Book Review: Undeniable by Liz Bankes.

Product details:
Publisher: Piccadilly Press.
Paperback, 192 pages.
Release date: August 1st 2013.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 15+
Source: Received from Publisher for review.

Frank, funny and fabulous the new romantic novel from Liz Bankes. Gabi is so excited she's spending the summer working as a runner on her favourite TV show. It's a dream come true! Plus it's perfect for for distracting her from The Break-Up especially with all those gorgeous actors around. And then there's Spencer Black: student, extra, expert flirt. Everything with him is fun, intoxicating and uncertain. Things between them are hotting up when he lands a minor role on the show. So is it make or break for them? Is Spencer undeniably the one for Gabi?

Gabi can’t wait to embark on a summer full of adventure and distraction in London, working as a runner on her favourite TV show, The Halls – think the O.C. set on a university campus but with even more drama and even hotter guys. Newly single after a very-long term relationship, Gabi is more than ready for a not-so-serious summer romance, and it might just be that Spencer Black, a sexy extra on The Halls is the one to sweep her off her feet.

But is Gabi open to love, or does her heart belong to someone else – and is Spencer really all that he seems? Gabi’s life is about to take a turn for the dramatic; it’s like she stepped right into one of her favourite storylines from The Halls. But will Gabi’s story have a happy ever after, or is her summer of fun about to turn into a case of broken hearts all round?

Irresistible, the debut novel from Liz Bankes was a fun read with drama, friendship, deceit and one very hot bad boy in the shape of Jamie Elliot-Fox (who I totally crushed on). If anything though, Undeniable is a step up from Irresistible. I really enjoyed reading about Gabi’s adventures in London, her flirtation with sexy Spencer and the mystery of what led to her break-up with first love Max. On the surface Gabi is a (loud) fun-time party girl, and truth be told, when the story began I thought she might annoy me quite a bit. She didn’t though – I grew to love Gabi. Sure, she wears her heart on her sleeve and she can be a little dramatic and in your face at times, but she has a heart of gold. Gabi is all about family and friends. She puts others first and we soon learn that while she puts on a brave front, Gabi has a whole lot more going on in her life than first meets the eye.

Undeniable, just like Irresistible before it, is categorized as a ‘steamy’ New Adult novel, but just like its predecessor I think this one fits firmly into the Young Adult category.   After all, the protagonist here is seventeen, and while there are some steamy scenes, there is nothing in here that I haven’t read in YA before; certainly most of the NA books I’ve read, especially those coming from the US, are steamier than this. So, if you’re a teenager who’s thinking about reading this book, or a parent of a teenager who is concerned about the content, then rest assured, the 15+ age recommendation on the back of the book is pretty much spot on.

Now, onto the steamy stuff: the romance. Oh, I should mention that Mia and the aforementioned Jamie from Irresistible make a couple of appearances here. As you’ll know if you’ve read Irresistible Mia and Gabi are best friends for life and even though she’s on holiday in France, Mia is very much a part of Gabi’s summer. I loved catching up with Mia and Jamie; especially after all the drama of Irresistible.  Spencer, it has to be said, is a nicer guy than Jamie. I mean, when we first met Jamie, he was a total ass. And when we left Jamie he was still kind of an ass, but I digress. Spencer is an aspiring actor who sets his sights on Gabi from her first day in London, and little by little, though she is still nursing her heartache, Gabi embarks on a summer romance with Spencer. It’s not all plain sailing, though. Spencer is ambitious, and soon earns himself a promotion on The Halls – he’s the sexy bad boy with a dark secret, don’t you know. Gabi is happy for Spencer’s success, but with success comes press intrusion, and that’s when things start getting really complicated for Gabi.

Undeniable is a fabulously fun coming-of-age read with some great characters (I loved Gabi’s granny!) and a hot summer romance – those are always the best kind! I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in this series which features Mia and Gabi’s friend Rosie and Jamie’s ex Cleo (you might remember her from Irresistible). Now that should be an interesting read!