The New York Times bestselling author of Suddenly One Summer blows the covers of two FBI agents who can’t hide who they are from each other… 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 … 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 an old 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 lot more complicated…
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After a very disappointing last effort (Suddenly One Summer) and a loooooooong wait for her next book, Julie James is back to her wonderful self with The Thing About Love. John and Jessica (yes, our hero and heroine even have normal names–there is not a “Brick, Dax, Lexi, Poppy, Brandi or Track” in sight) are former colleagues from an elite FBI training course. They are reunited six years later having each gone through a divorce and breakup and pick up just where they left off–snappy banter and sexual tension abound.
Like all of Julie’s books, we’re treated to REAL people with REAL backstories. Absent are the big brothers’ best friends, millionaire bosses and angst-y virgins. The dialog is fresh, smart and funny, the characters are well developed, the plot interesting and the sex is steamy.
Look, this is still a pretty predictable cheesy romance, but I enjoyed every minute. Fingers crossed we won’t have to wait as long for the next treat!
I really enjoyed this one! I thought John and Jessica’s witty banter and sarcastic quips whipped up an introspective, slow burning romance that was charged with sexual tension! The extensive job/case descriptions did seem to slow the romance aspect down occasionally, but it also managed to hightlight what would become strengths to John and Jessica’s relationship. I can’t wait to see who’s up next!
The romance part of this story will satisfy all those that love a good story of two talented, smart and hot people start out as annoyances to one another because of their perfectionist, competitive personalities. Jessica and John met years earlier in FBI training but fate brings them together temporarily in the Chicago FBI office for an undercover case.
This is a profession where female agents are uncommon and author Julie James makes note of that without making her character feel she always has to prove herself because she is a woman. Conversely, John is a character that respects and admires her skills so it was refreshing that Jessica wasn’t forever having to defend her femininity in the workplace even though she was sent on certain jobs only a female could do.
I don’t read many law enforcement themed stories so I was surprised how much I liked the overall corruption story as well as the background information about the FBI. I plan to read more books by this author.
Out of 5 stars, I give it a perfect 10!! I love Julie James books. There are intelligent, entertaining and romantic.
This book about two undercover FBI agents, John Shepard and Jessica Harlow is absolutely terrific! Their verbal sparring and inevitable romantic realtionship is so much fun especially, since they hold very serious and dangerous jobs.
I found myself feeling incredibly special being a part of their “behind the scenes” romance and to watch it develop and become more than John and Jessica expected. It is the kind of book that makes you feel really good and happy by the end.
This is an absolute must read!
I loved this book. Can’t wait for the next one
This one was great from beginning to end. John Sinclair and Jessica Harlow first meet at Quantico when they are training but now they are both in Chicago and paired as partners. This should be good. They have always been competitive but when working in close quarters all that passion has to go somewhere and there is a fine line between hate and love. This one was so good and I listened to it on audio and there was only a couple of FBI agents from the previous books who made cameos so no worries if you have not read others in this series.
Stellar FBI romance. Fully enjoyed this book because it’s heavy on FBI details and felt realistic. At no point does Julie James try to pull a Mission Impossible type scenario where her characters jump out of a plane onto a burning, broken crashing into the river below bridge. Jessica is a strong heroine, which I personally LOVE. And John is a genuinely good guy, never mind that he’s what I imagine is the equivalent of a rock star Ranger.
The Thing About Love starts out as a funny, enemies to lovers romance, but as the two Type A characters put aside their competitive urges and get to know each other, it turns into a sweet romance, and what could be difficult career choices end up not feeling so difficult at all. All of that goes on while Jessica and John team up as undercover agents.
I’d never read Julie James before, but I can definitely see why she’s so well-rated and has a large following. I’ll definitely read more from her.
This was my first Julie James read. She’s been on my list for awhile now. I wish that I had started her books earlier. With so much fluff out there, it was refreshing to read a book with so much heart. I loved the dynamic of these characters. Their interaction and the way Julie pens the tale is addictive to the reader. Not only that, but the subject matter is intriguing and makes the book un-put-downable. I love that we get into the mindset of how both Jessica and John perceive their time together in the academy. It’s so easy to see how each could be frustrated with the other. I loved watching them slowly opening up to each other and eventually laying certain cards on the table. While the ending wasn’t where I thought it might go, it was very apropos for their mindset. It’s true that not everyone is meant to do certain things despite abilities and mentality. It’s easy to see the research and dedication to characters on Julie’s part. The secondary characters were equally interesting and the interactions and dialog with them were fun and provided a certain level of insight. I wholly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more. I highly recommend not only this book, but also this author.
I just didn’t fall in love with the two main characters in this book.
Just a real good book, but I really like this author.
part-of-a-series, special-ops
The Thing About Love is part of a series. It is a stand alone book with interconnecting characters and can be read in any order. It is well written with good characters, humor, and a believable plot. IMO, this is somewhat different from the other books by Julie James. I wanted to read this book in one sitting but it didn’t happen. It moved a little slow to me and it just didn’t compare to the others but still a good read.
You will get a cocky hero, a heroine who takes no BS, no cliffhangers and a HEA.
I love everything she writes!
NPR gave it a good review so I decided to give it a try and they were right. I feel like it had good insight on how the FBI works also.
FBI agent Jessica Harlow has fought hard to find a place in her male dominated field, and even though she has found some success, she knows she still has a lot to prove. She is hoping that her new high-profile undercover sting assignment will give her the edge she needs to prove to her boss that she can handle whatever he throws at her, but the instant she meets her new partner she begins to have her doubts. Of all the people they could pair her with they chose the most annoying and stubborn one they could find… the unbelievably sexy and oh so cocky ex-Army ranger John Shepherd!
Ex-Army Ranger John Shepherd is on a mission to land himself a prestigious spot on the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, now all he needs to do is come out on the winning end of his new high-profile undercover sting assignment. He has rid his life of distractions, fine tuned his focus, and is ready to tackle this assignment head on… that is until he meets his new partner. When his former Quantico nemesis Jessica Harlow breezes through the door and he learns that they will be working side by side on this mission he just about loses it. She is the most infuriating woman he has ever met, and he is certain that there is no way he is going to be able to find common ground long enough with her to get the job done… or will he?
This was my first time reading a book by Ms. James, and I can say with complete certainty that it won’t be my last! I enjoyed everything about this book, the story line was plausible, suspenseful and engaging, and the characters came with a very realistic feel, you couldn’t help but connect to them! I really enjoyed reading John and Jessica’s story, their chemistry was electric, at times I swear you could literally feel the sexually charged sparks between them arcing off the pages. It was also refreshing to read a story with a strong and determined heroine who could hold her own against the alpha hero, Jessica had something to prove and she wasn’t about to buckle to John’s will!! Hands down one of the best first reads that I have settled down with in a long time!! Highly recommend!!
Loved the story line, kept you interested and looking vex the ending!!
Loved this book! The tension between the characters was great, it seemed realistic and fantastic writing, all her books are outstanding!
Wow! Heroine is a divorce attorney with abandonment issues which led to panic disorder—as she tries to always be in total control. With her friends, she’s very imaginative, articulate and fun.
Hero is an investigative reporter, super hunk, imaginative, articulate, and witty. See? They belong together, but can’t stand each other. Which makes for wonderful reading as, well, there’s going to be a happy ending, right?
Great book could of been longer though
I never miss a Julie James book. Every one of her books is great. I am hoping another one will be coming soon!
Love all the FBI/US Attorney series, especially because they can all be read as “stand-alone” stories.