ARC Review: Suddenly One Summer by Julie James

I love all things Julie James. I’ve read all her books and thoroughly enjoyed them all. I’m definitely a fan and have come to expect certain things form her. One an excellent storyline. Two an equally excellent heroine. Three a hero to match and four a book I can’t put down. “Suddenly One Summer” met all the above and more.

So not to sound like a total fangirl I will say that many of her heroines are very similar. They are all very successful, gorgeous and strong. Which I love! I often find myself admiring her heroines and hoping to be like them one day when I grow up. Victoria Slade is all this and more. So Julie James did something a little different this time with Victoria. Her past heroines have had some type of commitment issue but with Victoria, I think, James made her more complex and fragile. When the story begins there were many serious and anxious moments. This was new for me. Both the hero and heroine have just gone through very serious and shocking events.

Our hero, Ford Dixon, is from a previous book, Love Irresistibly. He is Brooke’s childhood best friend. I was excited to see what James would do with him. I really liked Ford and I liked how James developed him. Ford and Victoria lock eyes across a crowded room. In typical James fashion, what seems to be a smooth and normal interaction quickly becomes something else.

Victoria doesn’t know that her neighbor is THAT guy from the bar. She only knows that her neighbor has women coming in and out of his place at all hours of the night. Before meeting him, she quickly develops an opinion about him. Ford is such a sweetheart. He is a smart, sophisticated sweet guy. He can’t understand why Victoria has developed a bad opinion when they haven’t really gotten to know each other. But Ford is no pushover so he gives what he gets.

Although Ford and Victoria each carry their own baggage, they quickly form a team when Victoria, a divorce attorney, offers to help Ford’s sister find her daughters father. As they begin to work together as undercover reporters they get to really know each other plus share some adventures together.

There are many reasons that James is one of my favorite contemporary authors. One of the many reasons is that her characters always have either the funniest scenes or the funniest lines. She is so great with getting her characters to trade barbs. Not to sound like a total fangirl, I would like to see James do something different. I thought there were some similarities from her most recent book, “It Happened One Wedding” ( the café scene is still one of my favorites). Having said that I can never put her books down. I loved learning about Ford’s job as an investigative reporter. I loved his sister and hope that she finds her happily ever after. If anyone has not read Julie James I strongly recommend her. Her romances are always filled with chemistry and very steamy scenes. The characters never disappoint. After each Julie James novel I always ask the same question: when is the next book? Can’t wait.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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