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Forged of Steele #5

Irresistible Forces

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One week of mind-blowing sex on a beautiful Caribbean island. Of all the business proposals financial tycoon Dominic Saxon has heard, Taylor Steele's is definitely the most tempting. All Taylor wants in return is for Dominic to father her baby. No strings, no commitments…just a mutually satisfying arrangement. Make that very satisfying. For a man with no intention of marrying again, it sounds ideal.

Taylor wants a baby, not a relationship. And sexy, intelligent Dominic seems like a man with perfect genes. Turns out, Dominic has perfect everything. Their "procreation vacation" is a whirlwind of sensual ecstasy. But when it's over, will either of them be able to say goodbye?

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2008

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4252 people want to read

About the author

Brenda Jackson

898 books3,592 followers
In 1994, Brenda Jackson’s first novel, Tonight and Forever, was released. Since then she has had more than 100 novels and novellas published (the first African-American author to accomplish such a feat) and has over 3 million books in print.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brenda is the first African-American author to have a book published by Harlequin Desire and the first African-American romance author to make the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists within the series romance genre.

In 2012, Brenda received the Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award—one of the highest literary awards a romance author can receive. In 2013, she was recognized by the mayor and the city of Jacksonville as being a Trailblazer in the literary field.

In 2010, she collaborated with Five Alive Films to turn her Truly Everlasting title into a feature film. Brenda’s 2011 novel A Silken Thread is scheduled to be filmed with Debbie Allen attached as director in 2015.

Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.

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5 stars
3,325 (35%)
4 stars
2,463 (26%)
3 stars
2,247 (23%)
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1 star
443 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 573 reviews
121 reviews3 followers
February 6, 2010
I read this book because it was a free Kindle download. I know the romance genre is sometimes a little dramatic, but this was ridiculous. Nothing was even remotely real. The characters were beautiful, rich, successful and incredibly talented in bed--the man so much so, in fact, that he made the woman PASS OUT during sex. Wow. The premise was also silly. The woman decides she wants to have a child and raise it on her own, so instead of going to a sperm bank, she picks a man she knows and spends a week in a luxury baby-making resort with him. Of course they fall in love and live happily ever after, although I'm sure she doesn't remember large parts of it because she's so busy passing out. Puh-leeze!
Profile Image for Kiki.
1,217 reviews681 followers
March 6, 2017
For a change heroine decides to use hero to get pregnant! Poor guy was tortured throughout the whole book thinking he was used as a prized stud. Even though he kept stubbornly declaring he doesn't want marriage pour guy was devastated when heroine agreed! LMFAO!
Profile Image for MARQUETTA.
1,188 reviews140 followers
December 27, 2009
Irresistible Forces" is the first novel I've read by Brenda Jackson. She's an African-American author whose characters are AA. There aren't that many AA authors who write romance novels where the main characters are non-white. I was shocked that I hadn't discovered Brenda Jackson's books before.

Taylor Steele is a 25 year old sucessful financial advisor. She has everything she wants in life except for one thing - a baby. She decides that the perfect "father" for her baby would be business associate Dominic Saxon. She approaches him with a business proposal that he can't refuse.

I found the premise of this novel hard to believe. What 25 year-old successful, single woman wants a baby without a husband? And have her two sisters be completely okay with that decision? Both Taylor and Dominic are described as being extremely attractive people yet I felt no chemistry between the two. The book was full of sex but the sex scenes fell flat. I couldn't clearly picture what Dominic looked like or get a feel of his sexual appeal. Whenever there was a scene with him and Taylor kissing, he always led with his tongue. Eww! There's nothing less appealing than a man who immediately pushes his tongue down your throat! I found the dialog to be cheesy and sometimes antiquated. For example, the first time Dominic and Taylor have sex, Taylor has just climaxed and Dominic is on the verge of climaxing when he says: "And now I give you my baby." I know this is a romance novel and cheese is sometimes a part of the writing but really? There were several times I rolled my eyes during the dialogue and skimmed through many of the sex scenes.

