Laura Howard: On Dublin Street Tour and Giveaway!

10/7/12

On Dublin Street Tour and Giveaway!


Four years ago, Jocelyn Butler left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Edinburgh. Burying the grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without any real attachments has worked well for her so far but when Joss moves into a fantastic apartment on Dublin Street, her carefully guarded world is shaken to its core by her new roommate’s sexy older brother.

Braden Carmichael is a man who always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Jocelyn in his bed. Knowing how skittish Joss is concerning any kind of relationship, Braden proposes a sexual arrangement that should satisfy the intense attraction between them without it developing into anything ‘more’. An intrigued Jocelyn agrees, completely unprepared for the Scotsman and his single-minded determination to strip the stubborn young woman bare…to the very soul


I'll admit that the first thing I noticed about On Dublin Street was the cover art. How gorgeous is this cover? I saw the cover reveal flash by in my Facebook feed a few times and decided to see what it was about. Upon reading that it was Samantha's first foray into contemporary fiction for adults, I thought something like oh boy, another smutty read with no substance. I actually thought that.

But, something about that cover and the interactions I read on Sam's page piqued my interest. She seemed to genuinely care about what her readers were saying to her and she responded to all of the messages that were left on the wall about On Dublin Street and how excited people were. This was before I even had any clue what the plot was!

So, now that she had my attention, I dug deeper. I read the blurb and it sounded interesting. I like strong female leads. Not only the type of heroine that can drive a stake through a chest or deflect an onslaught of attackers, but someone with a backbone!

So, I nabbed a copy and plowed through til The End. Seriously. At first it took me a minute to get in the groove of the instant sexual attraction... it just felt sort of strange to me. But, that was the only scene that felt off. From then on, I was absolutely sold on the chemistry between Braden and Joss. It was perfectly drawn and very visceral. It had that sort of parrying feel to it where they danced back and forth a bit before deciding who was the lead.

There was a definite moment where the quote from the beginning of the book really hit me. The quote is: “No human relation gives possession in another – every two souls are absolutely different. In friendship or in love, the two side by side raise hands together to find what one cannot reach alone.” There was no dominant partner, they were equals and I think that was partially what made this book so special.

Equally as important is the banter. It goes back to parrying, maybe. But, the conversations, both internal and external, are hilarious. I wish Samantha wasn't across the Atlantic Ocean from me, because her sense of humor is sharp as a tack. There is nothing hotter than good old flirting. And, this book leaves nothing wanting in that department.

So, yeah... there's lots of sexing in there too. If you're not comfortable with all the dirty words... I recommend steering clear of this one. But, if you're ready to put on your big girl knickers,babe... you will enjoy the hotness that is Braden. He says such offbeat stuff, that I don't know if anyone would ever actually be able to pull off, but it works and he had me in tears laughing throughout the story.

But, the sexy times aren't all that is enjoyable... there is a plot and there is a boat load of character growth and development. I can't recommend this book enough and I look forward to reading everything Samantha Young has published and will publish in the future!


In honor of the Dublin Street Blog Tour, make sure to enter for a SIGNED copy of On Dublin Street along with a signed bookmark!



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8 comments:

  1. One of the best...most emotionally charged books I've read in a long time...LOVED every page...and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE me some Samantha Young!!!!

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  2. Sounds great, I'm going to have to check it out!

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  3. Great story, thank you for the giveaway!
    Artemis

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  4. I really love the cover, too! Great review :)
    Thank you for the giveaway!

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  5. Hey Laura! I'm so with you about this book. It's beautiful. I'm still under the spell. I hope there'll be some more... Samantha Young writes like a Goddess with a very British sense of humor. I loved that book,

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  6. Really enjoyed this review. Thanks for the great giveaway.

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  7. Looooved this book! <3
    Samantha Young is amazing!

    thank you for this amazing giveaway! :)

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  8. I'd like to read this as I have done the same "running away to start again" process several times in my life but I always found I'd brought the problems with me. Probably because the biggest problem is me. I'll be interested to see how the lead character handles this in the plot.

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