THE THING ABOUT LOVE is a sexy romance with a little bit of FBI action on the side.

When I read the description of this book, I thought that I would have a solid romantic suspense read. However, as I began flipping through the pages, I soon realized that it was much more of romance than anything else which is not a bad thing. All I had to do was switch gears (and genres) in my head. Once I did that, I really enjoyed the witty banter between Jessica and John. They know how to push each other’s buttons. And let me tell you…the tension between them will make romance lovers pull for these two.

James has a true gift for developing wonderful moments between her characters that will make the reader swoon, laugh, and sometimes cringe. These interaction made me keep reading. I loved Jessica and John. And I think you will too.

I've enjoyed many of Julie James's books. The heroines are typically whip smart and sassy. The heroes are also smart and always good matches for the heroines.
This book wasn't much different. A rivals to lovers trope is used in this book. Jessica and John were at the FBI academy together and although neither behaved as such, they each had a bit of a crush on the other. They are reunited through work and are paired up to go undercover.
There is a lot of work talk in this book. I think it was probably somewhat necessary but also kind of overboard. The ins and outs of undercover agents is interesting, but I am also here for a love story.

Honestly, there was nothing remarkable about this story. In fact, I forgot for several weeks that I even read it and only remembered as I was updating my lists. It wasn't a bad story, it just wasn't great either. It had some zippy dialogue and as rivals they weren't too horrible to each other.
A few references to characters from previous books, but this definitely is a stand alone read. If you've read other books by this author, you will probably enjoy this one.

Julie James continues her highly detailed romantic comedy FBI series with the The Thing About Love. James brings together two people who have been burned by love badly has them as FBI agents who are now paired together. Jessica is the non typical FBI agent who specializes in white crime who just relocated back to Chicago. Her partner John Shepard her nemesis from Quantico days aka Mr. Perfect former Army Ranger assigned to work with her. Being together shows them a different side neither was expecting.

Enjoyed learning about "FBI School" and even read a few lines about "FBI School" to my husband who never ever reads romance novels.

Julie James has brought me back from the dead. Figuratively speaking. See, when I see a Julie James book, best believe, I would go the long mile just to get my hands on it. And lo behold, Berkley has been kind to grant me an ARC (thank you!) which I devoured in one sitting. I’ve been so obsessed with Julie James’ Attorney-FBI series and they’ve all made it to my favourites list! I can’t stress how much I adore this woman’s books—a perfect mix of action and romance!

I knew I was sold the moment I read the synopsis for James’ latest FBI romance, The Thing About Love. Ex-army turned FBI agent John Shepherd has been partnered with newly transferred agent Jessica Harlow in an undercover assignment, but the catch is these two have hated each other since their time at the Academy six years ago. Rivals turned FBI case partners? Academy arch enemies? Sounds like a ‘frenemies to lovers’ romance to me, so sign me the f*ck up! This trope is my absolute guilty pleasure. A secret obsession. And I’m definitely not sorry about it. Imagine all the sexual tension and witty banter as they try to push through with a professional relationship while working together!

John and Jessica would have to be my favourite characters and couple by Julie James. I loved the stark contrast between the two—John, big, burly and broody while Jessica stood pretty and sassy at five foot three—but both were incredibly strong, intelligent and kickass characters anybody wouldn’t want to mess with. Also, the sexual tension between these two is just off the charts hot! I loved how these two absolutely complemented each other. I enjoyed how John and Jessica slowly developed rapport through their daily trades of snarky barbs and their interchanging POVs, especially about how their time together at Quantico went down.

The only issue I had with this book was the information overload at the beginning. I thought there was a little too much of the FBI technical talk at the first few pages of the book, but the pace immediately picked up right after.

If you’re into books with a little mix of action and romance, Julie James’ books come highly recommended, especially The Thing About Love. It’s fast-paced and hilarious, not to mention cute, fluffy, hot and steamy! Also, it can be read as a standalone.

I read a few of Julie James FBI/US Attorney series about 5 years ago, and remember enjoying them, so when I saw she had a new FBI book this month, The Thing About Love , I grabbed it and I’m glad I did. It doesn’t seem to be related to the series, as it is a total standalone, but clearly, this is her specialty.

Jessica and John were in the same FBI training class, and they totally clashed. They were both highly competitive and a thorn in each other’s side the whole time. Luckily, after training, they moved to opposite sides of the country. 6 years later, they are paired together to work undercover on a white collar crime case.
"Nearly fifteen thousand special agents in the FBI, spread throughout the United States in fifty-six field offices, and she had to show up in Chicago for what was quite possibly his last undercover assignment.
As his new partner.
And here he’s thought HRT tryouts had been hell."

