By Julie James. FBI #3. Grade: B+
The numerous reviews on this website are testament to the fact that while I love contemporary romance novels, their writers leave something to be desired. Aside from SEP and Crusie, there are very few others who have NOT confused lust with HEA, and sex scenes with romance. Julie James is one of them. I have loved all of her books and About That Night was one of my most anticipated novels of 2012.
I had very high hopes with this one. With every novel she released, my respect for her writing grew and I was sure ATN was going to top even my all-time-favourite Something About You. There is no better way of saying it, so I’ll lay it down: it didn’t. No, not even close.
HE’S PLAYING GAMES.
Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face-to-face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she’s stunned. More troubling to the beautiful assistant U.S. attorney is that she’s still wildly attracted to him.
Image may be NSFW.
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BUT SHE’S MAKING THE RULES.Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn’t thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case—but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can’t say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn’t mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won’t give up on something he wants—and what he wants is the one woman he’s never forgotten…
We first met in Nick and Jordan’s story, A Lot Like Love as Jordan’s computer geek brother who is thrown into prison for hacking into Twitter and shutting it down when his girlfriend broke up with him on the micro-blogging website by posting a video of herself in the hot tub with a movie star (I lost my heart there and then).
Because the U.S. Attorney office of Chicago was run by an asshole at that time, they decided to go for Kyle just because he was a rich heir. They labelled him the “Twitter Terrorist” and basically used him to get some free publicity. But his eighteen months’ sentence is cut short by the events in A Lot Like Love, and when Kyle comes out of prison, there is no love lost between him and the U.S. Attorney’s office.
AUSA (Assistant U.S. Attorney) Cade Morgan was the front-runner who slung so much mud on Kyle, but when the time comes for him to stand in front of the court for his release, instead of Cade, Rylann (Ri-linn) makes an appearance. Now, Kyle and Rylann have history. They met nine years ago in a bar and were instantly smitten. They had planned to meet for a date the next day, but Kyle’s mother died and he moved to Chicago to help his father handle the business. So when they meet again, there are definitely sparks flying.
When Kyle is released, it looks like their professional association has come to an end, but another case crops up where Kyle is a witness and Rylann is the prosecuting attorney. An ex-con and a good-girl prosecuting attorneys don’t mix well, or so they tell themselves. The minute the coast is clear and there are no work conflicts, they stop denying the attraction. Their scenes together are just – HOT. Julie James’ hottest yet, actually.
The first half of the book has their half-hour meeting in the bar and covers Kyle’s relationship with Daniela (the infamous ex), Rylann’s relationship with her ex, her work, his work, his mother’s death and how he dealt with it, how he got thrown into prison and how he was released, and more of Rylann’s work. As you might have guessed, their jobs are not pieces of background info, but a means for Miss James to reveal things of significance about who her characters are.
Kyle is a good, intelligent man, who doesn’t come off as an arrogant asshole. He knows he has done a stupid thing, and he faces the consequences with head held high. He knows that there will be people who high-five him or insult him. He takes that as a matter-of-fact.
While all of this made for interesting reading and was replete with the author’s characteristic saucy banter and snazzy writing, there were times I wondered when the romance would begin.
Sitting eight rows back, Kyle watched as two men wearing standard issue government suits – clearly FBI agents – boarded the plane and handed over a document to the pilot.
“Yep, that would be me,” Kyle said, grabbing his backpack from underneath the seat in front of him.
The elderly Hispanic man sitting next to him lowered his voice to a whisper. “Drugs?”
“Twitter,” Kyle whispered back.
The best friend banter and the family banter was hilarious to read. Jack and Nick’s cameo was also lovely.
Slowly, the romance picks up. At first, it was supposed to be a one night stand (I hate relationships that begin with them, call me old fashioned) because of their less than stellar previous attempts at relationships. But both can’t get enough of each other, and so they start dating. Much of it is done in secret, though, because Rylann is new to the Chicago office and trying to make a good impression, which will be questioned if she is found dating an ex-con.
Okay, whatever. Maybe he was trying to impress Rylann a little. “You don’t think it’s too much? Like I’m trying too hard?”
Jordan put her hand over her heart again. “Oh. It’s like watching Bambi take his first steps.”
I thought the sexual tension was barely explored. The conflict was weak, and they fell into bed pretty quickly in their relationship (but after more than midway through the book). Unlike the previous books, it failed to keep me on tenterhooks, maybe because of the lack of suspense surrounding the leading lady…or I don’t know. I can’t pin-point exactly what it is it that I didn’t like in this book. It is a good, solid read but not the kind that makes you want to come back to it again and again.
I enjoyed it but I enjoyed the previous ones more.
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