Irresistible

by Mary Balogh

book data

141 ratings, 3.64 average rating, 9 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		21%
4		33%
3		34%
2		10%
1		0%

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published

October 2nd 2007 by Berkley (first published 1998)

details

Paperback, 320 pages

isbn

0425221032 (isbn13: 9780425221037)

description

Mary Balogh reconfirms her reputation as a superlative writer of Regency romance in this well-drawn, ultimately moving love story between a war hero's…more

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Dec 30, 2009

Rane rated it:

bookshelves: mary-balogh, regency-romance

When Sir Nathaniel Gascoigne comes to London to help find suitable marriages for his sister and cousin, he’s surprised to meet with a colleague and fellow solider widowed wife and old friend Sophie Armitage. Sophie has became somewhat of a celebrity because of her husband’s act of heroism. But Sophie’s life is anything but pleasant as she deals with many hardships after his husband’s death. Meeting with Nathaniel again, brings feelings Sophie had kept hidden long ago to resurface, and ...more When Sir Nathaniel Gascoigne comes to London to help find suitable marriages for his sister and cousin, he’s surprised to meet with a colleague and fellow solider widowed wife and old friend Sophie Armitage. Sophie has became somewhat of a celebrity because of her husband’s act of heroism. But Sophie’s life is anything but pleasant as she deals with many hardships after his husband’s death. Meeting with Nathaniel again, brings feelings Sophie had kept hidden long ago to resurface, and when she proposes a affair of equals Nat accepts, but when a blackmailer comes to ruin Sophie life, Nataniel and Sophie must choose a future apart or a future together...

Every time I pick up a Mary Balogh book I always know am in for a wonderful read with great character depth...

Nathaniel Gascoigne has come to London to help his sister and his cousin find marriages, having been the country for so long, Nathaniel is glad to be back in London to see the sights and his friends and old soldiers in arms, when he and his friends happen upon Sophie Armitage at the park one morning he’s feels the same comfort she always showed as she followed her husband into war and became a army wife whom always followed the drum. When one night, changes it all and Nathaniel and Sophie sleep together. Thinking it would just be a flash in the pan moment, Nathaniel is surpised and pleased when Sophie proposes a affair for the season. As they grow closer, Nathaniel starts to see another side of Sophie he never seen before, and when she suddenly asks for the affair to end, Nathaniel is even more drawn to Sophie and the need to help her and the deep need to love her.
Sophie Armitage followed her husband into war, where she met and befriend to Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, four handsome and brave men, but none more so then Sir Nathaniel Gascoigne who stole her heart. While she cared for husband, it was a loveless marriage and one of dear friends then of lovers. After her husband’s death, Sophie lives a quiet life, as she tries to deal with a blackmailer who would bring to light a dark secret from her husband’s past if she doesn’t pay up. Trying to live one day at a time, Sophie is getting ready for her own niece’s season when she meets with Nathaniel and the Four Horsemen again, after a night of passion she shares with Nathaniel, and seeing as her only true chance of happiness, Sophie decides to take a chance and ask Nathaniel to have an affair with her. When he agrees, she feels not only happy but saddens knowing her heart will be broken once the affair ends, which is sooner then she thought as the blackmailer digs his talons in deeper making her force to push everyone she cares about away or have them ruined including Nathaniel, but she’s surprised when Nathaniel wishes to remain by her side- forever......

