Convincing Cami

by Babette James

When Cami Alexander moves next door, it’s time for Jack O’Malley to concede the sweet and sexy fellow teacher is more than a long-time friend—she’s the one he’s been looking for in all the wrong places. He’s ready to put his footloose bachelor days behind him, but between his past, Cami’s doubts, her overprotective family, and well-meaning blind date offers from friends, convincing Cami they’re meant to be together is going to get complicated. Good thing Jack likes a challenge.

Cami’s always had a little crush on the dashing, blue-eyed Jack, but when the heat in a spontaneous kiss surprises them both, she’s afraid to risk their friendship over mere desire. Passion proves irresistible, and one explosive night ups the ante on their dilemmas. Jack vows his love and to stand by her through every trouble, but she’s been burned by promises before, and this time more than her heart’s at stake.

Genres: Contemporary Romance

ebook

First published January 13, 2015

About the author

Author of sweetly scorching romance, a reader, and a lover of morning coffee. She lives in New Jersey with her wonderfully patient husband and extremely spoiled cats. A teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s time for their spelling test! When not dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and dabbling with paints.

Reviews

[Maria Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely warmhearted romance is the story of Jack and Cami, now neighbours but friends for the last six years due to family connections. They've always shared an attraction for each other but due to other relationships were never free to pursue it - until now, when they find themselves both available. Is it finally their turn to see if their fantasies will live up to reality?

I really enjoyed this story. Jack and Cami were both warm, friendly people harbouring this secret attraction for each other and willing to finally put it out there. Jack makes the first move and Cami is receptive, though a bit wary of Jack's playboy past and keeping it a secret from her twin sister who is married to Jack's best friend and knows how he operates. The chemistry between them is evident from the start and leads to several sweet and sexy love scenes. The author has the knack of making you feel like you are really in the story, with a well described setting of a small town in October. There isn't a lot of angst in the story, and though some of the scenes are emotional the overall feeling is lighthearted. The ending felt a bit rushed to me which is what made me give it a 4 instead of a 5 star rating - I would have liked to have seen it drawn out a bit more. Overall though, a lovely and entertaining read.

Note: a copy of this story was provided by the author for review.

[Nancy Stopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars for Convincing Cami. Convincing Cami is a sweet story of friends turning into lovers. I really enjoyed meeting Cami and Mikki (her twin). Mikki typically serves as Cami's conscience and her sounding board, but the nature of Cami's struggles in this story prevents her from turning to her sister. Cami is a bit of a neurotic, however, and her past relationship failures have left her skittish about getting involved - and she takes that a bit too far. Despite Jack's reassurances of his feelings for her, Cami is constantly questioning whether his feelings are real, and whether her feelings are real. Jack demonstrates amazing patience while Cami works through her doubts. As the reader, it was a bit difficult to understand why Cami is experiencing her neuroses to the degree that she is, because we aren't given much background on any relationships other than her most recent. It makes her reticence seem a bit overblown. I really love Jack as a character - he is strong but sensitive, knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go after he. He makes his intentions towards Cami clear and is quite intent on his pursuit of her, and it makes for a enjoyable story. Jack truly spent most of the book Convincing Cami that his feelings for her were real!

My biggest concern with the book is that it has an extremely abrupt ending. While all of the questions were answered and the situations and concerns resolved, the book felt very unfinished with the way it ended so harshly. It's almost like the author felt like being done, so all of the loose ends were tied up and then "The End". If ever a book was in need of another chapter, or at least an epilogue, it was this book. The book needs a smoother path to the end than it currently has. I'm happy that Cami and Jack find their happily ever after in the end, but felt cut off by the extent to which the ending felt sudden.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Even though this author has written many other books, I had not heard of her before. However the summary sounded interesting so I thought I would go ahead and read this books. And I was not disappointed.

One of the things I like about this books is that the heroine, Cami, and the hero, already know each other. Cami has a twin, Mikki. Jack is the best friend of Mikki's husband. Jack and Cami have known each other for five years. They are great friends but we find out that both of them have always been attracted to each other. Unfortunately they have never been available at the same time - until now.

Mikki and her husband are pregnant and they have moved to a new house that is next door to Jack.The house has an apartment that Cami is renting. Jack has decided that it is now time to consider dating Cami. One of problems is that Jack does not seem to be able to make a commitment.

I totally enjoyed the story. There are a lot of mix-ups and misunderstandings between the couple and their families.This book is a lot of fun to read. Also there is a lot of heat between the couple that comes from attraction and love. There is hot sex as well good companionship. In spite of that, Camu is still unsure of Jack because of his reputation; Jack is unsure of how long needs to wait to tell Cami he loves her.

This author is a fantastic writer. No grammar mistakes and no misspelling. The plot is well thought out so that all of the misunderstandings and mix-ups are great without being over-the-top.`All of the characters are three-dimensional with good and bad traits.

