FBI/US Attorney Series by Julie James

A Lot like Love by Julie James (Book 20
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For a second book in a series, the author did a good job of bringing new and unique characters and different issues to the story (money laundering, prison fights, etc), while still dragging in the past characters for short cameos.

The female lead owns a wine store, and I enjoyed the discussions about wine, which made drinking wine seem so much more exciting than I remember it being. The male lead, an undercover agent, had a rough around the edges vibe which was a nice contrast. This is definitely an opposites attract situation.

Book 56 in 2018

Pages: 274

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About That Night by Julie James  (Book 3)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm still enjoying this series, though this book is lighter on the criminal justice elements and heavier on the romance. Luckily, it has a very charming and amusing love interest, so I didn't mind at all.

Book 57 read in 2018

Pages: 284

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Love Irresistibly by Julie James (Book 4)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The most adorable thing in this book is the MC's bestie. He's amusing on so many levels, and they have a charming friendship.

This one is also shy on drama, crime, suspense, and mystery, but it's a sweet romance with smart characters. I like that they don't do stupid stuff just to suit the storyline, which happens so often in romance novels.

Book 60 read in 2018

Pages: 274

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It Happened One Wedding by Julie James  (Book 5)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is definitely an opposites attract story, with again, less criminal elements, despite the undercover jobs of the male MC, but again, I didn't mind one bit. Each new novel seemed to lean further away from the suspense/mystery/crime drama side and closer to the romance side, which I didn't mind one bit, considering Julie James is a captivating author. She draws you in quick, and once you invest in her characters, you'd watch them paint bedrooms, fold laundry, and blow dry their hair (all things I don't enjoy), just because you can't stand to look away.

Book 62 read in 2018

Pages: 304

Something About You by Julie James

Something About You by Julie James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wouldn't have picked this book up if Nicole hadn't recommended it to me. Based on how obsessed she was by everything written by this author, I knew I should give it a try.

While this isn't my typical read, I absolutely enjoyed every second of this--I'm not even sure how to genre it--criminal romance? That doesn't sound quite right. Romantic Crime Drama? It's in the Janet Evanovich realm of crime meets romance, but it's a bit more serious and emotional, where Evanovich leans harder towards zany and hilarious.

I immediately started book 2, which is what's important. This was such an easy, delightful read after some of the heavy and lengthy books I've read lately. It follows the formula I would expect for a criminal justice romance, which I like, because let's face it, it's a good formula. If you need proof, then I refer you back to the 80 billion seasons of CSI, Bones, Law & Order, Castle, etc.

I imagine I will likely devour everything by Julie James before proceeding back to my TBR, because she's has captured my attention. She makes everything about the story seem so smooth and easy, but the reality is writing a story is never those things. I like authors that have you so caught up in the story that you never stop to over-analyze anything, in terms of the writing or story structure. It means they've done their job well.

For those reasons, it gets 5 stars, even though I confess I'd be unlikely to reread this book, despite really enjoying it. The reality is that I can't reread them all anyway, and when it's a book I don't want to put down from start to finish, then it deserves all 5 stars.

Book 55 read in 2018

Pages: 307

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson  founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system.

Here he recounts many of the cases he worked on, and gives a devastating view of the criminal justice system in this country.



368 pages

"Titan in Chains" by Zoe Perdita

This was a story with a lot of potential that focused on two college students who happen to be moonlighting as superheroes on opposing teams.  Patrick Black is super smart, openly gay, and the adopted son of a billionaire vigilante whose raised him to take on the crime fighting persona called "Apprentice."  Calder King is the football team's quarterback with extraordinary strength and invulnerability and works for his mother's "Victory Squad" as "Titan."  Patrick's father and Calder's mother hate each other and blame the other for the crime wave hitting their city, but when the two young men end up as roommates at school, things get complicated.

Unfortunately, I wasn't really crazy about this book.  I felt like parts of the story were missing, especially at the beginning where it seemed to skim over some relevant facts.  For example, Calder was in some sort of accident and can't remember anything before the age of 15 but not many details were given about this important event.  There is a sequel, but I'm not sure that I have the patience to read it.  258 pages (Kindle edition).

Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Sebastian Rudd a lawyer who defends the people most lawyers won’t touch. A case of murder in a boxing cage, and someone is accused of murdering two girls. Another great Grisham novel.

Audio:  11 hrs. 20 min.

Print:  371 pages

"Fish in a Barrel" by Grace Tower

The subtitle of this disturbing book is "A True Story of Sexual Abuse in Therapy" and is the first person account of a woman under the power of an abusive therapist for 3 1/2 years.  In October of 1992, the author's adopted sons began biofeedback sessions with a therapist named Rick because they were having behavior and psychological problems.  Three months later, she herself began psychotherapy with Rick, and soon they were in his office up to seven times a week.  Already dealing with low self esteem and the need for approval, Rick manipulated Grace and her boys in many unethical and disturbing ways all the while draining her of money.  His abuse of Grace eventually became sexual.

About half of the book covers her and the boys' experiences as Rick's patients - how he first won them over to gain their trust, then betrayed that trust and abused them.  The second half covers Grace's realization of the harm he's done and her decisions to file criminal charges and sue him in civil court.  The book is quite riveting and allows the reader to see how a smart woman could be so easily manipulated in so many ways.  The best part was seeing Grace evolve from a sad, depressed, almost hopeless person into standing up for herself and her boys against their abuser.  This book is in our collection here.  278 pages.

Kickback by Robert B. Parker

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Teenagers are being sent to a juvenile state-owned facility for little or no crimes.  They have no lawyers and no way to stay out.  Lots of money is going into the facility, but no one knows whose pockets.  The kids must be helped and released.

Audio:  7 hrs. 10 min.
Print:  304 pages

Life or Death by Michael Robotham

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Audie Palmer spent 10 years in jail for robbery.  Seven million dollars went missing and the before his release, Audie vanishes.

Audio:  13 hrs. 56 min.
Print:  432 pages

"Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

I'd heard a lot about this book over the years but had never picked it up before now.  I've always found economics boring or incomprehensible, and some of the topics covered here were both (such as cheating in sumo wrestling!).  Lots of statistics were reported to back up the findings and could be a bit mind-numbing but there were some results that really surprised me, especially about teaching and child rearing.  The most interesting part dealt with the unusual names that African-Americans have given their children over the last couple of decades, why they do it, and the consequences for doing so.  Levitt is an economist, and Dubner is a journalist.  320 pages; about 6 hours on CD.

"County Almshouses and Jails of Missouri" by William T. Cross and Charlotte B. Forrester

Published in 1912, this sad little book is the text of a speech given by Cross, the secretary of the Missouri State Board of Charities and Corrections, at the state Nurses' Association's annual meeting on Oct. 16, 1912.  It describes what Forrester saw throughout the state when she visited county jails and almshouses (which housed the poor) and includes a few badly reproduced photographs of their inhabitants.  Some of the places were praised but most were poorly run and the people housed there terribly mistreated, especially the mentally ill.  Women and children were not always separated from the men, and rapes were not unusual.  Cross's racism is also in evidence by his insistence that non-whites be kept away from whites.  What a sad and depressing time in history.  23 pages, copyright 1912.