Simply Irresistible

By: Jill Shalvis

Narrated by: Celeste Ciulla

The proof is irrefutable: Jill Shalvis is a USA Today best-selling author whose romantic fiction is one part steam, one part soul-lifting laughter. After leaving an abusive relationship, Maddie Moore heads to Lucky Harbor, Washington, and vows to channel her inner tough girl—and land the man of her dreams.

©2010 Jill Shalvis (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“Heartwarming and sexy … an abundance of chemistry, smoldering romance, and hilarious sisterly antics.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Cute Story

Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50

Audio Rating: 3.00 (not part of the overall rating)

Part of my 25 Books for the Holidays for 2012

How Simply Irresistible put me in the Holiday Spirit: I love stories about sisters and them coming together for the Holidays! Also I love books that spread the Mistletoe liberally and Simply Irresistible did just that :)

What I thought of characters/story: Simply Irresistible was such a fun read. I laughed out loud at times and wanted to bear hug the sisters at other times. This was just a wonderful character driven story with a hot romance between Maddie and Jax. Can I just say that Jax was a wonderful leading man: giving, caring, but with a past that he needs to work through. More importantly, he was the first to “get it” where he and Maddie were concerned. I love Maddie but her past was a little more to work through so I am glad it took her longer to get there. I loved the sisters and can’t wait to read their stories and I think Lucky Harbor will be a place that I will love. As I know that I am one of the last to start this series, I am sorry it took me so long!

What I thought of the audio: This wasn’t my favorite Audiobook but it wasn’t horrible. The narrator, Celeste Ciulla, did a decent job with the female voices but she was way off with the males. The pacing was excellent and her voice was very clear. Her voices may not bother others as much as they bothered me. My suggestion is to listen to a sample first to determine for yourself.

Good story terrible narration

I am a stickler for listening/ reading book series in order so wanted to read Lucky Harbor from the beginning. I suffered through this for that reason. Really terrible narration :(

New author for me

Where does Simply Irresistible rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really enjoyed this book and will listen to more by this author.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Simply Irresistible?

When Mattie finally admitted she was in love with Jacks

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Endless teenage longing and body descriptions.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The story had endless, lusty, body descriptions by ALL characters. These constantly overshadowed the otherwise well-written story.

Have you listened to any of Celeste Ciulla’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to her other performances but this one was enjoyable.

Just ok

Though I have enjoyed other Jill Shalvis books, this one was not great. Not much character development.

Family dynamics

I love this author and her stories. I'd rather have both man and woman narrators though. I hate it when the man sounds effeminate.

Almost too perfect...

Would you try another book from Jill Shalvis and/or Celeste Ciulla?

I would try another book by the same author and/or the same narrator. This was a nice book. Simply Irresistible is book one of the Lucky Harbor trilogy. This is the story of Maddie. She has lost Her job and broke up with her abusive boyfriend and goes to Lucky Harbor to work on the Inn her mother left her and her sisters as inheritance. Maddie goes throug a personal journey that is quite interesting and seeing the relationship with her sisters get better is really nice.

I don't think I'll get book two because it is narrated by the same person and the voice she gave Tara is way too old for the character. Tara sounds like a 45 yo smoker. So I'll skip that one and get book three (Chloe's story). It has a different narrator but sounds great.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was the best part of the book. It gave me the happy ending I love and you get to understand the characters so much more.

Did Celeste Ciulla do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Celeste Ciulla did a very good job differentiating the characters and she did an amazing job with the different male voices. The only thing I did not like was Tara's voice.

Do you think Simply Irresistible needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The trilogy in order:
Simply Irresistible
The sweetest thing
Head over heels

It would be nice if the subsequent books revisited Maddie and Jax story.

Any additional comments?

I love romance books and I enjoyed this story but it was almost too perfect. Jax is the type of man that I cannot even imagine ever existing. He was just that perfect. I like fairytales as much as the next girl but come on, the author over did it a bit. Jax is gorgeous, has a law degree, has lots and lots of money and his values and integrity are so high he stops being a lawyer (I think the author has a very low opinion of lawyers), leaves everything and goes to Lucky Harbor to become a handyman (just for fun cause he's rich). Too good to be true? Well that's not all, he goes around saving people of Lucky Harbor from financial ruin and lends them money to save their business or house. He falls madly in love with Maddie and wants to make sure she is not sleeping with him just for the physical part but for love. He even refuses to have sex with Maddie at one point because he feels she is

Steamier than necessary.

I really liked the storyline but thought it went further than I wanted for light reading. I don’t consider myself prudish but when I’m listening to a book and want to carry my Bluetooth speaker outside to listen to while I’m doing a chore of some sorts, I’d rather not entertain her neighbors with the extra steam from the book. It added nothing to the storyline IMO.

Very Enjoyable!

Any additional comments?

It held my interest. The characters were believable and I really enjoyed the story. It didn't drag for me and always got to the point. Romance and wit always makes for a fun book. I would recommend to a friend and I plan on listening to the rest of this series.

Easy listen

What made the experience of listening to Simply Irresistible the most enjoyable?

I really liked the style of the author. I decided shortly into this book that I would continue on with the series. Easy dialog and I frequently found myself giggling aloud.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Simply Irresistible?

I just finished it and I really can't pick out anything I would call memorable. This wasn't an earth- shattering listen. It is more of a nice easy listen, requiring little thought. Nothing wrong with that.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Celeste Ciulla?

I am, bc I am buying the next in the series, but she is not my favorite. Her normal speaking voice is actually quite lovely. She uses good inflection, pauses, and emotion in her voice. The part I found irriatating was the inconsistency of the characters. I couldn't decided if Jax sounded more like a douchy prep or a raspy sea captain. If Ciulla could nail down more solid voices, I think it would only improve the story. She wasn't horrible though. Certainly not bad enough to prevent listening.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was pretty funny.

Any additional comments?

I found some passages a little trite, but afterall it's the genre. Worth a credit.