New cover and title! (And a giveaway!)

So, my upcoming release has a new cover and title, and I’m super-excited to share it!

Some of you are probably asking why there’s a new cover and title. The short answer is, even though I really liked the previous cover (which you can see here if you’d like), a few months ago I started to get this nagging feeling that it wasn’t quite the right fit for my book. Two things concerned me: (1) I felt like the woman on the cover looked a little too passive for the heroine of this book, and (2) I thought the cover seemed too subdued, and didn’t convey how fun the book is.

After raising these concerns with the team at Berkley (my publisher), we spent the next few months coming up with a cover that fit better. And I have to say, I LOVE this cover. Check it out:

TTAL cover final

 

Pretty cool, huh? What I like about this cover is that it really captures the fun, sexy feel of the book. As for the title change, even though I had come up with the original title, Flirty Little Secrets, I’d always worried that it seemed more like the title of a Young Adult book. When we decided to switch the cover art, we agreed that THE THING ABOUT LOVE was a better fit. And we also changed the back cover blurb a bit, too. Here you go:

Two undercover FBI agents can hide who they are from everyone but each other in the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Suddenly One Summer.

After spending six years in Los Angeles—and the last six months wondering how her marriage fell apart—FBI Special Agent Jessica Harlow is looking for a fresh start. When she finds out that the Chicago field office has an opening for an undercover agent, returning to her hometown seems like the perfect answer. But her new partner, John Shepherd, is someone she never expected to see again. Six years ago, the cocky Army Ranger was her top competition at the FBI Academy, and the one man who got under her skin like no other.

Just one assignment away from joining the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, John isn’t going to let anything throw him off his game—not even the self-assured woman who once showed him up at Quantico. He’ll work with Jessica to take down a corrupt Florida politician, even if pretending to be business partners staying at a beachfront resort means getting closer than they’d expected. For two experienced agents, it should be a simple enough assignment, but the heat behind their nonstop sparring threatens to make the job a whole lot more complicated…

So, there you have it. Those of you who like my FBI books will probably be pleased to see that there are two FBI protagonists in The Thing About Love. The heroine and hero, Special Agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd, meet at the FBI Academy, where both of them are determined to be the best in their class. A not-so-friendly rivalry ensues and . . . well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. 😉  You’ll have to see for yourself when the book comes out on April 18th.

The Thing About Love can be preordered at Amazon and iBooks (more buy links to come, I’ll post as soon as they’re available)

And now for the giveaway! To celebrate the cover reveal, I have five signed copies of Suddenly One Summer up for grabs.

SOS final cover

To enter, simply leave a comment below. Giveaway is international, and will remain open until 9pm CST on Thursday, June 30. Please enter only once.  Good luck!

213 thoughts on “New cover and title! (And a giveaway!)

  1. Lisa M. says:

    ooh I really adored the old cover but after reading your reasoning I’d have to agree, this one definitely fits better. ugh 2017 can’t come soon enough!

    Thank you for the giveaway!

  2. Christine says:

    I’m so looking forward to your new book. I saw April of 2017 and I started dating everything 2017, will that make it get here sooner? Ha! Love the title and the cover!

  3. Gresa says:

    It will be a honor for me to have one of the copies of Suddenly one Summer, so… I’m really excited and thank you very much for this amazing opportunity Julie.

  4. Patricia Camaioni says:

    A big fan of your FBI books. Preordered this back before publishing date was changed and then the title. Next April can’t come soon enough!

  5. Katie says:

    The new book sounds great!! I love FBI characters & a rivalry between characters (especially when you know they are going to end up hooking up *L*). Can’t wait to read it!!

  6. Catherine Edwards says:

    Pre ordered this book a long time ago and after reading the new blurb, I’m really glad I did! Can’t wait for April. Thanks for doing this giveaway!

  7. Jill says:

    I’ve been reading your books since high school to law school and still by far my favorite fiction author!!!

