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Marsh Sisters #1
Someone Irresistible
In her Avon debut, set in London in the 1850s, Adele Ashworth delivers a deeply emotional, highly sensual love story between a hero determined to restore his tarnished reputation and the one woman who, though torn by loyalties, can possibly help him. Adele writes the kind of romance that you can sink your teeth into — it's fast, furious, and unforgettable.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
23 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Adele Ashworth
11 books240 followersAdele Budnick was born in 1963. She has always felt she's led a rather dull life on her road to becoming a romance author. Unfortunately, she's also often been wrong.
From the first time she stepped onstage to sing Petula Clark's "Downtown" for a crowd (at the age of three in a Juarez, Mexico, hotel restaurant, dancing on the table at the urging of the Spanish-speaking waitresses), she knew she was destined to be a singer. Her first miscalculation.
At the age of six, as she watched one of the Apollo rockets take off on live Saturday-morning television, interrupting the most important TV shows of the decade—The Monkeys and Scooby-Doo—she decided she would become a diplomat. Much to her mother's chagrin, Adele was caught in a heated discussion with a telephone operator who insisted it simply wasn't possible to put a six-year-old child through to President Nixon at the White House just to make a complaint about important programming interruption. Diplomacy clearly wasn't for her.
In elementary school, Adele, being a voracious reader, decided she would be a defense attorney just like Nancy Drew's father. (One knew at any age that one couldn't make a living simply by being a mystery solver like Nancy, but solving crimes as an attorney seemed practical.) After three years of knowing she was destined for Harvard Law School, Adele finished every published Nancy Drew novel (53 of them at the time) and moved on to reading romance. Thus ended her dreams of solving crimes. The idea of law school seemed far less enjoyable after immersing herself in Victoria Holt at the age of twelve.
The Song Bird Years
Adele continued to pursue her singing into her teen years, deciding she was either going to be an editorial reader for a publishing company (because all she loved to do was read) or a Singing Superstar. She figured becoming a Superstar was probably an easier goal to achieve, and so, between reading romances (and in the late 70s there were very few to read), she practiced her art, training her developing coloratura soprano voice with private lessons from one of the best operatic instructors in the city of Albuquerque. Through numerous All-State Choir rehearsals, Jr. and High School choir practice, and various musical productions, she knew she was destined for stardom.
And then at the age of fifteen, her private vocal instructor told her the cold, hard facts: To really make it as a Broadway Singing Superstar, one not only has to read music well, but be able to act and dance and live on pennies. Adele does not dance (unless you count nightclubs in college and that time in Mexico when she was three…) and the "living on pennies" bit seemed highly questionable. Since her acting and music reading talents were also suspect, she decided Broadway might not be for her. Reality sure can be a shocker.
On the Career Path
In college as a journalism major (only because she had to major in something that might get her a paying job), she continued to pursue private vocal instruction with the University of Utah's finest, while performing in various musicals and college recitals. Having directed her through the lead in Cinderella, her drama teacher urged her to try out for local beauty—ahem—scholarship pageants. That was it. Adele was destined to be a singing, reading, reporting, Miss America.
Unfortunately, reality struck again. Not only was Adele a bit lacking in genius (to put it bluntly), being five feet and two inches tall, and possessing quite possibly the shortest legs in the history of womanhood left Adele doing well in talent portions of the contests, but lacking other…necessary attributes. Aside from being crowned Miss Sandy City and Miss Salt Lake County, the pageant thing never went anywhere. Alas, the Singing Beauty Queen future was out.
But Adele worked very hard at her favorite pastime and, by her senior year in college, she'd read just about every Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Victoria Holt, Shirley Busbee, Laurie McBain,
From the first time she stepped onstage to sing Petula Clark's "Downtown" for a crowd (at the age of three in a Juarez, Mexico, hotel restaurant, dancing on the table at the urging of the Spanish-speaking waitresses), she knew she was destined to be a singer. Her first miscalculation.
