Author Julie James really has a solid thing going with this group of urban professionals that pop in and out of each others' lives. It's fun to hear from protagonists of her past books, but I really enjoyed these two new characters.

Jessica and John's initial hostility toward each other was pretty fun, and James does a great job of unveiling their past history in a way that makes sense. I love the fact that we get to experience their initial meet-cute from both of their differing perspectives. It felt very authentic, the fact that they both came out of Quantico with major misconceptions about each other.

The plot was solid, and the heat is turned up to the max between these two.

Four solid stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Rivals at FBI Training Camp 6 years ago, John and Jessica didn't get along. They happily went their separate ways until now, when they have been selected to be partners on an undercover op. Even though they irritate each other, their chemistry is off the charts so it's only a matter of time before their professionalism turns personal. Enjoyable plot, sexual tension, and romance make this a must read!

I am a fan of the FBI/US Attorney series, and was therefore, quite excited to read this book. Although this is not part of the FBI/USA series, it takes place in that world, and we had a few cameos from some of its inhabitants, which is always a thrill for me.
After losing his girlfriend, his apartment, and three of his friends in the span of three days, he probably would never be less attached to Chicago than he was right then.

Jessica returns to her hometown following her divorce, and on her first assignment, is reunited with her nemesis from Quantico, John. Both of them have their own version of their time at the Academy, but as their working relationship flourishes, so does their personal relationship.
suddenly her inner pragmatic voice - the one that had previously been telling her not to notice these things was holding up its hands in surrender.

These two were fantastic! Both were wounded from the betrayal of their former significant others, and were looking for a way to heal. Jessica's plan was to leave LA and start over in Chicago. John's plan was to leave Chicago and start over with the Hostage Rescue Team. They never anticipated they would be each others salve. This enemies to lovers story had me laughing and crying (happy tears, I swear). They had great banter, great chemistry, and John, John was everything. He was so much mushier than Jessica and I just could not get enough of him.
"..every operator has to be one hundred percent committed." He looked at her without hesitation. "I'm not there. Not when I think about everything you and I could have together."

I loved so many of the supporting characters too. Both Jessica and John have a world filled with fun and wonderful friends and family. I hope there will be more of these books, and perhaps, instead of the officemates, it may focus on their social circle, because there are stories there. I do suspect Jessica's best friend may get a storyline with one of John's co-workers, but I could be wrong.

Another thing I loved about this book, was how it brought me back to one of my favorite home towns: Jacksonville! I lived there for 6.5 years and loved every minute of it. I appreciated how James brought me to Jax Beach, PVB, San Marco, Riverside. What a lovely trip I had.

Overall: Fun enemies to lovers romance filled with great characters, great banter, and even suspense.

I really enjoyed this one! This was my first book by Julie James and it won't be the last. This was like a combination of The Hating Game and Jill Shalvis' Heartbreaker Bay series. The two main characters have a past that's not exactly warm and fuzzy and come back together six years later to work on an undercover case together. Loved the two MCs, the hate to love romance, the undercover scenes, and the pacing of the book. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I enjoyed this novel. The characters felt fleshed out and real and the novel was fun. I enjoyed the back and forth.

I have always been a fan of Julie James but this might be my favorite of her books. The chemistry between the two main characters was spot on, and the end of the book had me racing to finish, though I could easily read more about this pair. The flashbacks to when they first met were fun and the undercover scenes were always entertaining. I will definitely be reading this again.

Second chances are always fun. Throw in two stubborn people. Amazing.

I think that FBI/US Attorney fans are going to be very happy with this book. Not only do we get to revisit the Chicago office, we get a whole new couple to root for.
Six years ago, Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd were in the same training class and battled each other every step of the way. They parted thinking "good riddance." And never gave the other a thought as Jess moved to L.A. and assumed John was recruited into an elite team in D.C. But, after his mother's illness, John ended up home in Chicago. Too bad he just found out that his girlfriend of two years is cheating on him with one of his best friends. And found out in the worst way possible.
Jessi just went through a divorce and has moved back to Chicago to be closer to her family and to her best friend. She's a great undercover agent and isn't surprised to be picked for an elite op taking down a corrupt Floridian mayor. However, she is surprised to find out that her partner in the op is none other than her old buddy John.
We get to see both John and Jessica's versions of what happened six years ago which is pretty nice, to see where misunderstandings took place. And I liked that the two actually talked about their differences. There was a lot of angst and some Medium Misunderstandings at the end that were a little overdrawn but it was an overall nice story and regular James readers will be pleased. The tie-ins to previous books are incredibly light and this would work as a good stand alone for new readers as well.

