“Look The Part is my new top favorite from the inimitable Jewel E. Ann. Delightfully quirky, funny but deeply emotional, Look The Part was pitch perfect. I loved everything about this five-star read!” - USA Today bestseller Ella James
Look the Part, an all-new “emotional and breathtaking” standalone from
Jewel E. Ann is available NOW!
Synopsis
Flint Hopkins finds the perfect tenant to rent the space above his Minneapolis-based law office.
All the T’s are crossed and I’s dotted on Ellen’s application. Her references are good. And she’s easy on the eyes.
Until …
Flint discovers Ellen Rodgers, Board-Certified Music Therapist, plays music. Bongos, guitars, singing—not Beethoven administered through noise-cancelling headphones.
The cut-throat attorney serves up an eviction notice to the bubbly, constantly-humming redhead who's too sexy for her own good. But luck is on Ellen’s side when Flint’s autistic son, Harrison, takes an instant liking to her. A single dad can’t compete with guitars—and rats. Yes, she has pet rats.
This woman …
She’s annoyingly happy with a constant need to touch him—adjust his tie, button his shirt, invade his space, and mess with his mind.
Still …
She must go.
Their lust-hate relationship escalates into something beautiful and tragic. This sexy, romantic-comedy explores the things we want, the things we need, and the impossible decisions parents and children make to survive.
Excerpt:
There’s something thrilling, even a little forbidden, about a man in a perfectly-tailored suit. Flint Hopkins wears the hell out of a three-piece suit.
Not a single wrinkle.
Not a hair out of place.
Not a scuff mark on his shiny shoes.
His lips move, but all I hear is “I wore this suit for you today” as his hands make their rounds: caressing the buttons on his jacket, twisting his cufflinks, and adjusting his tie. It’s sophisticated fidgeting.
“You said you’re a therapist, not a music teacher.”
Observant men are sexy too.
“I did. And I am. Specifically, I’m a music therapist. Do you want me to explain what a music therapist does?”
“No. I just want you to look for a different space to rent. I’ll give you two weeks.” He turns and makes it out the door in three long strides.
My toes are on his heels in seconds, chasing him down the stairs. “Wait? You’re evicting me?”
“I’m giving you notice.”
“Notice? You’re kicking me out for what? Doing my job?”
“Preventing me from doing mine.” He pushes through the door at the bottom of the stairs and makes a sharp right.
“Hey, Boss, how’d it—” Amanda’s gaze moves from Flint to me as I follow him into his office.
“Hi, Amanda. Would you happen to have the name of a good real estate attorney? I may need to sue my landlord for wrongful eviction.”
“Um …”
Flint turns, halting my forward momentum a second shy of slamming into his chest. “Shut my door, Amanda.” His eyes narrow.
I don’t care how hot this guy looks in a suit. I won’t recoil under his glower. “Please leave it open, Amanda. I may need you to be my witness.”
Arrogance tugs at his mouth. “A witness?”
“For when you threaten me.”
He unbuttons his jacket and takes a step back. A whoosh of oxygen leaves my chest like it’s attached to him. The man has an air of confidence and mystery about him that commands attention.
When he turned around to face me a few seconds ago, I sensed the slightest agitation in his narrowed eyes and flared nostrils, but not anymore. It’s not hard to imagine Flint Hopkins in a courtroom—cool, calculated, ruthless.
“You seem to be an intelligent person, so surely you can see how the noise level of your profession could distract me from doing mine. I think sharing space with other businesses is not a good idea. You need a building of your own or maybe you should work out of your house.”
“I live in an apartment. And I’m sorry, Mr. Money Bags, but I don’t have the cash flow to buy or rent a building all to myself. You’re an attorney. How often are you even in your office? And when you are, what are you doing that requires complete silence? Charming snakes? Narrating audio books?”
REVIEW:
4 stars
****
This is a good, thought-provoking book. This is Flint, who is Cage's agent in the book One, and Ellen's book. Flint is a lawyer who owns an office building and a widowed single father to a twelve year old mildly autistic son. Ellen/Elle is a music therapist who applies to rent out the office above Flint's. That's about all I can say as I won't go into too much detail in hopes to not give away the story line too much.
When I started this book, I didn't know it was a spinoff of One, which I loved, but was glad it was. I also didn't remember that Flint was a widower. I have a hard time with books where they hero or heroine is widowed. They often don't work for me. So I was weary when I found that out, on the first page. While the mention of his dead wife is pretty prevalent, I did end up satisfied with the way it was dealt with in this book.
I loved both Ellen and Flint. It is obvious at first that Flint is still very affected by, and blames himself for, his wife's death. He is merely surviving and doesn't come off as a happy person. While Flint comes off as messed up, Ellen comes off as quirky, but happy and unassuming. But soon we see that she just hides her hurt and messed up life better. The two had great chemistry. They both needed each other so they could heal from their past hurts and be able to move on. Their relationship develops slowly and goes through several stages before they end up where they are meant to be, together. I definitely felt their connection and that they loved each other. I didn't feel like Elle was a consolation prize either. I really liked Ellen's relationship with Flint's son and her pet rats were a fun aspect, as well. I did have a few quibbles with the end. So, while I did enjoy this book, it also frustrated me a bit. There were parts I loved, but parts that bothered me too. I had to really think about how I felt after I finished reading the book.
Overall, though, I did really enjoy this book and seeing Flint and Ellen's relationship develop. I couldn't put the book down and was left with a book hangover. I loved a lot about it a lot. It made me feel, which is why she is one of my favorite authors. Her books are always unexpected and unpredictable. As always with Ms. Ann's work, it was emotional and heartfelt with real-feeling, quirky, complicated characters. There were sexy, loving and funny moments. She left me wanting more. So I look forward to more from Ms. Ann in the future!
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About Jewel:
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
Connect with Jewel:
Twitter: @JewelE_Ann
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