Holly‘s review of Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

WHEN IT COMES TO THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION . . .

Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson are lawyers who know the meaning of objection. A feminist to the bone, Payton has fought hard to succeed in a profession dominated by men. Born wealthy, privileged, and cocky, J.D. has fought hard to ignore her. Face to face, they’re perfectly civil. They have to be. For eight years they’ve kept a safe distance and tolerated each other as co-workers for one reason only: to make partner at the firm.

. . . THERE ARE NO RULES.

But all bets are off when they’re asked to join forces on a major case. At first apprehensive, they begin to appreciate each other’s dedication to the law—and the sparks between them quickly turn into attraction. But the increasingly hot connection doesn’t last long when they discover that only one of them will be named partner. Now it’s an all out war. And the battle between the sexes is bound to make these lawyers hot under the collar . . .

Practice Makes Perfect is the second release by Julie James. I found it to be very well done, though I think it has more depth and emotion than her debut release, Just the Sexist Man Alive. It also had many more laugh out loud moments.

Payton and J.D. have been rivals for the 8 years they’ve been working together. They maintain a polite professional facade in front of others, but in private they do everything they can to one-up each other. When they’re asked to work on bringing a new client in together, they tentatively put aside their differences to make things work. Until word comes down that there’s only one spot available for partner. Which means that their competition just turned very real. With the firms “up or out” policy, one of them will be a partner at the end of the month and the other will be without a job.

But unexpectedly (or maybe not so much?), their rivalry turns into sexual tension. Though they both try to deny it, it isn’t long before they realize more is at stake than just the firm’s partnership.

To use the phrase “opposites attract” is a complete understatement in this case. Payton and J.D. couldn’t have been more different, and yet it was obvious right from the beginning that they shared serious chemistry. Payton was an excellent heroine. She had strength, purpose and confidence. Her quips and barbs were hilarious and I loved how she reacted under pressure. When her antics with J.D. result in a humiliating scene in the courtroom for her she handles it with aplomb. I was seriously impressed – and highly amused – over how things were handled by her throughout the book.

I really enjoyed J.D.’s character, but I felt there were times he crossed the line in some of his interactions with Payton. He was always sorry afterward and apologized directly to her, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Payton definitely gave as good as she got, but there seemed to be an invisible line she wouldn’t cross that J.D. had no problem stepping over. Especially his big revelation at the end. That was just..wrong.

As I said, though, Payton gave as good as she got. Despite the fact that J.D. pushed a little too hard now and again, she definitely held her own against him. She didn’t let his attitude bother her. I really liked how she stood up to him, often boxing him in and making him realize he was wrong. She was a strong heroine without being obnoxious or pushing.

There was a lot of humor laced throughout the novel. Payton’s mishap in court that I alluded to above, conversations she and J.D. have, a talk J.D.’s best friend, Tyler, has with him about Pride and Prejudice. That has to be my favorite scene in the entire book:

“Oh, right, P and P,” J.D. said. “You know, Tyler, you might want to pick your balls up – I think they just fell right off when you said that.

Up front, the cab driver let out a good snicker.

Tyler shook his head. “Laugh if you want, but let me tell you something: women go crazy for that book. And even crazier for men who have read it. If I plan to bring a girl back to my place, I might just so happen to leave a copy of it sitting out on my coffee table and, let’s just say, hijinks frequently ensue. And you know what? It’s not a bad bit of storytelling. I like to put on a nice pot of Earl Grey tea, maybe a slice of almond biscotti, and – yeah, that’s fine, keep right on laughing, buddy, but I bet I’ve gotten laid more recently than you.”

“Hey- not that I’m not thoroughly amused at the thought of your little tea cozy and you wrapped up in a blanket reading your book – “

“I didn’t say there was a blanket.” Tyler paused. “Fine. Sometimes there may be a blanket.”

Hilarious. As I mentioned in my review of Just the Sexiest Man Alive, James really writes friendships well. I was glad to see Tyler and J.D. had a normal, healthy male relationship. It reminded me quite a bit of the relationship my husband has with his best friend. Sometimes tough, sometimes sweet, sometimes more like a girl relationship than not. She nailed it.

Besides my issue with some of the things J.D. said/did, I was also frustrated by the way his issues with his father were brushed aside at the end. He has major hang-ups throughout but at the end they just kind of disappeared. Although the resolution at the end of the novel was one I saw coming a mile away, the way it came about seemed rushed to me. I kind of wish there had been just a bit more at the end. These are small issues, however, and didn’t really ruin my reading enjoyment.

Once again James has written a fun, fast-paced, sexy read. She really excels at writing excellent dialogue and interesting characters. Highly recommend.

4 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

**Contest Alert**We have three copies of this to giveaway (aside from the three signed copies Julie is offering). Leave a comment on this post telling me why you want to read this book by 11:59 p.m. tomorrow – Saturday, Feb. 28th – and I’ll enter your name in the drawing.