Something About You
Author: Julie James
Publication Date: 3/2/10
Publisher: Berkeley

Blurb (GR):
Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends with a death. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago- and for nearly ruining his career.

Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it's no joke; the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes- and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension

Review:
I think I need to separate funny-romance-lover me from police-procedural-loving me. At first, I thought I'd be really into this one because it deals with the FBI and an assistant US Attorney. I did like it but I think I just read a lot of crime novels and I was like, "Why wouldn't the FBI have checked for that?" and "Oh man, he totally would've been reprimanded for something like that." The author definitely knows what she is talking about--especially once you look at her author blurb and realize that she is basically writing her life. (Whoa, if she has a real life Jack Pallas, I don't know why she'd ever leave the house. Zing!) I just hate reading about cops/FBI agents making stupid mistakes.

I liked the secondary characters in this one but I feel like they were one step above cliché. (the harried best friend getting married, the gay best friend, the cop partners) I think the best side characters in the whole novel were the two cops who had the night duty to watch over Cameron and they knew everything about her life--now THAT was pretty hilarious. The actual relationship between Cameron and Jack was entertaining but I didn't really buy it--it just went from hate to love way too quickly and we never actually saw them share any interests. They had tons of sexual attraction, sure, but it seemed like their relationship was based on attraction and then, to a lesser extent, respect for that person's professional choices and ethics. Not that the sexy scenes weren't hot. They were. I just want my romance characters to share a little bit more about their lives.

I don't read a ton of romances; I mostly just follow Nora Roberts and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I ended up enjoying this book enough to add Julie James to my list of romance authors to follow...but I hope they don't all deal with crime/legal work.

Edit: Uh oh, it turns out they are all legal work-related romances. I just don't know.

The Perfect Neighbor (MacGregors, #11)
Author: Nora Roberts
Publication Date: 2/1/99
Publisher: Silhouette

Blurb (GR):
Brooding loner Preston McQuinn's new apartment, like his life, was just the way he wanted it -- dark and empty. But when sunny Cybil Campbell came barging into his well-ordered gloom, he couldn't deny a grudging fascination with his bright, bubbly neighbor. And then she tried to hire him -- as her date! Preston thought he'd closed the door on love for good, so why was he suddenly longing to open up his heart to his incredibly perfect neighbor?

Review:
I discovered Nora Roberts' books my freshman year in college. Rather, my college roommate forced them on me and I devoured almost her entire catalog and still continue to do so. To this day, we have really great conversations that go something like this:

F: Oh! She is a MacGregor. Her mom was the woman with the broken-down car that married...
M: The recluse cartoonist in Maine! Right! But what about that piano one?
F: The piano player with the red-headed Stanislaski daughter?
M: Oh right, that's Waiting for Nick. Weren't the across the hall neighbors as well? I think I want to read the second Dream Trilogy book. The one about Kate...
F:...how the hell do you remember their names? I always get Honest Illusions, Hidden Secrets, Private Scandals, and Sweet Revenge mixed up. There was one about a talk show, the jewelry heist, the magicians in New Orleans...oh! and the one where...

Anyway, my point is that Nora Roberts has a lot of die-hard fans, both of us included. We can have discussions for eons about all the plots and characters of her books but is that why any of us come back to them over and over? Well, kind of. But mostly it is because of the feeling they give you. If you are in the mood to read a HEA book, Nora is a great go-to. Once you read enough of them, the plotlines seem formulaic--even the murder mysteries--but I will keep coming back for more. They are somewhat like reading an ice cream sundae but they have more meat to them (in terms of witty dialogue, humor, and that NR can actually weave a good story). Now I am thinking about a meaty ice cream sundae. Gross. Talk about a mixed metaphor.

