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Tantor Audio (2017), Edition: Unabridged Audiobook, Downloadable WMA/MP3 Audiofile, 12 hrs 17 mins
Description
Fiction. Literature. Romance. FBI agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd have a past. The former lawyer and cocky Army Ranger clashed during their training at Quantico and gladly went their separate ways after graduating from the Academy. Six years later, the last thing either of them expects is to be assigned to work as partners in a high-profile undercover sting. For both of them, being paired with a former rival couldn't come at a worse time. Recently divorced from a Hollywood producer and looking for a fresh start, Jessica is eager to prove herself at her new field office. And John is just one case away from his dream assignment to the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team. In order to nail a corrupt Florida politician, they'll have to find a way to work together-a task that becomes even trickier when they're forced to hole up at a romantic beachfront resort as part of the investigation. Suddenly, the heat behind their nonstop sparring threatens to make the job a whole lot more complicated . . .… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member msralways
I absolutely cannot pass on a second chance love story. This has everything: humour, angst, cuteness, a little action and, of course, sexy times. Haha.
Jessica and John worked great together and had some crazy good chemistry as well. Albeit a little predictable, this made me feel so good. Great read
Jessica and John worked great together and had some crazy good chemistry as well. Albeit a little predictable, this made me feel so good. Great read
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as always by Julie James. Show Less
LibraryThing member beckymmoe
OMG, absolutely loved. Julie James hasn't written anything I haven't liked, but this one? Blew all of the others out of the water! The dynamic between Jessica and John was fantastic, whether they were in their earlier antagonistic phase (or was it antagonistic? Poor John, LOL) or their reluctant
(I got a NetGalley copy, but actually listened to the audio from Audible because I love the narrator. She does a fantastic job every time--definitely worth the expense!)
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
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let's-make-the-best-of-this-op phase, or their OMG these two are setting the pages on fire phase, they are absolutely fantastic together. If you like romantic suspense that's high on the romance and snark and does a decent job with the suspense, you can't go wrong with Julie James!(I got a NetGalley copy, but actually listened to the audio from Audible because I love the narrator. She does a fantastic job every time--definitely worth the expense!)
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
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LibraryThing member nibbles_243
sweet love story where love is above life dreams. the things in life you realize you can do without for the chance at love.
LibraryThing member BooksForTheLiving
This was the first book by Julie James that I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. Jessica and John are two FBI agents who get assigned as partners for an undercover assignment. Twist is, they’ve met before, and they don’t have the rosiest of pasts.
They first met at the training academy for FBI
I loved how strong and capable Jessica was. She didn’t let the fact that she was a woman, and petite, stand in her way of becoming an agent —> a predominately male job. She did put her walls up during training as a protective measure, which definitely contributed to the tense relationship between her and John.
Speaking of John, what a great guy! I felt terrible for him at the beginning of the book when that very unfortunate encounter occurs. (Leaving it vague so I don’t spoil anything.) I could tell John was a good guy right from the start. Once he’s in the field with Jessica, and their feelings about each other start to change, he struggles with the agent vs the man side of himself. Wanting to protect Jessica, but also knowing she’s capable of protecting herself. I loved seeing that complexity in his character.
This book was heavy handed in FBI talk. Which was somewhat necessary for the reader to understand what was going on, but at times felt like over-explaining. I may have liked the book better if it focused more on their relationship than the case.
I particularly liked how it ended, and where Jessica and John ended up. It was nice that the typical gender roles was changed up. Overall it was an enjoyable and fun read!
I received an ARC from the publisher via the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others on Books For The Living.
They first met at the training academy for FBI
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agents. Even though they are both from Chicago, their competitive natures, and some misunderstandings, made them not so friendly towards each other. We get both sides of the story; one from Jessica’s perspective and the other from John’s. It was a great touch, and helped me understand both characters better. After training was over, they went their separate ways. Now it is six years later, and they find themselves at the same field office, assigned to the same undercover job as partners.I loved how strong and capable Jessica was. She didn’t let the fact that she was a woman, and petite, stand in her way of becoming an agent —> a predominately male job. She did put her walls up during training as a protective measure, which definitely contributed to the tense relationship between her and John.