From friends to lovers, Nathaniel and Sophie has a great shifting of balance they go through in their relationship that evolves throughout the book. While Sophie always held her love close to her heart. Nathaniel only saw Sophie as..well Sophie. The comfy, sometimes untidy, always cheerful Sophie. He never saw beyond that, until the night they make love that leaves his shaken but also wanting more. Nathaniel is a true gentleman, thinking he has to be the strong one of the family. Which leaves him kinda stumped with his open-minded and independent cousin and Sophie. Nathaniel in the beginning sees Sophie still as a friend, and then sees her a lover, but not one of the same. Nathaniel feels a strong pull toward Sophie the more he sees her, but when he sees beyond the armor she hides herself, he finds her stunning and beautiful. It takes some time, for Nathaniel to see that Sophie is able to hold her own as an independent woman, but it’s charming to see Nathaniel go from a caring friend to someone who would beat the crap out of anyone who would hurt the woman he loves. And Nathaniel loves Sophie deeply, but is unsure of her feelings and is willing to let her go, but also is willing to fight tooth and nail for her as well. Nathaniel is another one of MB’s heroes that are not Alpha Male, but is a true Gamma with a big heart, that you love and hold a deep understanding for.
Sophie is a woman who knows her own mind, but wants to be loved as a woman, an equal. Sophia has suffered in and after her marriage in self-confidence as a female, when she’s with Nathaniel she feels truly like a woman, and a woman in love. But because of her lack of self-confidence in herself, she scared to really show and tell her feelings toward Nathaniel, but also scared to be found out that she’s being blackmailed. Sophie always feels she needs to prove to everyone she can take care of herself, but at the same time I wanted for her to stand up for herself against the blackmailer sooner then later and tell Nathaniel her feelings. She wanted people to respect her and being an independent woman, sometimes she acted to much of a puppet on a string and a victim. When she does stand on her own, I was happy and glad she finally told Nathaniel her love for him.

There was a few things in Irresistible that I really didn’t like and some I really loved. The tug and pull with Nathaniel of seeing Sophie as a friend or lover was understandable, but at times I wanted to shake him to see that Sophie was more then a BFF. Sophie taking crap from her blackmailer and the sudden overkill event was kinda “eh” for me and not in the line of whom Sophie was. Plus there was some things that took away from the focus of Sophie and Nathaniel which made me wanna hurry through so I could get back to theme. These events brought my rating down, but didn’t bring down my love in reading this book. The secondary romance was cute and the banter between the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was fun. But always the main highlight of the book was the growing relationship between Sophie and Nathaniel.

Overall: a wonderfully written and story of two people whom were once friends then became lovers,as it changes their lives and how their new found love blossoms (less)

Like this review? yes (12 people liked it)

26 comments

Dec 26, 2008

Regina Montenaro rated it:

(review of isbn 0515123676)

I liked the way Balogh, who is one of my favorite Regency romance authors, twists the lives of the characters in this book. Nathaniel is perfect as the "hero," and Sophia is so kind one cannot help but feel sympathy for her. In this one, the reader cheers for the couple to finally get together and stay together. I also wanted to cheer when Nathaniel, Kenneth, Rex, and Eden showed at Pinter's apartment. I wanted someone to beat the "crap" out of the man, and Nathaniel was the ...more

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Oct 14, 2008

Gail rated it:

Read in July, 2008

This is a reprint, I believe. I hate that I apparently missed it first time around, because I truly do not remember reading it before. The heroine is the widow of a war hero. Her husband was killed trying to save the life of a young officer during the battle of Waterloo, immediately after saving several other lives. She received a house and a pension from the government and is living quite nicely, except for one teensy little debt that's cropped up from her husband's past. Except that you know f...more

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Apr 19, 2009

Maria rated it:

(review of isbn 0515123676)

bookshelves: historical-romance

Read in April, 2009

Another of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse books, at least Ms. Balogh manages to make them all quite different. Indiscreet is by far my favorite of the three, but this one has many good points as well. I particularly liked Sophie's not being of the nobility yet she is feisty and capable as well as kind. I was a little less happy with Nat Gascoigne and so many courtships amongst the other characters that it was easy to lose track of them all.

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Sep 27, 2009

Ann rated it:

(review of isbn 0515123676)

Read in September, 2009

juicy good old english read.. quick and fun.. and the older gal gets the man!! yahoo

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Nov 01, 2009

Erika rated it:

(review of isbn 0515123676)

bookshelves: romance

Read in November, 2009

This was a better than average regency romance.

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Jan 08, 2010

Lynn Calvin added it (review of isbn 0515123676)

Romance

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Aug 12, 2009

Laura rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, fiction-historical, romance

It needed more in the B plot.

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Nov 29, 2007

Danita rated it:

Read in December, 2007

this is one of my favorite romance authors, so far its ok...
just finished this book even though i love her work, i did not love this book. the dialog between the characters was not good...i was really unhappy with this book.

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