Irresistible (The Buchanans, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Mallery (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2006

It wasn't just her homemade brownies that made Walker find Elissa irresistible . . .

When ex-marine Walker Buchana stops to help Elissa Towers change a tire, he tells himself it's just the neighborly thing to do. And when Elissa finds herself baking him a thank-you pie, she's just returning the favor . . . right?

Both of them have sworn off dating -- Elissa's determined to protect her little girl, and that means ditching her taste for dangerous men . . . especially former marines with dark secrets. Walker knows that he's not cut out for hearth and home . . . his own crazy family made sure of that. But the sparks won't stop flying between them.

Now the two are struggling to keep their relationship "just friends," but with every kiss, their rules fly out the window . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mallery is at her addictive best in the charming second installment of her Buchanan family saga (after Delicious), focusing on emotionally disconnected elder sibling Walker. Returning to his Seattle home after 15 years with the Marines, Walker holds a number of secrets behind his handsome eyes—including the loss of his first love to breast cancer—and has already sworn off women when he offers to help his pretty neighbor Elissa Towers change a tire. Single mom to five-year-old Zoe, Elissa has also sworn off dating, despite her daughter's desperation for a father and her own unfulfilled sexual needs, but is drawn to Walker's strength and stoicism. Dedicated entirely to raising Zoe, Elissa plans to keep her involvement with Walker strictly imaginary ("Only thirteen more years... Then I can have sex again"), but thanks to prying family and neighbors, the two are pushed together. Soon, they're playing therapist for each other, salving old wounds and sparking love between them. Though short on conflict, the bestselling author crafts vivid characters and a winning story about the risk and joy of second love, studded with warm, alluring sex scenes. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

As a single mom, Elissa Towers has had to make it on her own, but now her car is falling apart, and the tires are worn thin. When Elissa's reclusive neighbor, Walker Buchanan, buys her new tires, she pays him back with baked goods, and soon Walker is eating dinner with Elissa and her daughter. He is attracted to spunky Elissa, but he is on a mission to find the girlfriend of a buddy in the service who took a bullet for him. As part of the Buchanan restaurant empire, introduced in Delicious (2006), Walker has no need for money, but he worries about Elissa's finances while she frets about making up with her parents. Mallery has written an emotionally charged story of two people who are perfect for each other but need to get past their personal demons before they can forge a relationship. This is one book that lives up to its title. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373771177
• ISBN-13: 978-0373771172
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Join the Members Only area at www.SusanMallery.com for free excerpts, exclusive short stories, games, and more. And be sure to look for her on Facebook and Twitter. ***

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that move them. Publisher's Weekly calls Susan's prose "luscious and provocative," and Booklist says, "Novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling." While Susan appreciates the critical praise, she is most honored by the enthusiastic readers who write to tell her that her books made them laugh, made them cry, and made the world a happier place to live.

Susan lives in Seattle with her husband and her tiny but intrepid toy poodle. She's there for the coffee, not the weather.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensuous tale with a bit of 'Semper Fi', July 18, 2006

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Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Irresistible (The Buchanans, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Walker is on a mission to find the lost love of a man who died in his platoon. All he has is a first name, and Ashley appears to be pretty common. To escape his meddlesome grandmother and family, he takes an apartment in a rough part of town, and constantly finds himself rescuing his neighbor, Elissa a single mom with a couple secrets of her own.

When grandma steps over the line (an on-going occurrence with grand dame Gloria Buchanan) and threatens Elissa to keep her away from her grandson, Walker confronts her and she drops to the floor, breaking her hip as she has a mild heart attack. Despite Walker's pleas that he will never be a part of the Buchanan restaurant empire, he steps up to the plate for the good of the family. Soon he has the employees, fearful of saying and doing the wrong thing in front of Gloria, happy as clams (kind of like in the movie "9 to 5"). Brother Reid has the dubious honor of hiring the round the clock nurse care, and since he has not changed much since "Delicious," you can imagine they will be busty.

As Elissa reconciles with her own estranged family, the two realize that they have deeper feelings than they want to admit. Their chemistry flows off the page, and Walker is the daddy that her daughter Zoe never has had. Will the pain of their pasts and their sociological differences keep them apart? Will he ever locate the right Ashley?

Mallery's second Buchanan sibling story is great and can stand on its own, but since there are so many inside references the previous novel, I recommend you read "Delicious" first. Soon to be followed up with Reid's story, "Sizzling," which is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great edition to the series - strong characters, October 9, 2006

By 

Tanya L. Schaub "TSchlaack" (Livermore, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Irresistible (The Buchanans, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Walker Buchanan of the famous restaurant Buchanan's has returned home from the Marines. Years ago Walker joined the military to escape personal tragedy, upset his Grandmother, and be in control of his own life. Now he is in limbo, he has found that he doesn't want to stay in the military as he feels he has lost his edge. But, returning home he has 1 last mission he must complete. He wants to find and deliver a letter and message from the young soldier who died taking a bullet that Walker feels was meant for him. Once he has done this he will work on what is next in his life. One thing he is sure about is that he doesn't need a woman in his life. He hasn't since he secretly lost his first love to breast cancer.

Elissa Towers is a single mother of 5 yr old Zoë, and doing all she can to support her daughter and keep her whereabouts secret from Zoë's father. She has also sworn off dating until Zoë turns 18, so she only has 13 more years to go. But, she can't help noticing that her hunky new neighbor definitely makes her thoughts not so impure. She is thankful when he changes her tire one morning and invites him to dinner. While Elissa and Walker plan to just be friends they are continually thrown together by neighbors and his family. Soon they are very friendly and listening to each others wishes and concerns, which also strengthens their bond, and starts to turn into more than just friends.

When Walker's Grandmother threatens Elissa with being a gold digger and she shuts down her friendship with Walker and disappears for a few days he is devastated. Walker catches wind of the fact that the sudden disappearance might have been caused by his Grandmother and goes to confront her. His Grandmother has a heart attack and Walker winds up working as CEO for the Buchanan restaurant chain much to his unhappy surprise. At this same time Elissa has moved back into her apartment add after Walker makes a bit of peace with her things return to a strained normal. That is until Zoë's father suddenly shows up and threatens Elissa and even attacks her.

As usual Mallery quickly draws you into the lives of the Buchanan clan and you are left wanting the next story. She also lets you catch up on the characters from the last books through interaction with the main characters in this book thus allowing the books to be stand alone or red in a series. I think she has scored again here with 2 strong characters.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story, September 11, 2006

By 

bbvector, LORE Reading Group (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Irresistible (The Buchanans, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Second in the Buchanan family series.

A single mom with a five year old daughter, Elissa Towers has learned to be self-sufficient and not expect help from anyone. She foolishly ran away from home when she was 17, got pregnant and beat up by her boyfriend and paid hard for her life.

She works hard too - besides being a waitress, Elissa designs jewelry and sells it at home parties in her spare time. So when she has difficulty with her car, she certainly doesn't expect new neighbor Walker Buchanan to help her out.

Walker, an ex-Marine from a family who owns several successful restaurants, is a loner at loose ends. He suffers awful guilt for a tragedy when he was eighteen. Elissa slowly accepts Walker's help and Walker slowly allows himself to interact with Elissa and her daughter.

This story packs an emotional punch. Neither character wanted involvement but couldn't help themselves from falling in love. Susan Mallery has a wonderful talent. I can't believe I missed the first Buchanan book, DELICIOUS. It's at the top of my "buy now" list.