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An Irresistible Impulse: A Gripping Courtroom Romance About a Sequestered Jury and a Forbidden Passion
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky understands the power of the human heart as few others and she shares that gift in this touching novel of acceptance and fulfillment, first published in 1983.
Sitting in a Vermont jury room, Abby Barnes is happy to be empaneled. The trial is a sensational headline-grabber, and the thought of being sequestered for a few weeks is appealing. The time away from a relationship that fails to excite her will give her a chance to think . . . and to make a long overdue decision.
Then she meets fellow juror Ben Wyeth, a witty and charming college professor who shows Abby just what she's been missing. But although they share grueling days of grisly testimony and long nights of passion, there is a part of Ben that he can never share with Abby, or any woman. Just as the fate of an accused man lies in the balance, so too does Abby's, as she decides whether what Ben can give is enough . . . enough to last her a lifetime.
Sitting in a Vermont jury room, Abby Barnes is happy to be empaneled. The trial is a sensational headline-grabber, and the thought of being sequestered for a few weeks is appealing. The time away from a relationship that fails to excite her will give her a chance to think . . . and to make a long overdue decision.
Then she meets fellow juror Ben Wyeth, a witty and charming college professor who shows Abby just what she's been missing. But although they share grueling days of grisly testimony and long nights of passion, there is a part of Ben that he can never share with Abby, or any woman. Just as the fate of an accused man lies in the balance, so too does Abby's, as she decides whether what Ben can give is enough . . . enough to last her a lifetime.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1983
186 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Delinsky
307 books4,356 followersI was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 18, 2018
This is an interesting (albeit total fantasy) take on jury duty. These early books by Delinsky are pretty shallow. It’s interesting to see the writer develop and grow and to observe the changing tastes of the reader.
August 24, 2022
I couldn't convince myself to keep reading this! I really enjoyed The Secret Between Us but this.....this was just super corny and after getting almost halfway through, I got sick of waiting for an actual plot. Reminds me of a cheap romance novel.
January 29, 2020
I often wonder what makes an author go so deep in a book, to get into the very heart of folks in their books? Barbara is the ultimate storyteller.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2020
nice love story
September 17, 2022
What a wonderful escape! Barbara gets me right into the story.!
June 29, 2025
Excepted more. Barbara Delinsky rarely disappoints, but this was drivel. Very predictable, not realistic, or believable.
September 2, 2010
This book started out as a 7 but dropped to a 5 by the time I was finished with it. I didn't exactly have high expectations, being fully aware that this was one of Barbara Delinsky's earliest novels and a category romance at that. But the story started off nicely, keeping my interest with the background of a woman needing a break from life getting jury duty and meeting an intriguing stranger. The jury is situated in a remote cabin for three weeks so that no outside influence can affect their vote and Delinsky painted the setting and the secondary characters quite well considering how short this novel was. Unfortunately, once the two characters got to know each other better my hopes of this being a "sweet, light romance" were shattered. I was under the impression that the Silhouette Special Edition line featured love and meaningful relationships, not sex and alpha males. I didn't really warm up to the character of Ben - while he was kind to Abby, he admitted that he didn't love her and was just attracted to her. That alone is enough to put me off a man! And while Abby worried about this, she ended up happily going along with the no-love-just-attraction relationship, enough that she made a rash decision near the end of the book which could have had a rather negative outcome. Ben was a bit forceful, too, and not in what I saw as a romantic way, which really made me wonder what Abby saw in him. And the way their relationship progressed...I know it's a romance novel, but I'm not terribly fond of the "sex first, love later" storyline. Plus, this book was very heavy on the sex, and not in a tasteful way. Cheesy and awkward descriptions abounded!
All in all, this novel started out promising but went downhill about halfway through because of the sex scenes and the lack of a believable, loving relationship between the hero and heroine. I admire Delinsky's ability to create an interesting situation and setting and likeable secondary characters, especially in such a short novel. I just don't think the passion-fueled, let's-fall-in-love-later romances do much for me. 5/10
All in all, this novel started out promising but went downhill about halfway through because of the sex scenes and the lack of a believable, loving relationship between the hero and heroine. I admire Delinsky's ability to create an interesting situation and setting and likeable secondary characters, especially in such a short novel. I just don't think the passion-fueled, let's-fall-in-love-later romances do much for me. 5/10
February 17, 2009
A bit on the shallow side!
April 3, 2010
I like this author a lot, but this must be one of her early books. It is a silly tale but went in a different direction than I anticipated. Nothing more than an entertaining diversion.
June 15, 2012
a bit cheesy.
December 11, 2015
This was Barbara Delinsky? Not a very good book.
August 6, 2015
This is probably my least favorite book by Barbara Delinsky that I have read so far. It was good chick lit, I suppose, but she usually develops her stories more. I did still enjoy it somewhat.
November 30, 2015
Great book! Just enough mystery and romance to make it a good summer read.
February 16, 2013
Good book to read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews