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Core Attraction
Living with her dad and single since the Ice Age, Fiona Halpin’s plan is to get a promotion, a swanky house, and a boyfriend—strictly in that order. So when Dr. Declan MacCarthy and his protest leaflets turn up outside the power plant where she handles public relations, she’s almost too busy doing damage control to notice how gorgeous he is. Almost.
Declan has returned from Japan to settle in his Irish hometown and live a meaningful life by treating his cancer patients and joining a campaign against the biggest local employer’s deadly radiation risks. But that means facing off with the fierce Fiona, who’s as protective of her company as a pack of Rottweilers.
As Fiona slowly warms to Declan and his passion for his cause, a strong compatibility and common ground develop between them. But can she let down her defenses enough to let him reach her inner core, or is their passion only heading for meltdown?
Declan has returned from Japan to settle in his Irish hometown and live a meaningful life by treating his cancer patients and joining a campaign against the biggest local employer’s deadly radiation risks. But that means facing off with the fierce Fiona, who’s as protective of her company as a pack of Rottweilers.
As Fiona slowly warms to Declan and his passion for his cause, a strong compatibility and common ground develop between them. But can she let down her defenses enough to let him reach her inner core, or is their passion only heading for meltdown?
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2015
393 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 16, 2015
I received this in exchange for an honest review. With that in mind, if I wasn't reading this for a review I probably would not have finished it. I found Fiona to be very childish for a professional who was just given a promotion and to not take charge in her position was very unrealistic. Don't get me started on Declan... Trying to tie the romance into the story it was somewhat stilted but at least there was a HEA in the end. Overall, 3 stars was a generous rating.
May 3, 2015
The title of Ashlinn Craven's novel Core Attraction is actually a play on words with it's reference to the core reactor of a nuclear power plant. When Fiona Halpin first meets Dr. Declan McCarthy while she is out running and he is busy protesting against her employer, the attraction goes to the core and is definitely nuclear! It's Fiona's job as Public Relations Officer for DunCore, a nuclear power plant, to promote a positive public image of nuclear power and her employer. As a pediatric oncologist, it isn't Declan's job to participate in protests, but as a man who has suffered a devastating and disillusioning loss related to nuclear power, he feels bound to make his voice heard on the subject.
At their initial meeting Fiona pretends to be a fellow protester, but she is unaware she is talking to the local hospital's promising new specialist. Declan is just as unaware that he is consorting with the enemy until they meet a second time and their true identities are revealed. From that point forward these two strong-willed and strongly convicted people continually butt heads over their respective causes.
As I was reading Core Attraction, I was struck by its similarity to our present climate where protest is such a common thing. The author certainly lends insight into how these situations can escalate and get out of control. She also addresses the fact that many times the protesters are nothing more than bystanders who jump on the bandwagon or outsiders recruited to pump up the numbers rather than those who are really invested in the cause. Fiona is a strong woman and a very likable character. She just wants to do a good job, get a promotion and buy herself and her father a new home. A man would be a nice add-in, but she is very focused on her goals and is unprepared for Dr. Declan McCarthy with his angst, his baggage and his opposing views. She is also unprepared for the sexual harassment and covert activity she encounters in her workplace, but she deals with the issues very effectively. I think Declan is the most conflicted of the two characters. He seems to be constantly torn by his devotion to his patients, his bitterness and grief over the loss of his wife and the obligation he feels to an angry teenager, his brother-in-law Taro, who has lost his family. He must also make a decision as to whether he can remain in his hometown and continue to do the work he loves when his employer is largely funded by the company that is the object of his protest. Core Attraction has romance, suspense, humor and characters with stories that are very relevant in today's world. Throughout the book, I often speculated as to how the author was going to believably resolve all the issues confronting her characters and still have a reasonably happy ending. Ashlinn Craven does just that while presenting persuasive arguments on both sides of the nuclear energy question and writing her story line to a conclusion that will be very satisfying to readers.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book directly from the author. I was not paid to read or review this book. All opinions are my own, and I was never influenced by anything or anyone.