Four stars
This book comes out April 18

John and Jessica first met at Quantico during their training at the FBI academy. Despite their mutual attraction, they were constantly competing and trying to outwit each other. Neither is sad to see the other go.

Six years later they are assigned as partners on an undercover sting. The old hostilities immediately resurface. Gradually as they work together each shares their perception from their time at Quantico. It becomes the ultimate he said, she said of their time together. But in hearing each other side of the story they gain a greater understanding of each other’s motivations. Soon these two strong, intelligent individuals are working together in a smooth professional partnership that turns into a hot, steamy, no strings relationship. It takes another separation to make them realize what they mean to each other.

This is another strong addition to Julie James’ FBI/US Attorney series. It has all the banter and wit that make these books fun. If you like the other books in the series, this one won’t disappoint.

*ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Along the lines of some of Contemporary Romance authors Lauren Layne and Emma Chase, Julie James writes about kick ass women and the men along side them. With truly smart dialog and witty, wry banter between John and Jessica, the reader is taken on an enjoyable journey through the mine field of these two FBI agents. Running in the background is the intrigue of corruption and an undercover operation...add in elite advancement and you've got a story with multiple layers of

The way John and Jessica's backstory was laid out, first from her POV, and then his, was insightful and telling just how differently they each saw, and interpreted the same experience. I felt this was an excellent method for giving the reader a glimpse of how their interpretations shaped their behavior towards each other...even six years after the fact. I applaud the author's use of this creative method as a tool in laying out the foundation for the couples relationship, both professional and personal.

The author demonstrated her writing creativity through smart and truly laugh out loud dialog, not to mention internal monologues. Jessica was the wizard of sassy and hilarious quips...Jessica to John:

“What about you? Girlfriend? Wife? Kids? Perhaps a gaggle of towheaded, extra-large boys who already excel at sports and know how to make fire with the ass end of a lightning bug?”

This is the first book by this author I've read, I'm sure to read more of her stories in the future.

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

A fun quick read about two FBI agents who don't seem to click on the onset..but have a ton of chemistry. No surprises here, but well done for the genre.

Loved this! Fun, sexy, and sweet--everything you'd expect from a Julie James book. The chemistry between the characters sizzled! James adeptly developed the story by adding in details of their shared history. Presenting both perspectives added an authenticity that enhanced the connection between the characters. Such a great read!

Sometimes, you need a book that makes you laugh - a joyful one that keeps you turning the pages. The one you finish in one sitting. The Thing About Love by Julie James is a wonderfully crafted masterpiece of a romance and has me wanting more!

Jessica Harlow transfers back to her hometown of Chicago after her marriage goes sour. She has her first assignment in public corruption - a mayor taking bribes. All she needs is to meet her partner.

John Shepard comes home from a-months long, deep undercover assignment to find his girlfriend doing the dirty with his best friend. In his own darn bed. It has him signing up for admittance in the Hostage Rescue Team. In the meantime, he’s assigned to a white-collar investigation. What he doesn’t expect is for his partner to be none other than his FBI Academy training rival, Jessica.

They were at each other’s throats from the beginning, and both of these characters are strong and upfront and in your face. I appreciate this so much. Jessica is in top form with negotiation and keeping her cool, while John is the physical guru. Opposites, but they were hellbent on showing each other up. Let’s just say things didn’t go so well for either one.

“Hey, look at me, watch me fly through his obstacle course with one hand and two feet tied behind my back. This is child’s play to what we did in the Rangers, bitches!”

This he said/she said story structure just works. For me, backstory usually holds the plot from moving forward, but in this case and with this story, it is needed, giving us a glimpse of each character. My notes were filled with laughing emoji’s and “just hilarious!” comments.

The FBI aspects were well-researched too. James herself has a law degree, so I have come to expect smart and savvy characters and scenes. The juggling of personal and professional lives propels the story forward. But, of course, traveling alone leads to alone time and the first intimate scene is super spicy and unexpected.

“And then there was the thing with the pen.

He couldn’t even with the pen.”

I am so happy John – despite being the alpha male and trying out for the Hostage Rescue Team – has so many layers. He’s caring to his brother and so loyal. Same with Jessica. There are some great secondary characters I also hope get a book themselves.

The Thing About Love is pure fun! I giggled and sighed and laughed. I plan to reread this over and over again.

