Down London Road (On Dublin Street, #2)

by Samantha Young

The unmissable, sensual sequel to On Dublin Street. Perfect for fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.

'Scotland's answer to E. L. James' Sunday Post

Johanna Walker knows what she wants. And that's a strong, steady, financially secure man who will treat her well and look after her and her little brother, Cole - something her parents have never done.

But when she meets the gorgeous Cameron MacCabe, a new bartender at work,
Jo can't deny the instant and undeniable attraction she feels. Cam doesn't fit into her strict specifications of her perfect partner at all - but for once she is tempted to let her heart rule her head.

And as their intense connection grows, Jo has to stop hiding the truth about herself and her family. Is Cam prepared to accept Jo for who she really is? And is Jo willing to let someone into her life for keeps?

IF YOU LOVED DOWN LONDON ROAD, DON'T MISS THE THRILLING THIRD BOOK IN THE SERIES, BEFORE JAMAICA LANE

• ISBN10: 1405913045
• ISBN13: 9781405913041
• Publish Date: 9 May 2013 (first published 7 May 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

[Rowena]

Man, I don’t even know where to start with this book. My emotions were all over the place while reading this one. We first meet Jo in On Dublin Street and she’s introduced as Joss’ co-worker who is a gold digger with hidden depths. Well, in this book we find out what those hidden depths are. People see Jo a certain way and Jo doesn’t have a lot of time or energy to correct them so she lets them think what they think. It doesn’t matter to her anyway. The only thing that does matter is doing right by her younger brother, Cole.

Jo and Cole come from a very abusive background. Their father was abusive to their mother (and to Jo) and their mother abuses alcohol at every turn. They don’t come from a lot of money and Jo is determined to make sure that her brother has everything he needs to succeed in life. So she’s working herself ragged and worried all the time that everything she’s doing, isn’t enough for a better life for Cole. She’s got some serious emotional issues that she works through in this book and it was because of those issues that I loved this book so much. Jo was such a likable character that it was very easy for me to want the best for her.

She works so hard to provide for her younger brother Cole. Is she perfect? No because she does like dating rich men who can buy her whatever she wants but she’s not a kept woman. She doesn’t have them paying her bills and taking care of Cole. She works hard to do that herself.

When we first meet Cam, there’s an undeniable attraction and a whole lot of sexual chemistry sizzling the air between him and Jo. But because they’re both with other people at the time, nothing comes of it and plus, Cam is just like everyone else where he assumes the worst of Jo and she lets him. He’s a total jerk to her but you can tell that deep down, he’s a good guy and I ended up loving the hell out of him. I loved the way that he came around. Once he found out that he was wrong, he apologized and he feels genuinely bad about everything. And once they start getting closer, I loved the way that he was around Jo, the way that he was with Cole. The three of them bonded together and with each other and it was so good to be a part of it all.

I think I enjoyed this book more than On Dublin Street and that’s saying something because I adored On Dublin Street. This book had a lot of things going on and every single thing was written in a way that made sense and moved the story along. I adored seeing Jo and Cole being embraced by Ellie’s family and it was good to see everyone from On Dublin Street again.

Since I’m not obsessed with this series, I did a little digging and found out that there will be a third book coming out soon but I can’t find anything about that book. But I did find out that Samantha Young wrote a novella for Adam and Ellie which I’m so anxious to get my hands on.

This was a great book. It was filled with lots of drama but Jo’s journey is so worth the time it took to read this book. I loved it so, so much. I was a bit disappointed in Cam with the whole Blair thing but in the end, I couldn’t stay mad at him. I loved him too much. If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend that you do. You won’t be sorry.

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

4.5 Stars

Down London Road was sooooo good! It brought back so many great memories from reading On Dublin Street. In fact, I now find myself itching to reread On Dublin Street.

Although I do think I liked On Dublin Street a bit more, Down London Road was still a solid book. It was fun, hot, kept me entertained, and I definitely let out a few insane giggles! That's always a good sign!

