Review: Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young

Title: Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3)
Author: Samantha Young
Published: January 7th 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

One simple lesson in seduction between two friends can turn into so much more…
Despite her outgoing demeanor, Olivia is painfully insecure around the opposite sex—usually, she can’t get up the nerve to approach guys she’s interested in. But moving to Edinburgh has given her a new start, and, after she develops a crush on a sexy postgrad, she decides it’s time to push past her fears and go after what she wants.
Nate Sawyer is a gorgeous player who never commits, but to his close friends, he’s as loyal as they come. So when Olivia turns to him with her relationship woes, he offers to instruct her in the art of flirting and to help her become more sexually confident.
The friendly education in seduction soon grows into an intense and hot romance. But then Nate’s past and commitment issues rear their ugly heads, and Olivia is left broken-hearted. When Nate realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he will have to work harder than he ever has before to entice his best friend into falling back in love with him—or he may lose her forever…

Before starting the 3rd installment of On Dublin Street series I had enjoyed all of them (including the novella). Because Down London Road felt to me as the weakest out of them all, although still very enjoyable, and I was afraid that perhaps I would not enjoy the follow-up novel, but I had no reason to be afraid. This was Samantha at her best—bringing the feels and laying them on every corner to wait in attack and tackle me with their power.

Mini-reviews: Until Fountain Bridge and Castle Hill by Samantha Young

Title: Until Fontain Bridge (On Dublin Street #1.5)
Author: Samantha Young
Published: June 18th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Ellie Carmichael had a crush on Adam Sutherland, her brother, Braden’s, best friend, for years, and although Adam treated her with proprietary concern he made it clear he thought of her only as a little sister.
Over the years, as Ellie’s crush develops into love, her romantic idealism makes it difficult for her to move on. To make matters worse, as she’s gotten older, Adam’s attitude has changed toward her. His affection for her is now joined by attraction, but his loyalty to Braden, and his fear of losing the only family he has, stops him from claiming Ellie the way she wishes he would.
But one night his attraction is put to the test, and as much as Adam would like things to remain the same everything changes between them in a simple brush of the lips.
Soon lust, love, jealousy and heartbreak combine to force change upon their relationship… and Adam discovers the hard way that life is too damn short to spend it on regret.

At first I was sad to hear that Adam and Ellie wouldn't get their own full-length novel, but after reading this last summer I have come to realize how glad I am that it was just a walk down the memory line with some key scenes and not an excessive drama-fest which would be totally unnecessary for these two. I adored this novella so much and it can be described with one word: brilliant! I loved Ellie and Adam's relationship even more than I loved the main couple's in On Dublin Street (yes, while Braden is still my number one man in this series, Ellie and Adam's is hands down my favorite relationship) and I couldn't have been happier how things happened/ended for Ellie and Adam. This was such a sweet, heartbreaking read. We get to see them in the now and the before. I cried like a baby while reading this book. It had hurt tears, happy tears--everything. The story was totes adorbs! I hope Samantha will write some random scenes for these two in the future :)

Review: Down London Road by Samantha Youg

Title: Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2)
Author: Samantha Yong
Published: January 1st 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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.

Thanks to the amazingness that was On Dublin Street and Until Fountain Bridge I knew that when I was in the need of something smexy, I’d have to pick up something by Samantha Young. Seriously! This woman knows the recipe to writing the best kind of smexy that isn’t overbearing nor underwhelming. That being said, I knew that this was perhaps the least loved installment in the series, but it didn’t stop me from giving it a try.

Book Haul #29

Allrightyyyy. I have lots and lots and lots of books to show you guys since I haven't done one in ages. Consistency isn't my strongest attribute as you can see. I've broken it into multiple parts otherwise you'll be just scrolling it through. If you've read any of them, let me know what you thought :) Or if you wish to read them etc. I can't wait to see what you have received and will visit you all back soon. Have a great weekend, lovelies!

Physical copies

Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Massive thanks to one of my blogging besties Christina [Christina Reads YA] for this awesome late-birthday-slash-Christmas gift :')

E-books

 Defy (Defy #1) by Sara B. Larson (arc)

The Destiny of Violet & Luke (The Coincidence #3) by Jessica Sorensen (arc) 

Masquerade (Games #3) by Nyrae Dawn (arc)

Song of Fireflies by J.A. Redmerski (arc)

Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #4) by Samantha Young

Erased (Altered #2) by Jennifer Rush

In Time (The Darkest Minds #1.5) by Alexandra Bracken

Also, if you wish to participate in any of the giveaways (on the sidebar), there are three very good ones (and one will be added next week) up on the blog right now and the one I'm hosting--a paperback copy of The Edge of Never (or The Edge of Always) by J.A. Redmerski--can be found here.

