Wednesday 31 July 2013

Review! On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

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.


Review: I read this novel as part of a New Adult Readathon and also because it was being discussed in a twitter book club hosted by Sophie Hart but I actually really enjoyed it although i wouldn't have picked it up independently. I loved the opening of this book, I thought it was really fast laced and I loved the concept of someone losing every thing and then moving to Edinburgh and finding a fabulous new housemate. The fact that this novel is set in Edinburgh is a real bonus for me, I love being able to picture where characters are when they are travelling around in a novel, and this was really nice for me to experience. The style of the flay is also typical of a tenement building just like those found in Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres.

Joss made a really good main character, although she did annoy me at points. She seems to mostly know her own mind although occasionally she will come out with things or make moves that I really didn't understand, or see where they were coming from. She seems to fly off the handle quite easily, something which seems to be indicative of young females in novels these days. She doesn't let herself be take advantage of though and I really liked that. She also comes to really appreciate family values and I was really pleased about this.

I really loved the character of Ellie-Joss's flatmate, she is bubbly and provides a very good platform for joss to push her boundaries. Ellie goes through a lot in the novel too and I would love to see a spin off featuring her, and telling her story, during or even post, on Dublin Street. Now Braden, opinions on Braden seem to differ somewhat. As the love interest in this novel, I wouldn't be able to describe him. I found him very one dimensional,with a very selfish personality and I really think that perhaps Joss ended up falling for him more out of convenience than any other reason. I'm really not a Braden fan, although this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the novel as a whole...

I would definitely recommend this novel to others, it was an enjoyable read, had good pace and a good plot line. The characters and the setting are very believable and I even found myself crying at points. The sex scenes in the novel really aren't too explicit meaning that those of a more delicate nature will still enjoy this for the quality writing that it is...

You can get yourself a copy of this novel by clicking here!

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