At the age of six, as she watched one of the Apollo rockets take off on live Saturday-morning television, interrupting the most important TV shows of the decade—The Monkeys and Scooby-Doo—she decided she would become a diplomat. Much to her mother's chagrin, Adele was caught in a heated discussion with a telephone operator who insisted it simply wasn't possible to put a six-year-old child through to President Nixon at the White House just to make a complaint about important programming interruption. Diplomacy clearly wasn't for her.
In elementary school, Adele, being a voracious reader, decided she would be a defense attorney just like Nancy Drew's father. (One knew at any age that one couldn't make a living simply by being a mystery solver like Nancy, but solving crimes as an attorney seemed practical.) After three years of knowing she was destined for Harvard Law School, Adele finished every published Nancy Drew novel (53 of them at the time) and moved on to reading romance. Thus ended her dreams of solving crimes. The idea of law school seemed far less enjoyable after immersing herself in Victoria Holt at the age of twelve.
The Song Bird Years
Adele continued to pursue her singing into her teen years, deciding she was either going to be an editorial reader for a publishing company (because all she loved to do was read) or a Singing Superstar. She figured becoming a Superstar was probably an easier goal to achieve, and so, between reading romances (and in the late 70s there were very few to read), she practiced her art, training her developing coloratura soprano voice with private lessons from one of the best operatic instructors in the city of Albuquerque. Through numerous All-State Choir rehearsals, Jr. and High School choir practice, and various musical productions, she knew she was destined for stardom.
And then at the age of fifteen, her private vocal instructor told her the cold, hard facts: To really make it as a Broadway Singing Superstar, one not only has to read music well, but be able to act and dance and live on pennies. Adele does not dance (unless you count nightclubs in college and that time in Mexico when she was three…) and the "living on pennies" bit seemed highly questionable. Since her acting and music reading talents were also suspect, she decided Broadway might not be for her. Reality sure can be a shocker.
On the Career Path
In college as a journalism major (only because she had to major in something that might get her a paying job), she continued to pursue private vocal instruction with the University of Utah's finest, while performing in various musicals and college recitals. Having directed her through the lead in Cinderella, her drama teacher urged her to try out for local beauty—ahem—scholarship pageants. That was it. Adele was destined to be a singing, reading, reporting, Miss America.
Unfortunately, reality struck again. Not only was Adele a bit lacking in genius (to put it bluntly), being five feet and two inches tall, and possessing quite possibly the shortest legs in the history of womanhood left Adele doing well in talent portions of the contests, but lacking other…necessary attributes. Aside from being crowned Miss Sandy City and Miss Salt Lake County, the pageant thing never went anywhere. Alas, the Singing Beauty Queen future was out.
But Adele worked very hard at her favorite pastime and, by her senior year in college, she'd read just about every Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Victoria Holt, Shirley Busbee, Laurie McBain,
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 24, 2021
MEH or the BAD: **SPOILERS**
A 4-star read until 90%, when h was revealed to be the thief of desperate H's stolen dinosaur bone. h lied to him outright throughout most of the book while professing she'd loved him for years.
22yo newly-widowed secret-scupltor h was also the pursuer of her romance with 30yo paleontology professor H throughout the book. Yet she married OM only months after H left, after H was professionally disgraced from his failed public reveal among elite scientists. Because she stole his dinosaur bone before the party! h was very manipulative & thought her love for H should cover her sin of omission of not returning H's dinosaur bone to him as soon as she found it at her deceased husband's possession & realized it was her spinster older sister who stole it from H to protect their athritic sculptor father's reputation. h kept it as a secret for months on end, even when H was firmly confronting her about it so that he could regain his professional reputation.
H repeatedly left seductive widow h for weeks before he'd come back again to find the culprit who stole his dinosaur-bone. Seeing h again seemed to be of 2ndary importance to him. Didn't like that H was beta & clueless about romance & even h's romantic intentions towards him until she & other people would tell him that she was in love with him. He wouldn't have pursued h if she didn't pursue him and he wouldn't have come back to see her again if it wasn't for his dinosaur-bone.
