Review: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

On Dublin Street
By: Samantha Young
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: Oct. 17, 2012
Genre: New Adult
Rating:

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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.

Wow. This was one of those books that I was unsure on whether I’d like it or not but continually found myself coming back to it on goodreads and reading the reviews. I decided to give it a shot and boy am I glad that I did. I found myself wrapped up in the story so much that I stayed up reading it until my eyes could no longer stay open and then first thing in the morning, before making coffee, sat down to read the rest of it. It’s so good you will forget you need your morning java.

I liked the complexity of the characters. The author did an amazing job adding a lot of depth to them. Joss has a lot of mental issues. The death of her parents, little sister and best friend all when she was young has left her a damaged mess. She refuses to let anyone get close to her because in doing so, she will only hurt herself in the end when the friendship fails or when the relationship ends. But now finds herself starting to let not only her roommate in but her roommates brother as well. However, no matter how she appears on the outside, she is still broken and confused on the inside. Meanwhile, Braden is very aware of Joss’ issues and does all he can to help her through it. He is very patient with her and when she starts to break down and have a panic attack he is always there talking her back to reality. Even though he is confident, he has issues of his own. His wife cheated on him with his best friend and ever since their divorce he has never really opened his heart up to another woman since. Both of these characters are great and I even loved the secondary characters as well.

I really loved this story and the simplicity of it. There was nothing crazy taking place, just your everyday couple working through their issues. The author definitely has a talent for writing a story and I honestly cannot wait to read more of her work.

“Babe, nice lingerie is for seducing a man. I’m already fucking seduced.” -Braden