Just the Sexiest Man Alive

A surprise find, Just the Sexiest Man Alive will definitely give you the swoons and the feels. As the first book I have read by Julie James, I was overwhelmingly surprised by how much I loved it. This book is fun! I don’t mean “oh that’s cute” – I mean duck if you don’t want to hit by a zinger kind of hilarious.

With a little over two years left before she can obtain the ultimate goal, becoming partner, Taylor is determined to do what she does best – win. Having never loss a case and always being five steps ahead of everyone else, Taylor is smart, quick, and no-nonsense. With her eyes set on her upcoming case, Taylor can’t afford distractions; however, her boss has a more important assignment in mind.

Recently wrapping up show more what is already being deemed a blockbuster hit, Jason is preparing for his next role – a legal thriller. A master of his craft, Jason enlists the help of a top litigation firm – requesting to shadow one of their best (and preferably female) lawyers. Setting his sights on Taylor upon initial introduction, he realizes that this little workshop will be both business and pleasure. He has no idea that while most women would sacrifice the air they breathe for a chance with Jason Andrews, Taylor isn’t the least bit interested and makes that proclamation abundantly clear. To her dismay, her protests turns this forced proximity romantic comedy into a hilarious treat of zings, sarcasm, one-ups, and “a taste of your own medicine” that you simply can’t put down.

It is rare that I can read an extremely slow burn romance and still be completely enthralled by it. Just the Sexiest Man Alive kept my attention every step of the way. To watch both of them transform while circling around each other was such a treat. The banter, the sarcasm – both acting as a defensive mechanism but also a love language. I truly enjoyed how much the best friends played a role in their story and the ending, too cute for words.

The icing on the cake: I LOVE Taylor! She is everything I wanna be “when I grow up”. She’s driven, smart, funny, witty, cunning, and can hold her own. The way she plays Jason like a fiddle is an art form! If this was a boxing match, the punches she threw at his ego would have created a TKO in the first round.

If you are looking for a good, funny, pure of heart romantic comedy with the feel of Sophie Cousens or Mhairi McFarlane, this book is absolutely perfect! I still find myself laughing at some of the quick wit throughout this book. show less

Just the Sexiest Man Alive is full of my favorite kind of romance - the bantering, bickering, witty kind. I mean, how could you not love a sexual harassment lawyer who uses the phrase "call me when someone sees a penis!"? I was instantly in love. Taylor's driven, determined, and smart, and she actually bills the firm for at least one of Jason's dates because he's a client.

As to Jason - he's a movie star who's spoiled absolutely rotten and is used to having people cater to his every whim if he just dazzles them with a mega-watt smile. And let's face it, that kind of entitlement can be irritating. There are definite moments where Jason is an idiot - but he's a realistic idiot falling into the same traps as most guys. Underneath all the show more glitz, he's a genuinely nice guy and intelligent, too.

More at my blog. show less

Taylor was my favorite kind of gal: pretty, sassy, smart, straight-talking, no-bullshit taking, with a smart-ass sense of humor. I was less sold on Jason because his attitude towards women seemed to only change as it applied to Taylor-specifically and not women-in-general. I couldn't quite buy that a dude with such a low opinion of the ladies and a high opinion of himself would actually be a good long-term match. But it's basically a Cinderella story, so okay. Great sexual tension, but no actual on-page sex. Which is also okay, as I'd rather just be told that the characters are having hot sex than have to slog through a terrible, not-hot sex scene (or three). It's definitely one of the few instances where telling is acceptable over show more showing.

While I really thought that Kate's lady-friends and Jason's BFF were being set-up as sequel bait, it would appear that I was totally wrong. I would have liked to see Jeremy get a book and, by extension, to have gotten a little more of Taylor/Jason's HEA, but I thought that this was a great stand-alone. Julie James managed to write a pretty funny book that didn't veer into slapstick. The dialogue alone would have earned 4 stars. I'd have been happy with this even if I hadn't gotten it on promo. show less

Taylor Donovan has a problem. She has been transferred out of her fabulous office in Chicago, to the mayhem that is LA, to try a particularly large sexual harassment case. As the best in her field, it was only expected that she would be called to handle a case worth $30 million. What she didn’t expect was a side project to be dumped on her lap, which meant helping actor Jason Andrews play a realistic lawyer in his next film. The notorious actor, recently voted the “Sexiest Man Alive”, ignores appointments, expects everyone else to bow to his commands and thinks he can get anything/anyone he wants with a smile. After recently finding out her fiancée was actually a cheating rat, she wanted this experience to be stress, and man, show more free. Dealing with an arrogant actor was not on the list of things to do, especially one who is as irritating as he is attractive, but her boss wants Andrews as a client, so forces her hand. Taylor bemuses Jason. In 16 years, he hasn’t had a woman treat him this rudely. It’s clear that the only reason that she tolerates him is because she has to, but he finds himself wanting to see if he can crack the ice around her heart. He has never had to work at anything, is he going to be successful in getting Taylor to actually like him? Moreover, can he do it in the time that her boss states she has to spend with him?

