Review – Down London Road by Samantha Young

This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.

Smart, Sexy and Seductive are just three words that I would choose to describe Samantha Young’s follow up to On Dublin Street and here’s why… Johanna Walker is a strong, determined woman who is carrying a huge burden on her shoulders. She knows that the only way to support herself financially is by dating secure men, with plenty of money who will treat her well and look after her little brother, Cole – something her parents have never done. Then, gorgeous new bartender Cameron MacCabe arrives and Jo cannot ignore her instant attraction, the sexual energy crackles between them but Cam doesn’t fit into her strict specifications for the perfect partner. Will she be tempted to let her heart overrule her head for once? As the tension between them reaches electrifying levels Jo has to stop hiding truth about herself and her family, but will Cameron still be interested once he knows her secret? This book crackles with sexual tension from the first few pages. Johanna is a strong, and sometimes frustrating, character who is struggling to support her teenage brother whilst their alcoholic mother throws insults at them daily and drinks herself into a stupor. Jo has a huge heart – she sacrifices her own happiness to date wealthy men who she knows will look after her and Cole, but this leads to a lot of people misunderstanding her as a gold-digger. I had a lot of sympathy for Jo; it took me a while to warm to her stubbornness, however, as I continued to read all I wanted was for her to be happy. She cares deeply about protecting her brother and fights hard for the life she thinks he deserves. Then Cameron comes along: broad, tattooed and deliciously handsome, Jo feels her defences begin to crumble from the minute she meets him and Samantha Young describes their attraction to each other in such detail that you become absorbed in their relationship. Cameron is the dream male protagonist, brooding, sexy and always ready to fight for Jo. He is addictive to read. As the attraction between them develops and reaches fever pitch it is hard not to be drawn into the passion of their relationship, he is very much the ying to Jo’s yang and they spark off one another in their dialogue well. This book is not for the prudish amongst us. Though there is much more to it than sex, there are plenty of scenes that will make you blush over your Coco Pops on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Whilst I cared about the secondary characters (especially best friends Joss and Braden), the real story in this book is Jo’s. She is a strong, likeable female character, and I continued to devour this book all the way to the end hoping that she’d get the guy and the happiness that she deserved. This book is perfect for anyone who loves a story with strong protagonists, passion and fire. 9/10 MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK