On Dublin Street 

by Samantha Young

Published by: NAL Trade

My Rating: 

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.

My Review:

Readers, if you are a fan of the latest stretch of steamy contemporary romances, then On Dublin Street is a book you will not want to miss.  On Dublin Street combines compelling characters, heat, and romance into a well-rounded book that will pull you in and keep you reading until the very last page.

Jocelyn is a girl with abandonment issues.  Those she loves have a tendency to pass away or leave her, leaving Jocelyn hurt and broken and scared to open up to anyone.  Jocelyn finally has to face her issues when she moves into an apartment on Dublin Street and befriends her flat-mate, Ellie.  Ellie is close with her family and she pulls Jocelyn into the fold.  Ellie’s attractive older brother, Braden, catches Jocelyn’s eye, and soon her heart.  Jocelyn is used keeping her distance, but Braden and Ellie challenge her to open up and face her hurts and her past.

I love Braden.  He really has to work at wooing Jocelyn.  Their relationship develops pretty slowly, one step at a time, which I really liked reading and found very believable.  Braden had some issues of his own to deal with, and he showed remarkable patience and understanding with Jocelyn.  I also liked that Jocelyn’s problems were not fixed quickly.  Jocelyn had a lot of issues to work through, and like her relationship with Braden, it went one step at a time.  Through it, I found myself really identifying with the characters and became absorbed in their story.

What I really liked best about On Dublin Street was how well-rounded the book is.  There is no cliff-hanger ending where the reader is left to ponder if the couple can make it work.  Author Samantha Young has created an entire story, with a beginning, a middle, and a very satisfying conclusion.  If there were no more books in this series at all, I would be satisfied.  However, it seems that Samantha Young has more planned for the Dublin Street series and I can not wait to see what comes next.