Both of them are just getting over long-term relationships, plus John is getting ready to ship out to join the elite hostage rescue team. So when the nasty banter turns to flirting, and then genuine respect, and then sexy times, they both know it’s just a fling.

At first I really didn’t like Jessica. She had a major chip on her shoulder, and hated John for no reason except the fact that he was good at everything and she was jealous. But I warmed up to her, and liked her by the end.
“Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to look at me this way?”
She assumed he was teasing her. “What are you talking about? You didn’t even like me for most of the time we’ve known each other.”
He bent his head before turning to go, his voice low and confident in her ear. “Or maybe I’m just that good of an undercover agent.”

I feel like there may have been almost too much research for this book and the author felt like she had to put it all in. It was more about the FBI inner workings than it was about the relationship, so I kept waiting for some big climactic scene, and there never really was one. I guess I expected a little more adventure in an FBI book where the hero is portrayed as almost a super hero and the heroine is a tough girl who can take down a man double her size.


Likes:

•Enemies to lovers
•Witty banter
•The way a woman was better than most of the men in a “man’s world”.
•Well written and well paced.
•It broke a reading slump for me.
•Good sexy times.

Dislikes:

•I prefer covers with object rather than people, but I don’t get the lollipops.
•There was so much going on outside the relationship that the love felt secondary.
•I kind of felt like I never saw them fall in love.
•John’s like a superhero, but he never got to use those skills! What a waste! I was waiting for some excitement!

The Down and Dirty:
The Thing About Love is a fun and sexy enemies to lovers romance. With both of the main characters being FBI agents, and one being constantly compared to a superhero, I expected to see a little more action and adventure where we see the superhero skills put to use. But sadly, this never happened. I enjoyed the book from start to finish, but never felt that gushy love that made me want to scream about it from the rooftops. There was a lot of FBI inner workings, a lot about the white-collar, non dangerous case they were on, and not quite as much about the relationship they were developing. Still, I was in a reading slump, and this broke it, so I really enjoyed the story, I just wanted a little more in every way.


Rating: 4 stars, 4 Heat

This was a good book, but for me it lacked a little "I have to finish this story right now!" feel. The characters were great and a lot of fun. I liked the settings and the plot line. I liked the ending and the way the story got to the end. What I liked the most were the main characters Jessica and John. The chemistry between them was great and so much fun. Their jobs were exciting and I loved the detail surrounding their cases. My biggest problem was this book didn't catch my interest quickly and it took me too long to be invested in it. I enjoy books more if I can't put it down after the first few pages!

Jessica Harlow (love that name) and John Shepard went to the FBI academy together – and everything was a competition. After six years in different offices, they’re back in their hometown of Chicago, working an undercover operation… together.

Julie James did her thing with this book – infused the right amount of levity, tension, witty banter, fierceness, and tenderness. In The Thing About Love, James gives us cool bromances, family get togethers, a trendy bar scene, and a trashy egomaniac of a mayor that you’ll love to hate. By the middle of the book, I KNEW Jessica and John, I rooted for them as they figured out how much of themselves to share, my jaw dropped when they moved their relationship in various directions, and I cried when Jessica finally saw her own truth.

I couldn’t put down this book for the life of me. I read it while I brushed my teeth and then stayed up really late and by that time I was at 84% so I just stayed up even later to finish it.

I finally saw the last page at 2:30am, got 4 hours of sleep, and I’m not even sorry. It’s a really good story with badass FBI agents. If that’s not enough for you, there’s a Gucci happily ever after, too.

https://randombookmuses.com/2017/05/06/review-the-thing-about-love-by-julie-james/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1992658368

God but I love this author. She writes stories that are funny, swoony, full of witty banter and humor, and they just keeps getting better and better! First of all, if you haven’t read anything by her yet, you need to rectify it immediately by reading her FBI/US Attorney series. One, because it’s AMAZING. And two, because you’ll definitely appreciate a few of the cameos in this book. But let’s get back to the matter at hand; all of the awesome that was this book.
So let’s see? We already know that enemies to lovers is my catnip, and no one seems to write it better than Julie James.
In response to his dry tone, she threw him a glare so cold it could’ve frozen all nine circles of Dante’s Hell. Fittingly, just nine of the many places he would rather be than stuck working with her on this investigation.

