Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collections
Publication
Tantor Audio (2013), Edition: Unabridged Audiobook, Downloadable WMA/MP3 Audiofile, 9 hrs 23 mins
Description
Fiction. Literature. Romance. A former football star and one of Chicago's top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker's help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator's table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate-and he's not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that. A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney's office-even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there's a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees-until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bnickle
Julie James has continued her FBI/US Attorney series with the latest installment, Love Irresistibly.
Love Irresistibly almost feels as if it straddles two eras of romantic fiction: old school up front simple love story with here and now intelligence, humor, and realistic characterization. It is so
Brooke Morgan is an ambitious, successful in-house attorney for a restaurant and food-service corporation. She has been with the company from its humble beginnings, and has served in large part to making the company the prosperous powerhouse it is becoming. Cade Morgan, he of the former college football fame and now of the good-looking Assistant U.S. Attorney fame needs Brooke’s help in planting a bug at a restaurant table to aid in the ongoing investigation of a crooked state Senator and his unappealing habit of taking bribes for legislation. They meet, he flexes a little legal muscle to impress the girl, and she politely tells him to kiss her ass. He’s a goner.
There is so much to love on the construction of this story. First and foremost, the two characters completely worked. They are strong individuals, made strong by their pasts and the weight of mutual common sense and deep wells of integrity. I really liked these two people. The conflicts they face are realistic and I could connect to the issues that shaped who they both were. It was a huge plus for me that their “baggage”, while not magically dealt with, is addressed by each of them individually and not viewed as damage that only romance can cure. I liked that Brooke is so confident and self-sufficient, and that even within the dismal ending of her third relationship (it’s indicated that she’s not a “big-picture kind of a gal”) leaves her in a funk more about how unbalanced her life is than upset about losing a potential Mr. OK. By the same token, Cade is definitely The Job, but more out of a true instinct of right and wrong than for some deep-rooted need to succeed. Their relationship becomes structured more on mutual respect gifted with a major itch for each other than simply a need to slide tab A into slot B. It’s relatable and charming.
Second, I truly appreciated that this is a story of the development of two characters and not the story of an evil Senator and the investigation weighing on his head which forces him to hire a bunch of killers. As senators do. The senator angle was peripheral to the story, and served mainly as the meet cute. Julie James has my undying devotion for that alone. Cade’s background of having a father who chose to be absent and uninvolved makes Cade’s decisions as an adult all the more poignant and admirable. Again, a deft hand constructed this subplot and it is handled very well.
I love a story that shows camaraderie that makes you want to know the people involved, and the side-kicks here, some from past books and some obvious with bullseyes on them for future books, are engaging and fun. I love that one of Cade’s best friend is a woman. I love that Brooke’s best friends are men. The conversations with the friends are funny, insightful, and well written. Which leads to…
The humor. This book provided such deft and unexpected touches of humor that I found myself laughing out loud.
“I pulled out too late with her,” he said simply.
Vaughn nearly dropped his glass. “Oh fuck. Brooke’s
pregnant?”
“Whoa there. NO. Nobody’s pregnant. I meant that I pulled out of the relationship too late.”
“Oh.” Vaughn paused. “You know, you really might want to add that clarification next time.”
That particular conversation, and what follows it, makes me smile each time I read it.
Intimacy is dynamic in this story, and well written. Sex is written as, in turns, hot, frantic, mellow, languid, and funny. There’s a definite sense of fun, but you also get the feeling of discovery for these two. There is a sense that this is something so much more than the relationships they have had in the past, and it feeds a sense of calm, and a sense of discomfiture for both of them.
It’s definitely a shelf-keeper for me, and a rec to friends. Julie James has crafted a well thought out story that hinges completely on an appreciation of well devised characters and an almost casual pace to the evolution of the story of Brooke and Cade.
Love Irresistibly almost feels as if it straddles two eras of romantic fiction: old school up front simple love story with here and now intelligence, humor, and realistic characterization. It is so
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deceptively simple in its boy-meets-girl-girl-snarks-on-boy-boy-falls-deep story that you’re halfway through the book before you’re suddenly struck at how layered the characters are, and how strongly they stand as individually created personas.Brooke Morgan is an ambitious, successful in-house attorney for a restaurant and food-service corporation. She has been with the company from its humble beginnings, and has served in large part to making the company the prosperous powerhouse it is becoming. Cade Morgan, he of the former college football fame and now of the good-looking Assistant U.S. Attorney fame needs Brooke’s help in planting a bug at a restaurant table to aid in the ongoing investigation of a crooked state Senator and his unappealing habit of taking bribes for legislation. They meet, he flexes a little legal muscle to impress the girl, and she politely tells him to kiss her ass. He’s a goner.
There is so much to love on the construction of this story. First and foremost, the two characters completely worked. They are strong individuals, made strong by their pasts and the weight of mutual common sense and deep wells of integrity. I really liked these two people. The conflicts they face are realistic and I could connect to the issues that shaped who they both were. It was a huge plus for me that their “baggage”, while not magically dealt with, is addressed by each of them individually and not viewed as damage that only romance can cure. I liked that Brooke is so confident and self-sufficient, and that even within the dismal ending of her third relationship (it’s indicated that she’s not a “big-picture kind of a gal”) leaves her in a funk more about how unbalanced her life is than upset about losing a potential Mr. OK. By the same token, Cade is definitely The Job, but more out of a true instinct of right and wrong than for some deep-rooted need to succeed. Their relationship becomes structured more on mutual respect gifted with a major itch for each other than simply a need to slide tab A into slot B. It’s relatable and charming.
