Title:
Author: Christiane France
Cover Artist: Trace Edward Zaber
Publisher:
Publisher Buy Link:
Amazon: Simply Irresistible
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 19,900 words
Rating: 1 star out of 5
A Guest Review by Andrea
Review Summary: There were just too many flaws to make the book enjoyable.
Blurb:
When Cal and Rob first met, they were star-struck, wet-behind-the-ears teenagers who thought all it took to make it in Hollywood was a great body and good looks. Cal eventually gave up the dream and became a reporter for an entertainment magazine, while Rob went on to become a major motion picture star.
Over the next few years, they broke up and got back together a dozen or more times. Then Rob hit a bad patch when Cal caught him with another man and kicked him out. Now, almost two years have passed without a word. Cal has no idea if Rob is even dead or alive, until Rob calls Cal’s boss out of the blue and offers to do an interview—on condition that Cal flies to England where Rob is living so they can talk face-to-face.
Because of their personal history, Cal knows he’s the best person to interview Rob, and so does his boss. But since Cal is still in love with the man, will the trip to London result in even more heartbreak?
Review:
There was something in the blurb for Simply Irresistible which caught my eye. I liked the idea of an established relationship, which went through enough of a rough patch to result in a breakup, being rekindled. I expected so much from Cal and Rob but I was let down in many ways.
There were three big issues I had with this book.
1. Rob! I’m honestly just shocked that a character like this made it into a finished book. I didn’t dislike the character, it was more that I couldn’t possibly see him as a grown man. He was completely self-centered and had the emotional development of a 3 year old. Empathy seemed to be a concept totally beyond him. He apologized profusely for his actions, but I didn’t feel he really got it. He was apologizing in the way a toddler would. He was sorry, not for hurting the man he supposedly loves with all his heart, but because he wanted Cal to forgive him and love him again. Why anybody would want to be in a romantic relationship with someone like that is beyond me! I had zero interest in their bizarre romance.
2. The complete lack of growth. Cal and Rob broke up because Rob was drinking, doing drugs, and cheating on Cal. They spent a year or two apart, but Rob didn’t changed in that time. He blamed all of his wrongdoings on stress and the situation he was in at the time. He never took any responsibility for his actions. It was as if once the stressful situation was resolved they could magically live happily ever after. I finished this book thinking that they might be together for now but a nasty breakup was going to be happening very soon.
3. The flow of this book felt off to me. The dialogue didn’t come off as being natural. The way they spoke to each other felt contrived. As for the overall flow, it felt forced. I felt as though the author had outlined the plot and then wrote the story to fill in the space between plot points. It made the story choppy and slightly awkward at times.
My biggest disappointment after reading this book is knowing that it could have been so much better. The basic plot is good and the author clearly has talent. There was so much potential with a story like this, but it didn’t even come close to being realized.
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