I recently finished the four books in the Buchanan series by author Susan Mallery. (DELICIOUS, IRRESISTIBLE, SIZZLING AND TEMPTING)
Call me crazy but I have to read books in sequence. It’s just the way I am. I like to meet characters at the beginning of their collective stories and follow them through until the last book. I love getting to know families and even towns. Note: Each book stands completely on its own. It’s just my thing to read them in order.
So I picked up one of the books about a year ago. I think the title was SIZZLING. When I saw it was book three of a four book series I put off reading it until I could get my hands on the other three. I also had to work through the stack of books by my bed before I was ready to delve into the lives of the Buchanan siblings.
To say I enjoyed these books is an understatement. Each story is heartwarming and poignant in its own way. Of course Mallery has delicious, irresistible, sizzling and tempting heroes in each of the books – who doesn’t enjoy reading about a sexy, hot man. So is it any wonder I fell in love with each of the Buchanan brothers.
But the women in each story are also well worth mentioning – they are feisty and strong and can hold their own with their men.
Mallery is a master with characterization; her characters jump off the pages. Despite their shortcomings, and I like the fact she didn’t make them perfect, the characters are likable because they are so real. The witty banter that bounces between the couples put a smile on my face and sometimes brought a chuckle.
I would even catch myself thinking of a character in the middle of my work day and wonder what was going to happen next. I was always anxious to get back to the books.
All four stories deal in one way or another with the concept of parenthood. In the first book, DELICIOUS, Chef Penny Jackson is having a baby on her own through In Vitro. She neglects to tell her ex, Cal Buchanan, this little tidbit of information when he hires her to be the chef at the floundering restaurant owned by his family.
Cal has a few secrets of his own, including the one that destroyed their marriage. Things get steamed up in and out of the kitchen. But Penny is reluctant to get back together with Cal since she believed he didn’t want children.
Of course since it is a romance, we all know it has a happily ever after. But in getting from the start to finish we learn Cal’s secret in a very touching story.
In IRRESISTIBLE, Walker Buchanan has returned home after years in the Marines. He is quiet and a loner. Despite the fact that he has two brothers and a sister he harbors secrets that keep him from getting too close to anyone. He isn’t sure what he wants to do with the rest of his life but since he is part of the restaurant dynasty owned by his family he has no money worries.
His neighbor, Elissa Towers, on the other hand has many. She is a single mom struggling to make ends meet. When Walker does her a favor she is determined to pay him back- by cooking for him. She is trying to stay one step ahead of trouble. She ran away from home when she was just a teenager and now she is back but afraid to reconnect with her parents, who she believed gave up on her. She is a mother herself now, so she understands what it’s like to be a parent. By the way, her daughter is adorable.
In the third book, SIZZLING, Reid Buchanan, a womanizing former baseball pitcher is devastated when a tell-all rag headline reads "Good in bed? Not so much." He hides out at his grandmother’s estate. When his grandmother suffers a heart attack and breaks her hip he hires steadfast and energetic home-care nurse Lori Johnson, who's determined to turn Gloria's life around.
This story is riddled with clever dialogue between Reid and Lori. Even Gloria, the grandmother, gets in on the fun. An intriguing back-story involving Reid's half-sister Dani’s search for her birth father is introduced in this book.
And finally TEMPTING is sister Dani Buchanan’s story. When the matriarch of the Buchanan family cruelly (before she became warm and caring – thanks to Lori’s influence) tells Dani she isn’t a Buchanan, rather she is the result of her mother's illicit affair, Dani is shocked. Everything she grew up believing is false.
She begins to search for her biological father which leads her to Senator Mark Canfield, a candidate for president of the United States and his son Alex Canfield, who is helping to run his campaign.
Alex is the oldest of Mark and Katherine Canfield’s large adopted family.
The media has a field day with news of a surprise love child and Mark seems oblivious to how this news has affected his wife’s insecurities about not being able to bear a child.
his theme was especially significant to me because I was adopted as a baby. I am always curious, and sometimes disappointed, with how an author will handle the subject of adoption. What makes a woman a mother? Is it only through the act of childbirth?
I am often asked if I have any interest in finding my real parents. My answer is a simple no. My parents are my real parents. I’ve never felt any differently. My mom could not have loved me more if she had given birth to me. My dad was a wonderful father–people used to say I looked like him. This always made me feel especially good.
I’ve often thought, just because you can be a mother, doesn’t make you a mother. (Same goes for fathers.) Any woman, sociopaths included, can get pregnant and give birth thus making them a biological mother. However, I truly feel that the act of childbirth alone doesn’t make a woman a true MOTHER. There is so much more involved, beginning with an open heart full of love.
Katherine Canfield couldn’t give birth. She seemed to struggle with this fact throughout the story as if she was ashamed of the fact. Towards the end of the book, the character finally let go of what others thought of her or her inability to give birth to a baby. It bothered me that Katherine Canfield spent so much time and energy worrying about the opinion of others.
However, when I gave it more thought, I remembered my own mom didn’t discuss the fact that she adopted her children. The subject was never brought up. It was a secret in our home. I wonder if my mother was a bit embarrassed or felt like a lesser person for not being able to give birth. It was a different time then - the 60s and I think she was very aware of what others would think about the fact that she didn’t become a mother in the traditional sense.
Getting back to the books, I think the four stories resonated even more with me because of the recurring parenthood and the adoption themes. However, the hot men, sexy scenes, great dialogue and romantic stories were a huge bonus! I highly recommend these books. I hope you read and enjoy them.
If you have any thoughts on the subject of adoption, I would love to hear from you.