Didn't like how the author tried to neatly wrap h's selfishness by making her save H's reputation at the end through her impressive sculpting of H's dinosaur-bone likeness & finally displaying H's dinosaur bone next to it. h kept choosing to save her father & her family's reputation until the end while sacrificing H's professional integrity. Not very loving indeed.
Meh romance/pacing/S chem. One detailed sex scene during their only night together, when h made the hotel arrangements so she can successfully seduce H.
The GOOD:
Good overall writing style. Simple yet evocative. Interesting characters with some complexity & unpredictability.
Sexual History:
h was a virgin when she married her husband & found pleasure with him but she admitted to fantasizing about H at times when she was smexxing her husband. H had casual lovers before and during their 2-yr separation.
A 4-star read until 90%, when h was revealed to be the thief of desperate H's stolen dinosaur bone. h lied to him outright throughout most of the book while professing she'd loved him for years.
22yo newly-widowed secret-scupltor h was also the pursuer of her romance with 30yo paleontology professor H throughout the book. Yet she married OM only months after H left, after H was professionally disgraced from his failed public reveal among elite scientists. Because she stole his dinosaur bone before the party! h was very manipulative & thought her love for H should cover her sin of omission of not returning H's dinosaur bone to him as soon as she found it at her deceased husband's possession & realized it was her spinster older sister who stole it from H to protect their athritic sculptor father's reputation. h kept it as a secret for months on end, even when H was firmly confronting her about it so that he could regain his professional reputation.
H repeatedly left seductive widow h for weeks before he'd come back again to find the culprit who stole his dinosaur-bone. Seeing h again seemed to be of 2ndary importance to him. Didn't like that H was beta & clueless about romance & even h's romantic intentions towards him until she & other people would tell him that she was in love with him. He wouldn't have pursued h if she didn't pursue him and he wouldn't have come back to see her again if it wasn't for his dinosaur-bone.
Didn't like how the author tried to neatly wrap h's selfishness by making her save H's reputation at the end through her impressive sculpting of H's dinosaur-bone likeness & finally displaying H's dinosaur bone next to it. h kept choosing to save her father & her family's reputation until the end while sacrificing H's professional integrity. Not very loving indeed.
Meh romance/pacing/S chem. One detailed sex scene during their only night together, when h made the hotel arrangements so she can successfully seduce H.
The GOOD:
Good overall writing style. Simple yet evocative. Interesting characters with some complexity & unpredictability.
Sexual History:
h was a virgin when she married her husband & found pleasure with him but she admitted to fantasizing about H at times when she was smexxing her husband. H had casual lovers before and during their 2-yr separation.
March 23, 2018
No wow pero distinta
March 18, 2009
Awful book. Enough said.
February 13, 2012
The dinosaurs were the best part of this book. Otherwise, why the hell did Nathan go back to Mimi after what she did to him for all those years? Horrible, horrible book.
October 6, 2016
The writing style is fine just the story is bad
February 10, 2026
Oh god how I’ll cherish this book forever. I bought it in the mountains at a little Amish market with a corner of things from an estate sale. The pages were yellowed and I had to tape the cover front and back 4 times as I journeyed through the story of Mimi and Nathan.
I never thought I’d grow up to love an Avon Romance so deeply. The pacing, the tale, the twist. I’m enamored by this story, and I will make sure to always keep a copy on my shelf. Adele Ashworth wrote the best thing I’ve come across in my 28 years of reading. If you want depth of character, emotion and a good bit of spice when the time is right, find this book. I miss the world of the story already. A million stars!
I never thought I’d grow up to love an Avon Romance so deeply. The pacing, the tale, the twist. I’m enamored by this story, and I will make sure to always keep a copy on my shelf. Adele Ashworth wrote the best thing I’ve come across in my 28 years of reading. If you want depth of character, emotion and a good bit of spice when the time is right, find this book. I miss the world of the story already. A million stars!
September 21, 2019
No sé como empezar. Este libro fue una total decepción. Sin dudas tenía una buena base para convertirse en una historia genial con el robo a nuestro héroe por parte de la familia de nuestra protagonista.
