A Lot Like Love by Julie JamesWhy this one: I’ve enjoyed all her books and I was in the mood for a contemporary
Steam Level: Each book seems to get warmer and warmer. I must say I like this form of global warming
Blurb: Jordan Rhodes is invited to all of Chicago's best parties, but there's only one the FBI wants to crash. To get her brother out of jail, she agrees to take Agent McCall as her date. But when the mission gets botched, requiring their "relationship" to continue, it starts to feel less like an investigation-and a lot like something else.
My Thoughts: I was watching The Shopping Channel a few weeks ago and they had a beauty expert on. Of course I got suckered into buying stuff from her wasn’t worth the money. I haven’t been watching The Shopping Channel nearly as much these days. But one of the things the beauty expert said was that as we start aging, we often start losing eyebrow hair and eyelashes. Now that may be happening but it’s certainly being made up for in the chin hairs and hair on my upper lip. But aside from that, I did take what she said to heart and I’ve been wearing mascara a lot more than I used to.
So what the heck are you wondering, does the fact that she watches (and buys) too much of The Shopping Channel, and why do I care if she’s wearing mascara???? What does that have to do with a book review?
Well, bear with me and I’ll explain. Sometimes when I laugh, my eyes start to water. And if I’m wearing mascara, it’s even worse, to the point of stinging! I was reading this book the other day at lunch and I found it so funny in parts that I started to laugh which started my whole eyes crying. Then of course they started to sting and itch and I had to rub them and rubbed off all the eye makeup I had so carefully applied that morning and my stubby and loosing lusciousness eyelashes were seen. But once I got past the sting and the embarrassment of the eyelashes, I started reading more and I so enjoyed this book!!
I just loved both the lead characters. Jordan has a Very Wealthy father – a billionaire no less. But that didn’t mean coddling for her or her twin brother Kyle. She has made quite a success of herself by opening her own exclusive wine shop. Although she can play with the big boys of wealth and privilege, she’s at heart just a regular woman. She was horrified at one point in her past when she was compared to Paris Hilton. Gotta love a women like that!
Nick is equally wonderful. He’s a guy’s guy – horrified when at one point he’s asked to wear a boysenberry coloured tie. Guy’s from Brooklyn just don’t wear those kinds of things.
Jordon, our regular girl type heroine is pulled into an FBI sting. The reason she goes along is they promise to free her brother from a stint in prison for shutting down Twitter. (it may have been during this passage that the eyes started watering) She is originally slated to take a metro sexual type FBI agent to a wine tasting event being held at the establishment of the sting target. But in yet another hilarious scene, he comes down with a case of the flu and Nick is forced to step in as her date. Without going into details – you are simply going to have to read this one for yourself, things get….complicated and real feelings start to develop between Jordan and her fake boyfriend Nick.
I don’t think I’ve reviewed all of Ms. James books though I have read them. And I’ve enjoyed every one. But I think this one is my favourite so far. I liked it. I mean I really, really liked it. Of course Nick and Jordan were both da’bomb, but also the secondary characters were equally well drawn from Kyle, the Sawyer look-a-like, computer geek who shut down Twitter so people wouldn’t see what he didn’t want them to see, brother of the heroine to Huxley, the metro sexual new partner of Nick. The banter and dialogue between all these characters is wonderful and funny. I found myself turning my Kobo on as soon as I decided to go on break or lunch while still at my desk, not wanting to waste the time once away for it to load. This one is a gem and gets a hearty thumbs up from me.
Grade: 5 out of 5
8 comments:
I loved it too. I think it is my favorite so far as well, although the opening of Something About You is one of the funniest scenes ever in a romance. Of course I'm a sucker for wine, the wine business and wine country handled well in a novel, and she did a great job making that work for me.
Oh no!!Another Julie James book I can't read in public. So looking forward to it. Glad you enjoyed.
I have this one on my TBR pile!
I didn't like the previous book so much, but so far I've heard great things about A Lot Like Love and your review just got me all excited about it.
Anything that can make you laugh so hard you get tears in your eyes is a good enough rating for me. I have Julie James in the TBR pile - now to figure out if this one just happens to be there.
CindyS
Sonomalass: I know NOTHING about wine - other then the fact that it comes mostly in red and white and when I used to be able to drink it, I preferred the sweeter rather than dryer. But I was looking at some of the wine I won the other day and was thinking of A Lot Like Love while looking at the bottles. Some kinds were mentioned in the book and some were from local wineries. Before that I wouldn't have bothered even looking at that much :-)
Mary: Why can't you read it public? I think compared to some covers, this one is quite well done and not explicit. No male titty and she is wearing a very tasteful dress - that does figure into the story *wink*
Alex: I've seen quite a few good reviews for this one - and well deserving they are. I did like it better than her last one though it was nice to see the characters from her last book make an appearance in this one.
Cindy: *laughing* Part of it is just my sensitive eyes too. I can't wear many face moisturizers either since they make my eyes water. So I'm stuck between having my eyes "go off" as I call it or wrinkled skin. I still haven't decided which route to go yet.
But this did make me laugh in places and I love a book that can do that.
No it's not the cover. It was sooo funny, I was laughing out loud in the kitchen at work. Also in the car on the way home, strartling hubby who was driving. Her covers are fine for public viewing.
Mary: Ahhhhh - I get it. See - I don't have to worry about that because I converted way over half the department I used to work in over to the Stephanie Plum books and for a while there was two or three people in the lunch room reading them at the same time so there were the occasional outbursts of laughter. Now many of them are in various books of the In Death series. And I brought a few back with me from RWA last year for the department 'library' I notice that other people have brought in more and now there is a nice selection. I should take a picture of it sometime :-)
I'm so glad you enjoyed this book, Kristie :) I really think this one was a winner. I really enjoyed the H/H and their interactions and loved Jordan's relationship with Kyle :P Looking forward to Kyle's book!!
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