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I’m generally not a big fan of books with legal backgrounds (sorry Mr. Grisham), but Practice Makes Perfect was a very enjoyable read. If Julie James keeps on writing in this vein, I may have to change my mind about the law.
Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson are both associates in a large law firm. They are both smart, hard working and bring in so many billable hours that one wonders if they sleep or eat at all. This year is crunch time for them since the firm is going to announce which associates are going to make partner and Payton and J.D. both want it.
There could not be two more opposite people than Payton and J.D. She was raised by a hippie mother who lives to protest The Man. Payton’s mother actually is a tad ashamed of her since Payton makes money (horrors!). Payton is a liberal feminist, but she isn’t shrill or doctrinaire – her best friend Laney is a conservative, and the two of them enjoy gently needling each other. J.D. is old-money, old-family and his father is a judge. He’s conservative, impatient with political correctness, but, unlike his parents, J.D. isn’t stuffy or snobbish, and deep down he admires Payton for her grit and intelligence.
The actual plot of this book is rather episodic and loose – at times even farcical. There’s one episode where Payton and J.D. pull pranks on each other that’s a bit over the top, but I did laugh anyway. Mostly it consists of incidents that force Payton and J.D. to work together and help each other. Slowly they begin to realize that despite their differences, they are more alike than they think. When Payton dates another man for a while, she really notices this. Chase is almost a male clone of her. He is a very, very nice guy – and she likes him – but he doesn’t fire her mind and heart like J.D. does.
I smiled a lot while reading Practice Makes Perfect and there were several times I laughed out loud. Just wait till you get to the part where a taxi driver explains why Earl Grey tea is a Sense and Sensibility drink. If you like contemporary romances but want to get away from the small town/sheriff/single mom/secret baby/SEAL formula, you will take this book to your hearts.
Grade: B
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 10/03/09
Publication Date: 2009
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.