What was great about Down London Road was that it intertwined with On Dublin Street, but it was still a completely different story. Jocelyn and Braden are still in Down London Road and have decent sized roles, so it really felt like the stories connected in a relevant way. But I loved feeling like I was in the same neighborhood and reading about the same characters. I had forgotten how much I missed them!

I think Samantha Young played the romance brilliantly. When it first starts out, Johanna is dating a guy named Malcolm... and I kind of liked him. He was sweet and easy going, and I felt bad for him when Johanna started crushing on Cameron. But very slowly, Samantha pulled me away from Malcolm and got me on team Cameron. I'm still not even sure how she did it. It's like she literally broke me down. Usually when this happens with books, I sympathize with the first guy and the author never gets me to fall for the second guy. But that was SO not the case here. Samantha Young had me falling head over heels for Cam. (And thank goodness, because otherwise I think the book would have been ruined for me!)

There actually weren't a ton of sexy scenes in Down London Road but the few that were there blew me away. There's this one scene in a dressing room... OH MY GOD O_O That's all I have to say about that. O_O

I liked how the conflicts in Down London Road felt very realistic. So many times in romance books the main conflicts are just so... petty. They weren't petty in Down London Road. I could totally relate to them and understand where both characters were coming from.

Down London Road really solidified my love for Samantha Young's books. I totally have my eye on her next one in this series, Down Jamaica Lane. I know it's going to ROCK!

[kimbacaffeinate]

4.5
We met Johanna Walker in On Dublin Street and I was apprehensive about reading her story. On the surface she is a Paraná looking for a sugar daddy, but Johanna;s life is complicated. Her father is MIA and she has been left to taking care of her younger brother Cole and her sorry excuse for a mother. She does not let many people into her inner circle, especially the men she dates. In fact, you might even say Johanna is completely two different people. One works at a bar and cares for the family the other molds herself into the perfect girlfriend. When Cameron MacCabe walks in he completely upends Johanna’s world and the tale that unfolded had me giggling, sighing and shedding a tear.

Once you get pass Jo’s outward persona and see the real Jo you cannot help but admire how strong and courageous she is. She has managed to make a home for her brother, work two jobs to make ends meet and is looking for a way to better both of their lives. She has some self-esteem issues and I think Young does a wonderful job of showing how this affects a person’s self-worth. She likes the men she dates and sex is ok, but she’s never really felt an intense physical or emotional attachment. Cameron MacCabe is a tattooed, dark haired, abs of steel, Irish god. *swoons* Cameron had me uneasy after the first encounter but I quickly came to adore him. The chemistry between these two was smokin’ hot and watching them interact and keep boundaries was hilarious and had me on pins and needles waiting for the inevitable. Jocelyn and Braden had some scene time as well as his family. Jocelyn has really grown and become more confident. We saw growth in her and it was fun to see her blossom.

Young really gets me with her characters. They are complex, a little flawed and at their core good people struggling to make it in this crazy world. Dublin is the backdrop to this story and I now fantasies about moving there. Both Jo and Cam are in relationships at the onset and while no lines were crossed, I imagine if you were in a room with them the sexual tension would be electrifying. I so enjoyed their pre-tango dance and the buildup was delicious. The romance felt genuine and the chemistry curled my toes. Young creates steamy scenes that sizzle with just the right amount of details. She managed to give this series a small-town feel and I like how old characters and new interact and form bigger circles. The tale flowed wonderfully, with the right amount of tension, heat and drama to keep me turning the pages. I consumed this in one sitting and cannot wait for book three.
originally published Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[EBookObsessed]

When we first met Johanna Walker in On Dublin Street, she comes off as a gold digger, going from one rich boyfriend to another, and even ready to jump in and grab up Bradon if Joss wasn’t interested.

