Suddenly One Summer by Julie James

From the New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Wedding comes a novel about a man and a woman whose summer is about to get very, very hot... Divorce lawyer Victoria Slade has seen enough unhappy endings to swear off marriage forever. That doesn't mean she's opposed to casual dating—just not with her cocky new neighbor, who is as gorgeous and tempting as he is off-limits. But once she agrees to take on his sister's case, she's as determined to win as ever—even if that means teaming up with Ford... Investigative journalist Ford Dixon is bent on finding the man who got his sister pregnant and left her high and dry. He's willing to partner with Victoria, despite the fact that the beautiful brunette gets under his skin like no other woman. He might not be looking to settle down, but there's no denying the scorching attraction between them. Still, the more time he spends with Victoria, the more he realizes that the one woman as skeptical about love as he is might be the only woman he could really fall for... “If you need a great read to throw in your beach bag, make sure Suddenly One Summer is one of your choices.”—USA Today

Victoria Slade: Oh, I'm a classic Julie James' damsel-in-distress but really I'm a strong, capable, dedicated, witty, funny, sexy, smart and elegant woman. And I have mommy issues, I have panic disorder. Oh, and I think my neighbor is a jerk, but he's oh-so-hot and yummy! Definitely gonna bang him.

Ford Dixon: I'm good-looking, I'm smart, I work hard, I'm a chick-magnet. I have daddy issues. I think my neighbor sucks, but she's damn fine. Definitely gonna bang her.

Julie James uses familiar tropes but her characters and dialogue are so strong that the result usually rises above the herd of similar contemporary romance novels. Suddenly One Summer is no exception. You've got Ford, investigative journalist (and best friend of Brooke from Love Irresistibly), and Victoria, hotshot divorce lawyer. Victoria ends up as Ford's temporary next door neighbor after a traumatic break-in at her apartment. She thinks he's a promiscuous man-slut. He thinks she's an uptight judgmental bitch. But when they end up working together to help Ford's sister locate the father of her baby, they start to see each other differently.

I love the way James' heroines are always successful at their careers and are never asked to sacrifice professionally to get their happy ending. I also love the snappy dialogue and the tension between hero and heroine that is resolved in love scenes that are passionate but mercifully (to me, at least) brief.

Ford and Victoria are both relationship-averse, and they have valid reasons for their wariness - it's not just a case of “oh, I was dumped once and now I hate all women.” Even more amazingly, James shows Victoria in therapy to address the panic attack symptoms she has encountered as a result of the break-in, and the scenes with the therapist manage to be realistic, touching and often humorous too.

The subplot with Ford's sister takes some unexpected twists and turns, affecting Victoria and Ford's romance at several key points. Nicole doesn't bear much resemblance to James' typical ambitious career women heroines, but I wouldn't mind reading a future book that lets her find more of a happy ever after.

Another clear winner by the always entertaining Julie James.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.