Back then, before the earthquake, before the tsunami, before the nuclear meltdown, he'd considered himself so worldly-wise, living so far from Ireland and the provincial thinking of his colleagues and family. How naïve his worldview had been, grounded in the belief that life had some meaning, a rewards-based, karmic view of existence whereby you added points if you did good, and if you had enough good points, then bad things wouldn't happen to you.
At their initial meeting Fiona pretends to be a fellow protester, but she is unaware she is talking to the local hospital's promising new specialist. Declan is just as unaware that he is consorting with the enemy until they meet a second time and their true identities are revealed. From that point forward these two strong-willed and strongly convicted people continually butt heads over their respective causes.
As I was reading Core Attraction, I was struck by its similarity to our present climate where protest is such a common thing. The author certainly lends insight into how these situations can escalate and get out of control. She also addresses the fact that many times the protesters are nothing more than bystanders who jump on the bandwagon or outsiders recruited to pump up the numbers rather than those who are really invested in the cause. Fiona is a strong woman and a very likable character. She just wants to do a good job, get a promotion and buy herself and her father a new home. A man would be a nice add-in, but she is very focused on her goals and is unprepared for Dr. Declan McCarthy with his angst, his baggage and his opposing views. She is also unprepared for the sexual harassment and covert activity she encounters in her workplace, but she deals with the issues very effectively. I think Declan is the most conflicted of the two characters. He seems to be constantly torn by his devotion to his patients, his bitterness and grief over the loss of his wife and the obligation he feels to an angry teenager, his brother-in-law Taro, who has lost his family. He must also make a decision as to whether he can remain in his hometown and continue to do the work he loves when his employer is largely funded by the company that is the object of his protest. Core Attraction has romance, suspense, humor and characters with stories that are very relevant in today's world. Throughout the book, I often speculated as to how the author was going to believably resolve all the issues confronting her characters and still have a reasonably happy ending. Ashlinn Craven does just that while presenting persuasive arguments on both sides of the nuclear energy question and writing her story line to a conclusion that will be very satisfying to readers.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book directly from the author. I was not paid to read or review this book. All opinions are my own, and I was never influenced by anything or anyone.
September 18, 2015
Fiona was, honestly, mostly likeable. She had a great best friend in Sarah, a stellar relationship with her dad, and a job she was damn good at. But there was this...air about her that kept me from really seeing and knowing her. She was driven to be the best of the best at her job, and ambition is admirable, yet it seemed to be all that mattered to her. I'm all for going hard after one of your dreams but not at the expense of other dreams you might have, you know? And it felt like she was willing, at first, to do whatever it took to forward her position at work by going after Declan.
Declan walked a fine line protesting against the very plant that sponsored the hospital he worked at. The reason he sided with Half-Life was understandable. After all, he'd had a front row seat to watching his wife deteriorate because of nuclear fallout and that couldn't have been pretty. But going up against the hospital's largest sponsor, even if it was with the backing of a group? Yeah, I'm not sure about that one. Neither was I sure about his using Fiona to further his cause.
I will say that both Declan and Fiona had time in each others worlds. Fiona saw first hand how Declan cared for his patients, how determined he was to help them go through chemo and radiation and transplants. Declan's time at the plant might have been forced and was extremely brief and a bit rushed, but he managed to see and hear how the everything at the plant was done to the letter. That quick glance into Fiona's world showed him that short of a catastrophe the people employed by the plant did their very best to meet all government safety standards.
While I liked the premise of this story and its characters, I struggled to connect with it and them. The writing is good, the story flows well, and the characters are pretty well fleshed out but there was something missing that my heart needed but didn't find.