I really disliked Jason for about a third of the book. The man was a jerk-off of epic proportions. He was rude and arrogant and I wanted Taylor to run for the hills. I loved Taylor. The woman is as sharp as a tack and sarcastic as hell, which, ultimately, made me adore her. After hearing about her previous experience with Daniel, I really didn’t want her to get involved with womaniser Jason. He is of the opinion that women should be dropped as soon as a man’s interest wavers; I hated him and didn’t want him to get a chance to cause her any-more pain. Once she didn’t throw herself at his God-like feet, the real Jason started to shine through. He was so unsure of himself because she had deviated from the game plan, and watching him try to learn how to woo her was hilarious and heart-warming. Eventually I loved him and I defy you not to do the same. The side characters were lively and well written; I wouldn’t mind reading more about this crew! show less

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Oct08

Okay, time for some ‘True Confessions’. Is there any woman alive who hasn’t dreamed of landing the absolute sexiest Hollywood star? Fess up! We’ve all dreamed it. It may have been when we were younger, but we’ve still all dreamed of Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Robert Redford, etc. But really, could we make it past their egos? Their unreal lives? The paparazzi? In “Just the Sexiest Man Alive”, Julie James spins a tale of that dream come true. He’s smoking hot, he’s been voted the sexiest man alive THREE times running, and he seriously needs an attitude adjustment.

Taylor is our heroine. She’s the star up-and-coming lawyer at a big Chicago firm who has been show more brought out to Los Angeles to try a $30 million lawsuit. She was more than happy to get out of Chicago and get away from her lying scumbag of an ex-fiancé who she caught ‘in flagrante delicto’ on their dining room table! To cope, she’s thrown herself into work and now she has this chance to shine! Until…the LA office gives her a small side job, they assign her to work with megastar Jason, whose next film stars him as a lawyer. He just needs some tips on legal issues and characterization. Shouldn’t take much time…right.

Jason is the sexiest man alive. Just ask him. He’ll quote you statistics about how many times the average woman watches his movies. He can, and has repeatedly, had any woman he wants…until Taylor. Of course, it doesn’t help that he blows off his first two appointments with her…after she’s cleared her very busy schedule. Doesn’t she know who he is? Any woman should be THRILLED to drop everything to spend time with him…uh huh.

As you can imagine, Jason is so very easy to despise. His character hits every bad ego-inflated Hollywood stereotype. But the beauty of this story is that we get to see him slowly come back to the real world. He’s mightily attracted to Taylor (lucky, lucky girl) and he makes his share plus of mistakes. But gradually, he becomes human enough to feel guilt, regret, remorse, and love. The bad boy reformed…and don’t we all love that!

This is author Julie James’ first novel. I must say I was very impressed with the way the author brings the whole Hollywood game-playing scene to life. The supporting ‘cast’ in the story is excellent. We meet publicity hungry stringers, agents, and wanna-be big names, looking out for themselves and shamelessly arrogant. Then there’s the paparazzi who’ll do anything for that one money-maker shot. So much fun to hate ‘em all! And a no-nonsense lawyer with shark-like instincts in the courtroom, but down to earth once outside. I liked Taylor. Heck, I wanna BE Taylor in my next life because I think I’ve missed my chance in this one!

“Just the Sexiest Man Alive” is a true romance. A larger than life hero and an unlikely heroine whose lives would normally never intersect, and yet they turn out to be perfect for each other. All together now…AWWWW. If you’re looking for a feel-good romance, you can’t go wrong with this story. Julie James’ next novel, “Practice Makes Perfect” is due out in March of 2009. I’ll be looking to pick up that one too! show less

My Review:

Just the Sexiest Man Alive is a standalone from this author but also this book I have been wanting to read for probably a decade at this point. Its a story that was on all the top romance book lists. And I really had a fun time with it. Its not a favorite or anything, but I can see why it was so well loved when it was released.

Just The Sexiest Man Alive has the dynamic of a lawyer sassy heroine who is having to work with one of the sexiest actors in the country. Literally he has women falling all over him whereever he goes. We have a heroine who has been working years to be a partner in her firm. She just knows hard work and doesn't want to have to babysit a actor. But there is chemistry from the first moment that they meet. show more Taylor refuses to give into the temptation that Jason offers her but his easy going charm soothes her rough edges and she finds it easy being with him. But she fights the connection constantly because she has suffered betrayal and doesn't want to face that with Jason. But Jason finds himself changing around Taylor. She makes him see the truth about himself and inspires him to be better and desire something more deeper than he has allowed himself.

I really was drawn into the story and especially was easily entertained by their banter that they have with each other. I was so captivated by their easy going manners with each other and how Jason knows how to dismantle Taylor's strong shield she keeps up around herself. Their differing personalities really balance each other out in the best of ways. And when it matters...Jason is there for her. I was surprised by the lack of steam in this book though. But that wasn't why I rated this one only four stars. I felt like the development of their relationship could have been written better. It just felt so rushed in the third act. But maybe its because I did this in audio and didn't physically read it? Not sure....but it definitely could have been a factor.

Overall I was entertained from beginning to end with this one and didn't want to put it down. Very eager to read more from this author. show less

11/10 - It's ridiculous how many times I've read this novel. There's a brief teaser for this book in the back of A Lot Like Love, so naturally I had to dig my copy out for a re-read. I love this book.

The dialogue is very strong and witty, without trying too hard. Some of Taylor's snappy comebacks had me cracking up. I love that she had a sarcastic sense of humor. There aren't many authors who can do sarcasm and make it work.

The chemistry between them was fantastic and really leapt off the pages. There was humor, sexual attraction and a surprising amount of tenderness.

I enjoyed the secondary characters, too. Taylor's girlfriends were a hoot, especially when they realize she's "seeing" THE Jason Andrews. Jason's best friend Jeremy was show more also a strong supporting character and I like that they had a good relationship. We don't see enough male friendship in romance novels, IMO.

Just as good after 50 reads as after the 1st.


11/09 I loaned this to my sister-in-law and when she returned it I decided to re-read it again. It was just as good this time around.

Cute contemporary novel. I really loved both main characters and all the secondary ones as well. Sweet love story with excellent banter. show less