Sin embargo, los diálogos son aburridos y monótonos, la heroina tiene una obsesión ridícula con el protagonista desde que tenía 13 años que no justifica su persecución constante por captar su atención para que se la lleve a la cama finalmente.
Le doy una estrella porque la trama hubiese podido ser buena pero no lo logro.
Sin embargo, los diálogos son aburridos y monótonos, la heroina tiene una obsesión ridícula con el protagonista desde que tenía 13 años que no justifica su persecución constante por captar su atención para que se la lleve a la cama finalmente.
Le doy una estrella porque la trama hubiese podido ser buena pero no lo logro.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2023
not worth the time
I wish I hadn’t kept at reading this book. So painful. I felt the main character was wronged, and in the end, he’s the only one who pays the price and the guilty parties get what they want. I despised the female character. She didn’t know the meaning of love, honesty or loyalty. She was used one excuse after another. I despise her. Also the class prejudice was so obvious, with the poor man being punished.
I wish I hadn’t kept at reading this book. So painful. I felt the main character was wronged, and in the end, he’s the only one who pays the price and the guilty parties get what they want. I despised the female character. She didn’t know the meaning of love, honesty or loyalty. She was used one excuse after another. I despise her. Also the class prejudice was so obvious, with the poor man being punished.
June 1, 2019
Interesting book. I'm not into dinosaur bones but I liked this book.
Read
June 11, 2023I did not like it and I don't want to waste time writing a review on it.
September 21, 2007
Someone Irresistible - G+
Adele Ashworth
London is the place to be in 1851. The crisp spring air is vibrant and alive with excitement in anticipation of the unveiling of the magnificent Crystal Palace. But can a star-crossed love finally bloom in the midst of the tumult?
Mimi Marsh has adored the brilliant and dashing Nathan Price in secret for years. One brief, rapturous moment is all they have shared, and she yearns passionately for more. But since that night, Nathan has known the exhilaration of triumph...and the pain of personal ruin. How can Mimi hope to win back his trust and affection in light of all Nathan has been through? With her soft gaze and gentle words she invites him back into her soul -- and Mimi sees the desire that burns in his eyes whenever she enters the room. The only woman ever to have captured this wounded man's love, Mimi is now the only one who can save him. But will proud, wronged Nathan ever embrace the power of her passion -- and open his guarded heart to a miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime romance?
Plot - OK, Sensuality - VG
Adele Ashworth
London is the place to be in 1851. The crisp spring air is vibrant and alive with excitement in anticipation of the unveiling of the magnificent Crystal Palace. But can a star-crossed love finally bloom in the midst of the tumult?
Mimi Marsh has adored the brilliant and dashing Nathan Price in secret for years. One brief, rapturous moment is all they have shared, and she yearns passionately for more. But since that night, Nathan has known the exhilaration of triumph...and the pain of personal ruin. How can Mimi hope to win back his trust and affection in light of all Nathan has been through? With her soft gaze and gentle words she invites him back into her soul -- and Mimi sees the desire that burns in his eyes whenever she enters the room. The only woman ever to have captured this wounded man's love, Mimi is now the only one who can save him. But will proud, wronged Nathan ever embrace the power of her passion -- and open his guarded heart to a miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime romance?
Plot - OK, Sensuality - VG
August 18, 2011
the first 2 chapters were a bit boring but as the story progresses it got me hooked up of what happened to the stolen fossil. i never expected that it was mary marsh who stole it in the first place. i loved the part where nathan and mimi had a little rendevouz together, with mimi doing all the planning to seduce nathan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2012
I didn't much care for the overall story of this book, or for the interaction between the MC. I've read other archeological novels before that I found interesting, though I couldn't get into this one. I wasn't even able to finish it as it was a bit slow for my taste and I just didn't feel the chemistry.
May 20, 2014
True, it is irresistible!
Read
March 23, 2018Note to self:!did not like the way the hero was treated by the heroine. Go not read it again.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews