CBR15 Book 16: "I Love You, I Hate You" by Elizabeth Davis

Page count: 288 pages

Rating: 4 stars

Official book description:

Of all the decisions brilliant lawyer Victoria Clemenceaux has made in her life, an unforgettable one-night stand with her opposing counsel Owen Pohl is either the worst...or the best.

One thing is certain: these long-standing rivals aren't going to let their searing attraction stop them from winning the biggest case of their careers. Thankfully Victoria and Owen have someone to vent to about their nemeses. But they have no idea that their online 'friends', Nora and Luke, are the very people they hate in real life.

As Nora and Luke grow closer online, and Victoria and Owen find their undeniable attraction harder to resist, the lines between love and hate blur. When the truth comes out, will their online chemistry work in the real world, or will their constant rivalry sever their connection?

I seem to find myself drawn to enemies-to-lovers romances with a You've Got Mail influence, despite the fact that I don't particularly like the romantic comedy much. I've mentioned in reviews before that I find the emotional infidelity that Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks' characters commit while flirting and falling in love online, while both are still in committed relationships, icky. However, most contemporary romances (be they YA or not) take the communicating with someone online and developing a friendship/attraction with someone they loathe in real life (but secretly want to bang) aspect, and thankfully most have the protagonists be single while this happens.

In some enemies-to-lovers romances, there isn't all that much enmity. One party perhaps kind of dislikes the other, but the other actually always found the other one attractive. Or there's been some sort of misunderstanding that gets cleared up pretty quickly. In this book, the protagonists really do despise each other, stemming from a long-running professional rivalry (he's a prosecutor working for the public good, and she's the defense attorney for a large, soulless corporation) and constantly trying to one-up one another in court. Little do they know that they're each other's closest confidantes online.

The friendship on social media aspect of this book, reminded me a lot of the online friendship between Bee and Levi in Ali Hazelwood's Love on the Brain. The actual hate-f**king aspect of the book (because Victoria and Owen REALLY still hate each other the first few times they hook up) was very reminiscent of Kate Canterbary's The Worst Guy. Because the dislike between the characters is so genuine, the author has to do more work to convince the reader that all that hate is actually just sublimated lust and longing. It's not an easy feat, but I think Elizabeth Davis managed it well here. The fact that this seems to have been her debut novel (Goodreads tells me she's written short stories in the past) makes it even more impressive. Her next romance features a fake relationship between seeming opposites, and while I'm less fond of that trope, I'd be willing to give her a chance based on how well she pulled off enemies to lovers in this book. 

Judging a book by its cover: Not exactly fond of either the pink and blue background here or the rest of the cover design. Also, the little cartoon that's supposed to be Owen should have had redder hair. 

Crossposted on Cannonball Read. 

#CBR5 Book 35. "Love Irresistibly" by Julie James

Page count: 304 pages
Rating: 4 stars

Brooke Parker has worked her way up from being a scholarship kid to working as General Counsel for one of the top restaurant chains in Chicago. She's proven to be extremely capable, but the job demands a lot of her time. So much so, that the hot doctor she's been dating, just dumped her, saying he never sees her, and it's like dating a guy. Pretty much the same story as with the last two guys. Having been dumped by three men in the last eighteen months makes her consider taking a relationship sabbatical.

Then assistant DA Cade Morgan walks into her office, needing her help to catch a dirty politician in the act. The DA's office and the FBI need to plant a microphone in one of the restaurants that Brooke's company owns, and she's the person who can make that happen. A former college football star and rising golden boy in the Chicago DA's office, Cade is used to attention. His last three girlfriends claimed he was emotionally unavailable, but he's not particularly bothered by his bachelor status. Sparks fly when he and Brooke face off against each other, and while they both try to deny the attraction, it doesn't take long before they're meeting for something more than business as well. Can two people who've been accused of working too much and sharing too little of themselves make it work?

What do you think? This is a romance novel. No one reads these for the surprise revelations. You read them for the meet cutes, the witty banter, the (if you're lucky) scorching smexy times and inevitable, yet satisfying happy ending. I mostly read historical romance, but Julie James is one of my exceptions when it comes to contemporaries. A former lawyer, James writes what she knows, her books all feature lawyers and/or the FBI agents who work along side these lawyers. Sometimes the books involve a secondary mystery/suspense plot too, but this one didn't. She writes one book a year, and is the only contemporary romance author on my auto-buy list.

The main story in this book, apart from Brooke and Cade banteringly discovering that they're perfect for each other and can't live apart any longer, is Brooke's slow realization that while she's happy with her professional achievements and where it has brought her, she's not ok with how much of her life her work is consuming. She barely has time for family and friends, let alone a relationship. While her friends claim her last three boyfriends were insensitive douches, she still suspects that there may be some truth in their accusations that she's too distant and focused on her job.

In addition to his high profile grand jury case to bring down the aforementioned corrupt senator, Cade has daddy issues, literally. Raised by a single mother, who was knocked up while still in high school, Cade only met his father once, when he was ten. Now a high school kid shows up in his office and announces that he's Cade's half brother. Having never suspected he had a sibling, Cade is reluctant at first, but also remembers the bitter rejection of his father never returning from the one visit, so agrees to spend some time with the kid, on condition that the boy not tell their father anything about it.

Cade and Brooke agree to keep their dating casual, but it doesn't take long before they're utterly besotted with each other. Julie James writes attractive and likable people, and as these two had some very good banter going, it was a fun ride to see them find their happy ending. The previous two books in this series were ok, but not up to the excellent quality of the first books of hers that I read, so it was a relief to see that she hadn't completely lost the magic.

