A Lot Like Love – Review
by Julie James
Category: Adult Contemporary Romance
Keywords: Contemporary, romance, FBI, undercover agents
Format: Mass market paperback, eBook
Source: Library
Synopsis:
Jordan Rhodes is invited to all of Chicago’s best parties, but there’s only one the FBI wants to crash. To get her brother out of jail, she agrees to take Agent McCall as her date. But when the mission gets botched, requiring their “relationship” to continue, it starts to feel less like an investigation-and a lot like something else.
Review:
This is the second book in James’s FBI series. I haven’t read any of the others and I don’t think you need to in order to enjoy this story. Nick McCall is your typical gruff FBI agent. A great undercover agent, Nick doesn’t “do” relationships. With a job that takes him away from home for months at a time, he keeps himself romantically unattached, with only brief flings to occupy his time when he is in town. He thinks he is taking an easy case when he agrees to supervise a colleague’s first undercover op posing as the date of Jordan Rhodes, heiress and wine shop owner, in order to gain access to a money laundering scheme. Unfortunately things don’t go as planned and it’s Nick who has to pose as the boyfriend of the sharp tongued blonde.
I really wasn’t expecting to like this one as much as I did. I am not a huge contemp reader but I had heard so many good things about Julie James that I decided to give A Lot Like Love a try when I saw it on my library Overdrive catalog. I am so glad I gave it a chance, too, because it was a really fun read. With great characters, funny dialogue and sizzling chemistry, A Lot Like Love is a fantastic read that will leave readers wanting more.
I am a huge fan of the love/hate relationship and Nick and Jordan definitely start off on the wrong foot. Their bantering mixed with sexual attraction makes for some great chemistry. My favorite part of the book was definitely the characters. On paper, both Nick and Jordan might seem cliche but they’re not. Nick is an alpha male that would make anyone swoon. I love that he has a don’t-fuck-with-me-face and isn’t afraid to use it. He’s strong and direct without being overpowering, with a great sarcastic sense of humor. I loved how close he was to his family and his conversations with his mother cracked me up. Jordan was a great character as well. Even though she’s technically an heiress, she’s had to work hard for what she has and she doesn’t take things for granted. I like that she doesn’t let Nick get away with crap and holds her own against his strong personality. And let’s not forget Jordan’s brother, Kyle, aka The Twitter Terrorist. He was hilarious and I am dying to read his book.
The story was fast paced and interesting. The plot itself wasn’t the most original. I could see what was going to happen a mile away but I didn’t really care. I was having so much fun just getting to know these characters that I was just happy to be along for the ride.
A fun, sexy read, A Lot Like Love is a must for fans of contemporary romances.
