” Georgeanne Howard, charm school graduate and Southern bell extraordinaire, leaves her fiance at the altar when she realizes she just can’t marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, no matter how rich he is. John Kowalsky unknowingly helps her escape, and only when it’s too late does he realize that he’s absconded with his boss’s bride. At the height of his hockey career, this bad boy isn’t looking to be anyone’s savior but his own, no matter how beautiful this angel may be. But a long night stretches agead of them–a night too sultry to resist temptation. “
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Potential triggers…
- Discussion of suicide
- Discussion of miscarriages and the loss of an infant
- Hidden baby trope
I first read this book as a teen, almost 20 years ago…at 15 I figured I was old enough to start reading adult romance novels…and this was one of the first. My local library apparently didn’t check to see that I was only 15 and checking out a book with explicit content. Though in their defense this was the original cover…which seems relatively harmless…
I thought it would be fun to re-read some of the books that introduced me to ACR (adult contemporary romance). Sadly, when I attempted to re-read “Nerd in Shining Armor” by Vicki Lewis Thompson…aka the first romance novel I ever read…I ended up DNF’ing barely 30 pages in. The two MC’s drove me insane and I just couldn’t take any more. I was a little worried to re-read “Simply Irresistible” fearing it would be another book that I thought was good at 15 but would be disappointed in at 34…luckily this story was still as good as I remember it being.
If you are a fan of hockey romances, alphaholes, or the “hidden baby” trope…you’ll enjoy this late 90’s romance.
We have Georgie who grew up with a chip on her shoulder, due to her mother abandoning her at her grandmother’s and being raised to marry well since others thought her dyslexia would prevent her from making it far in life. On her wedding day, to the rich owner of the Chinook’s hockey team, she realizes what a mistake it would be to marry someone who’s practically old enough to be her grandfather and who she only met one short month ago.
Our leading man is John “The Wall” Kowalsky who, when he isn’t playing hockey, is drowning his sorrows in women and booze. John has a painful past of his own he’s constantly trying to escape…and unknowingly helps Georgie escape her wedding.
After an explosive night, they both go on their separate ways never expecting to meet again…but seven years later they run into each other. They still drive each other batty with their clashing personalities while also finding it impossible to deny the chemistry between them.
This story is such a fun read, I’d definitely classify it as a “beach read” and am so glad it’s just as good as I remember!