    You are the only author of non-law books that I am willing to read in a pile of law books. PLEASE, BOOK AND RAFFLE GODS, LET ME HAVE THAT BOOK AND SAVE ME FROM THE TEXTBOOKS ?

  8. Kanoko says:

    The new cover is wickedly wicked. Especially with tiny pieces of a crushed candy heart scattered like that. The stiletto heel is so wickedly suggestive (symbolic?)—I love it!

    I liked the old title, had no problem with it, and didn’t realize it had potential marketing issues. The Thing About Love, however, is very Julie James-esque—something I can easily and quickly associate/identify with you—so I approve of this change!

    I am so excited for this book and for you! Thanks for sharing these bits of exciting news…even if the publication date didn’t change to something a little earlier, haha, so status quo on the agonizing wait. Also, as always, thank you for making most of your giveaways international.

  9. Mateja Šmic says:

    I’ve been posted all the Croatian versions on your FB profile few days ago. But a book with your sign will makes me incredible happy. You can’t imagine. Your name on the book is all! Love you a lot and I can’t wait for your next book! Seems very interesting! Can’t wait!! Love, Mateja <3

  10. missjeanina says:

    THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME. ??????
    I read all your books and I must say they gave me a good laugh and some lady boner. I love how detailed you are with your characters and story lines and the fact that you even bothered to think about the cover and title to fit what you envision in your head is amazeballs. YOU HAVE A GIFT IN WRITING. XOXO FROM PHILIPPINES ?

  11. Judy S says:

    How exciting! Although, April seems so long to have to wait for your release. I can’t wait to read it! Thanks for the chance!

  12. Monika says:

    The cover makes me more excited (if thats even possible) about the book. I cant wait to meet my new role model ? .

  13. Karen Gagnon says:

    I love the teaser for this and can’t wait to read more! Great cover as well! =D
    Thanks for the chance to win a signed copy of Suddenly One Summer! I listened to it on audio and it was brilliant!

  14. Suzie Quebedeaux says:

    I REALLY love the new cover!!!! Of course I haven’t read the book but I agree with you that both the first cover and title sounds like a YA book. This one is more sophisticated. Can’t wait to read it. Love books about the FBI.

  15. Sunita Bhandari says:

    I love all ur books but the FBI series is my favorite. Now waiting for this one till April ?..too long….

  16. Connie Lee says:

    The new cover and title of “the thing about love” look and sound great! I would love to read it. Thanks for the giveaway of a copy of Suddenly One Summer, I hope I win one!

  17. Jen says:

    Cannot wait for this new book! I am sure it, like all of your others, will be devoured and then re-read numerous times!

  18. Anita H. says:

    Oooh, more FBI agents!!! I love the new cover and the teaser too. Can’t wait to read it but April is just too far away! 😉

  19. Eileen says:

    How exciting!!! I love the cover and I really can’t wait for this book. It feels like a long time since I read your last one.

  20. Petra Hajmasi says:

    It will be released two weeks before my birthday. Maybe I will treat myself with it as a birthday present, who knows?

  21. Emily Baucom says:

    Love the new cover and the title, cannot wait to read it. I am sure it will be another hit like all of your other books 🙂

  22. Linda says:

    OMG!!! Love it! Just reread SLS yesterday to get my Julie James fix. Love the cover and the story line! Can NOT wait!!

  23. Katie O'Sullivan says:

    Love the cover and the new title and the revised blurb. It all works so well!

    I don’t need to win a copy of the book as I’ve already got my signed copy 🙂 but did want to leave a comment to say congrats on what looks like another winner!

  24. Cindy Crawford says:

    You always have the best covers! Have had SOS on my tbr list so would love to win a copy! Thank you for this fun giveaway!

  25. Katrina Tripp says:

    I love your books!! I discovered on audio first.. Love!! But now I’ll take them any way I can read them haha.. Can’t wait for your new book to be released.

