AUTHOR: Jill Shalvis
COPYRIGHT: 2010
PAGES: 336
PUBLISHER: Forever
SETTING: Contemporary US
TYPE: Romance
SERIES: Starts Lucky Harbor trilogy
REASON FOR READING: It sounded really nice
Simply Irresistible is the first in a series about three sisters who inherit a derelict old inn in a small seaside town. They all had different fathers and were raised separately and don't know each other all that well, so their mother's intention in leaving them all the inn was to bring them together. Two of the sisters want nothing more than to sell the inn as quickly as possible and go back to their lives. The third is our heroine. She's recently lost her job and left her abusive boyfriend, and so is at loose ends. Restoring the inn seems like a good idea. And the contractor they hire to do so is awfully attractive.Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.
In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.
Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career-if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.
The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes-and mouth-are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.
It's a shame. The hero, Jax, seemed to be truly swoon-worthy and lovely, but I'm all about the heroine. A good heroine is what keeps me reading, and Maddie wasn't one. She was just plain annoying, and I couldn't understand what a seemingly nice and well-adjusted guy like Jax would see in her. Really, though, the main thing that made me put this down was the humour. It completely didn't work for me. It was heavy on people behaving like idiots purely for the sake of comedy. And when I say people, I mean mostly the heroine. She kept saying the most ridiculous and embarrassing things, and I just wouldn't buy that anyone who isn't a complete idiot would. Oh, and the relationship between the sisters was unbelievable as well. Reading this was putting me in a bad mood, so I saw no point in keeping going.
MY GRADE: DNF.
And isn't that exactly like an old Nora Roberts ... some ranch, three sisters, three diff mothers. Sounds like I would prolly skim to end but appreciate the heads up!
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting - I read three books in a row recently where the heroine was just blah for me. I liked the heroes and they kept me reading the books, but they were about the only good I had to say for those books. The heroines were annoying, boring, or just plain weird. I hope this isn't a trend....
ReplyDeleteJanetW: Oh, yeah, Montana Sky, I think it was? I did like that one!
ReplyDeleteYou should try this one, actually. A lot of people whose taste usually agrees with mine liked it, so it was probably a tone thing...
Tracy Y: Yep, that happens too often. I think a lot of readers are just there for the heroes and don't really care if they don't like the heroine, but I'm more about the heroine myself!