Review: “Irresistible”
This was my second book by this author and I enjoyed it even more than the last one I read by her (“Man Candy“).
I should provide a disclaimer: I was in the mood for tropes. I write unpredictable, real-life romance with dubious “heroes/heroines”, and as an effort to educate myself and grow as a writer, I was specifically looking for more typical romances with the usual reader journey. To that end, “Irresistible” does not disappoint at all. It had a fair handful of boxes ticked off from the jump, and it says right in the subtitle “(A Small Town Single Dad Romance)“.
The Premise
Former marine Mack is lusting after his sometimes nanny, who also happens to be the boss’ daughter and ten years his junior; meanwhile Frannie is the most capable super-domestic creature that’s haplessly in love with him as well. The endless cooking and effortless childminding were over the top, but cute and fluffy and of course necessary because poor Mack needs all of that saccharine-sweetness in his life. He’s been torturing his three little girls with unhealthy crap and a bad relationship with his ex-wife.
The Pros
The story was a rollicking romp from the first page right to the end, and I breezed through it in a couple of days. Having read another by the same author, I actually felt the familiarity in the writing, and looked forward to the journey. Overall I loved it, thoroughly enjoyed it, and couldn’t put it down. I loved foul-mouthed Mack and naive Frannie, and the kids are adorable scene-stealers. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny at times, and the naughty scenes are *ooh* scintillating. I really love how this author manages (yet again) to make the sex scenes sexy without absolute overkill. I also appreciate how she manages to interweave the stories of others, without flinging them at the reader. I genuinely wanted to learn more about all the side characters, from all the tiny kernels she dropped like breadcrumbs throughout the main characters’ scenes. I also enjoyed the growth of Frannie’s character, coming into her own and standing her ground with her family; girl power: woot!
The Cons
I don’t mind cursing, and my own characters curse a LOT, but I must admit that Mack dropping the F-bomb in front of his kids every other minute bothered me a bit. Sure, curse all you want otherwise… but in front of the kids I would have appreciated a bit more restraint. On the plus side, the charities must have been making a killing from that swear jar! I also think some of the trope elements weren’t really necessary — the age difference isn’t appalling, and the “boss’ daughter” element was another extra that didn’t seem to have any real impact here. Finally, the end was a little too swift for my liking; it sped ahead from one thing to another seemingly because it just had to fit that romance box! So I must admit I had some eye-rolling coming down to the very end. These were tiny hiccups though.
Conclusion
I will gladly grab another in this series, or any other series by this author. I was on the fence with the first book by her that I read, but I’m sold now, and became a fan! I signed up to her newsletter, and received the bonus scene to the book, which made me smile. Totally worth it.
