On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Title: On Dublin Street

Author: Samantha Young

Genre: Contemporary

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

Several weeks ago there was a twitter conversation about this book between Carly Phillips and Jennifer over at Romance Novel News and how I should read this book. I finally got around to reading it, and have to say it wasn’t what I was expecting.

It has seemed that the growing trend of late in 1st person books, is to be a naive recent college grad and a dominant male with lots of sex. And I have to admit that is what I was expecting. It wasn’t however what I got.

There is so much about this book that I liked, however I don’t want to give anything away so bear with me.

Joss is a very closed off person for a reason, and I have to admit that if I had had what happened to her happen to me I’m not sure I wouldn’t have been as screwed up as she was.

I saw in a review on goodreads how we shouldn’t feel sorry for her because her parents had left her a fortune. I have to disagree here, because no amount of money can ever replace your parents, especially to a young teenager.

I guess for me I could empathize with her because while I haven’t lost my parents when I was a teenager I did lose a sibling who I was very close to. It took me YEARS and therapy to not necessarily get over but rather deal with his death.

One of the things I liked about this book was how when Joss moves in with Ellie for the first time since she lost her family she is in an environment with a family and how she has to finally accept and deal with her loss.

She also doesn’t take anything from anyone especially Braden, Ellie’s older brother. From the moment she meets him she’s attracted to him, but there is no way she is giving in. I loved this, that she didn’t immediately fall into bed and love with him. He had to work on her, and then subtly go after her feelings.

Another comment I read on GR about this book was how the hero seemed to use the F word a lot. I have to ask have you ever met anyone from over there? Has she not ever watched Gordon Ramsey? Because they use the F word over there  A LOT! Way more than we do. To me it seemed very natural and real.

At the end of the book the Joss thinks the following..

I shot a look at the photograph I had of my parents on my desk. Like me and Braden, Mom and Dad had been passionate about each other, had argued a lot and had their issues,  but they always got through it because of how deeply they they felt for each other. They were everything they couldn’t be without each other. Sure it could get rough sometimes, but life wasn’t a Hollywood movie. Shit happened. You fought, you screamed, and somehow you worked like hell to get out on the other side still intact.

As I read this part of the book I went this is it, the real reason we love a good romance, they aren’t neat, they are messy and interesting and keep us plugged in till the very end. This is what On Dublin Street did for me.

If you are looking for a good book, that will take on a messy journey to love and HEA then you won’t want to miss this one. I liked it so much it’s one of my top reads of 2012.

Grade A