Speaking of John, what a great guy! I felt terrible for him at the beginning of the book when that very unfortunate encounter occurs. (Leaving it vague so I don’t spoil anything.) I could tell John was a good guy right from the start. Once he’s in the field with Jessica, and their feelings about each other start to change, he struggles with the agent vs the man side of himself. Wanting to protect Jessica, but also knowing she’s capable of protecting herself. I loved seeing that complexity in his character.
This book was heavy handed in FBI talk. Which was somewhat necessary for the reader to understand what was going on, but at times felt like over-explaining. I may have liked the book better if it focused more on their relationship than the case.
I particularly liked how it ended, and where Jessica and John ended up. It was nice that the typical gender roles was changed up. Overall it was an enjoyable and fun read!
I received an ARC from the publisher via the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others on Books For The Living.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Lauren2013
The Thing About Love
4.5 Stars
FBI agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd have a history of animosity dating back to their time at Quantico as competitive trainees. Now, six years later, Jess and John are partnered on a high profile undercover sting. Can the former lawyer and ex-Army Ranger get over
It would seem that taking a long break from the series served me in good stead as the last couple of installments have been very entertaining, and this final book is the best overall.
Yes, it is even better than book one although there are many similarities between the two including the excellent love/hate relationship, incredible chemistry and minor suspense plot.
One noticeable aspect of this book is the amount of research James has invested both in terms of FBI regulations and undercover operations as well as in the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) selection and training processes. While this can seem overwhelming and excessive at times, it is all very interesting and adds depth and nuance to both Jessica and John's characters. It makes their interactions and dilemmas all the more believable.
The one minor irritant of the book is that John and Jess's cheating exes' never get their much-deserved comeuppances.
On a final note, it appears that I have read all of the books James has published. I wonder if she is taking a break ...
4.5 Stars
FBI agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd have a history of animosity dating back to their time at Quantico as competitive trainees. Now, six years later, Jess and John are partnered on a high profile undercover sting. Can the former lawyer and ex-Army Ranger get over
Show More
their differences long enough to catch a crook and fall in love?It would seem that taking a long break from the series served me in good stead as the last couple of installments have been very entertaining, and this final book is the best overall.
Yes, it is even better than book one although there are many similarities between the two including the excellent love/hate relationship, incredible chemistry and minor suspense plot.
One noticeable aspect of this book is the amount of research James has invested both in terms of FBI regulations and undercover operations as well as in the HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) selection and training processes. While this can seem overwhelming and excessive at times, it is all very interesting and adds depth and nuance to both Jessica and John's characters. It makes their interactions and dilemmas all the more believable.
The one minor irritant of the book is that John and Jess's cheating exes' never get their much-deserved comeuppances.
On a final note, it appears that I have read all of the books James has published. I wonder if she is taking a break ...
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LibraryThing member Aleveria
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
Every time I finish reading a Julie James book, I know I'm about to start the "James-shakes" while I wait for the next one. They're just that good. The good news is that this year is ripe with talented authors, so
If you're a fan of the first kiss, hoo boy is this the book for you. One of the best (but short) first kiss scenes I've ever read. I don't want to build it up into this big "thing," but it was tummy flipping goodness of the highest order.
Jessica and John are combustible from the very start, perfect hate-to-love characters. Ms. James even gives us some flashbacks from both POVs. And don't get me started on Jessica's first flashback... I was all like, "oh this is gooooo... WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?!" And then I waited until she laid the rest of the story on me and it all made sense - and I forgave her everything.
It was only their second week of training, and they’d been assigned to the same four-person team in a timed competition. So here she was, running up and down rocky terrain, slogging through mud, jumping over fences, and sloshing through cold, dirty creek water— all the while hoping that her stupid tampon wasn’t leaking since, for extra fun, she’d gotten her period that day— and the entire time, all she could hear was John’s deep, rich voice shouting at her.
Let’s go, Harlow!
Step it up, Harlow!
Grab the rope, Harlow!
Pick yourself up, Harlow! Now move, move, MOVE!
For Pete’s sake, she was perfectly aware that she was bringing up the rear on their team. Did the man really have to keep announcing it to the whole forest?
Needless to say, by the time they got to the cargo net, she’d been feeling a little testy.
