Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
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Synopsis:
Behind closed doors, they're laying down the law.
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 have kept a safe distance and tolerated each other as coworkers for one reason: 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. Though apprehensive at first, 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 does not 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.
“What I wanted to tell you,” he began deliberately, “was that you were wrong.”
Now there was a friggin’ surprise. Payton glared.
J.D. continued, more calm now, his voice steadier. “I mean, about what you told Tyler.”
His eyes met hers and held them.
“I would’ve done it for you in a heartbeat.”
Ahhhh sooooooo I LOOOVEEEDDDD THISSSSSSSS. I know I can say this for almost every book I read-shut up-but, when your iPad glows like a nightlight, you know your highlighting has reached an insane level. And it’s true-not one page-not one page-went by without me highlighting it and smiling as big as the Cheshire cat. It’s not by any stretch of the imagination that I thought I’d hate this-on the contrary, I figured I’d like it. But, in no way did I imagine I’d fall head over heels for this book and these two characters. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say they have taken a permanent residence in my heart.
Payton’s eyes quickly scanned her front room and kitchen, making sure they were presentable. Not that it mattered, because (a) it was The Shithead and (b) he wasn’t staying. Her apartment was her sanctuary, which meant 100 percent J.D.-free.
It’s no secret this is, on top of the summer months when work is in full swing, the busiest time of the year for me. The office is hurrying to finish the closing out of the year, holidays are among us, and, to top it all off, this year we are moving to an interim location while our new building is being built. Oh, and did I mention that happens in two days? Yeah, so, this review, I’m sure, is going to be cut short because I’m supposed to be packing. Whoops. But, the fact of the matter is, this book was way too perfect to let slide between my fingers. I REFUSE to not write a review for this one. Whether this is the second to last paragraph or not, I will finish this and post some of the AMAZING quotes I fell for in this one.
“Mr. Jameson. Whatever this is, I don’t have time for it. If you have questions about Payton’s attire this morning, I suggest you take a stroll on over to the courthouse and check it out for yourself. She’s in Judge Gendelman’s courtroom.”
J.D. nodded. Yes, yes fine, thank you. Nice attitude, by the way. Like boss, like secretary.
The source of most of the said quotes is none other than the impressive J.D.. Cocky, arrogant, gorgeous, infuriating, prestigious…..kind? J.D. and Payton have been at each other’s throats for eight years….eight years. They don’t even remember how it all started. Vying for a partnership at the firm where they are lawyers, both of them have put in countless hours to show their worth. Being the main two for this year’s Partnership choices, they believe they both have it in the bag-I mean, it’s the smallest pool they have to choose from to date, and they have both earned it.
J.D. heard the beep, signaling the end of the message, and he hung up the phone. He thought about what Payton had said-not so much her apology, which was questionably mediocre at best-but something else.
She thought about him while lying in bed.
Interesting.
Getting put together for the Gibson case, they are a little weary and a lot unhappy…but they are professionals and excellent at their job-they aren’t going to let something as small as working together hold them back from being professional and doing the job they’ve been asked to do. Besides, they only have a few weeks before the announcement for partners and things are beginning to look up….until their boss drops the bomb that this year things will be different. This year, they need older partners to balance everything out…meaning it’s Payton or J.D.. And there’s no longer the certainty for both of them anymore. Oh boy.
If anything, it was a good thing Payton was giving him the silent treatment. Ha-if that’s all it took, he should’ve been a rude bastard years ago. Maybe now he’d finally have some peace at work. No more pissed-off hair flips, no more covert you’re-such-a-wanker-J.D. glares, no more secret arguments in back hallways over feminist and right-wing agendas.
These were the things J.D. certainly would not miss.
Not at all.
What ensues is nothing less than they’ve dealt with for years-forget the sweet things he said about her at their pitch dinner with the clients. Forget the sincere tone of her voice when she boasted how J.D. was an amazing lawyer. Forget ALL of it. This is war…and only one person can come out the victor.
Having finished her assessment, Payton supposed that, if pressed, in that upper-crusty, Ralph Lauren-y, sweater-thrown-over the shoulders, have-you-met-my-polo-pony kind of way, J.D. was pretty damn good-looking.
I will admit that I was shocked at the level of love I had for this book. It was everything I didn’t expect and everything I could ever ask for. I fell hard for these two and their hateful (yet, let’s admit it, heated) banter and scorching looks. I fell for their rivalry, for their tentative friendship, the realization that one or both of them have used hate as a cover for how they have always felt for one another. And, most importantly, I fell for the unfairness of it all, the way they got screwed and how after all their hard work, it well and truly became a war between them because of the position they are put in.
J.D. glanced down at her hand, then up to meet her gaze. “What is it you really want to know, Payton?”
She asked him the question she had been asking herself for the past few days. “Why are you being so nice to me now?”
J.D. leaned forward in his chair. He gazed directly into her eyes, and Payton suddenly found herself wondering why it had taken him eight years to look at her that way.
“Because you’re letting me,” he said softly.
But when they begin to fall for one another (or, again, realize that they’ve always had fire for each other), the story took a turn where I could hardly breathe. The butterflies were a hazard to my health and the giddiness of it all almost choked me. It was a deadly combination and I am not likely to forget this one soon. I think the best books are the ones that are unexpected, and if someone had told me that this author was the mirror image of Lauren Layne, I’d have jumped on board long ago (shut up, Anna, I know). So, with this new discovery, I am smiling and so excited for the possibilities that have opened up by finding this author. Thank God for all my lovely friends….I applaud you for making this perilista very happy in the busiest season of the year. Thank you 🙂 .
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