For some reason I forgot to enter this in my database, back when I read it in April. Strange! Hopefully I’ll get the details right after this long delay. My only excuse is that I was in the middle of packing…
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James
(2009, Contemporary) 4/21/09
Grade: 4.5
Payton Kendall has worked hard, and now she’s on the verge of making partner at her law firm. The only obstacle? A sexual harrassment case and her personal nemesis – fellow lawyer J.D. Jameson, who’s had everything handed to him on a silver platter. But is she seeing truth when it comes to JD, or is she judging him just like he’s judged her?
A very clever and interesting book. I usually hate the “I hate you so we must secretly love each other” books, but this one makes it work – maybe because of the law firm backdrop. It made sense for these two to constantly be at odds. The hero and heroine are both very smart and dedicated and love their jobs, which is always refreshing to read about. The law firm background was very well done and believable. I found the “big misunderstanding” in the middle a little hard to believe, and that made the last third a bit slow, but the book came back at the end. (I was relieved that it didn’t end with one or the other having to give up their career dreams.) This wasn’t a perfect book, but I have to give it a little boost because it was unique, and I love a good contemporary (they’re so hard to find these days!)
Good romance contemporaries are so hard to find, especially if you’re not looking for a sex-fest or a romantic suspense. I wonder why? Some of the highest sellers in romance started out in contemporary – Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, etc. And when I go to the bookstore, those are the books I see people buying, even if they’re buying reprints. So why are there so few new single title contemporaries being published? Even Nora Roberts can’t write fast enough to satisfy the entire contemporary market.
Karen Wheless
Latest posts by Karen Wheless (see all)
- Love Irresistibly by Julie James - June 18, 2013
- Vacation Reading - June 17, 2013
- The Way Home by Megan Chance - June 1, 2013