Review: Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young

Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young 

Published May 7th 2013 by NAL (first published January 1st 2013)

Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control…

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets... even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, especially because we got to see a complete transformation of a character that was first introduced On Dublin Street.

In this novel, Johanna Walker takes center stage as we learn about her back story and the hardships she's endured as a child. Coming from an abusive family where she currently cares for her alcoholic mother and younger brother, it's hard not to immediately care for Jo. She works two jobs and as a means of security, she dates rich men that offer her the sense of a possible future. However, her constant quests to land a man that she hopes will someday be her protector and provider seems to constantly fall flat.

That is until she meet Malcolm. He's rich, kind and older, and it's no doubt Johanna care for him despite the lack of chemistry. This becomes fully evident when she collides with Cameron and she begins the see the possibility of a fulfilling romance. However, is she willing to sacrifice the security of Malcolm that could mean a good future for her little brother in order to have a romance that will possibly leave her broken hearted?

I really liked Johanna from the beginning. I admired her strength and how protective she was of Cole. It was hard to immediately like Cameron especially when he judged her without knowing her. Throughout the novel, he said and did a few things that kept me from connecting with him all the way, but in the end, he proved worthy.

Great story that's filed with heated chemistry and a likable main character. I enjoyed it much!

4 Suns

Review: Down London Road by Samantha Young

Down London Road by Samantha Young

Published May 7th 2013

Amazon

About the book:

Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control....

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

My Thoughts:

This book was so fantastic and perfect that I want to read it again! And I never re-read books. I just absolutely loved every single minute. It had everything I love – sweet and incredible love, major sexual chemistry and hot scenes, humor, suspense, friendship, perfect writing and AMAZING characters…I could go on and on because I loved this book SO much!

Thankfully you don’t have to remember anything from the first book of this series to dive into this book. Because I couldn’t remember anyone and the author does a great job of reacquainting you with all the important people you need to know.

Johanna Walker is responsible for taking care of her teenage brother, who is her entire world. With a dead beat dad long gone and an alcoholic mother, she’s always put her brother, Cole, first and has done everything to give him a happy life. Their relationship is so sweet! Although she comes across as a major gold-digger, she’s not at all who she seems. She has such deep-seeded insecurities that she battles every day and thinks the only thing she has to offer anyone is her looks – and that’s how she’ll score a wealthy guy who can take care of her and Cole. Because Cole always comes first and she wants to provide him a secure life, unlike the one she’s had.

Then she meets sexy, tattooed, Cameron MacCabe and she can’t get past the instant attraction she has to him. He’s not someone she’d typically date, but there is something about him that gives her butterflies and gets her heart pounding. When he ends up being the new bartender at the bar she works – tension flies off the charts. To complicate matters, he moves into the apartment directly below hers.

Johanna has major issues letting anyone into her life and knowing her secrets, hiding her mother and their problems from everyone but her best friend, including the men she dates. To top it off, Cam immediately gets the wrong impression of her, thinking she’s just with her boyfriend for his money and not understanding the situation she’s in. I will tell you that I normally HATE cheating stories (both Jo and Cam have significant others in this book), but it’s important to know that what they have is an incredible friendship that built to something more. It was that slow buildup that made this book so AMAZING and perfect. You just have to read it to see what happens, but I assure you it’s worth every second.

I felt so many emotions while reading this book that I’m still thinking about the story a few days later. Not to mention it was one of those books that has a fantastic cast of supporting characters – all whom you’ll fall in love with. Just an absolutely fantastic book that was added to my favorites list!

5 Suns