  26. Sabrina Robert says:

    Love, Love this cover.
    I’m actually listening to “Suddenly One Summer” now on audible. Have the ebook but didn’t have time to read it.

  27. Jyotsna says:

    Can’t wait for this book. Would love the give away. Also, do we need to cancel our current pre-order for Flirty Little secrets and reorder it for this new one?

    Thanks!

  28. Marylouise DiMiero says:

    I’m soo excited for this book! Ahh April 18th! Lol I love all your stories! Keep them coming lol

  29. Jasmin Hinagdanan says:

    I loooooove the cover. I love how sexy it looks. You can tell just seeing the book cover. Omg. I can’t wait. April is soooof far away.

  30. Michelle says:

    My heart is heavy… April, oh that is just so not fair. What do we read until then??? Cover is awesome though.

  31. Ila Millhouse says:

    Love the new cover! Just finished reading Suddenly One Summer! Loved it! Hurry up April 2017! Would love to win a copy to add to my collection of books! Thanks!

  32. Ami says:

    The cover looks awesome. I’m a HUGE fan of black/white/red combination and this just gets me more excited for coming April!

  33. Didi says:

    That was a really promising blurb up there. Can’t wait for release day. Sexy cover, too! (It doesn’t have to show the couple for it to be flirty and sexy. Way to go!!)

  34. Carol says:

    I like the new cover as it shows the book is a bit more racy then the original cover. The original cover is awesome also, but needs a story to fit with it too.

  35. Suze says:

    I was hoping it was August….LOL. Can’t wait. It sounds so good and the cover looks perfect. Impatiently waiting……..

  36. Ada H. says:

    I’m really loving the cover and I’m counting down the days until April!!! Thanks for the giveaway, I hope to be one of the lucky winners!

  37. Jeanne says:

    Love stories on FBI agents and I can’t wait for this book. I have your last 2 books in my stack, but I’ve got a Nook & a Kindle app and I went a little crazy buying ebooks, so I haven’t read them yet. A question: Did Jordan and Nick (my favorite couple) have their babies yet?

  38. Rida says:

    Love the blurb, and the stiletto on the cover too! I wonder if the characters from the previous FBI books will make an appearance!?!

  39. Darlene Holley says:

    I like this cover it is eye catching. It is the covers that draw me to a book at the book store first and I think that this one will stand out.

  40. Bobbie Boyer says:

    I really like the new cover. It pops and makes you want to see what the book is all about!! I can’t wait for the release so I can get to reading!!!

  41. Lexie says:

    Greetings from a longtime fan and a fellow lawyer/writer all the way from MACEDONIA ! Love the originality of your new cover! I hope this new book will be sold here too soon !

  42. Aleksandra A says:

    OMG, Ms. James. The cover is absolutely stunning! And I am so excited to read The Thing About Love! Adore all your books and a day when you release a book it feels like Christmas! Thank you for sharing your talent with us. And thank you for the amazing chance to win! Would love to add Suddenly One Summer to my favorite bookshelf! ❤️

  43. Cheryl Flores says:

    1. Thank you for writing romance novels that always portray women as intelligent funny and kickass!

    2. I would love for the Cubs to face my SF Giants this year in the NL Championship series.

  44. Terrill Rosado says:

    I must be regressing, because the black, red and white is so stimulating as they are supposed to be for infants. That and my eyesight is rapidly deteriorating since turning 40 and they’re probably the only colors I can differentiate. 🙂

    Regardless, it’s a gorgeous new cover.

  45. Sandy X says:

    That is definitely a change in your cover for the series. I do love it though; it really gives it a hype on being sexy.

  46. Sam says:

    I actually love both covers and titles. I would read both books! Then again I’m a book whore, you can’t go by me. I do love shoes too …Yes, I have a shoe habit too. Great cover, great title, looking forward to reading it.

    P.S. I love the crushed candy heart. I’m taking that as a sign that the heroine is my kind of gal!

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