What makes it good is not just the humor interlaced flawlessly throughout the story, but the wit and sarcasm. Her characters are perfectly balanced and equals of each other. I love how James has a knack for writing incredibly endearing and strong female leads. They’re just the right amount of witty sarcasm and strength and Jessica Harlow was no exception. After her dedication to her job cost her her marriage, she’s looking to dive in further into her work and forget men. She doesn’t need them. She certainly doesn’t need an incredibly cocky, smart mouthed, Thor lookalike that made her months at Quantico training a living hell. Too bad it appears that he’s her new partner for an undercover sting and she’s stuck with him. He may know how to start a fire with two sticks and the ass end of a lightning bug, but he’s a royal pain in her butt and she won’t let him forget it. Digs and sarcasm galore, you guys!
John Shepher is on the track to make the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team. He has one final assignment before he finds out, and it may be the longest assignment of his life because his new partner is as equally infuriating as she is sexy. The sparks flew between them when they first met but a simply misunderstanding of intentions turned them into rivals. Now they’re older, at a different point in their lives, but the spark hasn’t diminished even a little.
Feeling her body tremble, he leaned down and reached between her legs, the words pouring out of him in a low, possessive growl. “I love when you’re on the edge like this. You’re so goddamn sweet. So mine.”
The chemistry between theses two was through the roof hot. What I especially loved was how balanced to each other they both were. John didn’t come charging in and unermine Jessica’s ability as an agent. She was fully capable and he knew it. They were perfect equals and that’s so rare to find in today’s romance.
As per usual James fashion there was plenty of sexual tension and humor to keep you glued to the pages. The Thing About Love was a laugh out loud, swoon till you melt, keep you turning the pages well into the night sort of read. I adored it. I simply adored it. I will never get enough of this author and I can’t recommend her enough if you love smart contemporary romance with swoony heroes and capable, strong heroines. It was perfection!
Okay,” he repeated. She knew that look. “You’re going to kiss me, aren’t you?” He pretended to consider this. “Well, with all the emotions flying around, it just feels … expected.”

This is another completely fantastic one by Julie James! She is the master of contemporary romance, and it sure shows here! She again features two wonderful main characters, Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd. These two FBI agents have a history together that isn't good. They clashed during their training days at Quantico, and now six years later they've been paired on an investigation.

Their story was a complete delight to read! As usual, Ms. James penned a charming story with characters who shared a tender romance and steaming chemistry. The adversarial relationship these two had for part of the story just ramped up both the fun and tension. Julie James is my go-to for great contemporary romance, and this book showcases the reasons for that.

Competition was never so exciting or sweet…

My heart was in the mood for sweet, swoony and sarcastic and Jessica and John provided every bit of it!

This is brain meets brawn (though the brawn is pretty brainy too), second opportunity love story where competition turns to sexy seemingly overnight. Of course, that overnight happened with six years in between their first encounter and the next. They are both FBI agents, excelling in their chosen paths, who are unexpectedly thrown together again. They are now partners, where they rely on each other to succeed in their current assignment. A little hard to do when they are still dealing with their previous rivalry and imagining how it would be finally, finally best the other…

"Why weren't we doing this six years ago?" she breathed.
"Because you didn't like me six years ago."

This author’s writing style is slow and easy with saucy humour and subtle jabs and jibes accompanying Jessica and John’s path from combativeness to protectiveness. These characters are fun together as their rivalry knows no bounds in a gentle but hilarious push for one-upmanship (or woman-ship as it were). They take their jobs, themselves, seriously, but that doesn’t mean they can’t see, and laugh, at each other’s foibles and hang ups. They want to win but not at the expense of their honor or their mission, allowing for meaningful glances to become sexy promises of more as their bond deepens out in the field…

Sparks flew and temperatures raised in an unexpected competition turned romance that had me cheering for them both! Bring wine and popcorn for this salty, sweet treat! -Diane, 4.5 stars

My favorite romance genre is contemporary and I have a LOT of favorite authors in this genre, but if I am forced to pick just one I would pick Julie James. She's my OG in contemporary romance--she made me fall in love with the genre after reading Practice Makes Perfect back in '09.

Her books are the only ones I reread from beginning to end these days when I do not have the luxury of time to be rereading books, yet I still somehow find the time to reread Practice Makes Perfect and Something About You (my two ultimate faves) at least once every year.

