James

California #3

by Sandy Loyd

James Morrison is a man women love. Good looking. Talented. Great fun to be with. And of course, he loves women. But he has one flaw. He can't commit.

Samantha Collins is determined not to make the same mistakes her mother made. Living day to day off the government and loving the wrong, loser men. Since the age of sixteen, she's had her life outlined better than any AAA roadmap. Her plans include marrying Charles Winthrope III and bearing Charles Winthrope IV in three years. But fate has a way of intervening and destroying the best-laid-plans.

Sam always thought she had too much sense to simply fall for James when they spend time together because he's helping her improve her relationship with Charles. She tumbles. Hard. He's sexy, fun, and likes to play. But when an incident forces Sam to realize James will never fit into her plans, she finds out that she and her mother have more in common than she'd thought. They both chase after the impossible.

JAMES is the third in the California Series where four friends, caught in a time warp, can't move on because they're stuck on their own ideas of the perfect dream. But sometimes life works in mysterious ways and they are forced by circumstances to change.

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2012

About the author

Sandy Loyd is a Western girl through and through. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, she's worked and lived in some fabulous places in the US,including South Florida. She now resides in Kentucky and writes full time. As much as she loves her current hometown, she misses the mountains and has to go back to her roots to get her mountain fix at least once a year.

She spent her single years in San Francisco and considers that city one of America's treasures, comparable to no other city in the world. Her California Series, starting out with Winter Interlude, are all set in the Bay Area. Her series consists of fun, heartwarming stories about crazy friends who, like single people everywhere, are seeking that someone special to share their lives with among thousands of eligible candidates.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same as Judith I didn't like James at first. Not only was he everything I hate in a male character but he surpassed the stupid and stubborn bar. However he was the same in the beginning of the series and remained constant in his personality at the end of this book as well. For that I respect him because he never did a 180 in character as I can commend him for staying true to himself but allowing Sam to be part of his life. I guess I felt like his declaration to Sam was abrupt and lacked a little compared to Dev's and Paul's then I got to thinking they're completely different characters. Paul and Dev were more open to loving someone and James just...wasn't. Id be a little more mad at him but then I start thinking realistically he's just being himself and isn't the lovesick romantic that pours his heart out to a girl. With that I can accept James version of confessing his love to a girl but it's just wishful thinking that he could be a little more softer around the edges when telling Sam how he feels. Personally I liked the book but don't love it as much as other books by Sandy. James is a difficult character and I feel that Sandy did her best with redeeming him from the first book. He's not a favorite hero but I can respect him for being himself throughout and doing the best he can to make himself worthy of Sam.

[Julie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dare I say this one was my favorite? I thought James was kind of a wishy washy tool after the first two books. But WOW, did my opinion ever change! He's probably the best guy out of all three books so far! Sam is a great 'leading lady' and the complement between the two of them is great. It's just a shame that it took a makeover to catch his eye. But I think that's pretty stereotypical of guys and their visual nature. I enjoyed the side story of Sam and her mom. I enjoyed the side story of James and his mom figuring out what his glitch was. I loved it all. I think this is where I will stop with the series though. All the previous books have been centered on this family unit and I loved that. This one didn't even really introduce the one that would be coming next until I was so invested in the story that I didn't particularly care for a new person. I'm sure Sam's friends story will be a great one but for now I'm content with the Morrison gang and their closest friends. Still will probably continue sometime in the future... just content with where I left it for now. I will definitely be rereading the first 3 books, a lot!