In Down London Road, we learn that Johanna is the daughter of an abusive father, and an alcoholic mother, and everything she does is for the benefit of her little brother, Cole. Since her father long disappeared and her mother always in the bottle, Jo had to drop out of high school at 16 to get a job to pay the rent and buy food. Because Jo didn’t finish school, she works very hard at two part-time jobs. With her lack of education and through years of mental and physical abuse from her parents, she doesn’t believe she is worth much. She believes that the only thing going for her is her good looks, and the only way that she and Cole will do more than just survive in the poor end of Edinburg is for her to put her good looks to work and find a rich boyfriend who will bring them financial security.

Yet in always looking first at the pocket book of future dates, she is perceived in a bad light by those around her. Joss and Johanna have since become friends and Joss is aware that she misjudged Jo. When Cam MacCabe comes into Johanna’s life, he takes one look at her on the arm of her rich boyfriend, and immediately decides that she is out for all she can get. After getting a job at Club 39 working with Joss and Jo, Cam finally learns the real Johanna Walker and encourages her to believe in herself. He especially wants her to dump her rich boyfriend and give in the pull they have for each other.

With Cam in not only her life, but becoming a close friend to her brother, Cole, Jo can finally see a life worth more to her than just being arm candy to some rich guy, and she stops trying to be the perfect girlfriend, and begins to become someone she wants to be, but when you finally live the life you’ve always wanted, the risk of losing it all can be so frightening.

THOUGHTS:
A brilliant follow up to On Dublin Street. Johanna doesn’t come off as a very likeable character in Book #1. We believe her to be a bimbo looking for a meal ticket, but like Joss, we get to know her better and begin to understand what her young life has been like and why she feels the need to seek out rich men. Just like us, Cam walks in to the story and misjudges Jo and is actually quite nasty to her for the first quarter of the book and we hate him for it, although when he finally apologizes for being such a jerk, it is eloquent and heartfelt. At this point, we start to root for Cam and Jo to be together.

I truly enjoyed the characters and the story in On Dublin Street, so I don’t know why like a teacher with her red pen, I started this book positive that it could not be as good as On Dublin Street, and I was ready to point out all the similarities to Book #1 or all the clichéd romance plot points. As I read, the discussion in my head was a bit like this…”This guy is an ass**le…ooo, nice apology.” “Oh, that’s the stupid mistake that’s going to ruin it all…oh, that was a smart way to deal with that.” “There is NO excuse for that…oh, yeah I see where that could be misconstrued.”

All I can say is, nicely done, Ms. Young. Nicely done. An A+ for you.

And it didn’t hurt that I could picture Jude Law bringing in an incredible Cam MacCabe performance.

I can’t wait to see who is next in this series.

Received an ARC from netgalley.com, courtesy of the publisher. Thank you.

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[Cocktails and Books]

You have the hot headed, strong minded Johanna or Jo as all her friends call her. Then you add the incredibly hot Cameron, Cam, and you get a very HOT book.

Jo was first introduced to us in the first book of this series, On Dublin Street, and in this book you go into it thinking she is this gold digging tramp. As this book goes on you learn more about her and find that she is far from being the gold digger we first thought. She is trapped taking care of her alcoholic mother and her little brother. She started dating men that had a stable high paying job when she was younger because of what they might be able to offer and the stability she has wanted for her brother.

When out at an art gallery with her current boyfriend she spots Cam, instantly they have this strong undeniable connection. He is a down on his luck graphic designer who is there to support his girlfriend, that just happens to be Jo's current boyfriend's ex. After cornering her outside and telling her just what he thinks of her, they go to blows with each other.

Slowly Cam starts to learn the truth behind everything that is Johanna Walker and likes her more that he could hate her and what he thought of her before goes out the window.

After ending things with their current relationships you end up with some overly steamy intimate moments through the book. I absolutely loved Down London Road and learning everything there was to learn about Jo. Being pulled in to the story and watching the journey as they find each other and deal with their past was a very moving and almost overwhelming experience. If you liked or love On Dublin Street then you will fall in love with Down London Road even more, and YES, there is moments with our favorite American girl, Jocelyn!

Reviewed by Kenzie for Cocktails and Books