Suddenly One Summer by Julie James

June 12th, 2015 Kimberly Review 68 Comments

12th Jun
Suddenly One Summer by Julie James
Suddenly One Summer
by Julie James
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

From the New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Wedding comes a novel about a man and a woman whose summer is about to get very, very steamy…Divorce lawyer Victoria Slade has seen enough unhappy endings to swear off marriage forever. That doesn't mean she's opposed to casual dating—just not with her cocky new neighbor, who is as gorgeous and tempting as he is off-limits. But once she agrees to take on his sister's case, she's as determined to win as ever—even if that means teaming up with Ford…Investigative journalist Ford Dixon is bent on finding the man who got his sister pregnant and left her high and dry. He's willing to partner with Victoria, despite the fact that the beautiful brunette gets under his skin like no other woman. He might not be looking to settle down, but there's no denying the scorching attraction between them. Still, the more time he spends with Victoria, the more he realizes that the one woman as skeptical about love as he is might be the only woman he could really fall for…

Suddenly One Sumner by Julie James is a delicious beach read with depth and characters you will embrace. This was my first James’ novel and while this is a standalone, the hero Ford first appeared in one of her FBI/US Attorney novels. I must admit to being curious. Filled with banter, sexy time and wrapped in heartwarming side stories it is easy to see why Julie James is a favorite.

The tale surrounds two thirty-something characters whose upbringing has them swearing off long term relationships. When Victoria Slade, a successful divorce attorney suffers panic attacks after a home invasion, she temporarily moves into a condominium for the summer until her newly purchased condominium is available. A shared bedroom wall and poor sound proofing soon have her exchange banter with smexy, single investigative reporter Ford Dixon. The tale that unfolds had me consuming this in a single evening.

Suddenly One Summer is a novel the reader will easily slip into, they will soon find themselves laughing, wiping a tear and  becoming fully invested in this couple. The secondary characters weaved throughout gave this novel a small-town community feel and enhanced the story. The depth of the story from the fleshed out characters to the couch sessions with a therapist both surprised and delighted me.  James weaved in delicious banter, page melting heat, humor and side stories that held weight.

Both carries scars from their childhoods but are survivors with successful careers and strong social networks. Victoria’s personality and her need to be observed as “normal” by others was one I am sure many women can relate to. There is a story about Ford’s sister that I found especially touching and I loved the way it caused Ford and Victoria to interact. We do get some miscommunication but it was realistically done and not overly drawn out.

If you are looking for a feel good, swoon-worthy summer read with a small-town feel and a little heat then you cannot go wrong with Suddenly One Summer.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

68 Responses to “Suddenly One Summer by Julie James”

  1. Bookworm Brandee

    I haven’t read James yet but this one sounds like it’d be great. I love smexy banter and i like a story where the MCs have sworn off love. I’ll add this to my tbr. 🙂

  2. Lauren H

    Julie James is one of my favorite romance authors. I’ve ready every one of her books, accept Suddenly One Summer, which I still need to buy. Normally I just pre-order her books so I don’t have to think about it they auto deliver to my Kindle, but I completely forgot to do that this year.

  3. Deborah

    It does sound like a great relaxing read! It’s winter here, but guess it would be ideal for curling up on the couch under a blanket!

  4. Lanie

    My librarian just told me about this book! How funny:D I do love the ladies dress on the cover, it just totally catches my eye with that popping blue. Good review!

  5. Lorna

    Sounds like a good side story to enjoy as well as the main romance. I like reads like this occasionally-gets me away from all the paranormal I read. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  6. Lexxie

    I love romances that go a little deeper than the falling in love and steamy scenes, Kim! Suddenly One Summer sounds really good, so of course I’m adding it to my TBR.
    Have a wonderful weekend and happy reading.

  7. Lover Of Romance

    I love those feel good summer romances, and I have been wanting to read this author. I will have to put this on my summer tbr list. I love that both characters have pasts they have overcome…another plus. Lovely review, you have me really excited to read this one.

  8. Lindy

    I love my stories to have a Smexy Hero. I appreciate delicious banter, humor, depth, and fleshed out characters. I can tell how much you loved Suddenly One Summer! It sounds like a wonderful story. Lovely Review Kim 🙂

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

  9. Heidi

    I read a review of this on Reader’s Den and Rachel really liked it as well. I like that it deals with older people instead of the angsty twenty somethings. I love the cover. This looks like the perfect beach read. Hey I am headed there next week, should bring this one.

  10. Ramona

    Feel-good & swoon-worthy, especially laced with banter and some poignant scenes, sounds great. I like the premise – it’s so relatable. It could happen to anyone, any day 🙂

  11. Benish

    I’ve seen this one around before, the cover is so pretty though – this would be a wonderful light read for the summer, thanks for the awesome review Kimba 🙂

  12. Debbie Haupt

    Ah Kim Julie is a new to me author but after reading your fab review, not for long 🙂 Have a great weekend!

  13. Nick

    I’m so excited you loved this, Kim! It sounds fantastic and I can’t wait to meet these characters and fall in love with them.
    Wonderful review!

  14. Cyn

    Yay! Glad to see you loved this, too! I just finished this yesterday and I totally loved the banter and ‘neighbour’ romance. I don’t remember loving Ford that much in Brooke/Cade’s book, but he totally won me over in this one!

    Great review, Kim!

  15. tonyalee

    Aw I love the sound of this one. Every once in awhile I want to read a swoony feel good book! 😀

  16. Karla

    Wonderful review Kim! I’ve been a JJ fan for years, and her FBI/US Attorney series is fantastic! I’ve been waiting to read about Ford for a long time, and now I can’t wait to dive into this one. Yes, go back and find out about Ford, you won’t regret it. But, if you want to try a great stand-alone by JJ, check out Practice Makes Perfect, another wonderful summer read…or anytime for that matter! Thank you for the review!

  17. Jenny

    I need to read this Kim! I love Julie James something fierce, and I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately with my YA reads, so it’s time to switch over to guaranteed feel-good reads like this. *runs to Amazon* Have a fantastic weekend!

  18. Trish

    I love couch sessions with a therapist in a book, I always feel like I learn something. So it’s cheap therapy for me! I want to try this one.

  19. Paula M.

    Oh I will definitely try this one out since some days I want to take a break from YA reads and read a more mature book. Plus, I really adore that cover and blurb! <3

  20. Jeann

    You know what, I can’t remember the last time I read about a relationship that was about a “Second chance” romance. Lovely review Kimba!

  21. Red Iza

    I haven’t read Julie James yet, I feel like I’m missing something good 🙂

  22. Silvia

    I heard about the author before, but never tried her titles. This one sounds like a summer read I could enjoy, I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks for reviewing, Kimberly 🙂

  23. Melliane

    It’s nice that the author managed well all these feelings. I wonder if I heard about the author before, I’m not sure but this one sounds good! great review!