Book Review: Irresistible by Liz Bankes.

Product details:
Publisher: Piccadilly Press.
eBook, 224 pages.
Release date: December 6th 2012.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 12+
 Source: Received from publisher for review.

When Mia gets a summer job in a country club, it's a chance to see into a whole world of privilege and passion she's never imagined.

Thankfully there's Dan to keep her feet on the ground. He's laid-back, funny and could be the perfect person to go travelling with when the summer's over.

But behind everything that happens in the summer, there's Jamie. Wealthy and sexy, he's got everything he could ever want, and enjoys nothing more than messing with people's lives for his own entertainment. 

Mia knows that any relationship with Jamie is a bad idea,  but as she's drawn into his dangerous and madly exciting world, she finds the one thing she can't stop is herself.

Sixteen year old Mia is at a crossroads in her life.  All she wants to do is travel, but instead she’s stuck at school where she’s faced day after day with unpleasant memories of her dodgy ex.  Mia wants more. She wants excitement. She should be careful what she wishes for.  By the end of the summer Mia will have had enough excitement to last her a lifetime. If only she had a crystal ball that could see into the future, Mia might realize that normal isn’t so bad.  But then, who wants normal when you can have a guy called Jamie Elliot-Fox?

Mia’s summer job at a castle-cum-posh country club introduces her to a whole new world.  It also introduces her to the afore-mentioned Jamie, the hottest bad boy in town and object of desire amongst females for miles around.  Jamie is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants now is Mia. Does Mia play it safe with genuinely nice guy Dan, or does she give into temptation and start playing dangerous games with Jamie?

If you’ve ever been there, you already know how this ends – because nice guys finish last, and bad boys who live in castles,  like to party all night and have drop dead gorgeous looks to boot - they win every time. But what Mia doesn’t seem to realize is that bad boys, well, they’re so-called for a reason.

Naturally, Jamie can turn on the charm, but he’s no prince charming. For one, he has a girlfriend, the beautiful and formidable, Cleo, the kind of girl who Mia should really know better than to cross. But cross Cleo she does, because like a moth to a deadly flame, Mia just can’t keep away from Jamie.   But is Jamie to be trusted? Or is he just playing games with her heart? And then there’s Dan – nice, dependable Dan who takes Mia on picnics, hangs out with her friends and makes an effort to get along with her family. Things Jamie would never do.  Mia doesn’t want to hurt Dan. The problem is she just can’s stop thinking about Jamie.

What’s a girl to do?

Irresistible is a fun, sexy debut from author Liz Bankes with a great relatable cast of characters and some genuinely laugh out loud moments.  The ending of Irresistible is ambiguous and leaves much to the readers’ imagination, but I, for one, would love to find out what happens next.  Is there a sequel in the works? I’m not sure, but I’d definitely be interested in checking out more of Mia’s mishaps and adventures.

Note:  Irresistible was originally pitched to me as a ‘New Adult’ read, but despite some pretty steamy moments, I would class this one as YA (Mia is sixteen) and as suitable for readers aged 14+, although it is listed on the publishers’ website as a 12+ read.