Brie's Corner

Originally posted at Romance Around the CornerSource: a review copy was provided by the author and publisher through NetGalley.The first Julie James book I read was Practice Makes Perfect, and that experience was as close to love at first sight as it gets. Ever since then, I’ve been a fan of Ms. James’ books, and each new release has been anxiously awaited. There have been some bumps in the road, but I continue to thoroughly enjoy her books.Brooke Parker is the general counsel of a company that owns restaurants. U.S. Assistant Attorney Cade Morgan wants to use one of those restaurants to catch a dirty politician. He asks for her help, they catch the guy and they start a relationship. Sounds like I just spoiled the whole thing, right? Wrong! The catching of the bad guy is nothing but an elaborate meet-cute. Despite what the blurb says, this book is a straight Contemporary Romance, and there’s really no suspense subplot. Something I really appreciated.Love Irresistibly is the story of two people whose professional lives are highly successful, yet suddenly find themselves at a bit of a crossroads. And when unusual circumstanced bring them together, the relationship they develop force them to take a look at what they want, their future and maybe even realize that dreams and priorities can change.The book is also about family -- the one you get, the one you make with friends and lovers, and the one that unexpectedly shows up out of nowhere. And as I said before, it’s about growing up and adapting old dreams to new circumstances.I really liked Brooke and Cade, both individually and as a romantic couple. There was a lot of chemistry between them and tons of the fun banter usual in Ms. James’ books. But what I liked the most about them was that they truly respected and admired each other. These are powerful characters that are self-assured and comfortable in their own skins, and the dynamic of their relationship was that of equals and never a power struggle. This is why the ending feels like new take on a trite resolution that tends to make most readers --myself included-- quite mad. But Ms. James manages to pull it off by the sheer confidence her heroine exudes.Is this a 5-star read? No. I liked everything about it, and it’s one of the best books in the series, but the stories are getting formulaic. They certainly work, and I have tons of fun reading them. But these novels are a clear comfort zone, and what originally made Julie James one of the most refreshing voices in Contemporary Romance, becomes more familiar and old with each book. Lover Irresistibly deviated a bit from the norm, but is that enough to stop the books from blending in together? We’ll have to wait for the next book to find out.Criticisms aside, I highly recommend this book, as well as everything else Ms. James has written.