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Finished Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James. This is one of her contemporary romances. Also, take note that there are a few mild spoilers in this review.
After years of hard work, Payton Kendall is thisclose to making partner at her law firm, and she’s certainly not going to let J. D. Jameson get in her way. Payton and J. D. have been rivals for years, but they’re assigned a job to land a big client for their firm, so they’re forced to work together — as well as being told that only one of them is going to make partner. All of that ups the stakes and makes for a lot more competition, but it also ignites the sparks that have always sizzled between them. Soon, Payton and J. D. can’t decide what’s more important — making partner or being with each other …
James writes really fun, sexy contemporaries with lots of great, snappy dialogue. I enjoyed several things about this book, although it didn’t work for me quite as well as some of her other titles have.
I liked Payton a lot. She’s smart and sassy, and she and J. D. play off each other well. You both see how determined and competitive they are and how hard they’ve both worked to make partner. Their accidental and not-so-accidental attempts to sabotage each other at the beginning are truly funny, especially J. D.’s scheme to take out Payton through her shoes.
I liked J. D. too — until near the end of the book. In the beginning, Payton mentions that she always feels like her boss just doesn’t respect her quite as much as he does the other lawyers at the firm. Near the end, J. D. tells her why — because J. D. once told their boss that he slept with Payton, even though it wasn’t true (at the time). J. D. says that their boss caught him staring at Payton, and he just sort of blurted it out to cover up how much he was attracted to her — but then, J.D. never did anything to make it right. In fact, J. D. never tells their boss the truth, and it just seemed like a plot thread that didn’t really go anywhere or do anything other than keep Payton and J. D. apart for a little while longer.
Plus, you never get the answer to one of the main questions of the book — who made partner. I thought that James might play out that plot point that way, but I still would have liked to known who the firm picked. I think that would have made for a more interesting conflict that J. D. telling that lie about Payton.
Overall, this is a solid, engaging read. If you like contemporary romance, you should read James’s books.
My grade: C+
Would I read this author again: Yes. I always enjoy James’s books.
Memorable quote: “Payton rounded the corner, grinning in anticipation as she thought about what he would say when –
She stopped cold.
His office light was on.
But — how? This couldn’t be. She has gotten up at this ridiculous hour to get in first. What about her plans, her big plans? The casual stroll by the printer, the way she was supposed to smile knowingly and say, Good morning, J. D.?”
Finished Creed’s Honor by Linda Lael Miller. This is the second book in her Creed Cowboys contemporary western romance trilogy.
Tricia McCall plans on moving away from Lonesome Bend, Colorado, and back to Seattle just as soon as she sells the campground property that her father left her when he died. What she doesn’t count on is this strange, electric attraction that she feels for rancher Connor Creed — and why the thought of letting Connor get close to her scares her so much. Connor knows that Tricia wants to leave town, but he’s just as drawn to her as she is to him. But Connor has his own problems, including his strained relationship with his twin brother, Brody — one that just might come between him and Tricia when Brody makes an offer on her land …
I don’t know what I can say about Miller’s books that I haven’t said before — they’re just western comfort reads to me, full of likable characters, lovable pets, and beautiful descriptions of the rugged landscape. This book follows that same formula in an easy-to-read style.
However, I did have a problem with this book — the fact that there just isn’t that much romance in it. Connor and Tricia meet several times throughout the book, but their interactions are usually fairly brief and awkward. The book is really more about Tricia coming to terms with selling her dad’s property and what she wants to do with her life and Connor mending fences with Brody than the two of them falling in love. I just didn’t feel like there was enough interaction with Tricia and Connor to make me really believe in their love story.
Overall, this book didn’t work as well for me as some of Miller’s other titles have, but if you like westerns, you might want to give her books a try.
My grade: D+
Would I read this author again: Yes. I’m a sucker for westerns, and I want to finish the trilogy.
Memorable quote: “The day was cool and crisp, but the sun was climbing higher into a sky blue enough to make a man’s heart catch, and the aspen trees, lining the streets of Lonesome Bend and crowding the foothills all around it, were changing color. Splashes of bright crimson and gold, pale yellow and rust, and a million shades in between, blazed like fire everywhere he looked.”
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