I received an ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via a Goodreads Giveaway, which in and of itself is the coolest thing ever. I never win anything. I also haven't read a paperback book in YEARS. It was nice to have that experience again, but the story itself wasn't really what I was expecting. It was enjoyable though, so I'm giving it 3.5 stars.

'What was it missing?' you may wonder. It absolutely had James' patented career-oriented, strong female lead; but this one seemed to lack the "sass" that I love about James' heroines. For some reason, maybe it was all the FBI background details, the banter in this book felt forced.

I liked both leads. John was the All-American, can do everything Army Ranger turned FBI Agent. That's pretty fascinating. While lawyer turned FBI Agent Jessica was also used to being the best at everything. Their relationship seemed realistic enough, and yet I do not feel like I was immersed in it the same as I have been for other characters of James' novels (i.e. Jack and Cameron or Nick and Jordan).

I think the book also lacked some secondary character development. We learned little about John's family (outside of his mom having passed - sad) and even less about Jessica's. We also didn't get much about the Jacksonville agents John and Jessica worked with. In fact the secondary character we learned most about was the FBI. And while that was interesting, and clearly presented as well researched, it wasn't really necessary either.

At the end of the day this is a contemporary romance novel and the romance fell short for me. I did appreciate that I had not anticipated the main case within the story ending in the manner that it did. I also loved the wrap up of the book - "Your version or mine."

Since this wasn't one of the FBI/US Attorney series, I'll be interested to see if there is a sequel to this book or if it will stand alone. If there is a sequel, it should benefit greatly from this first book setting the stage, so to speak.