Okay, now that we've established how much I love Julie James's books I am happy to say that of course I loved The Thing About Love. I've been patiently waiting for this book for two years, and it's most definitely worth the wait.


In The Thing About Love, Julie pairs two FBI special agents John Shepard (an ex-Ranger currently working in the organized crime squad) and Jessica Harlow (a former attorney currently working in the public corruption squad) who first met as trainees in Quantico. They clashed and got in each other's nerves and gladly went their separate ways only to meet again six years later when they are assigned as partners to do undercover work in a high-profile case about a shady mayor.

On the romance front, these two were both burned by their previous relationships. The Thing About Love began with John returning home from a lengthy undercover sting and discovering his girlfriend in bed with one of his friends. So, even though he was partnered with Jessica, he welcomed the distraction a new case gave him. Jessica, recently divorced from her husband of three years, left LA and moved back home to Chicago hoping for a fresh start. Her first case had her partnered up with a man she's never seen eye-to-eye with. However, both pride themselves in being professionals and as they work together they grow to respect each other. As they get to know each other more, the attraction between them also intensifies.

I absolutely love the chemistry and sexual tension between John and Jessica, which was evident even in the flashbacks when they first met and we learn why they hate each other. But, what's really awesome about these two (as with Julie's other romantic pairs in her previous books) is that they are true equals and balance each other out--John recognizes that Jessica's ingenuity and brainpower is just as significant his physical prowess and vice versa. The sexytimes in this book aren't very explicit but still sexy and the swoon factor is definitely turned up. I just love this couple--I find I missed the unique dynamic Julie James brings to each couple she writes about in her books and I was just so happy to be reading a new book by her.

I devoured The Thing About Love! Nobody can do witty dialogue like Julie James. No one. And we get a lot of her signature smart, witty banter in this novel. John and Jessica often verbally clashed which made for great dialogue that I ate right up. I love Jessica's sass! I also love their competitive antics--these two really know how to push each other's buttons, which made for an entertaining enemies-to-lovers story that I stayed up way too late reading.

I do have to mention that I learned a lot more about the inner workings of the FBI in this book than I did in Julie's previous FBI/US Attorney books, which was cool with me. I found everything very interesting and I wish I am bad-ass enough to apply and survive training. Also, characters from Julie's previous FBI/US Attorney series books make an appearance in this one and was wonderful revisiting them and getting some hints of what they've been up to.

I loved The Thing About Love! The only reason I gave it 4.5 stars is because it didn't make it in the top two of my personal ranking of Julie's books which goes like this: Practice Makes Perfect, Something About You, and Love Irresistibly, It Happened One Wedding, About That Night, A Lot Like Love, and now The Thing About Love are all tied at number three. If you're wondering about Suddenly One Summer, that one is number four in my ranking. But, yeah, Practice Makes Perfect and Something About You are the ultimate. And, basically, all this just goes to show that if you're not reading Julie James, you are completely missing out. She's the queen of sexy, witty, and smart contemporary romance novels. The QUEEN. Pick her books up--you won't regret it. Plus, all of her books can be read as standalones so you can start with The Thing About Love if you so choose, but all of her books are excellent and I can't recommend them enough.

I loved this book, like a guilty pleasure. I immediately looked to see which other of her books I could find!

A new Julie James book is always a reason for celebration. She is one of my favorite writers and since she takes her time with her books (with good reason!), I have to savor the new books when they come out. AND… when the book features two characters who have an antagonistic past together, well, it’s just more reason for me to dive in headfirst into this book as soon as it is available.

FBI agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd don’t like each other. At all. When they are assigned to work together on a short case out of the Florida branch of the FBI, they aren’t pleased but they are both professionals, so they swear anyway. Heading into Florida, they keep trying to one-up each other, making sniping comments about their work and their past with each other. Yes, it was a little reminiscent of a badly concealed college crush, but it worked for me. I love a drawn out antagonism in my relationships sometimes so this worked for me quite nicely.

Once on the case though, Jessica and John are committed to catching this politically corrupt politician. They will stay in character and end this case with another criminal caught.

I liked quite a lot about this book. I really enjoyed seeing how committed both John and Jessica were to their careers. Julie James continues to do her research and the FBI setting in Chicago comes alive. These two characters know their stuff and aren’t afraid to show off to each other just a bit. But they are both some of the best agents in the field because they do the work needed (the research, the questions) to make their cases air tight. Julie James shows that as these two get to know each other again, they clearly admire the other’s work ethic.

