The Scarlet Corset: Julie James – Something About You

My intro to Julie James' work was her second novel, Practice Makes Perfect. I loved J.D. and Peyton's story and looked forward to reading more from the author. I've been meaning to read her debut novel, Just the Sexiest Man Alive, but somewhere along the way it got lost in the TBR pile shuffle. But soon, Ms. James' third novel was on the horizon and I picked it up and forgot all about the TBR pile - as they say, out of sight, out of mind. I started SAY on a Sunday afternoon but only got a couple chapters in before I experienced life interruptus and regrettably had to set it down. I didn't pick it back up until the following Saturday where I was up into the late hours reading all about Jack and Cameron. For me, who usually takes 2-3 weeks to finish a book, it was an excellent sign.

FATE HAS THROWN TWO SWORN ENEMIES. . .

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 in bloodshed. 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 nearly ruining his career…

. . .INTO EACH OTHER’S ARMS

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…

The book opens with the heroine, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde, unknowingly hearing a crime in the hotel room next to hers. It turns out a U.S. Senator is mixed up in the crime and with Cameron being the main witness, the FBI is brought in and thus we meet the hero, Special Agent Jack Pallas. These two worked together in the past and things were going pretty smoothly until something happened with a case, heated words were said, misunderstandings ensued and both parted ways thinking ill of the other. Now, with their paths crossing some 3 years later, there is still anger between the two but also the underlying attraction they never had a chance to explore. This provides for some seriously hot tension between the two main characters.

The dialogue in the book is very believable and most importantly relatable. Cameron joking around with some of the cops (Officer Man-Boy) or those on her protective watch telling stories about conversations they had with her. Then there's Jack's partner, Wilkins, as well as Cameron's two best friends, Collin and Amy, who also provide some comic relief. One part that made me laugh was when Wilkins is asked to look in Cameron's purse for her house keys.

He reached past Cameron and tossed her purse over the seat. “See if you can find her keys,” he told Wilkins.
“Are you kidding? What if she wakes up and sees me rummaging around in there? You don’t touch the purse. The purse is sacrosanct.”

I found it funny because there have been 3 separate occasions when a male friend or relative asked me for something and I told them it was in my purse and to go ahead and grab it from the side pocket or the inner zipper. They brought my purse to me every time, even if I was in another room and my purse was in the room they were in. I never thought it was a "thing" but it appears to be some unspoken guy code.:p

Another thing I enjoyed is the romance quirk that Ms. James puts into her books. I completely forgot to mention the one she uses in Practice Makes Perfect when I reviewed that book but it was one of my favorite parts. In PMP, some of the characters talked about the "grand gesture". I won't give away what the quirk is in SAY but it's another cute aspect of the author's writing.

Aside from the funny, is the sexy. The chemistry between Jack and Cameron is smokin' hot. One of my favorite scenes is the motorcycle scene.

Before they took off—since these could very possibly be her last words—she flipped up the helmet visor and leaned forward to speak over the bike’s engine. “Don’t do anything crazy. I’m the maid of honor in my friend Amy’s wedding, and she’ll kill me if I have to be wheeled down the aisle in a body cast. Plus I got these new four-inch heels just for the occasion and they will not go well with crutches.”
She flipped the visor down.
Jack spun around in his seat and flipped the visor back open. “Don’t worry—since it’s your first time, I’ll be extra gentle.” With a wink, he flipped the visor shut.
She flipped the visor back open. “Nice innuendo. Am I supposed to be charmed by—”
Jack reached around and cut her off by flipping the visor shut again. “Sorry, no more talking, it distracts the driver.”
From behind the helmet, Cameron clamped her mouth in frustration. If he killed them both on the stupid bike, it was really going to piss her off that she didn’t at least get the last word in.

They start out with some light and fun banter but soon things take a slightly different turn. You'll have to read the book to find out ;)

There are so many good things I could talk about but I'll go ahead and wrap it up with the other major part of the book, solving the crime. There were moments when the chapter changed to the criminal stuff and I wanted it to keep going with Jack and Cameron or the other characters. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like the suspense part of the book, it's just that the romance and humorous parts were very, very good. One thing about the suspense that I really liked was the fact that we, the readers, are shown early on who the criminal is and the plot is watching as the main characters try to figure it out. But overall, this was an excellent read and I look forward to reading book #4.

Speaking of book #4, there is an excerpt in the back of SAY but I did not read it. It's like putting chocolate in front of me and saying, "Sorry you can't eat it until next year". That's just plain cruel :D So…I won't read a word of the next book until I know the whole thing is available.

Final Grade: