Please note that I gave this book 4.5 stars but rounded it up to 5 stars here.

This was a cute book. Unfortunately I read book #6 first, so I already knew that how this story would end up. I am still glad I read it though. The hero/heroine were great. Though I will say that James heroes all seem to be over 6 feet tall with dark hair. And the heroines always have long hair to their backs practically and wear it in a high ponytail. Plus they all have high heels. Not to put too fine a point on it, but some women wear ballet flats, or gasp sandals, etc. There was a secondary character that really got on my nerves while I was reading this, and that is the main reason why I gave this 4.5 stars.

Our heroine, Brooke Parker is general counsel for a growing restaurant empire. Due to her busy schedule she barely has time to date. After her latest boyfriend dumps her since she is so unavailable, she starts to think that causal dating is a solution. That way, she can still hang out with a guy, make love, but no strings attached (you know how well this is going to go right?)

Our hero, Cade Morgan, is a former college football star. After a career ending injury, he contracted on the law, and is now one of Chicago's rising Assistant US Attorney's. I have to say, that I actually for once liked the hero in the story more than the heroine. Readers find out right away that Cade has issues. Being raised by a single mom, and having his father abandon him until he was 10, and then abandon him all over again, Cade is not looking to delve too much into his inner democracy. Sorry, I had to include that. Cade and Brooke meet up when the US Attorney's office needs her cooperation to bug one of her restaurant's where a dirty deal is about to go down. Sparks fly, and we get to watch.

I think the main reason why Cade's story was more interesting to me, was that he does have a lot of pain to deal with involving his father. James introduces a character that is close to someone that Cade knows (no spoilers) and I was really tired of this character by the time we get to the end of the book. I didn't like how things got flipped around to suddenly make Cade a bad guy, though he had nothing to do with the situation at all.

Brooke and her best friend Ford with his two dude bro friends are entertaining when they get together. I do like that we have a book that showcases a man and woman who are best friends, who love and support each other, and shockingly don't fall in love or get all hot and bothered about the other one. I liked that. I wish that we had seen more of them interacting in Ford's book, but oh well.

The writing was great, I found out a lot about how at least the FBI and US Attorney's work (I knew some of this, but it was nice to read about it anyway) and the dialogue between Cade and Brooke was great. I don't know why he thought of her as sassy, but whatever. It seems like in this books, any woman that doesn't fall all over a guy is sassy. The flow worked too, I thought the ending of the book with Brooke having to make a choice was great. And her response to that choice was smart too. I liked that for her, it was really about being more available to her family and friends. As a working woman climbing up the ranks at my office, I get it. We work a lot of hours, push ourselves, because otherwise we have to worry about someone eventually saying that we don't seem as committed as we used to be. I liked that Brooke didn't give up her career aspirations for a guy (like most romance novels have the heroine do).

The setting of Chicago shines in this one as well. I really want some drinks and pizza after finishing this book, and I hate deep dish anything.

The ending was once again cute showing the hero/heroine proceeding with life, but thank goodness does not end with a wedding.

― Love Irresistibly, by Julie James

(FBI/US Attorney Book # 4)

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. . .  

Not as good at Something like love. I thought this was pretty boring actually-not a witty or entertaining. I found myself skim reading chunks of it just to get to the end, even though it was very predictable.

This might possibly be my favorite Julie James novel thus far (though I still have two others to read and one more coming out in the summer of next year). As a contemporary romance (books that I don't really read all too often) this one just hit all the right spots for romance, humor, and heart-warming tingly feelings. I even laughed out loud several times with dialogue or antics from the characters that caught me off-guard in that awesome way that makes me love reading!

Witty quips, sassy lawyers, and a U.S. Attorney with "knock-em-dead", attractively hot personalities... It almost makes me want to go back and reread the first three FBI/US Attorney books so that I can do some re-evaluating and new comparisons to see if this really WOULD be my favorite Julie James book. After all, before Cade Morgan and Brooke Parker, Nick and Jordan had been my favorite couple.

You know, I MIGHT do just that and start from the beginning once I've finished what's already out for this series. I have a feeling I'm going to love the first three books even more now that I've eternally formed a biased love for anything and everything written by Julie James. (Yes, despite the fact that I wasn't all too impressed with her debut novel that I had recently read, Just the Sexiest Man Alive, I can't say that it wasn't enjoyable or entertaining.)

Brooke and Cade just radiated chemistry of every level possible. They are such a hot couple together and at the same time also such a perfect couple and oh so entertaining. Individually, they shine well on their own in their separate circle of friends.

And that's the thing I've come to appreciate about a Julie James book. The characters are all written well, even if they are all modeled as perfection. But even among those same witty, intelligent, good-natured, yet sarcastic character personalities, they each manage to be unique in their own ways.

Cade seemed like the standard male protagonist in a romance novel when we first met him in the previous book About That Night, but getting to know him in this book was just too delightful for words. He's got his own brand of humor as well as his own inner conflicts beyond the good looks and successful career.

I had so much fun reading this sweet and breezy romance that despite some brief moments of straying attention, I'm still going to place it as a personal favorite and ignore everything else that might have gone bad with it. The characters in this particular book are so great with each other, between Ford Dixon and his two roommates and the little brother, Zach who was just downright adorable.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm really looking forward to summer 2015 for Ford's turn in the spotlight.  And not just because he's been pretty good about being the best friend as well as the fact that he freely uses the word "penis" on several occasions throughout the book.

Old favorites showing up also made my day with this one: Cameron, Jack, Nick, Huxley, Rylann, and especially Sam Wilkins with his very brief appearance. You know, I wouldn't mind too much if we could get a Sam Wilkins story at some point in time--THAT'd be pretty awesome!

And now there's a new guy to look forward to meeting, front and center: Vaughn Roberts in the next book following this one. I had been hesitating to spend anymore money, but It Happened One Wedding isn't going to read itself.

 

So much for finishing up some other reading lists I've begun... though to be fair, It Happened One Wedding really is on one of my several reading lists.

 

On one last note, I have highlighted several really good scenes, lines, and dialogue exchanges that I feel the need to share, but I'm not quite sure I should clutter up this "review" with.  This post already sounds like the mad babbling of a rabid fangirl who doesn't quite know how to word properly how much love goes into this book and this series and this couple.

 

 

***

 

Related Posts:

• Starting: Love Irresistibly
• Top Ten Tuesdays: Books Read in 2014