Imagine every embarassing thing that has happened to you or a close friend. Those are the kinds of things that happen daily to reporter Holly Colshannon. Trouble seems to find this witty blonde and so its no coincidence that she is assigned the police beat at her newspaper. Reporters from her paper and the detectives get along like peanut butter and tuna. In an effort to resolve that hostility, Holly's boss asks her to do a six week diary entailing her shadowing of a particular brooding detective. James Sabine is gorgeous but seems to have little patience for Holly. He calls her a "mosquito that won't be squashed". It should be obvious that James is the hero of the story from the title "PLAYING JAMES". Still, James is engaged and Holly has a handsome rugby-playing boyfriend.

I really enjoyed this book because it simply flowed very well. Holly was quite likable and James was kind of... maybe adorable. Few quips or secret smiles were because of their sexual chemistry. The plot and carry through were devoid of cliches. It wasn't possible to get attached to either of their significant others and yet it seemed impossible for Holly to dump her boyfriend and James his fiance. Even though it was clear that they would make an excellent couple and in fact make one another better people.

To be honest this is not one of my better reviews. Playing James was more entertaining than I had expected but it didn't make me want to immediately reach for a phone and recommend it to a close friend. I'm not a HUGE fan of chick lit or british fiction. If it were less expensive I would definitly suggest you buy it.

Holly Colshannon writes for a local paper, "The Bristol Gazette" and in a fluke ends up being the new crime reporter. In an attempt to get more positive PR for both the paper and the local police force Holly is to do a six week piece while riding along with a police officer. Sadly she is assigned to one of the only police officers that is not keen on the idea of bringing her along, Detective Sargent James Sabine. The reason he is picked is because he is about to be married and will not be taking on any dangerous cases before the wedding. Not only does James dislike reporters immensely, he seems to take an extreme dislike to Holly in particular constantly pointing out that she is there "for observation only."

In a predictable fashion Holly and James argue constantly, but then lo and behold, they start to get to know each other and maybe something deeper forms. Secondary characters complicate the plot a bit and confuse Holly even more about the honorable James Sabine. As his wedding date approaches Holly finds herself more and more drawn to James, but she knows there is no hope for any relationship between them.

I found the book to be very predictable, but with this type of light easy read I didn't expect much else. Overall it was a good book, but not something I would really read over and over again. The love of the two main characters just came out of the blue, they went from arguing to love in a matter of minutes. I felt that the author could have spent a little bit more time developing their relationship, it would have added to the plot much more. Many of the scenes between James and Holly are quite funny, especially when he's trying to help her but just ends up hurting her more. It's worth a read if you're in between other books and looking for something fast.

I absolutely loved this book~the analogies were absolutely hilarious! So much fun going on one misadventure after another with Holly Colshannon, our heroine with a knack for creating chaos for James Sabine, the detective she shadows for her journalism assignment. She has a misconstrued idea of what love is with her current rugby-player boyfriend, but then finds James Sabine who she eventually falls for her. Does he feel the same about her (especially when he's getting married to another woman)? You'll have to read it to find out!

I really liked this book a lot. It was very entertaining, light hearted and fun. It even contained a very basic police case that needed to be solved and that added to its charm. I am a little disappointed in that I expected much more sparks flying between the two protagonists, but that wasn't the case. Also, I think somewhere after the middle, for about 50-70 pages, it kind of lost its pace... just to pick up again as James' wedding grows closer and closer. As the wedding date is coming nearer, a new series of events brings new revelations and excitement anew to the reader so that you can't put it down before it ends. So, if you're stuck somewhere in the middle, with Holly going to work, meets James, goes back home to meet Lizzy (the gorgeous boyfriend Ben is only a guest star in the book) and then a repeat of the same for the next days, give it a try and you'll be rewarded for your patience. A nice book to read in holidays or in the beach when you're looking for something fun, light and not thought consuming. This was my first book by Sarah Mason but not the last!

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...