@KirstyLBooks @SYoungSFAuthor
Review: Samantha Young's "Down London Road."
~ 4 Hearts Review ~
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/Iz3rIU
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1b8EwpU
Synopsis:
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?
Review
It was strange going in to this one because I really had absolutely no idea who Johanna was. I had read On Dublin Street, like most of the reading world, months ago and I really couldn't remember one thing about Johanna so I didn't have any preconceived ideas about her going in.
We learn early on that Johanna is living a less than stellar life. At the age of 24 she was already working two jobs, looking after her 14 year old brother and alcoholic mother, dating older, rich men for their generosity and feeling less than worthy of any sort of better life for herself. Until Cameron comes along.
"...new requirement in a boyfriend - he had to have a good job,
be driven, hardworking and have a good income."
Cameron 'Cam' MacCabe was an odd one for me. I went through stages of totally swooning over his character to literally wanting to choke him to death. First appearances of him were awful. He meets Johanna at the bar where they both end up working and he is a complete and utter asshole to her. He assumes he knows all about her lifestyle and why she dates the guys she does. He doesn't bother getting to know her before judging her first, the same mistake that many make. He finally does turn a corner and I was thrilled to see him feeling so awful with the way he treated Jo, he definitely needed bringing down a peg or two.
"In this case, the condemnation and judgement in this tattooed idiot's face
made me want to slam my fist into it and break his already imperfect nose."
I felt like Jo and Cam were a wonderful match for each other. They didn't have a great start and they certainly went through a lot of shit, maybe more than necessary but I'll get to that in a minute. Even so, they managed to bring out the best on each other and I loved the positive effect that Cam had on Jo. He finally taught her to think of herself first for once and live a life for herself.
I did have a few issues though and everything wasn't rosy. I'm all for angst in my reads, it would be very dull if there wasn't any but I need it to make sense and be necessary. A few times I felt that just wasn't the case, it was almost as if they were being put through crap just to make up the word count. (view spoiler)
"I love to fuck you," he whispered in my ear, his voice gravelly with emotion.
"But I love to love you, too."
Overall I did enjoy this read, just maybe not as much as On Dublin Street. BUT I felt like the characters really came a long way in the end and everything was tied up wonderfully in a beautiful epilogue. I could have just done without a few parts of it.
I rated "Down London Road" 4 Hearts
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