I enjoyed the book so much that I have already bought the first book in this series, and I am looking forward to reading it as well as her future books in this series.

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan's Thoughts
Great story. Mikki and Cami are twins, Mikki is married to Ray and Jack is Ray's best friend. Cami and Jack have had feeling for each other for years but were never at the same spot to pursue them. Cami is staying with her sister to help her out while she is pregnant with twins of her own. Cami has just been dumped by her boyfriend via text and is finding herself attracted to Jack in a more then friends sort of way but Jack's reputation is not one of staying with one girl long enough to get serious and Cami and Ray warn her to stay away from him. But Cami and Jack find they can't cool the fires between them and start a relationship but Cami has Jack promise to keep it secret for the time being which causes alot of secrecy between her and her sister which in turn causes a lot of stress for both Cami and Jack. This story was well written and very entertaining with clean old fashioned romance.
This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.

[Isha Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am new to Babette James and have read three of her books so far(Kissing Katie, Convincing Cami and Love Burns). Despite that I have come to the conclusion that each book read by her is like interacting with an old friend. Through her storytelling she makes the reader comfortable with the story and characters. Comfortable enough that although you just met them, it seems like you have known them forever. Convincing Cami embodies the feeling of small town family and friends getting together and reminiscing. This story takes the reader back to a more simple time of first loves, first kiss and a simpler way of life. I love that even though Ms. James characters have to face life's problems, they do so knowing that they have close family and friends guiding them along the way. I received a copy of Convincing Cami for an honest review.

["Avonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cami is moving behind her twin's family home and right next door to Jack. They have all been friends for six years, but now Jack and Cami are both single at the same time and Jack is ready to claim Cami, but she definitely needs some convincing. His past relationships haven't lasted and she hasn't picked well in her previous relationships. Even though they both feel more than friendship, they don't want to destroy their current friendship with each other, their families and friends.

This is a well paced contemporary romance with strong characters that you fall in love with and want to have their HEA. All the sex is hot, but not gratuitous. I really enjoyed that the families were involved and caring. I would happily read more by this author.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lori Meehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*
This is my first book by Babette James and I truly enjoyed this light hearted secret relationship troupe. It's the second book in the series but it can be read as a stand alone book. I didn't at any time feel that I was missing out on anything.
Cami and Jack have secretly pined for each other for years but each had other relationships and were never unattached at the same time until now. They finally give in to their feelings but there is so much going on in Cami's family that she asks Jack to keep their relationship a secret. It soon moves to hot and heavy and they both question why the need to keep it to themselves. Jack knows what he wants, Cami. Now all he need to to is convince Cami that it's love and he's a forever kind of guy.
If you like light feel good romance this is the book for you. I'm looking forward to reading the frist book "Kissing Katie".
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous friends to lovers story that was very entertaining and left me smiling! Jack and Cami have known each other for years and have been highly attracted to each other. Unfortunately, the timing has always been wrong. Now they find themselves both single at the same time and living right next door to each other. The problem? Jack is Cami's brother-in-law's best friend so if things go badly it could be awkward and stressful. Add to that the fact that Cami's sister is adamant that Jack is a player and not for someone like Cami. Would the reward be worth the risks??

This one was very well done and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story about life and love. It is definitely your boy/girl next door story, as Cami and Jack knew each other long before they started dating. Their relationship has a realistic feel to it as they are friends trying to fight their attraction for each other. I like that the author is clear about how neither character has been in the right place/right time of their life to let the romance begin. Both have had other relationships, etc. The book is well-written and light hearted. It is one of those books that is hard to put down… I received a copy of the book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Nelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet book about two people who have had the trouble with 'the perfect timing'. When I first started reading this book, I knew what the outcome would be right away, but it was a sweet/nice read. I needed this because I have been reading really emotional and gut-ripping novels lately. If you're looking for a quick/easy read, then this book is for you. It all played out a little too easily for me, and I found myself skimming, but none-the-less, it was okay.

**I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review**

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.”

After knowing each other for years, Cami and Jack share a moment. That moment has them taking their relationship to a whole new level. The guy next door wants the whole shebang while Cami has her doubts if the relationship will work. There were times I wanted to hit Cami upside the head but in the end she eventually came around. Great moments had with the twin sister and brother in law. A quick read that I was able to finish in one sitting. Look forward to other books by this author.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a warm, feel-good story to read over a long weekend! I was instantly sucked into Cami and Jack's story! Despite Cami's twin sister's pregnancy with twins, there were very few complications in their love story so it just made it an enjoyable and relaxing read. Definitely a fun new author for me that I will have to keep my eye on.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Babette James is the creator of sweet contemporary romances. She gives the reader just what they are looking for.

Read full review in the 2015 May issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Cami story was pretty slow moving at first,until it was discovered they were keep their relationship a secret. Then it bop, banged and sizzled till the end.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.