The main characters spent a week on a island to do nothing but have sex and get pregnant and I found that boring. Although I didn't like this book, it hasn't deterred me from checking out Brenda Jackson's other novels.
Profile Image for Elke.
162 reviews13 followers
July 5, 2011
I should stop reading these kind of books for a while because they are annoying the **** out of me. This book, the story and its main characters annoyed me numerous times, and I should have stopped reading it after the first chapter, but I really wanted to give this book a chance. I guess I should stick with my original idea in the future.

What bothered me the most? Taylor has a killer body but no friends (or none that are ever mentioned, in contrast to Nick who has a lifelong best friend), she has no depth and her and Nick don't seem to be able to have a conversation about anything else than 'owww Nick, I'm coming', she wants a baby and looks for a father with great characteristics (wealth and looks, as if a nice looking, rich guy will guarantee a nice looking baby - isn't a healthy baby more important?), Taylor wants to be a single mother while running a successfull company, what is she, superwoman?!, the author gives the impression that getting pregnant is very easy (for some it is, for others it isn't) and that getting it on for 3 hours is common. I still wonder if Nick is secretly a viagra addict... Anyway, I was bored out of my mind after reading this and I concluded I needed a change, so i've started 'the knife of never letting go'. let's hope that's a read I'll remember and can recommend to everyone :)
Profile Image for Mya.
1,502 reviews59 followers
February 9, 2022
This was a fun and quick read. I always love a Brenda Jackson's story!
Profile Image for Zee.
23 reviews
October 31, 2010
I was satisfied at every turn of the page. Taylor Steele is no ordinary woman. She is an intelligent Wealth and Asset Manager who wants nothing more than a baby, sans the husband!

Taylor is the epitome of fearless. I mean, how else can you describe a woman who proposes a "procreation vacation" to Dominic Saxon, a big time financial tycoon (She even hands him a brochure!)? She is nothing but true to herself when she lays her cards out on the table up front and tells Dominic that all she wants from him is a baby and not a relationship. Taylor doesn't mind if he wants to be involved financially, but makes it crystal clear that she is more than capable of covering the entire financial load. And when Dominic takes her up on her procreation vacation offer, Taylor definitely goes after what she wants with intense passion and determination. The chapter where Dominic and Taylor go sailing together will forever be etched in my mind and still serves as a benchmark for my future romance reads.

This is a hot read and I absolutely recommend it!
Profile Image for Jill.
1,501 reviews14 followers
January 2, 2013
This book is terrible! The premise was interesting, but honestly, the main character needs to be older than 25 for us to believe she's as uber-successful as we are repeatedly told and that she needs to find someone to get her pregnant because she's not married. It's ridiculous. What's also ridiculous is that Dominic has sworn never to marry again at the tender age of 34 because his wife died 4 years earlier--however, he also mentions that he never really loved her in the way that his parents were in love. What?! To me, those two things don't jive. Also, the whole idea that she will for sure get pregnant the first week of trying is a little far-fetched, although I could overlook that. What I couldn't, however, is that they kept talking (or thinking) about it like it's some kind of turn on. As somebody who had to try for 6 months to get pregnant, baby-making sex is not sexy, so maybe that's my own issue, but still, it seemed way over the top. This review is already too long for a terrible novella that in turn bored me and made me roll my eyes. Sex scenes were not good, either. Skip it!
Profile Image for Ladyacct.
863 reviews
January 6, 2012
TOTALLY reading these out of order, but I really enjoy this author's books. My only problem with this one was how quick they came to an agreement - but I suppose you could put that down to sexual chemistry. Also, reading out of order ;-(
Profile Image for Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm.
1,257 reviews109 followers
December 20, 2017
Once there was a woman named Taylor Steel who wanted to get pregnant with a man named Dominic Saxon. Taylor wanted Dominic to be the father of her baby since he had pretty good genes and yes, that body! It was supposed to be a "no-strings attached" relationship, and Dominic was just as happy to oblige. Taylor came up with a plan to have a baby--supposedly the only thing that's missing in her life. And she already knew she wanted Dominic to be involved, so she proposed a getaway for the two of them, and have some fun.

The whole premise is over the top -- basically sums up to how to get two people into bed in the least amount of time possible, and then keep them there. Yes, there is a lot of sex involved, steamy, erotic and pretty graphic, just what you would really expect in a honeymoon escapade, with all the forces be. Taylor and Dominic's relationship is so dynamic and stimulating, the reader would have no choice but to pause and stay hydrated. Seriously.