(Received from Pump Up Your Book for an honest review)
Declan walked a fine line protesting against the very plant that sponsored the hospital he worked at. The reason he sided with Half-Life was understandable. After all, he'd had a front row seat to watching his wife deteriorate because of nuclear fallout and that couldn't have been pretty. But going up against the hospital's largest sponsor, even if it was with the backing of a group? Yeah, I'm not sure about that one. Neither was I sure about his using Fiona to further his cause.
I will say that both Declan and Fiona had time in each others worlds. Fiona saw first hand how Declan cared for his patients, how determined he was to help them go through chemo and radiation and transplants. Declan's time at the plant might have been forced and was extremely brief and a bit rushed, but he managed to see and hear how the everything at the plant was done to the letter. That quick glance into Fiona's world showed him that short of a catastrophe the people employed by the plant did their very best to meet all government safety standards.
While I liked the premise of this story and its characters, I struggled to connect with it and them. The writing is good, the story flows well, and the characters are pretty well fleshed out but there was something missing that my heart needed but didn't find.
(Received from Pump Up Your Book for an honest review)
June 25, 2015
Can two people with two different opinions and very different opinions at that ever fall in love ? Can they ever find a common ground in order to sustain a happy romance with each other ? Core Attraction by Ashlinn Craven is that type of story where opposites really do attract as we meet Dr. Declan MacCarthy aka our Dr McDreamy and Fiona Halpin. Fiona Halpin dreams of having the perfect life with a great house , an awesome job and a perfect husband but she never dreamed that she would find her perfect man this way as Fiona currently works for a power plant as the Public Relations officer and her job is about to get a lot harder when Declan MacCarthy turns up from his holiday and life in Japan to settle back down in his hometown in Ireland - yes, he even has that swoonworthy Irish accent, where he has settled into helping Cancer patients and right now the town is in an uproar due to the power plant as the radiation is causing nasty effects on the cancer patients . So Declan decides to join in on the campaign to shut it down which of course includes numerous pamphlet drops and protests, this is where Fiona comes in as it's her job to do damage control and soften the impact from the protestors and it's not going to be easy as she falls for Declan and vice versa, but Fiona is not one to go down without a fight ? Can the pair of them work things out or will their company rivalry be enough to tear what inkling of romance and core attraction they have for each other ?
Find out in this lovely romance read , which is perfect as I am in Winter for those cold nights where you just want to curl up in bed with a cup of tea and a lovely sweet romantic read to keep your heart warm and toasty.
Find out in this lovely romance read , which is perfect as I am in Winter for those cold nights where you just want to curl up in bed with a cup of tea and a lovely sweet romantic read to keep your heart warm and toasty.
May 1, 2015
This is the second Ashlinn Craven book I’ve read. I read and enjoyed Maybe, Baby, and love how Craven manages to place her romantic protagonists in controversial situations. Core Attraction is a great example of this. Declan is an oncologist and widower, who has returned to his native Ireland, but hasn’t recovered from the tragic loss of his wife in the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Moonlighting as an anti-nuclear protester, Declan believes his activism renders his loss less senseless. Fiona is an attractive and ambitious public relations professional, whose job it is to assure the public that the local power plant is a respected pillar of the community. She’s so good at her job that she’s convinced she deserves an executive position with the company, and she’ll do anything to get it. Events throw Declan and Fiona together, but as they discover more about one another, their antagonism begins to fade. Can two people on opposite sides of the nuclear debate move beyond their prejudices and fall in love? Craven’s an excellent writer, with well-developed and interesting characters often facing tough choices. This is a quickly-paced page-turner that has you rooting for Declan and Fiona in this enjoyable opposites attract tale.
April 27, 2015
ARC Kindle Copy
Fiona Halpin works at a power plant as a security IT in Ireland as she lives with her dad. When she runs into Dr. Declan MacCarthy who is handing out protest pamphlets in front of where she works, he does not realize how attractive he is as they start running into each other.