Second, I truly appreciated that this is a story of the development of two characters and not the story of an evil Senator and the investigation weighing on his head which forces him to hire a bunch of killers. As senators do. The senator angle was peripheral to the story, and served mainly as the meet cute. Julie James has my undying devotion for that alone. Cade’s background of having a father who chose to be absent and uninvolved makes Cade’s decisions as an adult all the more poignant and admirable. Again, a deft hand constructed this subplot and it is handled very well.
I love a story that shows camaraderie that makes you want to know the people involved, and the side-kicks here, some from past books and some obvious with bullseyes on them for future books, are engaging and fun. I love that one of Cade’s best friend is a woman. I love that Brooke’s best friends are men. The conversations with the friends are funny, insightful, and well written. Which leads to…
The humor. This book provided such deft and unexpected touches of humor that I found myself laughing out loud.
“I pulled out too late with her,” he said simply.
Vaughn nearly dropped his glass. “Oh fuck. Brooke’s
pregnant?”
“Whoa there. NO. Nobody’s pregnant. I meant that I pulled out of the relationship too late.”
“Oh.” Vaughn paused. “You know, you really might want to add that clarification next time.”
That particular conversation, and what follows it, makes me smile each time I read it.
Intimacy is dynamic in this story, and well written. Sex is written as, in turns, hot, frantic, mellow, languid, and funny. There’s a definite sense of fun, but you also get the feeling of discovery for these two. There is a sense that this is something so much more than the relationships they have had in the past, and it feeds a sense of calm, and a sense of discomfiture for both of them.
It’s definitely a shelf-keeper for me, and a rec to friends. Julie James has crafted a well thought out story that hinges completely on an appreciation of well devised characters and an almost casual pace to the evolution of the story of Brooke and Cade.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookBetch
The Score:
Plot: A-
Characters: A+
Sex: A
Sass: A+
Overall: A
I found this to be a fiery romance full of sass, wit, and charm. I haven’t read the previous books in James’ FBI/ US Attorney series, but based on this book and the other fascinating characters that were introduced, I think I might have to
Brooke was a firecracker of a general counsel with fabulous taste in shoes (from what I gather) and equally terrible taste in men. Cade became a college football star, in part to deal with the abandonment issues he acquired from his absentee father, and when an injury prevented him from going pro he became a star attorney. The heat crackled between these two from the beginning, and their back and forth banter made me laugh out loud several times. It was so refreshing to have a smart heroine and an equally smart hero, who can match each other intellectually and who both strove in their academic and career pursuits. They are excellent role models… not that any children should be reading this book
The chemistry sparkled, and James excellently crafted the steamy sex scenes. To illustrate my point:
“Have you thought about this?” he rasped. His eyes, dark with desire, held hers as he thrust.
“Yes.” No games right then. “I want it hard,” she breathed. It had been a long time since she’d felt this sexy and hot and good.”
Whew
This was a well-written book with an engaging plot and touching side stories. The only glitch I may have found was the mention of getting a corkscrew to open a bottle of champagne… pulling from my vast and intimate knowledge of champagne, one can not open it with a corkscrew… is there some mysterious brand of champagne I am missing? For some reason this only added to the charm of the story, and I can’t explain that.
At the heart of this story is the quest for realizing what makes us happy in life, and how to find balance. I would recommend this story to any lovers of contemporary romance, especially those with a quick wit and a love of wordplay.
Plot: A-
Characters: A+
Sex: A
Sass: A+
Overall: A
I found this to be a fiery romance full of sass, wit, and charm. I haven’t read the previous books in James’ FBI/ US Attorney series, but based on this book and the other fascinating characters that were introduced, I think I might have to
Show More
try the others out.Brooke was a firecracker of a general counsel with fabulous taste in shoes (from what I gather) and equally terrible taste in men. Cade became a college football star, in part to deal with the abandonment issues he acquired from his absentee father, and when an injury prevented him from going pro he became a star attorney. The heat crackled between these two from the beginning, and their back and forth banter made me laugh out loud several times. It was so refreshing to have a smart heroine and an equally smart hero, who can match each other intellectually and who both strove in their academic and career pursuits. They are excellent role models… not that any children should be reading this book
The chemistry sparkled, and James excellently crafted the steamy sex scenes. To illustrate my point:
“Have you thought about this?” he rasped. His eyes, dark with desire, held hers as he thrust.
“Yes.” No games right then. “I want it hard,” she breathed. It had been a long time since she’d felt this sexy and hot and good.”
Whew
This was a well-written book with an engaging plot and touching side stories. The only glitch I may have found was the mention of getting a corkscrew to open a bottle of champagne… pulling from my vast and intimate knowledge of champagne, one can not open it with a corkscrew… is there some mysterious brand of champagne I am missing? For some reason this only added to the charm of the story, and I can’t explain that.
At the heart of this story is the quest for realizing what makes us happy in life, and how to find balance. I would recommend this story to any lovers of contemporary romance, especially those with a quick wit and a love of wordplay.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Narshkite
Julie James writes romances I want to read. Her characters are grown-ups with grown-up problems. They are smart, educated, and ambitious. This book teams AUSA and former college football phenom (until he sustained a career-ending injury in the Rose Bowl) Cade Morgan with Brooke Parker, the in-house
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counsel of Chicago's premier restaurant group. After both have had relationships crumble when love interests tell them they are emotionally unavailable and work too much they agree to a no-strings relationship. I think we all know what happens next, but the road there is bumpy, emotional, sexy, and fun. I think there was too much going on here, and James did not go as deep into these characters as those in the other three installments of the FBI/US Attorney series that I have read, but still very good fun. Show Less
Awards
AAR Annual Reader Poll (2014)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-04-02
ISBN
1452691525 / 9781452691527