Note: This was originally posted on 7/19/11.
Call me crazy but I have to read books in sequence. It’s just the way I am. I like to meet characters at the beginning of their collective stories and follow them through until the last book. I love getting to know families and even towns. Note: Each book stands completely on its own. It’s just my thing to read them in order.
So I picked up one of the books about a year ago. I think the title was SIZZLING. When I saw it was book three of a four book series I put off reading it until I could get my hands on the other three. I also had to work through the stack of books by my bed before I was ready to delve into the lives of the Buchanan siblings.
To say I enjoyed these books is an understatement. Each story is heartwarming and poignant in its own way. Of course Mallery has delicious, irresistible, sizzling and tempting heroes in each of the books – who doesn’t enjoy reading about a sexy, hot man. So is it any wonder I fell in love with each of the Buchanan brothers.
But the women in each story are also well worth mentioning – they are feisty and strong and can hold their own with their men.
Mallery is a master with characterization; her characters jump off the pages. Despite their shortcomings, and I like the fact she didn’t make them perfect, the characters are likable because they are so real. The witty banter that bounces between the couples put a smile on my face and sometimes brought a chuckle.
I would even catch myself thinking of a character in the middle of my work day and wonder what was going to happen next. I was always anxious to get back to the books.
All four stories deal in one way or another with the concept of parenthood. In the first book, DELICIOUS, Chef Penny Jackson is having a baby on her own through In Vitro. She neglects to tell her ex, Cal Buchanan, this little tidbit of information when he hires her to be the chef at the floundering restaurant owned by his family.
Cal has a few secrets of his own, including the one that destroyed their marriage. Things get steamed up in and out of the kitchen. But Penny is reluctant to get back together with Cal since she believed he didn’t want children.
Of course since it is a romance, we all know it has a happily ever after. But in getting from the start to finish we learn Cal’s secret in a very touching story.
In IRRESISTIBLE, Walker Buchanan has returned home after years in the Marines. He is quiet and a loner. Despite the fact that he has two brothers and a sister he harbors secrets that keep him from getting too close to anyone. He isn’t sure what he wants to do with the rest of his life but since he is part of the restaurant dynasty owned by his family he has no money worries.
His neighbor, Elissa Towers, on the other hand has many. She is a single mom struggling to make ends meet. When Walker does her a favor she is determined to pay him back- by cooking for him. She is trying to stay one step ahead of trouble. She ran away from home when she was just a teenager and now she is back but afraid to reconnect with her parents, who she believed gave up on her. She is a mother herself now, so she understands what it’s like to be a parent. By the way, her daughter is adorable.
In the third book, SIZZLING, Reid Buchanan, a womanizing former baseball pitcher is devastated when a tell-all rag headline reads "Good in bed? Not so much." He hides out at his grandmother’s estate. When his grandmother suffers a heart attack and breaks her hip he hires steadfast and energetic home-care nurse Lori Johnson, who's determined to turn Gloria's life around.
This story is riddled with clever dialogue between Reid and Lori. Even Gloria, the grandmother, gets in on the fun. An intriguing back-story involving Reid's half-sister Dani’s search for her birth father is introduced in this book.
And finally TEMPTING is sister Dani Buchanan’s story. When the matriarch of the Buchanan family cruelly (before she became warm and caring – thanks to Lori’s influence) tells Dani she isn’t a Buchanan, rather she is the result of her mother's illicit affair, Dani is shocked. Everything she grew up believing is false.
She begins to search for her biological father which leads her to Senator Mark Canfield, a candidate for president of the United States and his son Alex Canfield, who is helping to run his campaign.
Alex is the oldest of Mark and Katherine Canfield’s large adopted family.
The media has a field day with news of a surprise love child and Mark seems oblivious to how this news has affected his wife’s insecurities about not being able to bear a child.
his theme was especially significant to me because I was adopted as a baby. I am always curious, and sometimes disappointed, with how an author will handle the subject of adoption. What makes a woman a mother? Is it only through the act of childbirth?
I am often asked if I have any interest in finding my real parents. My answer is a simple no. My parents are my real parents. I’ve never felt any differently. My mom could not have loved me more if she had given birth to me. My dad was a wonderful father–people used to say I looked like him. This always made me feel especially good.
I’ve often thought, just because you can be a mother, doesn’t make you a mother. (Same goes for fathers.) Any woman, sociopaths included, can get pregnant and give birth thus making them a biological mother. However, I truly feel that the act of childbirth alone doesn’t make a woman a true MOTHER. There is so much more involved, beginning with an open heart full of love.
Katherine Canfield couldn’t give birth. She seemed to struggle with this fact throughout the story as if she was ashamed of the fact. Towards the end of the book, the character finally let go of what others thought of her or her inability to give birth to a baby. It bothered me that Katherine Canfield spent so much time and energy worrying about the opinion of others.
However, when I gave it more thought, I remembered my own mom didn’t discuss the fact that she adopted her children. The subject was never brought up. It was a secret in our home. I wonder if my mother was a bit embarrassed or felt like a lesser person for not being able to give birth. It was a different time then - the 60s and I think she was very aware of what others would think about the fact that she didn’t become a mother in the traditional sense.
Getting back to the books, I think the four stories resonated even more with me because of the recurring parenthood and the adoption themes. However, the hot men, sexy scenes, great dialogue and romantic stories were a huge bonus! I highly recommend these books. I hope you read and enjoy them.
If you have any thoughts on the subject of adoption, I would love to hear from you.
Note: This was originally posted on 7/19/11.
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