Declan has return to Ireland bring his younger Japanese brother-in-law with him as he wants to settle back in his own country. His brother-in-law is not happy to be drag to Iran underground eland and finds himself supporting an underground campaign against power plants since his sister died from radiation exposure when the power plant in Fukushima leaked radiation.
All Declan wants is to live a treating his cancer patients and joining a campaign that fight against the local power plant and shut down the radiation risks. This cause him to battle with Fiona who is protective of the company that she works for.
As they battle each other, the chemistry between them sizzles. Can they turn to each other or will they end up going their separate ways? Will their love be able to handle what life throws them? An interesting read of two people who find themselves on opposite sides and making decisions based on what they feel is right.
Fiona Halpin works at a power plant as a security IT in Ireland as she lives with her dad. When she runs into Dr. Declan MacCarthy who is handing out protest pamphlets in front of where she works, he does not realize how attractive he is as they start running into each other.
Declan has return to Ireland bring his younger Japanese brother-in-law with him as he wants to settle back in his own country. His brother-in-law is not happy to be drag to Iran underground eland and finds himself supporting an underground campaign against power plants since his sister died from radiation exposure when the power plant in Fukushima leaked radiation.
All Declan wants is to live a treating his cancer patients and joining a campaign that fight against the local power plant and shut down the radiation risks. This cause him to battle with Fiona who is protective of the company that she works for.
As they battle each other, the chemistry between them sizzles. Can they turn to each other or will they end up going their separate ways? Will their love be able to handle what life throws them? An interesting read of two people who find themselves on opposite sides and making decisions based on what they feel is right.
July 11, 2015
This is the second book I've read by Ashlinn Craven and again she mixes a moral dilemma with romance. This time the dilemma is the rights and wrongs of nuclear power when Fiona (spin doctor for a fictional power plant in Dundalk, Ireland) falls for Declan, an oncologist who lost his wife to radiation sickness after a nuclear disaster in Japan and now works with anti nuclear campaigners in his spare time despite his ward being funded by the power plant. I was lucky enough to read early chapters of this work but this version has a much stronger heat level than the original and is better for it. The passion between the leads is credible and over-shadows the demonstrations, hacking, and press junkets until we find out if love can conquer all. I very rarely get to read a novel set in my own region so that was an added bonus!
May 25, 2015
I received a copy of this book for an honest review. Declan and Fiona are on opposites sides of a controversy with a nuclear plant. Declan wants to shut it down. Fiona works for the nuclear plant and wants a promotion. Despite their differences they are attracted to each other. The story goes through their relationship and how they make decisions based on what they feel is right despite being on different sides of an emotional topic. It took me a little bit to get into the book but I'm glad I continued on. I enjoyed Declan and Fiona's story. It was also a sensual steamy romance.
June 27, 2015
Core Attraction a tale about love unexpectedly happening with no warnings to a woman who has no time for love. I felt for Fiona and her who opinion on love and work. For years she has tried to be good yet Declan is one man who is tempting her to be bad. This is the first I have read from Ashlinn Craven and have to say I wanted more from this book. I felt short changed in a way not getting enough of Declan. I mean it felt more like everytime Declan moved Fiona moved back never really putting herself into the love he was giving. Really hoping the next book of Ashlinn will be better.
April 27, 2015
Core Attraction is full of light-hearted good humor, wit and lovely characterization but at it's heart is the story of two people falling in love against their better judgement. Declan and Fiona are two people who shouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't (for so MANY good reasons) enter into a relationship and yet they are inexorably drawn together. Hot, sexy, sweet, fun romance!
June 19, 2015
I felt zero connection with the characters. MC acted way younger than her age, and their "relationship" felt as if it grew in fits and starts, with big gaping holes in it where the development should have been. Almost DNF-ed it, but I kept hoping it would get better...
Rating: 1 1/2 stars / D
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1 1/2 stars / D
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2015
Full review to come
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews