Sunday, May 9, 2010

REVIEW: Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James


ISBN 978-0-425-22420-5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
(c) October 2008, Berkley Sensation, Berkley Publishing Group

Rating: 4 stars

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

"Sly humor and witty conversation abound! Not to be missed!"

I've already read Practice Makes Perfect, so I have high expectations for this book. Which may be unfair, since each book should be judged according to its own merit.

Julie James delivered the same sly humor and witty conversation in this book, together with a gorgeous, sexy hero and a strong heroine with baggage of her own. For those who absolutely hated head-hopping, I'm sorry to say there are some of it here, but it wasn't a problem for me, as I wasn't confused by the sudden shifts. (Because I do hate head-hopping only when I become confused as to who did/said what.)

Taylor Donovan was sent to Los Angeles (from the Chicago office) to work on a certain case, and while she was there, she was asked by her boss to coach Jason Andrews who acted the part of a lawyer in his next film. The firm decided to grant Jason this favor because they hope to get his business, and because Taylor is angling for a partnership in the firm, she had no choice but to agree.

Jason Andrews is a sexy, highly-sought after actor, and because of this, he's arrogant and doesn't give a shit about anyone. Which is why, he callously disregarded the appointment his assistant had made with Taylor, for the reason that he wanted to go to Vegas with his friend. It was hard to like Jason at first because of his attitude, although he's probably not acting that much different from anyone who's in his position. When he finally deigned to make a visit to the courtroom where he heard his "trainer" was, he was captivated by her because she didn't grovel at his feet. She was refreshingly different from the other women in his life.

Taylor who lives by her brain and believes in being logical, has to take quite a leap of faith in love, given her past. She thought her ex-fiance had changed his womanizing ways, only to learn that he'd been cheating on her all along. She has the same fear with Jason, who is even a bigger womanizer than her ex-fiance. So, toward the end, though she made a leap of faith, it was a leap made on sustainable proof and evidence, as one would expect of a lawyer. Though she's likeable as a heroine, she didn't make that much an impression on me like Payton (Practice Makes Perfect).

I didn't like Jason at first, but this sentiment shifted as he showed a willingness to change his attitude and behavior due to his feelings for Taylor. I also like the moments of vulnerability that Jason exhibited toward the end, his uncertainty and hurt. Underneath all the glitter and flashy wealth, he is like any other man faced with the possibility of losing the only woman he ever loved.

Overall, the whole concept of a gorgeous, sexy, wealthy actor falling in love with a nobody lawyer (who's beautiful and hot!) from Chicago is thrilling and every woman's fantasy. I'm not a lawyer and I've never worked in a law firm, yet it took a lot of suspension of disbelief for me to believe that a senior associate the caliber of Taylor (who's up in line for a partnership) would be called on to coach Jason through his movie scenes for realism when she's in the middle of an important case, even if the firm is angling to get Jason's business, and when there could be other associates who could be called upon for the job. But once you get past that, the book's an enjoyable read.

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

4 comments:

Scorpio M. said...

Great review.

I read this book as if I were watching a romantic comedy. I laughed and smiled at all the pretty people. The banter was top-notch. I even enjoyed the secondary, sidekick characters.

In real life the possibility of this happening is probably slim but, like you, I didn't let it stop me from enjoying the ride.

This is my favorite of James' books so far.

Silver @ TRR said...

Hi, Scorpio! Have you read Practice Makes Perfect and Something About You? The 2nd one has great secondary characters too. Julie James is one contemporary author that I like.

Scorpio M. said...

Hi Silver, I have read PMP and liked it alot, I did feel that some of the pranks pulled between Peyton & JD were a bit juvenile but again, I read it like a rom-com and it was ok with me, I had fun reading it.

Sadly, "Something About You" fell flat for me. I know I am in the minority in this opinion but Cameron & Jack just didn't "zing" for me. The banter was more subdued - maybe because there was a suspense theme threaded in this plot - and although the love scenes were more detailed, I just did not connect to Cam & Jack as I did with her first two couples.

Silver @ TRR said...

Hi Scorpio, re Practice Makes Perfect, yeah, I had the same thought, but let it go, because well, we do and can act juvenile at times. LOL Esp when the other party knows how to touch our buttons.

Re Something About You, I guess to each his own. Maybe her next book will do it for you. :) But I didn't like the suspense thread. To tell you honestly, I skimmed/skipped over the parts of the villain because it's just not interesting to me. I felt it dragged down the pace of the book. But I liked the way Julie James portrayed Cam's friendship with Colin and Amy(? Forgot her name.) You can tell they're really best friends, unlike in some other books.

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