Just the Sexiest Man Alive (Berkley Sensation)

This story is a contemporary romance, there is no graphic sex. However there is intense foreplay, which comes in the form of verbal sparring between the heroine and hero, I have to say the erotic sex I've become accustomed to in the majority of my romance reading these days wasn't missed in the least. The narrative of this story is extremely fast paced and the dialogue, which drips sarcasm, had me hooting with laughter. Just the Sexiest Man Alive Chicago litigation lawyer Taylor Donovan has been sent to Los Angeles to defend a company being brought to trial on charges of workplace sexual harassment. It is a very important case for the firm. Taylor is brilliant, driven, a total professional who has never lost a case, and mapped out her career and climb to a partnership within two years. The other thing about Taylor Donovan is she loves her job, she thrives during the thrust and spar verbal dynamic of the courtroom. She also knows how to be diplomatic when the occasion warrants it, cool, calm and collected. The best way to describe Taylor? A weapon... Taylor has a history of being jilted by her womanizing ex fiancée Daniel Lawry, who she finds in a, shall we say, compromising position with his 22 year old teaching assistant. She doesn't wallow in self-pity at finding Daniel cheating on her. She calls off the impending nuptials, has drinks with her best friends. And, because there is, "no crying in baseball", she picks herself up and moves on, her career being her total focus. When she comes home one evening to 2-dozen red roses from said ex fiancée I was worried that she would decide to call the jerk. However, Ms. James surprised me and when Taylor takes the flowers and does something very innovative with them, I LOVED her. Jason Andrews is drop dead gorgeous and Hollywood's biggest superstar, as in huge! He is beyond rich, has the world at his feet and is a known womanizer. Jason also has an ego the size of Mount Rushmore to go along with his good looks and fame. No one says no to Jason Andrews and he has an entourage who take care of his career down to the smallest detail. Jason has a staring role in a courtroom drama that is about to begin shooting. As part of the preparation for the role it is decided he needs to spend time with a lawyer who is experienced in litigation. The senior partner at the Los Angeles law firm where Taylor works is contacted. When Taylor is called into the office of her superior and given the assignment of coaching Jason Andrews for his movie, she is nearly driven to a state of apoplexy. However, she realizes regardless of the fact that this is a critical time in preparing for the sexual harassment case she is defending, she has no choice but to acquiesce to her boss' request. So an appointment is arranged and Taylor's calendar is cleared for an entire day so she can "coach" the "Sexiest Man Alive". On the day that Jason Andrews is to attend the law office to meet with Taylor, the whole place is abuzz waiting his

My only complaint with Julie James is her handling of sex scenes. I just don't like the odd choppy style 'then she was naughty in her apartment, in the foyer, inside the front door...' It would be better if she simply they kissed... then picked up afterwards. That complaint aside, this book is fabulous. It's everything I look for in a contemporary romance. GOOD characters I can root for, excellent supporting cast, details and scenes that make me smile and even laugh... yep. The tale of sexiest actor alive (Jason) vs attorney (Taylor) is one I'll enjoy again and again. I thought the balance of "LA life" and life as a serious lawyer was balanced and contrasted in interesting ways. The building of this relationship was awesome, and I only wish it had been longer so I could have read more! Two thumbs way up.

I read the first editorial review and "almost" clicked off to look at another book and I am glad I did not. If you are into vampires, murder or lots of sex..this is NOT the book for you. If you like contemporary romance books with a great story and lots of humor..THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! Publishers Weekly missed this book by a mile on their review. I loved this book so much that from now on if Publishers Weekly gives a book a bad review...I'm probably going to buy the book. This story is about Taylor Donovan, a lawyer that has moved to L.A. to cover a sexual harassment trial. Busy with the trial her boss asks her to also help Jason Andrews prepare for his upcoming film where he plays a lawyer. Jason blows off their first appointments and that gets him off on the wrong foot with her. Good looking and People's Sexiest Man, Jason is used to women falling over themselves for him not getting in the last word and walking away. It is a fun filled book from beginning to end. Jason't long time friend, Jeremy is a hoot in the book (a book with him would be good). In my opinion this book compairs to Susan Elizabeth Phillips books. I love her humor. I read where Julie's next book is also about lawyers. I was disappointed when I read the preview at the back of the book...I was thinking the new book would be lawyers from Taylor's law firm. Didn't want the story to end...(-:

Just the Sexiest Man Alive was so much fun to read! I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time! I love well written, engaging, realistic and witty contemporary romances and this book was fabulous! I had a smile on my face while reading and I didn't want the story of Taylor and Jason to end. I can't wait to read the next book by Julie James!

I've been a little leery of reading debut authors lately after one too many bad experiences, so I admit I did hesitate in picking up this book (even though I loved the cover and it kept drawing me back to it). Definitely a mistake on my part. Just the Sexiest Man Alive is one of the best debut novels I've read in a very long time! As a fan of virtually every sub-genre in romance, I found it surprisingly refreshing to have a light-hearted, sweet, romantic storyline without a vampire or serial killer in sight. Contemporary romance seems to be on a downward shift lately and authors are more frequently jumping onto the paranormal bandwagon (which I am a fan of, but every now and then you just want to pick up a nice boy-meets-girl story without a lot of subplots and angst involved). This book follows a somewhat simple premise, but puts a unique spin on it. Yes, boy-meets-girl, boy-ticks-off-girl, hate at first sight ensues, but the difference being that girl is a very successful lawyer and boy is "The Sexiest Man Alive" (three times over) and the biggest name in Hollywood. An unbelievable plot told in a very believable way. When Taylor Donovan finds out she is supposed to "coach" Hollywood playboy Jason Andrews for his new upcoming legal thriller that he's scheduled to film, she's initially star struck. But after a no-show (twice) on his part, she's not impressed when he saunters into the courtroom two days late and a dollar short. These two characters start their first scene off with a bang and the witty banter (especially during their first meeting) kept me turning the pages. There is sexual tension in nearly every scene - although actual consummation of said tension is very limited. I finished it in less than a day and actually found it hard to put down. If you're looking for a light contemporary romance, this is definitely a book I would recommend. If her next book is as good as this one, I've found a new autobuy author!