You must understand though.. When I first read this eight years ago, I wasn't really into erotica genre. The most explicit I had read at that time was one of Maya Banks' earliest releases. So this one by Brenda Jackson was really raunchy!

3.5 stars
Profile Image for My Own Bookshelves.
715 reviews136 followers
January 25, 2020
I grabbed this novel as it was an Amazon freebie. New to me author and so why not?

I'm going to call this book under ' Alot-of-Sexy-hot-fun'. Because that's exactly what it is. The blurb and other reviews called it instalove (my jam) and so it was. The main characters are friends but dive into a baby-making holiday because our heroine is ready for her next life steps. I loved the fact that the hero is pretty much on board with the headboard banging, pass-out orgasm sex they have.

There wasn't alot of plot or character development. The end felt rushed because they realize that it's not just baby-making fun, but maybe feelings got in the mix too.

Recommendation: Borrow it or click on sale. Be aware it's purely sexy, sexy times read for those times when you need something hot to read.
Profile Image for D.G..
1,439 reviews334 followers
August 15, 2011
**2.5 stars**

Under normal circumstances this silly plot would have annoyed the hell out of me but I was in the mood for a simplistic and hot romance and this one delivered. There's a lot of info dumping and cliches galore so at first I thought this had been a debut novel but a few chapters in, like a million cousins and sisters were mentioned with a rehashing of their HEAs, so I figured this must be part of a series.

No way I'm reading this author again but at the price I got this book (free), it wasn't too bad.
Profile Image for Brenda  Larnell.
442 reviews25 followers
November 18, 2019
This Brenda Jackson book introduced me to the world of African American Contemporary Romance stories. It is my first love, and I highly recommend this story. Taylor Steele and Dominic Saxon are the quintessential romance heroine and hero. I love their sexy, steamy love scenes. That scene on the boat is HOT!
This book started me on my journey, and I have never regretted a day in Romancelandia since!
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾😊👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾😊😊
Profile Image for K Lamb.
112 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2020
The Steele's is one of my favorite book families to read. Brenda Jackson's makes her characters come alive. She makes finding love easy to believe in. The chemistry between Taylor and Dominic was off-the-chain. The love scenes were so hot that dragons become jealous. Taylor wanted motherhood, but in reality she needed love as well. And for Dominic to truly love Taylor he had to reconcile with his past and move on.
Profile Image for Hrimcealde.
40 reviews
September 13, 2009
this is probably the worse book i've ever read. If I could give it negative stars, I would. Horrible dialogue, no plot, flat characters, etc. Usually I don't regret the time I spent in reading a book, but I would actually like to have this time back. It's good, I guess, that it was a free download for Kindle, so I didn't lose any money...just my time and some self-respect.
Profile Image for Eddie Johnson.
Author 11 books51 followers
April 2, 2017
This book portrayed a fantasy most of us would like to share on a vocation of a lifetime. Brenda Jackson's selections of characters was superb and made it all seem so real. Only Ms. Jackson could make such a simplistic plot work. Taylor displayed all of the raw emotions that tugged at my heart that kept me intrigued. I'm sorry I took so long to post my review.
Profile Image for Hadeal Sh.
42 reviews8 followers
August 17, 2019
4.5 stars!

A very light romantic novel. I haven't read a good romantic book in a while and this one is pretty lovely.

This book is talking about a very successful lady Ms. Taylor Steele whose only desire is to have a baby of her own, and she wants her baby to inherit all the good qualities she wishes. No one caught her attention like her high profile client Mr. Dominic Saxon.
Profile Image for Tanielle.
Author 0 books38 followers
June 4, 2014
I think I've read this story a good six times because Mr. Saxon is so irresistible it's crazy. I really liked how they were upfront with each other about what was going on. I couldn't put it down and really wanted them to get together. That was one vacation I'd love to go on with someone like him.
Profile Image for Turtleberry Turtleberry.
Author 49 books49 followers
September 14, 2024
All Taylor wanted from Dominic was one week in paradise for the express purpose of him getting her pregnant.
This story was so good. It was clear to see them falling for each other even though that wasn't part of the plan.
I enjoyed this story a lot.
Profile Image for LMQ.
10 reviews
September 1, 2011
Downloaded this book because it was offered for free on Kindle. I've never read a romance novel before, so I'm not sure if the entire genre is meant to be as cheesy or if it was just this particular book. Despite the cheesiness, though, I finished the entire book and actually found myself looking forward to reading more as I neared the latter portion of it.

