So we kicked of Sizzle & Swoon yesterday with an intro & why we read romance (Same for Alexa! Check out her post) and today we're jumping into the romance goodness with our contemporary portion of Sizzle & Swoon. Here at The Book Barbies, I'm reviewing a fabulous contemporary romance book while at Alexa's, she's sharing our favorite contemporary romance books. So without further ado, here is a book that both Sharon and I loved. I read it the day it came out and I've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Sizzle & Swoon so I can share my review and love of the book!
Author: Julie James
Series: FBI / U.S Attorney #4
Published April 2nd 2013 by Berkley
Genre: adult contemporary romance
Rating: A
Goodreads summary:
HE’S USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTS…
A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.
AND WHAT HE WANTS IS HER.
A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love . . .
It's hard to actually review this book because the three times I've read it since it came out (yes, three times in two months!) I was chanting "this book is perfect this book is perfect this book is perfect" and I had a grin on my face from the first page to the last page. Simply put, Julie James has done it again. She did it with her past 5 books and she did it with Love Irresistibly. Another extremely well-written smart and sexy book, just like I expected. Seriously, Julie James's books just get better and better.
When it comes to romance, it's easy to get caught up about talking about the hot hero but when it comes to Julie James, move over heroes, because her heroines are just as hot and even somewhat better. Her heroines are not broken with 99+ problems, waiting for the hero to save them while they save him in return, they're smart, confident, driven and happy people. I have to mention the happy part. Happy people exist. And you CAN write a story about them because Julie James has done it. I'm over angsty and sure I like broken here and there but thank you god, for giving us Julie James who in return gives us badass heroines in the realistic sense. Brooke Parker, lawyer first, businesswoman second, was a fantastic heroine. I loved how driven she is and what I loved even more is how her motivation is sparked by her less than modest living BUT that never turns into a Very Big Thing. We don't get countless chapters about her being poor and it's never a tool used to create more drama. No, Brooke Parker had to work hard and she got places and instead of dwelling in the past, we see the "going places" part.
I obviously love Brooke but I'm just so damn happy to see these type of heroines! Okay I'll admit, I do alpha heroes but my heart will burst for these sorta alpha heroines and with that being said, I'll finally talk about Cade Morgan, who I loved and I've been excited to read about him ever since we met him in About That Night. I think we get to know Cade Morgan the most from all of Julie James's heroes (Besides Kyle Rhodes) because we learn about his family in detail and we also get to see him interact with them. I absolutely loved that and those scenes are some of my favorite. Cade Morgan was also an ex-football player and seeing his law outside of the law, was also wonderful.
Getting to know the hero on another personal level and the fact that Love Irresistibly was all Brooke and Cade, their personal lives and romance, all the time, does give Love Irresistibly a
different feel than the other Julie James books and anyone who's worried that Julie James is getting
repetitive in her storytelling, doesn't have to worry any longer. No side plot with a corrupt men and gun action and this worked really, really well. Come on, I read this book three times in the two months its been out. All three times, I finished in mere hours. This book is the farthest thing from boring and Julie James delivers a page turner that's all romance, all the time. This makes me happy because I now have the perfect example that books, especially romance, don't need to be dragged by a million plots to work.
The setting of Julie James's novels is always Chicago but it's worth mentioning because her love for the city just shines in her books, and it's no different with Love Irresistibly. Julie James paints Chicago as a magical city and I want to visit! Another thing I've noticed, Julie James must like food and wine because they are a big part of her books and it's done so well that even the description of pizza (I do not eat pizza) made me crave pizza.
I obviously loved everything about this book, from the sassy heroine to the hot blue-eyed hero, fantastic witty dialogue and rest assured, hot sex. I daresay it's my new favorite Julie James! So I'll just go cry now until April 2014 arrives because I've already read this 3 times. I need more Julie James. And it goes without saying (but I'm saying it anyways) that if you are a contemporary romance fan, than you should read Love Irresistibly and any Julie James novel. Because if you haven't... you're doing contemporary romance wrong. Way wrong.
Rating: [A] my favorite romance of 2013? Why yes and I already know it's unbeatable.
First:
Brooke Parker stepped up to the bar at The Shore restaurant, ready to place her lunch order.
Favorite:
"I pulled out too late with her," he said simply.
Vaughn nearly dropped his glass. "Oh fuck. Brooke's pregnant?"
"Whoa, there. No. Nobody's pregnant. I meant that I pulled out of the relationship too late."
"Oh." Vaughn paused. "You know, you really want to add that clarification next time."
Teaser:
"Certainly explains why Tuck and I later found you passed out cold on the kitchen floor, buck-ass naked, with one hand wrapped around a bowlful of strawberries," Charlie said.Have you read Love Irresistibly? Did you love it as much as I did? If you haven't read it, I hope I convinced you to read it! Also, the Sizzle & Swoon activities continue on Alexa's blog today :D
No comments:
Post a Comment