Title: Down London Road
Series: On Dublin Street bk 2
Author: Samantha Young
Genre: Contemporary
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.
Samantha Young is fast becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors. I love how real her characters are. Add in the realism of characters speaking they way they do in Scotland, and it brings them to life.
During On Dublin Street I wasn’t sure what to think of Jo, I couldn’t decide if I liked her or merely tolerated her as one of Jocelyn’s co-workers. As Down London Road began I still wasn’t sure what I thought of her, and then I was caught up in her story.
Jo is a complex character, at first but as you begin to get to know her you discover she’s doing the only thing she can to survive and to protect her her younger brother. When she first meets Cam there is a spark, one she doesn’t want as she has a boyfriend, one she thinks she could eventually fall in love with.
But the attraction can’t be ignored and when Cam becomes her neighbor and the truth about her life is revealed they both have to make some decisions.
What I love about this book is the journey of self-discovery that Jo goes on. How she has to evaluate her life and what she want’s out of it. It’s not an easy journey, as she has to deal with her own self-image, the image others have of her, her family, and Cam.
There were times I cried, and times I laughed reading Down London Road. This is one of those books I will read again and again.
If you enjoyed On Dublin Street then you won’t want to miss Down London Road.
Grade A