For it to be a Black romance novel, I expected it to have culturally Black characters. How anyone reading this interprets my statement is fine by me. I know we're not a culturally monolithic group, it's just that I found them lacking even the tiniest hint of ANY style of Black culture.

Now, I know Dominic and Taylor are defined as Black due to their parentage, but Dominic's description as a Black Frenchman with green eyes and long hair worn in a ponytail only served as a disconnect for me, personally. I could never quite picture him in my mind. For me, Black men are hands-down THE most physically attractive men on earth (generally speaking, of course) and I would have appreciated a stronger description of a Black man. Sorry, but I pictured Dominic as a mixed-race, but "White-looking" dude instead. Sort of like a Jason Momoa type....fine, but not "Black" fine.

Also paused at Taylor's hair described in one scene as silky and her mother being Native American. As a Black woman with mixed features, I'm not suggesting that either of these characters weren't Black enough, just that their descriptions weren't what I expected. There also seemed to be more emphasis on their "other" mixture than there was on their Black heritage, especially with Dominic. Really, besides the author telling us they were Black, I saw nothing else (culturally or physically) to actually suggest that they were and this was a disappointment to my mind's eye.

Having never read a romance novel before, I'm not sure if phrases like, "their tongues began mating" are common, but it (and similar phrases) just seemed...well, odd and cheesy to me, and they were repeated multiple times throughout the story. I also found repeatedly mentioning that Taylor was a wealth and asset manager to be overkill. Maybe it's just me, but I actually found such repeated mentions distracting. I can go on and on about things that weren't convincing (such as her only being 25, but wanting to conceive in such an unconventional way. Possible, but unlikely.), but the fact that I read the entire book on my phone's Kindle app means that I must have enjoyed it.

I admit that I was drawn into the romance and chemistry between the characters. Jackson did a good job of crafting a unique situation that instantly drew the characters into a physical relationship before a more soulful relationship developed. I found the psychology of their situation fascinating. I also, for the most part, enjoyed the tasteful ways in which the author described the sex scenes between the two. I felt Jackson was vivid enough for us to envision their intimacy, yet classy enough to describe it in terms that were sensual and not vulgar. Though I'd never read a romance novel prior to this, I've read a fair share of mainstream fiction that missed the mark entirely here.

Overall, I give the book points for me finishing it (I'm notorious for abandoning stories that don't immediately grab me) and for me actually looking forward to revisiting the story in between reads towards the end. As predictable as it was, I found myself rooting for Dominic and Taylor's growing relationship. I will never admit it outside of this forum, but I may even read a second romance novel someday.
Profile Image for Simply Love Book Reviews.
7,046 reviews870 followers
March 12, 2016
Slick's review posted at Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

I remember reading this book a very long time ago and I've read it a few times since and what also made me giggle is two highly successful and intelligent people planning to make a baby together without feelings or attachment just for the simple reason they both want a child. Now, that might work if there wasn't any attraction or mutual admiration but in this case they have both for each other in spades. Needless to say things don't work out quite the way either one of them imagined.

At 25 Taylor Steele has met her goals and is now ready to be a mother and she knows just the man she wants to father her child, Dominic Saxon. While he may be a client of her wealth and assets company Taylor feels that they will be able to treat their relationship as a business decision and give them both what they desire...a child. I enjoyed watching Taylor convince Dominic to spend a week on an island designed for procreation and them enjoying each other fully during their time together. There was no doubting their attraction for one another or the fact they very much enjoyed spending time making sure Taylor got pregnant and while you'd think that would lessen the sexiness factor it didn't at all.

Things change when they return to their respective cities and lives, and it takes some words of wisdom from the people in their lives and a knock upside the head or two for them to both realize they created much more than a child during their time together.

