Walker Buchanan returns to Seattle after 15 years as a Marine and he has a number of secrets. He is on a mission to find the girlfriend of his buddy who took a bullet for him leaving him with guilt and nightmares. Walker has sworn off women partly because he is still feeling guilt over the way he treated his first love after learning she had breast cancer many years before. Elissa Towers has sworn off men and also has a number of secrets laced with some guilt. She is a single mom raising a 5 year old named Zoe and is barely scraping by. When Elissa's car develops a flat tire her reclusive neighbor, Walker, buys her a new tire. In exchange Elissa offers to fix meals for him and they both fight their growing attraction.

Both Walker and Elissa were solid characters and their problems were realistically portrayed. There were some emotional moments when Elissa is reunited with her estranged family and I was pleased to see that there was no quick convenient solution. Elissa and her parents had hurt each other and they worked through those hurts in the course of the book in a realistic way. Walker's grandma, Gloria Buchanan who is the matriarch of the family and runs the family restaurant business with an iron fist, has a heart attack and when she falls, breaks her hip. Gloria is one mean old lady hated by her family (except Reid) and a bit over the top.

This is a character driven story and I enjoyed reading how both Walker and Elissa deal with a mass of problems which kept me turning the pages. Walker and Elissa fight their attraction for a bit longer than I like and Elissa does something to distract Walker when he gets too close that I found rather distasteful. The dialogue was quick but rather emotionless at times and Walker would have been a better character if he had shown more emotion. Children can be rather distracting for me but Zoe was not overplayed and added a nice touch. (Grade: B) ( )

Susan Mallery has done it again as far as writing an incredible series about the Seattle Buchanan family. Her second in the series (Delicious being the first), IRRESISTIBLE is just that. It's full of family issues, love, some danger, betrayal and includes short snippets about the Buchanan siblings. However, IRRESISTIBLE is Walker Buchanan's story.

Walker decides he must retire early from the Marine Corp. He's seen and been through way to much and he has a mission. His friend took a bullet for him and died with no family, no one to mourn with the exception of a young woman who he mentioned many times to Walker. Walker returns to Seattle and his family the the main purpose..... to find his friend's girlfriend and to deliver a letter to her. He is immediately thrust into two situations......the first being family duties to sit at the helm of the family corporation because his grandmother has to be hospitalized due to a heart attack and fall. The second; he moves into a neighborhood and meets three incredible people.....the beautiful Elissa, her daughter Zoe and Mrs. Ford who all reside in his building.

Neither Walker nor Elissa are looking for love but the forces of nature bring them, their families and a horrible ex-boyfriend into the mix. Lots of emotion with a lots of intensity in this love story.

This story is one I could not put down. Once I began Walker's journey, I read it immediately from cover to cover. Susan Mallery is a master storyteller and this series is such an entertaining one, one that will top the charts for the year and next year as well with additional books in the ( )