Customer Reviews

Playing James

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sarah Mason seems to have taken some cues from Janet Evananovich's light handling of the love interests in the Stephanie Plum adventures, and adopted a similarly light & whimsical touch.

It works very smoothly, easing us into the love story, whilst mostly being the story of one girls bumbling adventures.
And yes, also Bridget Jones overtones (Vol.1. not Vol 2!), as she is a bit clutzy and accident prone. But who doesn't do that, these days?

When reporter Holly Colshannon (!) gets an assignment to shadow a police detective, she goes to the job with a great deal of trepidation. It's a big chance for her to get some articles published, and leave off reporting pet deaths for the weekly column.

The supporting characters are all humorously drawn, and quite real, from her theatrical parents to her maritially inclined friend, Lizzie.

Holly's arch enemies were occasionally sketched in charcoal, not pencil (a little heavy handed) but for the most part, this book is a delight.

It was nice to get a little peak into the blues working day & I am partial to office scenes, particularly when they are as well written as this. Liked the jokes, liked the camaraderie.

The action moves along at a swift pace, preventing the reader from getting bored with the storylines or the characters, and Sarah Mason has a deft touch with the humour.

Of course, I didn't think so initially, one of the first "funny" drama's in the book relating to items lodged in a delicate spot - but the novel improves, drastically.

Being a gal who can never get her L's and R's straight, I was delighted to find a soulmate in Holly, who confesses to the same problemo! Now I wonder how she is with a compass?...

Kotori - ojadis@yahoo.com

Klutzy and quirky reporter Holly gets an assignment to shadow a police detective for the Bristol Gazette. She enters into the assignment with ambivalence, as it is her first real reporting gig, and she does not want to muck it up.

Her subject, James Sabine has no use for reporters and is pissed that he is stuck with her. He is chosen because he is about to go on leave and marry his society girlfriend. The brass don't want him involved in any heavy investigations, so the timing is perfect. She is busy with her own paramour, a burly rugby player who is also a commitment phobe.

The two snipe at each other constantly and barely acknowledge one another, while the rest of the station is nice to her and treats her well, secretly relishing James' situation. Of course, this is a mask for the pent up feelings both seem to be having for each other, though neither is willing to admit or act on it.

The situations are hilarious - as Holly engages in many Lucy & Ethel moments and tries James' patience (and somehow manages to become his fiance's best new buddy, getting invited to everything related to the wedding including the hen night). She suddenly realizes that she does not want James to tie the knot. But is it too late?

Playing James is a hilarious, romantic and suspensful novel all wrapped into one. I have friends that are in law enforcement and I can see them with some reporter tagging along behind them. I can definately relate to this book and the storyline. Right from the get-go the book moved right along and described the caracters right down to a tee. Like all books, you know who is going to end up with each other and I was so anxious to finish the book and find out what happened to Robin. I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah Mason's first novel and will be looking for her next one!

This is the author's first book and I have to say it is an successful one. It is definitely a laugh out loud adventure through the eyes of a young journalist. The love affair is gripping and real. Highly recommend this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Sarah Mason.

For journalist, the accident prone Holly Colshannon, things take a turn when a colleague leaves freeing up the position of crime correspondent. It sounds glamorous but in reality it's the job that no one else wants.

Her first encounter with the gorgeous but disapproving detective James Sabine in the hospital, doesn't bode well for their future working relationship. James distrust the press and when Holly's given an assignment to shadow James and write about his work in a column for the paper - their relationship gets even stormier and funnier.

The humour had me rolling over with laughter from page one. My favourite scenes was when Holly's toe gets stuck in a wine bottle and she lands in Emergency and James come flying to the hospital, thinking otherwise.
BUT despite the lovely humour, I thought that there should have been more pages to them falling in love and declaring it to each other instead of such an abrupt finish. I mean, we went through everything with them, after all, and we needed that bit of closure. That would have wrapped the story up nicely, in my opinion anyway.
So, felt a bit cheated there.

But still, an entertaining read.

The characters were just adorable and I actually laughed out loud at times. Even though the ending was pretty predictable, it was so much fun getting there. I read this in one sitting, and it was one of those books where I wanted to get to the end because I knew it would be good, but I didn't want to have to leave the lives of these great characters. This is chick lit at its best!

After reading all of the great reviews of this book, I must admit I was rather disappointed. I am a very fast reader, and when interested in a book, I tend to finish it rather fast. Not so with this book - I had no motivation to finish, to the point where I had ten pages to read and absolutely no rush. It was very predictable - if you can make it through the first 50 pages and NOT figure out how the book is going to end, you must be very dense. The characters were likable enough, but it was far too predictable and fairy tale-ish. I have read much more engaging and interesting chick lit novels - this one falls on my average list...

Holly Colshannon is no stranger in the Casualty department at her local hospital. A good bit of the story revolves around her frequent visits to Casualty. A pet funeral reporter, Holly suddenly finds herself in a new position at the paper after one of her least favorite people gives his leave. Sent to the Police Department to try to dig up stories, Holly comes face to face with a detective who gave her attitude at the hospital when she was doing "research." After a fateful meeting with the head of PR, Holly finds herself following James around for her new diary feautre.

The story that follows is laugh-out-loud funny, with twists and turns that will leave you with a smile on your face long after the book is done.

I didn't realize that this was a Brit book until I was already hooked. I usually don't get the off center sense of Brit humor, but this book was very cute and funny. I nice light book for a weekend read.

I went out on a whim when I bought 'Playing James' and I couldn't put it down. From the first hilarious page to the last. I could relate with Holly as she was constantly doing things that I would do. The characters were likable and I could see myself in these Wacky situations, even if they may be a little impossible. The storyline was great, and Sarah Mason's writing style is brilliantly captivating. I have decided to go out and purchase all of Mason's other books, and hope they reach this standard. I definitely recommend this book.