Review: Down London Road by Samantha Young

16140408Down London Road
(On Dublin Street, #2)
By: Samantha Young
Publisher: NAL
Published: May 7, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:
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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.

 

1thoughtsJo has taken on the parental responsibilities of both her little brother and her unpredictable alcoholic mother. Joss has been making ends meet since the moment she was old enough to start working. She came to the realization that she can’t support her family on her own and has taken to accepting the advances and dating older, more established gentlemen. She doesn’t ask for money, but they like to spoil her with clothes and jewelry which she accepts. She knows that they will eventually get bored of her and move on, which is when she sells all the riches they bestowed upon her. Which helps pay the bills and puts money away for her little brother’s education. However, she finds herself reevaluating her life when she meets her new neighbor/co-worker, Cameron.

Jo was an interesting character. She’s not a gold digger like previously thought. She doesn’t ask for hand outs and she’s independent from the men she dates. No one knows about her life at home. No one knows about her mother or the fact that she is the sole provider for her little brother. So when Cam comes in the picture, inserting himself into her home life, her world is thrown off kilter.

Cam was one of those characters that you had to warm up to. He’s immediately judgmental towards Jo. He views her as nothing short of a paid whore and isn’t afraid to let his disgust show. However, he himself is dating an older woman. He’s actually dating Jo’s boyfriend’s ex. However, that fact is never really brought to the table. Even though he was extremely supportive of Jo, he did some questionable things. So it was nice that the characters weren’t flawless. They definitely had their “duh” moments.

This was a good story. I read On Dublin Street over a year ago and don’t really remember much from the story, let alone remember Jo. So this is definitely a story you can read as a stand alone. I enjoyed watching the layers of Jo peel page as the story progressed. She wasn’t necessarily complex but she was definitely someone who had a lot going on in her life. Her little brother was a character that popped up a lot in the book. He was kind of the silent brooding voice of reason that knew when to give Jo a push when she needed it. This story just came together really nicely and I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

 

1favequote“You know, the world will always try to make you into who it wants you to be. People, time, events, they’ll all try to carve away at you and make you think you don’t know who you are. But it doesn’t matter who they try to make you, or what name they try to give you. If you stay true, you can chip off all their machinations and you’re still you underneath it all.”

kRISTIN

2 Thoughts on “Review: Down London Road by Samantha Young

  1. Great review. I have been considering this series, but I am just still unsure whether they are for me or not. I would probably start the first book and then move on to this one after.

    • I actually just finished Echoes of Scotland Yard and I will be honest, I don’t think I will read anymore from the series. They are all the same. You don’t notice if you have a huge break between them but I read 2 back to back and they were just about the same thing. 🙁

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