Irresistibly Yours - Book Review

By Lauren Layne

Synopsis

Meet the men of Oxford magazine! In the first captivating spin-off of Lauren Layne’s Sex, Love & Stiletto series, a not-so-friendly battle of the sexes turns into a scorching office romance.

Hotshot sports editor Cole Sharpe has been freelancing for Oxford for years, so when he hears about a staff position opening up, he figures he’s got the inside track. Then his boss drops a bombshell: Cole has competition. Female competition, in the form of a fresh-faced tomboy who can hang with the dudes—and write circles around them, too. Cole usually likes his women flirty and curvy, but he takes a special interest in his skinny, sassy rival, if only to keep an eye on her. And soon, he can’t take his eyes off her.

Penelope Pope knows all too well that she comes off as just one of the guys. Since she’s learned that wanting more usually leads to disappointment, Penelope’s resigned to sitting on the sidelines when it comes to love. So why does Cole make her want to get back in the game? The man is as arrogant as he is handsome. He probably sees her as nothing more than a barrier to his dream job. But when an unexpected kiss turns into a night of irresistible passion, Penelope has to figure out whether they’re just fooling around—or starting something real.

Review

An opportunity to create and run the sports section for the country’s top selling men’s magazine, Oxford, has opened up and both Cole and Penelope are vying for the position. Cole needs the job security and thinks he has it in the bag given that he’s been freelancing for them for years and is friends with everyone at the magazine. What he didn’t count on was Penelope, a young woman who knows her sports better than he does and who needs the job just as badly.

I thought Cole and Penelope made a great couple and not just because they both loved sports. Despite going after the same job, they both treated the other with respect and quickly became friends, which eventually grew into something more. Cole was unbelievably sweet with Penelope and she was the nicest and most sincere person he’d ever met. Together, they were just the cutest thing. I liked that their relationship grew slowly and that when it came crashing down, the reason was realistic and not silly.

I honestly wasn’t expecting this story to have any humour, but I found several scenes to be quite funny which was a nice surprise. The banter between Cole and Penelope, as well as their friends, was amusing to read.

Cole: “Manly displays of prowess are never unnecessary.”

IRRESISTIBLY YOURS is told in third-person and from Cole’s POV. Normally I don’t care if a book is written in first-person or third-person, but I struggled with how many times Cole’s name was written, which is the only issue I had with this story. IRRESISTIBLY YOURS is the first novel I’ve read from Lauren Layne and I absolutely loved it. It had me hooked right from the start and I can’t wait to read more from this series.