Thank you to Netgalley, Scholastic, Forever and Grand Central Publishing and, of course, the biggest thanks goes to Christina B.

What did you get this week? Leave your links below and I'll check out your goodies :)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Mod Podge Bookshelf and Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Review: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Title: On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street #1)
Author: Samantha Young
Published: August 31st 2012
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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.

Yet another contemporary that has bloggers and readers all around the world raving about its greatness. I was intrigued to say the least. I had only read one book that took place in Scotland and I wasn’t impressed. I was reluctant to start this one because of it, but had high hopes for a much loved contemporary book and I can say that Samantha Young didn’t disappoint.

"Babe, nice lingerie is for seducing a man. I'm already fucking seduced."

The story. I’m not entirely sure what I expected before going into this, but I can tell you that it wasn’t that. I thought I was going to read about a sexy vacation in Scotland with a bar owner or something. Pardon me, I read the synopsis a long time ago. Color me surprised when I met an orphan escaping feelings and love and finding them in the most unexpected places. A snarky heroine, a wealthy and very sexy hero and a brilliant best friend – that’s what Ms. Young had in store for me.

My emotions. The best part of this story was the first half which was full of sarcasm, chemistry and laughter. That last one especially on my part. I was really, really blown away. I didn’t fancy the part where Joss went on and on about how she couldn’t be with Braden at the end of the story though. I don’t think it’s a spoiler since we all knew it was coming since the very beginning. Yup, that’s the reason I won’t give this book 5 stars.

Let’s talk about why I will give it 4 stars though. I loved, loved, loved the love interest Braden. I liked the MC Joss a lot through the first half as well. I also adored Braden’s family, best friend Adam and of course – Braden's sister Ellie! How could I not love that bright girl with so much life in her. Her relationship with Joss was very well written and I guess the characters were what made the story for me. The plot moved on well, if you don’t consider the last 30%. Oh, and I was glad it wasn’t dual POV. It suited for Joss’ POV only and would have been very tiring to read in both POVs.

I was thoroughly entertained by this novel and the chemistry between Braden and Joss was undeniable, the relationships were awesome and the plot was well-paced. (I would have given it 5 stars without hesitation if the ending wasn't a little tiring for me.) If you value these positive qualities listed above, then by any means, pick this up! PS. Read the quote above and you get why Braden is the newest addition to my book boyfriends list.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Haul #19

I don't remember when was the last time I was THIS excited to share my haul with you lovelies. Guess what?! I got a Kindle! And not just any Kindle. A Kindle Paperwhite. Uh-uh ;) I am really, really, really glad I got this baby. I actually didn't have an e-reader before so it's good to finally have one. It's brilliant! I asked advice from Jenni, Giselle and Jenny and they were all very helpful. Thanks, ladies! I also got a leather case for it. I've had it for a week and a half now and eeeek! I have the biggest smile on my face right now. I am just very happy with it at the moment and I hope I won't have anything to be disappointed about. I've been reading on it a lot (never mind my promise not to because I have exams coming next week already) and since it's warm and sunny outside, I've been sitting on our terrace every day after classes at uni or work and just taking time to relax by studying there and, of course, reading. Yay! It's a really good reading device and I honestly don't know how I survived so long withouth one. I definitely know now what I've been missing this whole time. Anyhow, here's a picture of actualy proof that I really got one lol.

As for the books, I've already read all of the physical ones, but I have a habit of purchasing physical copies in addition of books that I've enjoyed as ebooks. Just so I can re-read them I guess. Also, The Iron Fey box set was about 50% off for a day recently and I couldn't not get it. Love Julie Kagawa! She's a great author and Ash, Meghan and Puck deserve to be re-read. Pushin the Limits was one of my favorite contemporaries last year so of course I wanted it as a physical copy as well.

The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa (my review here)

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry (my review here)

Ebooks

Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young

Gameboard of Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

Reboot (Reboot #1) by Amy Tintera

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for Gameboard of Gods arc and Jenni at Alluring Reads, Giselle at Xpresso Reads and Jenny at Supernatural Snark for advice on purchasing an e-reader. 

What did you get this week? Leave your links below and I'll check out your goodies :)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Mod Podge Bookshelf and Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Teaser Tuesday #38

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To participate you:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) * Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teasers

With a garbled noise of distress I clamped an arm over my breasts and a hand in front of my vajajay. Pale blue eyes met my horrified grey gaze. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

~ p. of On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street #1) by Samantha Young