One of my favorite parts of the book were the “he said” and “she said” chapters where John and Jessica thought about their past training together to join the FBI. They both have skewed versions of each other because of this.

They are also both facing recent heartbreak. Jessica is newly divorced. John recently caught his girlfriend sleeping with a good friend. Neither is ready to put their heart on the line again needless to say. But sometimes, you can only fight chemistry for so long. Even when that chemistry has a time limit, since John is heading down to Virginia to join an elite Hostage Rescue Team. Even as Jessica and John get closer, they know their days together are numbered.

There is a lot of emotion packed into this book but Julie James handles the story like a typical pro. I fell really hard for both of these characters and came to like and respect them so much. Jessica in particular is a new favorite Julie James heroine for me. I love seeing a woman succeed in a male dominated field and the FBI is definitely that. All of Julie James’ female characters are intelligent and determined. These are no shrinking wallflower women.

The Thing About Love is fun and sexy. There are few authors who can pull me away from my cellphone sometimes but Julie James remains one of those rare finds. She is an author who compels the reader to keep reading. Fully fleshed out characters, exciting character arcs, and sizzling love scenes combine to make for a fantastic reading experience.

I have been a fan of Julie James, since I read her very first book and especially love her FBI/US Attorney series. The Thing About Love is a stand-alone story and not in the FBI/US Attorney series, and I loved getting to see so many characters from the series.

I really loved both Jessica Harlow and John Shepard as individuals and loved we had FBI partners for this book. The animosity that was there from their academy days only made me laugh harder as they were paired together. I especially loved the she said/he said chapters of the book seeing how each of them viewed their interactions. I thought Jessica and John made great FBI partners and though it took me a bit longer to buy them as a couple, their banter was always so much fun, I was able to see them making it as a couple.

It was fun to see how each approached the case they were assigned. I loved watching them initially try to one-up the other before settling down to actually being partners. I liked seeing them grow closer the more time they spent together and also loved they finally discussed the past and talked about how each of them perceived the situation. I think had they not done so, they could never have made it for more than a hook-up. With their initial animosity, even with the pretty intense chemistry, I was slow to accept they could make it work before they started actually listening to one another. I liked the slow build to them becoming a couple, and can't wait to see them interact in future FBI/US Attorney books.

The Thing About Love was a wonderful stand-alone story from Julie James. I've missed her voice with no new book last year and am happy to say she has come back just as strong as ever. I highly suggest The Thing About Love as well as all of the backlist from Julie James.


Rating: 4 Stars (B)

As a fan of Juile James, I was pretty excited for a new story after the almost two year wait. We head back to Chicago and the FBI world to see two undercover agents figure out what this thing about love is.

As a lover of the enemies-to-lovers trope, the romance was pretty fun. Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd have been clashing since their days in the Academy due to some misconceptions (from both parties). I loved seeing these two arch-nemesis duke it out.

<blockquote>In response to his dry tone, she threw him a glare so cold it could’ve frozen all nine circles of Dante’s Hell. Fittingly, just nine of the many places he would rather be than stuck working with her on this investigation.</blockquote>

After six years apart, John and Jessica are thrown back to together and the underlying attraction is stronger than ever. I enjoyed seeing the he said/she said perspective. There's banter and sarcasm and so much delicious sexual tension. It was cute seeing them realize that maybe they've been wrong about each other and that they had more in common than they thought. The growing mutual respect really helped repair their relationship, too.

<blockquote>"So you're saying the ball's in my court."

He bent his head, stopping just before his mouth touched hers. "The ball has always been in your court, Jessica," he said huskily.</blockquote>

Jessica really cracked me up a lot of the time with her sass and hilarious inner pragmatic voice and trying so hard to deny the spark between her and John. John is basically your sexy gruff badass agent with a heart of gold. Need I say more?

<blockquote>She who nearly climbeth the man like a tree must owneth it.
Or something like that, whatever.
She met his gaze. "I'm not freaking out."</blockquote>

We get see both Jessica and John's relationship with their family a lot in this and I really loved all the family time. Jessica's older siblings are hilarious as was John's adorable younger brother. The FBI/undercover case part was good, and I wanted to know how it all went down, but I found it lacked the suspense/high stakes that James' eariler books had.

Overall, <em>The Thing About Love</em> was an light and flirty read. It's nothing too out of the realm of cute contemporaries but it can still easily put a smile on your face. With minimal angst or drama, and loads of banter and swoony moments, this is a great read when you're in need of some comfort romance.

