Review: Love Irresistibly by Julie James
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Love Irresistibly (FBI / US Attorney #4) by Julie James
Contemporary
Berkley (April 2, 2013)
Heroine: Brooke Parker – Lawyer, Sassy
Hero: Cade Morgan – Lawyer, Snarky
Review:
Three years ago I read my first Julie James book, Something About You, and I’ve been addicted to her writing style ever since. I’m never left feeling disappointed after reading one of her books because, WOW, the woman definitely knows how to write a contemporary with the perfect blend of romance, sizzling sexy times, wickedly funny humor, and smart characters. Love Irresistibly has exceeded my expectations and is WAY up there as one of my all-time favorite contemporary romance I’ve read thus far. Julie James, I bow down to you. You officially own me.
Brooke Parker is a fierce lawyer who kicks ass and takes names. She works for Sterling Restaurants, a fast growing food and beverage company, as general counsel. Since she took the job, her business savvy mind has helped the company grow steadily. She lives and breathes her job and all the challenges that come with it.
Cade Morgan is one of Chicago’s top prosecutors. He used to have dreams of playing pro football once out of college but an unfortunate injury ended his football career. Now, as the assistant U.S. Attorney, he needs Brooke Parker’s help to take down a corrupt state senator. Which means he needs Brooke to plant a bug in one of her restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. To do this, Cade needs to convince Brooke to help the FBI out. Brooke eventually agrees, but only after Cade is smoothly manipulated into returning her the favor someday. And when something happens at Brooke’s company, she had no problem calling in that favor.
Cade made me purr with his charming and confident personality, successful career, and uber sexy body. And he cooks! I love a man who cooks. But Cade is not perfect. He’s been told by the women he’s dated in the past that he’s ‘emotionally unavailable'--one of his hang ups from being abandoned by his father at a young age. But when Cade is stopped short by someone showing up unexpectedly in his life, he has to figure out how to move on from his issues with his father to make things right with this person. To add more confusion to his life, he has met his match in Brooke. This woman makes his head spin with lust. She drives him crazy and he’s totally smitten with her. For the first time in his life, he feels like he’s lost control over his emotions because of this woman. And, eventually, the perfectly constructed walls of his life start to crumble.
Brooke is definitely my kind of gal, one that drinks beer and loves baseball. She’s whip smart, sassy, driven, and very successful. But, because she is so career driven, she’s had issues with dating in the past. Her former boyfriend accused her of not being a ‘big picture girl.’ He basically called her out by telling her she’s not the type of woman who would slow down long enough to settle down with a family. Brooke knows this, and it hurts, but at the same time, she grew up feeling like she needs to be the best at everything. To say she’s an over-achiever is putting it mildly. And dating always comes last where her career is concerned. So when she meets Cade, imagine her surprise when she finds the infuriating, cocky, gorgeous lawyer irresistible and impossible to ignore.
I loved watching these two throw barbs back and forth. It was definitely love at first verbal quip. And let me tell you, the verbal sparring and sarcastic banter was SO entertaining. I was seriously doubled over laughing. And the way Brooke called Cade out on his crap made me hoot and holler ‘you go girl.’ Check out this scene and tell me it’s not hilarious.
“This is quite impressive,” she said.
So she’d noticed. Good. “It’s no trouble,” he said with a wink.
He took a bite of his omelet. Brook dug in herself, chewing thoughtfully. “Let me ask you something. Do you tailor the breakfast to the woman you’ve just spent the night with, or is it always a Denver omelet?”
Cade paused midchew.
Oh, shit.
Continuing on before he could answer, Brooke picked up her coffee cup and cradled it in both her hands. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a Denver omelet as much as the next girl. But I’m curious whether that’s your thing, or if you try to change up the routine depending on the specific woman. You know…like, green pepper because I have green eyes, ham because I’m so funny, and onions for the tears you’ll shed after I leave.”
Oh, SNAP. Take that Mr. Morgan. I love that scene. I also love Denver omelets and would let Cade fix me one anytime. *wink*
This couple is fabulously fun and it was sexy to watch as they knock heads and then knock boots in the bedroom. And, oh, my word…the heat in the bedroom is sizzling HAWT. These two have some scrumptious, scorching hot chemistry.
When feelings begin to develop between these two, they both realize they are so far out of their element and have no idea how to act upon these feelings. I loved seeing two very confident people, with successful careers, fumble at love. They definitely make some mistakes in the process, but seeing them slowly come together and figure things out as they bumble through the unknown, was beautiful and very realistic. This was definitely not insta-love, which I appreciate. And when love creeps up on them, I loved seeing this power couple come unraveled by their feelings.
So many things tied this story together nicely. Not only was there great banter and awesome chemistry, but the secondary characters added a lot of fun to the story. I absolutely adored Ford, Brooke’s best friend from childhood. I hope to see a story with him. I also loved Cade’s FBI buddies, who are hilarious and add a great bro-mance to the story. And then we have the unexpected bombshell that's dropped into Cade’s lap. That part of the story really tugged at my heartstrings.
Julie James has created an extremely well-constructed storyline. Her writing flows smoothly. It’s flawless, delightful, and never dull with all the witty moments. I devoured this book. I sat in my bed while reading this story kicking my feet excitedly with a big goofy grin on my face the entire time. Do yourself a favor and meet Cade and Brooke. They are a deliciously sexy and fun couple!
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