Ms. James does not disappoint. This books has it all; a strong & smart heroine, witty banter, and a sweet love story.

All right, Julie James is one of my favorite discoveries of 2016. I read all but her first novel in the second half of 2016, and they are appealing for their witty banter and their matter-of-factly competent female leads, most of whom are lawyers or FBI agents. The Thing About Love is about two FBI agents who meet years after a contentious training at the FBI Academy, and it's an entertaining and dramatic story about an undercover job in the public corruption unit and their road to romance.

The main characters' friends and colleagues are mostly background, but given how much the main characters work, their friendships would have to come second.

Julie James knows emotional beats, and that along with the dialogue makes this a really entertaining read.

The Thing About Love b

Pretty cute although not as much romantic tension as her other books.

Oh man, I don’t even know how to say this because I never thought I would ever be saying this about a Julie James book but this one really disappointed me. I’ve been a big fan of Julie James from the very start of her career and have read every one of the books she has released, but I’ve noticed that she is veering further and further away from what I liked about her books. While she still has the very strong, very career-oriented heroines, I just don’t think the more recent books have the same fun banter and sexy romance that her first books have.

First of all, I thought the hero of this book, John, to be pretty bland. James did a lot of research for this book, and it’s very evident in the pages. I know she had an FBI agent take a close look at this book so that all the details are correct. The problem is, we don’t need all those details to make a great book. The beginning of this book is very slow. Instead of presenting readers with a hero who has been cheated on, there’s pages and pages of work-related FBI terminology that I personally think could’ve been cut out. Yes, you’re an agent. I get it already. But because there’s so much focus on that, I never got the chance to connect to John at all. There are scenes that are meant to be emotional and make you sympathize with his character, but instead of feeling sorry for him, I felt nothing at all.

The same thing goes for the heroine, Jessica. I like that James has very strong heroines, but behind that there is nothing there to make me actually care about Jessica. I felt like we never really got to the core of her character and instead it’s all about the job.

The romance fell flat and I never smiled once throughout reading this book, which is what used to happen when I read a Julie James book. The only thing that saved me from not finishing this book is the writing. James still writes well, but there’s just too much extra stuff that’s being pumped into the books that the romance and characterization almost seems like a second thought next to getting all the terminology right. I wish she went back and focused on the banter and building that romance from the ground up. Everything else should come after. After reading this, I have no idea if I’ll continue reading this author. I just think she’s fallen so far away from what I used to love, that I wonder if she’ll ever be able to go back.

Julie James is one of my favorite writers; I love the Lawyer/FBI romance and the perfect and extremely funny dialogs and the women are always strong characters and the stories are never boring. I didn’t love this book; I thought the plot was a little cheesy for my taste. The perfect and extremely beutiful people that fall in love is just very predictable and after reading a lot of books, I want a book with a little bit of romance , scary and unpredictable plots and different endings. Ok I wanted a totally different book. Sorry, John was supposed to be like “Thor” but he was very immature. Jessica‘s character was a little off and unrealistic. I can’t understand how a small woman could take John that easy. I was waiting for this book for a long time and I appreciate the ARC , but this is supposed to be an honest review. 3/5 stars

Not my favourite of Julie James' books but still a fun read. I really enjoyed the undercover aspect of the plot which put the main characters in some unusual situations.

Julie James is one of my top go-to contemporary romance authors, but she completely went above and beyond in this book! She writes believable, likable characters so well, and John and Jessica are some of her best. I really enjoyed how kick-butt they both are at their jobs, but also how she showed a realistic picture of how hard they had to work and how much time they gave to those jobs--often, characters are supposedly amazing at their jobs but never seem to spend any time working. The love-hate relationship between John and Jessica was also really believable and entertaining; I enjoyed the way they transitioned into the relationship in a way that felt like real adults rather than emotionally-unstable teenagers (which can tend to happen in love-hate romances). The banter was as witty, funny, and sharp-witted as ever. The romantic tension was pitch perfect, and she definitely delivered on the romance. She also managed to create some twists that felt unique and fresh. I enjoyed all of the side characters who also all felt like real people (Todd and Leavitt, Jessica's family, John's dad and brother, Wes, the other agents at the office, etc.). Julie James is just all around stellar at creating authenticity--little details like while they both are in really great shape, she also shows that they have to work-out to look like that (another thing that can get missed in romances!). Romance readers should not miss this novel with excellent characters, top notch romance, a fully-fleshed out plot beyond the romance, and stand-out dialogue. Recommended!

**Also reviewed on Litsy.