi of the Exiles

Aussie Cover

Summary:

Three years after Lumatere is united, Froi has adopted the ways of his new homeland, dividing his days between rebuilding the kingdom and training with the Queen’s Guard. Until a mysterious man arrives with a promise that he can grant a young assassin access into the palace of Lumatere’s enemy: to kill the King of Charyn. 
  
But once inside the secretive kingdom of stone, Froi is forced to protect the half mad Princess Quintana and her unborn child who will be the first babe born to Charyn in eighteen years.  And in breaking his bond to his beloved Queen Isaboe and Finnikin, Froi may just be the one to bring peace between two kingdoms and find out the truth to his past.

Melina Marchetta just revealed the cover for Froi of the Exiles in her site - and who would have thought Froi would look kind of hot in it? - LOL

Even though I didn't LOVE Finnikin of the Rock, I really liked it and the summary for this one sounds awesome!! So I'm definitely checking out. And I hope they do keep this cover when it reaches the US, as I'm not a fan of the cover of the hardback of Finnikin - plus, the book is MASSIVE, I don't know what's up with these massive hardbacks, they don't even fit in a standard bookshelf. 

US paperback cover

I was also told that the paperback cover of Finn is different (see to the right), and though I do like it a little better, it makes me wanna say "Thunder- Thunder. Thundercats!!!! OHHHH!!" 

Really, it's the first thing that comes to mind.

Anyway, Froi of the Exciles comes out October 3rd in Australia. There is no release date in the US yet.

Mini Book Review: Between by Cyndi Tefft

I do love this cover

The Deal: College freshman Lindsey Waters was at the end of a slightly awkward date when a car crash landed her in the place between Heaven and Earth, and in the company of Aidan MacRae, a Scotsman who has been taking souls up to Heaven for the last 300 years. 

Only that he has never been to heaven himself, but once he was told that when he found the right woman, her love would redeem him and he could be able to join her in heaven.

Without really meaning to, in the time they spend together, Lindsey and Aidan tell each other about their lives and fall in love. 

But they are in the place between, where things are hardly permanent...

My Thoughts: On the barest therms, Between is a love story between a grim reaper - sort of - and the girl he's supposed to take up to heaven, only that they start hanging out together and fall in love. It's very simple and I really liked it for it.

The characters were nice, I particularly liked Aidan since he is kind of 'sunny' and sweet, and he's Scottish which I found adorable. Lyndsey started a little distant, in my opinion, but I really liked her when she was with Aidan, they made a good couple.

Over all, I liked this story and it was a very quick read for me, but I did have a couple of hang ups with it: sometimes I felt it dragged a little, and I did think there was a little too much religion woven into it. But, other than that, it was an enjoyable story, and a nice paranormal story at that.

1/2