PS. While this book is part of a series, all the books can be read as a standalone. It's more like a collection of companion books.

{*Thanks to Berkley and Edelweiss for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 43%

I was pretty excited about this book. I liked the premise and I love love love hate to love stories...sadly this didn't work for me.

I struggled with Jessica and John. They were both sort of dull. Their personality traits felt clichéd and maybe a bit lackluster. They did have some small bits of banter, but I wanted more out of both of them.

Plot wise, there were a lot of characters due to the profession and several sections of info dumpy material. I didn't care about the case, so I ended up searching for the scenes of the just two of them. After a certain point, I just skipped to the end and read the last couple of chapters. I did like how it ended, but I didn't care enough to find out the details of how they got there.

Overall, I could see the potential in the story and while I know this genre has a certain format, I just couldn't settle into the narrative.

**Huge thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing the arc free of charge**

It's been a while since I have read anything by Julie James, and now that I am back on the wagon, I need to catch up on her books for the last several years. As an attorney and fed myself, I am hesitant these days to pick up some legal-themed romances because I tend to pick them apart. But Julie James' stories are well-researched and don't make me twitchy like some other legal/LEO plots. This last book of hers I read was in the FBI/USAO series, and I'm not sure if this book is included in that series or not. It's not listed as being included on Goodreads, Amazon or iBooks... but there is some character crossover with that series and the main characters here are FBI agents. You can read it as a standalone, but it would also be enjoyable to know some of the stories of the secondary characters that pop in from the FBI angle.

John Shepherd is a former Army Ranger who was recruited into the FBI after his military service. He is an all around bad ass, and a candidate for the Hostage Rescue Team - the FBI's elite counter-terrorism team. I immediately had a connection with John, particularly after the ugly end to his relationship at the start of the book. He is what I would consider a stereotypical military guy - an ambitious and hard-working go-getter. He was good-natured and funny, and just an all-around good dude. James did a good job establishing John's turmoil both over his relationship, and his feelings of confusion (at times) and inferiority during flashbacks to his time at the FBI Academy.

Jessica Harlow, a graduate of Stanford Law, joined the ranks of the FBI at the same time as John Shepherd, and they were contentious rivals in the Academy. I had a harder time with Jessica's character. She definitely had a chip on her shoulder, and she knew it. She knew she had something to prove as one of two females in her entry class at Quantico, but I wasn't crazy how she went about it. When John approaches her with friendly banter and helpful tips, Jessica throws up a wall between them or acts like she is too good for him. And six years later when they meet again, she reverts to that same personality. But once she lost that chip on her shoulder, I actually liked her and started to connect to her character.

The relationship between John and Jessica unfolded at a nice pace... not instalove but not stretched out to the end of the book either. It was almost an enemies-to-lovers situation, but they weren't quite enemies... maybe frenemies would be a better (non)word. Once they got past their dislike of one another, the attraction and chemistry came through strong and hot.

As I said above, James researches her stories well. The details about the FBI and the investigations were realistic and didn't require that I suspend my belief. I wasn't quite happy with how things played out with the HRT, but that is more of a professional hazard based on my personal experience. The investigation at issue here is of the white collar variety, so there wasn't any suspense or danger, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Secondary characters from past stories had small cameos, with larger roles played by John and Jessica's family. I loved John's dad and Jessica's twin siblings. The families added a feel-good aspect to the story and made the characters seem more real and relatable.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Berkley.

4.5 stars

I love Julie James’ writing, and with her latest book The Thing About Love, it’s no different. A story of two Chicago FBI agents who hate each other, though now having to work together discover there is a fine line between hate, and love.

Jessica and John were in the same class in the academy. Him with a military background, and she a former lawyer. From day one it is on between them. A classic case of miscommunication between them, leads to a bitter rivalry. After graduation they never saw each other again, until now.

It’s John’s last case as an undercover agent, and Jessica’s first as a new transfer. I do have to applaud them on their professionalism, they really manage to set their differences aside for the job. Though the longer the banter goes on between them, the more they venture into flirting territory.

I always feel there is a certain level of intelligence when it comes to Julie James’ stories. I’m certainly no professional when it comes to FBI cases, and federal procedure, but she makes it feel authentic, and thus making the story more believable. Add the witty ribbing, smart heroines, and qualified heroes, and The Thing About Love becomes one wonderful romantic story.

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*