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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
This was an okay book. Two things distracted me from really getting into the plot. First, the Kindle copy I borrowed from my library was FULL of formatting errors, missed breaks, and mis-transferred words. Second: Man, these characters are stupid. I mean, as people, the choices they make make me wonder how they find their way home at night. Georgie is bordering on creepy psychotic, and John is basically a drunken whore. They spend most of the book assuming the worst about each other and deliberately hurting one another.
Lexie was not quite the plot moppet I'd feared she would be, but if you're not a fan of children in books, I'd stay away from this one.
Basically, what I like about the book is that it has hockey in it.
Lexie was not quite the plot moppet I'd feared she would be, but if you're not a fan of children in books, I'd stay away from this one.
Basically, what I like about the book is that it has hockey in it.
Okay so I think the thing that bothers me about this book is how quickly Georgie falls in love with John. I understand that she has parental issues and all that, but literally the second she has sex with him (after he’s been mean as shit to her, btw) she decides she’s in love with her. It perpetuates the idea that women can’t have sex without falling in love.
3.75 Stars
If you’ve read and liked Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s books, particularly her hockey romance series then this series is most likely going to appeal to you. If books had twin siblings this would be it. The same style, the same kind of characters and the same issues really..
Just like SEP’s books, this was entertaining. The writing was witty and catchy and the characters were very.. old school?! There is plenty of “in your face sexism” and the male characters are really hard to like because their values don’t really make them the poster boys for gender equality if anything their contributions would be detrimental.
Specifically speaking, I liked Georgie, the female MC. She was so lost, so sad, so lonely and I think the author did a great job at painting her pain all the while making her personality bubbly, strong and charming. The scene where she was at the airport and she was having a sort of out of body experience while reality came crashing down on her .. it made me really sad for her, I mean really. We often read about loneliness in books but there was such a visceral thing about the desperation of hitting rock bottom, finding hope (however silly and unrealistic it was) and then going back to zero.. She made a controversial decision later on which was arguably selfish but I understood where she came from. Hiding a child’s paternity is not something I like to read about because I find it morally reprehensible unless there is a serious reason for it, but as I said, I understood her and to be honest John, the male MC wasn’t really the poster boy for great decisions and morality.
Hmm, what else can I add? The male MC was okay, I suppose. I mean, he was a typical jock with a tragic event in his past who has just recovered from a chronic case of bad decision making. Sober and no longer marrying strippers whose name he can’t remember, he wants to become father of the year and is excited at the prospect of having a child so I liked that aspect of his personality.
What really ruined my enjoyment was the secondary story which didn’t take much space in the book but did a lot of damage. The story is about Mae, Georgie’s best friend and business partner. She was a pixie with an attitude who caught the eye of another hockey player who pursued her relentlessly, like she was so precious and unique.. I started off impartial when it came to her character but when she started saying that she couldn’t tell Georgie that she pretty much only slept with married men (because it was, easy, no strings attached sex) due to the fact that her friend was a quote “prude”, I felt like throwing up. Apparently if you disapprove of women who sleep exclusively with married men because it’s just easy sex, then you’re a prude.. Then there comes a point in Mae’s story where she rejects Hugh over and over after he practically begs her to go out with him and she rationalises it by saying that she may be sleeping with married men but even she has standards. Say what?!? Apparently she had a no jocks standard. I mean, yeah I get it, if he’s single, handsome, interested and successful, he’s a no -go but add a wife to the mix and the boy is golden right?! Wtf did I just read?!
Anyway, that was just me ranting at the ridiculousness of it all. But like I said, the main story was entertaining and I seriously enjoyed it.
If you’ve read and liked Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s books, particularly her hockey romance series then this series is most likely going to appeal to you. If books had twin siblings this would be it. The same style, the same kind of characters and the same issues really..
Just like SEP’s books, this was entertaining. The writing was witty and catchy and the characters were very.. old school?! There is plenty of “in your face sexism” and the male characters are really hard to like because their values don’t really make them the poster boys for gender equality if anything their contributions would be detrimental.
Specifically speaking, I liked Georgie, the female MC. She was so lost, so sad, so lonely and I think the author did a great job at painting her pain all the while making her personality bubbly, strong and charming. The scene where she was at the airport and she was having a sort of out of body experience while reality came crashing down on her .. it made me really sad for her, I mean really. We often read about loneliness in books but there was such a visceral thing about the desperation of hitting rock bottom, finding hope (however silly and unrealistic it was) and then going back to zero.. She made a controversial decision later on which was arguably selfish but I understood where she came from. Hiding a child’s paternity is not something I like to read about because I find it morally reprehensible unless there is a serious reason for it, but as I said, I understood her and to be honest John, the male MC wasn’t really the poster boy for great decisions and morality.
Hmm, what else can I add? The male MC was okay, I suppose. I mean, he was a typical jock with a tragic event in his past who has just recovered from a chronic case of bad decision making. Sober and no longer marrying strippers whose name he can’t remember, he wants to become father of the year and is excited at the prospect of having a child so I liked that aspect of his personality.
What really ruined my enjoyment was the secondary story which didn’t take much space in the book but did a lot of damage. The story is about Mae, Georgie’s best friend and business partner. She was a pixie with an attitude who caught the eye of another hockey player who pursued her relentlessly, like she was so precious and unique.. I started off impartial when it came to her character but when she started saying that she couldn’t tell Georgie that she pretty much only slept with married men (because it was, easy, no strings attached sex) due to the fact that her friend was a quote “prude”, I felt like throwing up. Apparently if you disapprove of women who sleep exclusively with married men because it’s just easy sex, then you’re a prude.. Then there comes a point in Mae’s story where she rejects Hugh over and over after he practically begs her to go out with him and she rationalises it by saying that she may be sleeping with married men but even she has standards. Say what?!? Apparently she had a no jocks standard. I mean, yeah I get it, if he’s single, handsome, interested and successful, he’s a no -go but add a wife to the mix and the boy is golden right?! Wtf did I just read?!