“Maybe you’d rather just tie a rope around my waist and drag me the rest of the way?” Unfortunately, the sting of her sarcasm was lessened by the fact that she was panting so hard she barely got the words out.
Not even winded, John shrugged matter-of-factly. “I was going to suggest throwing you over my shoulder, but if bondage is your thing, Harlow, I’m fine with plan B.”
Ha ha, wasn’t he such a riot? She’d glared at him while climbing onto the cargo net. Try doing this with cramps, buddy, and then we’ll see who’s so tough. And then she’d dug even deeper to finish the course as strong as possible.
Yeah that's right, bantery goodness right there. I'm glad I have a huge TBR pile because I'm already jonesin' for the next Julie James book. 5 Solid Stars.
Every time I finish reading a Julie James book, I know I'm about to start the "James-shakes" while I wait for the next one. They're just that good. The good news is that this year is ripe with talented authors, so
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I have a lot of things to fill the void, but man.. The Thing About Love was great!If you're a fan of the first kiss, hoo boy is this the book for you. One of the best (but short) first kiss scenes I've ever read. I don't want to build it up into this big "thing," but it was tummy flipping goodness of the highest order.
Jessica and John are combustible from the very start, perfect hate-to-love characters. Ms. James even gives us some flashbacks from both POVs. And don't get me started on Jessica's first flashback... I was all like, "oh this is gooooo... WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?!" And then I waited until she laid the rest of the story on me and it all made sense - and I forgave her everything.
It was only their second week of training, and they’d been assigned to the same four-person team in a timed competition. So here she was, running up and down rocky terrain, slogging through mud, jumping over fences, and sloshing through cold, dirty creek water— all the while hoping that her stupid tampon wasn’t leaking since, for extra fun, she’d gotten her period that day— and the entire time, all she could hear was John’s deep, rich voice shouting at her.
Let’s go, Harlow!
Step it up, Harlow!
Grab the rope, Harlow!
Pick yourself up, Harlow! Now move, move, MOVE!
For Pete’s sake, she was perfectly aware that she was bringing up the rear on their team. Did the man really have to keep announcing it to the whole forest?
Needless to say, by the time they got to the cargo net, she’d been feeling a little testy.
“Maybe you’d rather just tie a rope around my waist and drag me the rest of the way?” Unfortunately, the sting of her sarcasm was lessened by the fact that she was panting so hard she barely got the words out.
Not even winded, John shrugged matter-of-factly. “I was going to suggest throwing you over my shoulder, but if bondage is your thing, Harlow, I’m fine with plan B.”
Ha ha, wasn’t he such a riot? She’d glared at him while climbing onto the cargo net. Try doing this with cramps, buddy, and then we’ll see who’s so tough. And then she’d dug even deeper to finish the course as strong as possible.
Yeah that's right, bantery goodness right there. I'm glad I have a huge TBR pile because I'm already jonesin' for the next Julie James book. 5 Solid Stars.
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LibraryThing member Okies
This is great entertainment for a long flight. And the characters remind one how much flying some people do in their jobs. At least, once upon a time.
Jessica Harlow meets John Shepherd at Quantico training school. But meet later when they have left other professions and joined the FBI. The hate to
I also enjoyed learning more about the life of an undercover FBI agent.
The audiobook is narrated by Karen White. She's great of course, but I could listen to the slow parts easily on 1 1/4 or even 1 1/2. It's a shame she narrates so many of the books I read, as my heart - or my psyche? - sinks when I hear the first few words and realise it's her distinctive voice, ONCE AGAIN.
Jessica Harlow meets John Shepherd at Quantico training school. But meet later when they have left other professions and joined the FBI. The hate to
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love trope at the centre of the story is so overwhelming it's a bit tedious, but apart from that it's a fun read.I also enjoyed learning more about the life of an undercover FBI agent.
The audiobook is narrated by Karen White. She's great of course, but I could listen to the slow parts easily on 1 1/4 or even 1 1/2. It's a shame she narrates so many of the books I read, as my heart - or my psyche? - sinks when I hear the first few words and realise it's her distinctive voice, ONCE AGAIN.
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Awards
NPR: Books We Love (2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-04-18
ISBN
1494523671 / 9781494523671