I remembered particularly enjoying this book on prior read-throughs but I never reviewed most of the Noras I've read. (nor has anyone, as this book seems to have mostly one-liner reviews) So, perhaps a quick plot reminder is in order for people like me that read bazillions of NR books and need to remember which one this is:

Cybil Campbell is the daughter of Genvieve Grandeau and Grant Campbell, the artist and cartoonist who fell in love in The MacGregors: Alan & Grant. They are related to the MacGregor clan indirectly through Grant's sister Shelby, who marries Alan MacGregor (the politician son of THE MacGregor) in the same book. Whew, what a mouthful. In typical MacGregor fashion, THE MacGregor has dropped Preston McQuinn, a Pulitzer winning playwright and author across the hall in the same apartment building. Enter the brooding-reserved-once-burned-by-a-woman-now-scared-of-commitment man vs. the bubbly-super-friendly-always-thinking-of-others-before-herself woman romance storyline. SPOILER ALERT! They fall in love.

It wasn't as great as I remembered it being but not too many books are as amazing one the second or third time through. (don't draw and quarter me! I know lots of classics are rereadable!) We just had a discussion at book club about books that are a different experience each time you reread them due to changed life circumstances for the reader. Maybe that's what happened to me here. The female in this story is 24, super successful, and completely self-sufficient. Maybe I just feel a little embarrassed to say that she seemed to have it more together than I do at the moment so yeah, I think that tainted my read a little bit. I need to find a Nora book that has someone just a bit older in it for my #2 pick. (which is pretty much all of them)

This was a great pick to start off my 'Nothing But Nora' week with Vinaya and Maureen. I think we should make this a yearly thing!

Call Me Irresistible (Wynette, Texas, #6)
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published: 1/18/11
Publisher: William Morrow

Blurb (GR): R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year . . .

Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States.

Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.

One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.

But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't," Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all.

Review:
I had book club on Saturday and we talked about the different types of readers and how what you read affects your ratings and reviews on Goodreads. If you are a heavy enough GR user, you know who the people are in every group— It’s funny to read the reviews of romance books that primarily lit fic readers write. It’s also funny to read the reviews of, well, more complicated reads done by people who do not usually venture into those realms. That’s why I am a fan of Vinaya’s “comparative 5 stars” shelf…but not enough of a fan to go through all my books and change all my ratings. At least for me, there are some books that I rate 4 or 5 stars that might not get the same rating when compared to books in other genres but that definitely stand out amongst their direct competitors. However, there are obviously always those that will hold their own against even the most nitpicky readers. Anyway, I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips books. Compared to other books in her genre, she is consistent in her plotwork and writing. I know that I will laugh at her jokes, fall for several characters (not necessarily in a romantic sense, just that I root for them) and get some reassurances that I’ll be able to figure everything out in my life, like why I can never figure out a third item for lists I write.

This book might not appeal to those who haven’t read and enjoyed other SEP books, specifically Fancy Pants (Gah, that title, I know) and Lady Be Good. Her series books tend to be massively self-referential, which can be enjoyable if you remember all the characters and storylines from her other books but I think it might/probably would hinder the enjoyment of those who are unfamiliar with her earlier work. Characters also show up from Glitter Baby, What I Did For Love, and First Lady. Another point we discussed at book club was whether or not we enjoyed authors who set several books in the same world despite them not really being a series. (In case anyone is wondering, our book club pick was The Windup Girl, whose author has written several other stories in the same world.) Feelings ran the gamut from love to author laziness. In the case of romance series, I appreciate the little glimpses we get into the lives of characters after their particular romantic stories have been told, but sometimes I get sick of reading about the “couple that is still head over heels who are still having wild sex and have several perfect children and perfect lives.” (*cough*Nora Roberts *cough*)This book was a little too heavy on the "Look! Those other characters are still in love!" but I still loved reading about Ted and Meg falling for each other.

The story in Call Me Irresistible felt (maybe too) similar to Ain’t She Sweet. Main female character that people believe is too entitled? Check. Made to work at a job that might be considered beneath her but she scrapes by and maintains her dignity and honor? Check. And she is ridiculed and made to feel unwelcome by the townspeople? Check. While the male romantic interest is a guy whose life she arguably ruined? Check. He treats her like dirt? Check. Until they fall in love? Check. Uh oh.

But I gave it four stars! (on Goodreads' 5 star scale, 7/10 here) That’s right, and I am sticking to my guns. I don’t care that it wasn’t very original. All I care about is that when I laid in my bed to go to sleep and picked this book up, I didn’t put it down until it was done.