From beginning to end Brenda Jackson's Irresistible Forces is intriguing, sexy and completely enjoyable.
Profile Image for Shelley.
2,508 reviews161 followers
September 7, 2009
Seriously, this is the book Harlequin chose to be free to represent this line? I was looking forward to trying a Kimani book, and may have actually had the patience to slog through it if the lead character hadn't been 25 years old. 35 and I could have bought that she was running a multimillion dollar business that she started herself after dropping out of college and that she was so desperate for a child that she would proposition her main client and ask him to spend a week with her in paradise having tons of sex to conceive said child that he would have no part in raising. (This is not a spoiler...you learn this within the first ten pages.) But no. Ugh.
Profile Image for Joya.
76 reviews4 followers
September 1, 2010
I knew what I was getting into when I decided to read this book (cheesy romance novel) but wow! This was laughably BAD. The plot was just plain ridiculous, and the writing... I rolled my eyes so much my head hurt when I was finished and yes I finished because I feel like in order to make a full judgement I had to finish. Horrible. Even for a freebie. I might just charge the author for the time it took for me to read it.

I leave you with some of the the most laughable quotes as mentioned by another reviewer:

'His hands are weapons of mass seduction.'

And just before sex he says: 'and now i give you my baby.'

I just dry heaved a little. smh.
163 reviews
August 25, 2020
Really awesome book

Because it's an really awesome book and I didn't like that he was being stubborn about forgiving his grandfather for the past but finally did in the end and I like that they got married
9 reviews
September 9, 2023
I have read this only once before, but that was over a decade ago. When so read it this time it was like reading it for the first time all over again. I couldn't put it down and finished it within a hour. It is steamy, yet romantic at times. I love a good page turner and this is definitely that.
Profile Image for Kathy.
448 reviews3 followers
March 3, 2011
This looks like a hopeless romantic harlequin-type book, that sometimes you just get in the mood for.....sparked my interest from the start......
3 reviews
March 26, 2019
Loved it

Great story line. Loved ever minute of this book
Read it in two days. Hard to put down. Loved the introduction to other characters
Profile Image for Charlena Avery.
229 reviews
February 21, 2020
wow!!!

This book was so good. It captured my attention from the beginning and didn’t let go. I can’t wait to read more !! Awesome job!!
1 review
March 26, 2021
Very sensual. This book kept my attention. There was a lot of sexual tension which is always a joy to encounter in Brenda’s books.
Profile Image for Wendy.
530 reviews32 followers
didn-t-finish
February 5, 2010
Like my other recent DNF, what put me off this one was the writing. All telling, no showing, infodumpy, head-hoppy, heavy-handed, and suffering from "character looks in the mirror and assesses self" syndrome, except without the mirror.

For example, we meet the hero, who is surprised to be asked to come to the heroine's office. Let's take a peek inside his head, shall we?
"[The heroine:] had been assigned as his financial advisor when she had worked for a bank in Manhattan. From the very beginning, the degree of her intelligence when it came to wealth management, as well as her comprehensive view of his personal portfolio, investment goals and financial objectives had amazed him. He was already a successful businessman but together they created a long-term strategy that was increasing his fortune exponentially.

Besides being very knowledgeable on financial affairs, he'd found Taylor to be an extremely beautiful woman. Even now he could recall the desire that had consumed him the first time he'd seen her and because of it, he had concluded the less he saw of his wealth and asset manager the better he was. He had decided that first day that she was definitely a woman worth taking to his bed - he was one who didn't believe in mixing business with pleasure, no matter how enticing the thought or deep the craving. Yet the thought had remained lodged in his mind. He would be the first to admit it had been hard as hell to control the urge to take things further. He was used to beautiful women but there was something about Taylor Steele that caused him to think of hot sex every time he was in the same room with her."

This is just one example, and I cite it because it's the point at which I found myself unable to continue reading. And it's on page 10. On my iPhone. On which the pages are all of about twenty lines long. What came before was just as bad, and a glimpse at a few pages further on showed no signs of improvement. Which is too bad, because I was quite looking forward to the story, because it sounded like a lot of fun (hot monkey sex in the south seas and all that).

Any portion of the first few pages of this book would work well as a piece to assign to writing students, or grammar students, to correct and improve. But that's not what I read books for, so buh-bye to this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 573 reviews

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