45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From friendship to love, January 4, 2003
Nathaniel Gascoigne comes to London with the firm intention of finding husbands for his sister and cousin. He has no wish to get married himself. But brothels don't have the appeal they used to have, and after one night of debauchery, he realises that he's not quite cut for that type of life any more. What he needs is an arrangement with a woman who wouldn't be a prostitute, a mistress, or worse, a wife, but with a widow still young enough to be attractive, who could become his occasional companion and relieve his needs without the inconvenience of any other solution.
His plans are half-thwarted, half-fulfilled by the unexpected night he spends with Sophia, widow of Major Walter Armitage, with whom he fought in the Peninsula. Sophia was always a good friend to him, but he'd never pictured her as the passionate lover she becomes to him.
Sophie, on the other hand, knows that her newborn relationship with Nathaniel makes her play with fire. She'd developed a crush on him when he was fighting alongside her husband, but it had never occurred to her to enter an adulterous relationship when Walter was alive. Now that he is dead, her reputation isn't at stake, and Nat's attentions are so unexpected that she surrenders to the moment, even though she is aware that their arrangement will only last for a Season. But how can she let the affair continue for even that long when she's trapped by shameful secrets?
The characters of this book are very attaching. Sophie, for example, is multi-faceted, contrary to what her friends think at first. She appears as 'good old Sophie' to them, but in fact she's a woman with insecurities that run deeper than anyone suspects. She approaches life with a no-nonsense attitude, convincing herself that whatever Nathaniel can see in her, it will pass when he moves on to a more enticing lover. In the meantime, she's determined to enjoy what he can give her.
The novel is even more enthralling thanks to the presence of Nathaniel's cousin: Lavinia is a fascinating character who quickly becomes Sophie's friend. The antagonism between her liberated views of women and Eden's rakish behaviour makes their relationship very unpredictable and delightful. I wish they had got their own book, but on the other hand, they were a nice counterpoint to Sophie and Nathaniel.
But the real fascination of Irresistible is in the development of Nat's feelings for Sophie, and the ambiguity of the way he views her: Walter's widow and his lover; a placidly cheerful friend who dresses plainly, and a sensual, passionate and beautiful woman. Can he reconcile both images? And how can he make Sophie realise that he really cares for her and wants to help her?
This wonderful love story deals with touching heroes who will move you with their inner strength and the truthfulness of their feelings.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Irrestistible Again!, July 5, 2004
This was the first book by Mary Balogh that I read. I must be older that some of the others doing reviews as I can understand exactly what Sophie has gone through in her marriage. I loved the book and thought that it was well written. I enjoyed the enteractions and descriptions of other persons depicted. I have to applaud Ms Balogh for the way she approached Sophie's problem about her husband. I remember how such things were NOT spoken about even when I was a girl. I can imagine how difficult it was for Sophie to overcome such problems. I also. enjoyed the discussions between Eden and Lavinia. I laughed quite a lot at the byplay. Irrististible is a beautiful story. I knew that Ms Balogh was a very good writer after reading this story. I've always looked for her books ever since.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Friendship turns to passion turns to love!, November 29, 1998
By A Customer
Nobody does yearning better than the marvelous Mary Balogh. Irresistible is truly irresistible, a delicious love story that will keep the reader turning pages into the wee hours of the night. (I was up until 3 a.m.) Widowed Sophie Armitage is being blackmailed by a thorough cad who would ruin her late hero husband's memory (he died saving the lives of Wellington and several of his officers)and seriously injure her family's standing in society.When she was following the drum in Spain, sophie and her husband were friendly with four popular noblemen known as the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, officers she never forgot---particularly one of them,the handsomest in her eyes, and the kindest, Nathaniel Gascoigne. Sophie runs into them again just as the blackmailer is about to drive her into deep debt. Her pride, however, forestalls asking for help, and not until she has become intimately involved with Nat is the story of her predicament revealed. Added to Sophie's distress is the emotional toll her love affair with Nat is taking; lacking in self-esteem, she cannot believe he really cares. Recommended for all readers who prefer live, breathing, REAL characters rather than the 1-dimensional clones found too often in the genre.
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