Review: On Dublin Street - Samantha Young

UK Cover

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

On Dublin Street Series:
On Dublin Street
Until Fountain Bridge (Novella)
Down London Road
Castle Hill (Novella)
Before Jamaica Lane
Fall from India Place
Echoes of Scotland Street
Valentine (Novella)
Moonlight on Nightingale Way
One King's Way (Novella)
Stars Over Castle Hill (Novella)

Visit Samantha Young's website or the On Dublin Street website for more information

Review:
Ever since losing her entire family when she was just 14 years old Joss has remained closed off from others emotionally, unwilling to let anyone in for fear of the pain she will feel if anything happens to them. Even her closest friend Rhian is kept at a distance and she left everything familiar behind to move from the US to Scotland as soon as she was old enough to come into her inheritance. Joss has always felt happy to be alone but things start to change when she moves into an apartment on Dublin Street and starts to get to know her new roommate Ellie. It isn't just Ellie that starts to find a way into Joss's affections though but also her very sexy older brother Braden. Braden knows he wants Joss and understands that it isn't going to be easy to break through her defences but he is prepared to work at it. The attraction between them is undeniable and he offers her a no strings arrangement so they can get it out of their system. Before Joss even realises what is happening Braden starts to work his way into her heart but can she get past her fears enough to see that they have a future together?

On Dublin Street is a wonderful story and I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters are realistic, they have flaws but are still likeable and it was easy to understand their emotions and actions even when I didn't necessarily agree with them. My heart broke for Joss because she had been through so much at such a young age, she had never really managed to grieve for her family and suffered emotionally because of that. It wasn't easy for her but I was pleased she was adult enough to realise she had a problem and actually seek the help she needed. Even if she didn't always want to immediately take her councillor's advice she would take it on board and think things through for herself. As much as I was irritated with her for the way she pushed both Braden and Ellie away at times I couldn't stay mad at her because we got to see exactly how she was feeling. In a lot of ways Joss is a hard person to get to know but she is a loyal friend to those she cares about, she was also sassy, independent and knew what she wanted from life.

Braden was a wonderful hero, definitely an alpha male who knows what he wants and sets out to get it but he was caring and sweet and obviously had genuine feelings for Joss. He knows there could be something special between them and is happy to put in the effort required to make things work. One of the things I enjoyed most was the banter between him and Joss, the way they teased each other had me laughing out loud and the fun side to their relationship shone through in the scorching hot chemistry between them. The sex between them was explosive and left me in need of a cold shower on several occasions but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did if they hadn't had such a great emotional connection.

Although the focus of the story is on the romance between Joss and Braden other characters like Ellie and the rest of her family and Braden's best friend Adam all had important roles to play. I enjoyed getting to know all of them and am looking forward to spending more time with the group in future books. On Dublin Street was an emotionally engaging story, a book that made me laugh out loud one minute and brought tears to my eyes the next, it tugged on my heartstrings but left me smiling at the end. This was my first book by Samantha Young but I can tell you right now that the sequel Down London Road has jumped right to the top of my wish list and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. If you're looking for a fabulous romance then you can't go wrong with this one.

An On Dublin Street Christmas:

Anyone who read and enjoyed On Dublin Street needs to make sure they read the free short story An On Dublin Street Christmas. It's like an extra epilogue to the story and gives readers the chance to share a Christmas with Joss and Braden. I love it when authors revisit their characters and give you a glimpse of their happy ever after and this was a very enjoyable short! You can find it online at the Smexy Books blog here so don't miss out.

Source: Received from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

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