Anyway, that was just me ranting at the ridiculousness of it all. But like I said, the main story was entertaining and I seriously enjoyed it.
I wish Mae and Hugh were the main characters. Georgeanne and Lexi were fine, but John was not a likable love interest. Good father, shit lover.
This book had a lot of promise and I did laugh heartily over the”fish rescue” and “playing Barbies” scenes. Lexie was a show stealer; such a doll! However, John was too rude and his about face gave me whiplash.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s often hard to read a contemporary romance book that isn’t too contemporary. Often, the technology and pop culture have changed so much that it’s distracting. I’ve had great experiences with older contemporary romance; the earlier books of Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s Chicago Stars series come to mind. I’ve also had experiences with authors I generally love that have some earlier works that just don’t stand up to time. This one ended up a mixed bag for me.
The technology aspect in this story wasn’t a problem. Sure, some things would have played out a bit differently if the characters had cell phones or if social media was in the mix. Yet it wasn’t anything that took away from the story or that I found distracting. My issues with this story had more to do with the multiple pop culture references made throughout the book. They really weren’t necessary to the story. I’m sure, back in 1998 when this book was originally published, the tidbits would have added another level to the book…given it a little extra oomph. But the story would have still held up without those nuggets. I’m not sure if the references and the clothing descriptions took me out of the story more because the 90s are definitely my “coming of age” era. I graduated high school, got married, and had kids all in the 90s. So that decade is very much burned in my brain.
Another issue is some of the hockey stuff. I loved a lot of it. I was born and raised in the Detroit area and the 90s were definitely the time for the Detroit Red Wings to shine. I was very into hockey during that era so it made me giggle to read the characters bagging on Claude Lemieux. But I also know enough to know the Dallas Stars were NOT the Dallas Stars in the 80s…when the characters initially meet and the team is referenced. They were still the Minnesota North Stars. So while enjoying the name dropping and rivalries of 90s era hockey it is more obvious to me when mistakes are made.
So what about the romance? After all, this is a contemporary romance book. It’s really hard for me to put my finger on my issues. There were definitely warm fuzzies in some parts of this book; that’s always a good thing. The heroine, Georgeanne, by turns annoyed me for her judgement of others (while always feeling she was being judged herself) and tore at my heart for the way her learning disabilities were handled when she was a child. John also had some major issues with cluelessness that would annoy me here and there, but he really has a great heart. I’m on the fence as to whether or not Georgeanne and John met somewhere in the middle enough times throughout this book though.
I will say, the ending somewhat saved this one for me. As much as I wanted to scream at Georgeanne during an intense scene during a vacation (trying not to give spoilers), it was a catalyst to John opening his eyes a bit about his own behavior.
See full review at https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/simply-irresistible-book-review/
The technology aspect in this story wasn’t a problem. Sure, some things would have played out a bit differently if the characters had cell phones or if social media was in the mix. Yet it wasn’t anything that took away from the story or that I found distracting. My issues with this story had more to do with the multiple pop culture references made throughout the book. They really weren’t necessary to the story. I’m sure, back in 1998 when this book was originally published, the tidbits would have added another level to the book…given it a little extra oomph. But the story would have still held up without those nuggets. I’m not sure if the references and the clothing descriptions took me out of the story more because the 90s are definitely my “coming of age” era. I graduated high school, got married, and had kids all in the 90s. So that decade is very much burned in my brain.
Another issue is some of the hockey stuff. I loved a lot of it. I was born and raised in the Detroit area and the 90s were definitely the time for the Detroit Red Wings to shine. I was very into hockey during that era so it made me giggle to read the characters bagging on Claude Lemieux. But I also know enough to know the Dallas Stars were NOT the Dallas Stars in the 80s…when the characters initially meet and the team is referenced. They were still the Minnesota North Stars. So while enjoying the name dropping and rivalries of 90s era hockey it is more obvious to me when mistakes are made.
So what about the romance? After all, this is a contemporary romance book. It’s really hard for me to put my finger on my issues. There were definitely warm fuzzies in some parts of this book; that’s always a good thing. The heroine, Georgeanne, by turns annoyed me for her judgement of others (while always feeling she was being judged herself) and tore at my heart for the way her learning disabilities were handled when she was a child. John also had some major issues with cluelessness that would annoy me here and there, but he really has a great heart. I’m on the fence as to whether or not Georgeanne and John met somewhere in the middle enough times throughout this book though.
I will say, the ending somewhat saved this one for me. As much as I wanted to scream at Georgeanne during an intense scene during a vacation (trying not to give spoilers), it was a catalyst to John opening his eyes a bit about his own behavior.
See full review at https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/simply-irresistible-book-review/
okay, the story started out great but it went south for me in the middle. it got boring but the story was interesting that's why i continued reading till the end.
I was pleasantly surprised and will read more from this author. My only complaint, I felt John never quite redeemed himself, he flipped the switch too fast, and I would have expected a bit more groveling. It left me a bit unsatisfied.
Second time through I think I liked it even less. But I know the things that bugged me had to do with the fact this book was written in the 90s
Second time through I think I liked it even less. But I know the things that bugged me had to do with the fact this book was written in the 90s