One of the things that makes her books so enjoyable, is the cast of extremely sympathetic supporting characters that she surrounds her protagonists with. Cade's best friends are two of the FBI agents he works closely with, and Booke has Ford, her best friend since childhood, and his two flatmates. There are also appearances by characters from earlier books, which is a nice touch. New readers won't be bothered by it or care, but for recurring readers, it's nice to see a bit of what happens after their HEAs. The fact that her characters can have close friends of the opposite sex that they're not in any way sexually interested in is also a great feature, as I don't really subscribe to the When Harry Met Sally theory that men and women can't be just friends.

CBR4 Book 35: "About That Night" by Julie James

Page count: 304 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Date begun: April 3rd, 2012
Date finished: April 3rd, 2012

This is the third book in a series, but works fine without any previous knowledge of the preceding books.

Kyle Rhodes is the brilliant computer programmer son of IT billionaire Gray Rhodes. When his supermodel girlfriend cheats on him very publicly with a movie star and dumps him on Twitter, Kyle gets monstrously drunk, and hacks into Twitter determined to remove all traces of the video the model posted, not to mention the humiliating break-up message. He goes a wee bit further as well, and shuts down Twitter for 48 hours, then absconds to Mexico. Upon his return to the US, he's arrested, labelled an online terrorist, and sentenced to 11 months in prison. He's released after four months, thanks to a deal his twin sister makes with the FBI (see A Lot Like Love).

Assistant District Attorney Rylann Pierce has recently moved back to Chicago after ending a seven year relationship (She thought he was about to propose, he wanted them to move to Rome). Nine years ago, while still at college, she and Kyle Rhodes met in a bar and shared some witty banter, and a sizzling kiss after Kyle walked her home. They were supposed to go on a date the next evening, but Kyle's mother was killed in a car accident, so they never saw each other again. Until they face each other in the courtroom, where Rylann has to finalise the DA Office's deal, and release Kyle from prison.

Having been forever stamped as the "Twitter Terrorist", Kyle is naturally not on the best terms with the Chicago DA's Office. Yet he too remembers the night nine years ago, and when Rylann approaches him a few days after his release, needing him as a witness in a murder case she's prosecuting, he's unable to refuse. Especially if it means spending more time with her, even though their conversations are mostly strictly professional. As the new girl in the Chicago office, Rylann is determined not to screw up, and she certainly won't risk her reputation by dating a witness in a case she's prosecuting. But what happens once the case is over? Can she resist Kyle Rhodes' manifold charms? Will they finish what they started one night nearly a decade ago?

I don't read a lot of contemporary romance (I'm a sucker for history, me), but Julie James has written several that I greatly enjoy, and one that I absolutely love. In her previous two books, as well as romance, there is a criminal case, and a fair bit of suspense. That is not the case in this book, and the main conflict (can Rylann get over the fact that Kyle is an ex-con - what will her colleagues and family say?) is a bit unengaging.

Kyle freely admits that he made a huge drunken mistake. The DA's Office admits that Kyle was given a much harsher sentence than he deserved, and that the "terrorist" moniker was grossly inappropriate. He's charming, handsome, generous and kind, not to mention a brilliant, wealthy businessman (not just because his Dad is rich - he made his own money). He shut down Twitter - he didn't destroy people's lives. I thought Rylann's reservations were a bit rubbish, but hey, girl comes round in the end. The previous two books in this series (dealing with Rylann's boss Cameron Lynde, and Kyle's twin sister Jordan, respectively) were better, but this still had enough witty banter, a very charming and sexy hero, and some very steamy love scenes. Not bad at all, but not up to the high quality I've come to expect from James either.

CBR22 Book 31: "Something About You" by Julie James

Publisher: Berkley
Page count: 336 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Date begun: March 3rd, 2010
Date finished: March 4th, 2010

Cameron Lynde is an Assistant D.A. in Chicago, and spends the night in a hotel while she has her hardwood floors redone. In the room next door, a couple appear to be having a marathon sex session, and as the walls are thin, she finally calls the management to have the situation dealt with. Just before hotel security arrive, she sees a man walking past her hotel room door and assumes the problem is solved. But her problems are just beginning. Hotel security finds a dead escort in the room, and the man she had the prolonged lovemaking with, is a married U.S senator. He is also, coincidentally, clearly not the man Cameron saw walking past her door.

Suddenly a key witness in a high-profile murder case, Cameron is less than thrilled to realize that the F.B.I agent in charge of investigating the case is Jack Pallas, the man who blames her for ruining his career three years earlier. He doesn't know that Cameron actually saved him from being fired, instead of just relocated, after he said some really unfortunate things about her on national TV. But even though he is furious to see her again, he is not about to let anything happen to his witness, and will do anything to make sure she is kept safe.

I don't tend to read a lot of contemporary romance, but had read several very glowing reviews of this on other review sites, and was so happy to discover that all told the truth - this book is greatly enjoyable, and feature a hero and a heroine who are both intelligent, reasonable, very good at their jobs and who communicate clearly and openly with each other. Their dialogue, from the first very tense scenes together, until the end, when their relationship has obviously changed, sparkles and is reminiscent of old-style romantic comedies.

The secondary characters are all great too, from Jack's younger partner, to the policemen on duty guarding Cameron, to her two best friends, one of whom just happens to be gay, but who's also a sports writer and blissfully un-stereotypical. There is no murder mystery, as it is revealed fairly early on who actually killed the victim, and why, and there is also, thankfully, no psycho internal monologue about the killer's motivations for the murder. Some of the reviews I read felt that the ending of the book dragged on a bit, but I didn't really mind, and will absolutely be looking out for more books by Julie James in the future.