A review by bookishrealm
Strictly Professional, by Christina C. Jones
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
CCJ knows that she can write a damn book! This is one of her older books, but trust me when I say it doesn't make a difference. This is a work place romance, but I think that it sets itself apart from other workplace romances because of the character development. CW: physical abuse
I ramdomly decided to pick up Strictly Professional because it was available through Hoopla at my library. It was recently added and this was a particularly series by CCJ that I had not heard many people discuss. It focuses on two characters: Gabi and Terrance. Gabi moved to ATL to get away from her ex and parents to begin her career at a law firm. She makes the decision to go out one night with a friend and ends up meeting Terrance. The two share a kiss and believe that they won't come into contact again until they realize that they would be working at the same firm. It was amazing watching these two continuously fight their feelings for each because of their job. Keep in mind there was no fraternization policy so they weren't keeping it a secret from other employees; however, it is clear that the two don't want it to interfere with their goals and ambitions.
Gabi and Terrance had chemistry and even when they spent page after page denying it, it's easy to feel it as a reader. Any person that knows me as a reader, knows that romance for me is all about the chemistry. I like for authors to make me feel like I should be rooting for these individuals to fall in love even when they're blind to it. CCJ captured those feelings perfectly with these two characters. There was also extremely strong character development especially in regard to Gabi. There were some toxic relationships that Gabi fought to get control of the entirety of this book particularly her ex and her parents. While I expected Michael to be completely unlikeable, I didn't expect the same for her parents. They made her life a living nightmare and saw her as no more than cattle that needed to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. As a reader, I was shocked at some of the conversations that Gabi had with her mother in particular, but I respected Gabi for her strength to stand up to them. She kept going to achieve her dream regardless of how her parents felt. I admired her even more for the strength it took to walk away from her ex Michael. He showed no respect to her, but expected her to be willing to deal with him and rearrange her life's dreams and goals to cater to him. I know quite a few people in my personal life who have been willing to deal with nonsense similar to that of Michael in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Gabi refused to let that be a deterrent in her life. While Gabi felt a little more easy going, Terrance was a little more uptight. He was solely focused on his career and did not want any relationship to stand in the way of possibly making partner. Gabi melted that hardness about Terrance away and I'm glad that he allowed her to do so. It brought out a more fun and engaging side to him from the perspective of the reader.
This book isn't 100% percent slow burn like some other romance novels I've read; however, it is slow enough that readers really truly get to see the romance develop between Gabi and Terrance. Nothing felt rushed. It felt so natural and readers can't help but root for them the entire way. With that being said, I definitely see myself becoming more and more obsessed with CCJ writing style. There is something about it that beautifully captures the emotions of her main characters. The pacing is always great with just enough action to make the romance more engaging. This book definitely did not disappoint and I'm looking forward to reading even more by CCJ.
I ramdomly decided to pick up Strictly Professional because it was available through Hoopla at my library. It was recently added and this was a particularly series by CCJ that I had not heard many people discuss. It focuses on two characters: Gabi and Terrance. Gabi moved to ATL to get away from her ex and parents to begin her career at a law firm. She makes the decision to go out one night with a friend and ends up meeting Terrance. The two share a kiss and believe that they won't come into contact again until they realize that they would be working at the same firm. It was amazing watching these two continuously fight their feelings for each because of their job. Keep in mind there was no fraternization policy so they weren't keeping it a secret from other employees; however, it is clear that the two don't want it to interfere with their goals and ambitions.
Gabi and Terrance had chemistry and even when they spent page after page denying it, it's easy to feel it as a reader. Any person that knows me as a reader, knows that romance for me is all about the chemistry. I like for authors to make me feel like I should be rooting for these individuals to fall in love even when they're blind to it. CCJ captured those feelings perfectly with these two characters. There was also extremely strong character development especially in regard to Gabi. There were some toxic relationships that Gabi fought to get control of the entirety of this book particularly her ex and her parents. While I expected Michael to be completely unlikeable, I didn't expect the same for her parents. They made her life a living nightmare and saw her as no more than cattle that needed to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. As a reader, I was shocked at some of the conversations that Gabi had with her mother in particular, but I respected Gabi for her strength to stand up to them. She kept going to achieve her dream regardless of how her parents felt. I admired her even more for the strength it took to walk away from her ex Michael. He showed no respect to her, but expected her to be willing to deal with him and rearrange her life's dreams and goals to cater to him. I know quite a few people in my personal life who have been willing to deal with nonsense similar to that of Michael in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Gabi refused to let that be a deterrent in her life. While Gabi felt a little more easy going, Terrance was a little more uptight. He was solely focused on his career and did not want any relationship to stand in the way of possibly making partner. Gabi melted that hardness about Terrance away and I'm glad that he allowed her to do so. It brought out a more fun and engaging side to him from the perspective of the reader.
This book isn't 100% percent slow burn like some other romance novels I've read; however, it is slow enough that readers really truly get to see the romance develop between Gabi and Terrance. Nothing felt rushed. It felt so natural and readers can't help but root for them the entire way. With that being said, I definitely see myself becoming more and more obsessed with CCJ writing style. There is something about it that beautifully captures the emotions of her main characters. The pacing is always great with just enough action to make the romance more engaging. This book definitely did not disappoint and I'm looking forward to reading even more by CCJ.