Monday, January 14, 2013

ARC Review: On Dublin Street ( On Dublin Street #1) by Samantha Young


Contemporary romance which will reduce you to tears
Title: On Dublin Street 
Series: On Dublin Street 
Author: Samantha Young
Publisher: Penguin UK
My ratings: 5 out of 5 stars
Released: 17th January, 2013
When you see the cover (UK and US) for On Dublin Street you may groan thinking, “oh another book which is inspired by the Fifty Shades band wagon with an enigmatic male lead and a timid female lead” but On Dublin Street is more than that.

Jocelyn Butler has moved to Edinburgh after her parent’s death 7 years ago. Trying to run away from her memories and her past she decided to move into a new flat and meets Ellie Carmichael and her brother Braden Carmichael with whom she feels inexplicably attracted to. And hence, begins a whirlwind romance between them.

I don’t want to give too much away as the whole point of this book was you slowly uncover Jocelyn’s past and her journey of recovering her old self again. Jocelyn was a strange character. She had so many layers and dare I say this book is less a romance but more her story than anything else. She has issues and she deals with them her own way. She is a strong person and yet she is fragile in so many more ways. She doesn’t let people ‘in’ her life. The best part is that she knows that she is distant and realises that this makes her strange. The consciousness on her part makes it all the more interesting.

 “You make me laugh, you challenge me, and you turn me on like no else can. I feel like I’m missing something really important when you’re gone. So important I don’t feel like myself. I’ve never felt like someone was mine before. But you’re mine, Jocelyn.” .

 In comes Braden with this Scottish brogue and cave-man ways that is perfect in every way possible. How can Jocelyn refuse him when all he wants is her? Their romance was difficult. Like many contemporary romances these days it starts on a physical level and slowly escalates into a flurry of broken hearts, heated arguments and teary good byes.
Needless to say I enjoyed everything. These two would take one step forward and then two steps back ward. I loved the way Braden simply got Jocelyn. She understood her and was still willing to put up with her. At one point I wanted to scream at Jocelyn for being so utterly selfish but Braden even forgave her for that. Well, at least he had the ability to jerk her out of her self-induced isolation. 

“He is my best friend. Three months ago I was determined to just have sex and end this thing. But he’s a part of me now. He is deeper than anyone else, and I have no idea what to expect from that or from the future.” 

 This book is not simply a romance but a coming of age of a woman who has locked herself away in her own tower. I love the way Ms Young took the story forward and slowly with the help of other characters brought Jocelyn out of it. If this is not enough for you, then let me let you the romance is excellently written and believable. In my opinion Braden was the perfect match for Jocelyn who was strong willed, independent and stubborn. Bonus points for great sexual chemistry they had which almost set my Kindle on fire. 
 
So, if you are fed up of all Fifty rip-offs or paranormal romances which simply make you …well, yawn with their sheer retentiveness, On Dublin Street makes you sit up. It effortlessly manages to balance the sexiness of an erotica novel and rounds it off with a strong characters and a well thought background story. The broken characters add a dash of uniqueness to it. On Dublin Street is a must read for every romance reader be it an erotica fan or a historical romance fan. 

ARC provided by Penguin UK



3 comments:

Jamie on January 14, 2013 at 7:14 PM said...

Great review, Samina. I loved this book and am waiting impatiently for Down London Road!

Sam (Realm of Fiction) on January 14, 2013 at 7:59 PM said...

I have to admit, I was initially guilty of thinking this might be in a similar vein to 50 shades, but I'm glad to hear it is not. I will have to get hold of a copy soon! Brilliant review. :)

Lyra on January 14, 2013 at 8:36 PM said...

I've heard a lot of good things about this novel and I'm definitely giving it a shot - I love it when the male and female leads understand each other really well.

Great review! :)

Lyra @ Defiantly Deviant

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