Synopsis

Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control….

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets …even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

My review of On Dublin Street can be found HERE

My review of Until Fountain Bridge can be found HERE

5 / 5 Stars

—————————————————

My Review

I was so privileged to have receive a copy of Down London Road and I literally cannot wait for all of you to get your hands on this when it is out… I NEED someone to talk to about it and no one can yet 😦 BOO! I guess I’ll just have to wait for you all to read it and fall in love with Cam and rekindle your love for Braden…because you sure as hell will, for both of these!

We all fell in love with Samantha Young during On Dublin Street and now you will fall even more in love with her. Down London Road had me hooked. I took the book everywhere with me and read it when I could. I even did the whole clichéd ‘sit in starbucks with a hot chocolate reading a book whilst it rained outside’. My first proper cliché! Samantha definitely knows how to keep you captivated, if it’s not with the sexual chemistry, it’s the dialogue to the journey each character takes to the drama in the book. You can mark my words at times I had to walk away from the book to take a breather as I couldn’t handle the things that were happening.

So when Down London Road comes out, can someone read it ASAP so we can talk about it please? It’s already killing me to keep everything locked up inside when I just want to scream that I loved this book so much.

Johanna Walker has always been there for her family, or more importantly, her little brother Cole. Her father is absent and her mother is literally useless, so it’s up to Johanna to provide for Cole and make decisions on what is best for both of them. Dating men who have money and being the ‘best’ girlfriend is what is important. Knowing that they can provide for both her and Cole, regardless of if there are any sparks.

But enter Cameron MacCabe. The attraction between them is sizzling, but they get off to a rocky start. Although they don’t see eye to eye, Jo can’t help but eye him up every opportunity at work and for once, she is tempted to put her needs first. But can she give in?

When he moves into the flat below, it’s then that he learns about Jo’s home life and there that they become friends who have this amazing connection that Jo tries to ignore. Cam is obsessed with wanting to know her and be with her but he knows she had her walls built too damn high. Yet Cam is determined to break down and smash every brick to make her see that letting someone in and being loved isn’t the end of the world.

Before reading Down London Road, I had this preconception of Johanna, from On Dublin Street where all she did was use guys for their money. Ohh how wrong was I? Okay, so she picks guys who have money, but each to their own, shes doing it so she and her brother have a future, so they can be cared and provided for. Everything she does, she does it with the mindset of making sure her brother has everything she never when she was younger.

That is how she is with Malcolm now. She cares for him, he has money but she’s not in love with him. One night at an Art Gallery showing for Malcolm’s ex-girlfriend is where she links eyes (and souls) with a gorgeous, tattooed guy across the room. The attraction is immediate but before long, she finds out he is going out with Malcolm’s ex.

From the get-go, Cam is horrible to Jo, judging her before he knows her. Jo is used to this and so she doesn’t bother correcting him, letting him think what he wants. If he wants to think shes this false bimbo gold digger, shell let him, because there’s no way she is telling him about her mother and Cole. She knows the truth and that’s that. Although Cam was a little bastard, she still helps him out with getting a job at Club 39.

But Johanna is conflicted. She has this instant attraction to Cam the first time she meets him, but he’s judged her already, making her out to be something shes not, but then even through the attraction she thinks he’s an absolute dickhead the way he talks to her.

Jo had been told all her life she will never amount to anything. She’s a high school dropout who had worked hard to keep her family afloat and housed with food on the table. No thanks to her mother. She will do whatever it takes to make sure her brother Cole is safe and secure, that he never goes without. She is one protective sister and will beat anyone who hurts him. Despite not thinking she is good enough, being told that enough times in her life, which is one reason she goes for men who are wealthy, so she and Cole will be cared for.

She tore at my heart at her low opinion of herself, because truly, everything she was doing was all for Cole and his future and making sure he was happy, even with the situation of their mother. She doesn’t want anyone to know about her home life, embarrassed over what is really going on under the roof of London Road. No boyfriends have ever been inside, let alone met Cole or her mother and she prefers it that way.

As much as I felt so sorry for Jo, she was a strong character, standing up for herself, protecting her and Cole and working hard to provide. But she had a vulnerable side, she didn’t like opening herself up to other people, she didn’t accept their help and she was a stubborn soul. But despite all of this, she really goes on a journey, into accepting herself and letting her walls slowly crumble around her, for the better good of herself. It was a long journey, but no less important as it grafted her into the person we fall in love with along the way to the very end.

Although Cam starts out as an asshole to Jo, he does redeem himself and truth be told, I forgave him for the way he acted as he does tell Jo why. He’s not Jo’s usual type but their attraction to one another is on another scale. Although he was a douchebag, the more he finds out about Jo and the more he understands her and learns about her family situation, the more he admires her strength for what she is doing and falls in love with her.

He is the sweetest, kindest guy and completely embraces Jo and her brother Cole into his life, hell he’s more than happy to. He knows how stubborn Jo is, so peeling away her insecurities and wall piece by piece, it was so nice to see Cam wanting to help Jo out, loving her and protecting her. Have I mentioned how much I love him and how much reading about him and Jo and of course, his relationship with her brother Cole…uh it literally melted my heart.

It was plain and simple to see how much these two were attracted to one another and it was lovely to see them fall in love along the way. The sex, well, it was steaming and there was one sex scene where I wanted to be Jo so badly!! I’m going to put this on my list for when I get a boyfriend so we can go and do it haha. I’m not going to say what or where it was, but it definitely was fun and sexy to read about!

There was a point in the book where my heart couldn’t handle it…I had to put the book down and walk away. Okay two points. One was a soppy part, which I loved and another, I just couldn’t take it because I had a feeling something was going to happen and I really didn’t want it to.

The epilogue, oh god, it had me crying and squealing like the emotional wreck I am when I read books that really capture me. I wrote on Twitter when reading Down London Road that I get emotionally involved when reading books, and that is exactly what I was when I was reading this. So much so, I was feeling every emotion Jo was, from her insecurities to her love for her friends and family to her questioning over a certain thing that happens – I literally was feeling her emotions and feeling panicky over the next few pages – even when I hadn’t even come to them yet because I was this wreck. Books that evoke that reaction, to me, are the greatest kind around. But got to be said, you will cry your eyes out whilst giggling when you read the end, because it is THE best way to end the book and the best way to end the story of Cam and Jo.

Joss and Braden are still the people and couple we all adore! They are waaay more cuter in Down London Road. The things Joss came out with had me in stitches, the way she handles Braden, the both of them together and the way they are fiercely protective are what made me love them even more. They were always there for Jo and Cole. Although they aren’t in it a lot, it was great to see them involved in the important parts that occur.

You really do see all the characters come together for one another and they are really are a family. They help one another out, they bicker, they throw comments to each other but they really do protect and love one another to pieces, as you will see when things happen throughout the book. Everyone is fiercely protective and it made my heart clench at them all. After everything that Jo has had to go through on her own, to know she had so many people to fall back on when things get tough, it really did bring a tear to my eye and a smile to my face.

I know this review is realllllly long and trust me, there is a whole lot more I could write about and gush about Cam and Braden but I have forced myself to stop otherwise I would be writing an essay and you really don’t want that. I will leave you on the fact I totally absorbed this book. It made me happy, giddy, frustrated, cry but most of all, end on such a high. So when it’s out, can someone PLEASE read it asap so I can talk about it with you! I will repay you in pictures of hot, semi-naked males in return!