Down London Road

By: Samantha Young

Narrated by: Elle Newlands

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2013 Samantha Young (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“This is a really sexy book and I loved the heroine’s journey to find herself and grow strong. Highly recommend this one.” (USA Today’s Happily Ever After blog)

Anohter great book from SY!

Have you listened to any of Elle Newlands’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I really enjoyed Elle Newland's performance. She allows you to sink into the story to see the different characters and feel the emotions of each. I think her performance was a major enhancement to the book. Terrific pairing!

Great narration, OK story

This was a relatively predictable yet steamy love story. The narrator's charming Scottish accent was what sealed the deal on getting this audiobook (I couldn't have replicated that in my mind while reading it!)

mmc is an asshole

This book, like all books by this author, is a complicated character study. I really like her writing style. And the authenticity.

But this story is sad and frustrating from the beginning. The mfc has low self esteem so she prostitutes herself to rich men to make up the shortfall on the bills. Her relationships with these sugar daddies aren’t completely transactional she calls them her ‘boyfriends’ but it’s all really messed up. She doesn’t know herself or what she needs.

The mmc, Cam, was abusive from the get go. And even when he apologized and later they got sexual and he mellowed out, I couldn’t forget how vicious he’d been when he first met her. And how unbalanced he became when they argued. 🚩. Cam is a really good representation of the average man: mostly okay, until they aren’t. And when their latent personality comes out it’s full of of misogyny, chauvinism and aggression.

Not one person in this book gave the mfc, Jo, good advice. And she never stepped up for herself. The mfc is a childhood abuse victim that’s grown into a woman who lives in a toxic cycle where she cohabitates with an abuser and is forced to constantly ‘forgive’ her. Jo then repeats the same pattern with Cam, constantly allowing him make assumptions/behave badly and then ending arguments with touch instead of talk. She just didn’t know any better.

Forgiveness is not shoving down our feelings of hurt so we can coexist with nasty people. It’s the long hard work of looking at everything that has happened, acknowledging our pain and culpability in all of it, admitting how it has changed us, then then loving that new person. It has nothing to do with anyone else. And it can’t be cheated. The HEA in this book felt like a bandaid trying to cover a horrible life.

Sooooooooooo GOOD!!!!!

Great story! Great characters! Great depth! Loved every minute!

Elle Newlands narration fit this book where I felt that Paula Costello fit "On Dublin Street" and since I think the narration can make or break the audio version I was so pleased. Who couldn't listen to a Scottish accent all day, anyway?

Its bittersweet to not be able to put a book down because its so good but then Im so sad when its over and Im mad at myself for not rationing its time out. :)(. Can't wait for more!!!

Jui……...ccccccy!!

Any additional comments?

Definitely worth the credit. Could NOT stop listening to this book. Purchased it at 10 pm and stayed up till 2 am and even then it was the fear of being completely exhausted that made me turn my ipod off. I read the reviews as always and can’t believe one described Cam as abusive like the father. Did they even read the same book? Yes at the beginning the sexual attraction makes him say unkind things but this is what makes it real. Although I make a personal effort not to use what anyone tells me against them, ever, most people I have known want to hurt with their words when in similar situations. Even spouses, parents or siblings who can love you more than anything in the world can sometimes fall within the same trap. So this is a wonderful love story about passion, love and sacrifice. Best to focus on that than the three instances of harsh words said in the book if you want to get enraptured in this well worth your time love story. The narrator is a poor choice for this book so I guess that’s something else you’ll have to overlook. Take a chance and enjoy!

LOVED IT! GET IT THE GET BOOK THREE😆😆

I'm about to start book three and I will just keep getting them till the series is done. I will keep my followers in the loop with my ratings. On another note: IF ANYBODY KNOWS CAT MILLER TELL HER TO HURRY THE FUCK UP WITH BOOK THREE OF FORBIDDEN BOND. I'm sick of waiting 😡😡😡😡😡😡

Loved it!

I loved this second book in the Dublin Street series. I was worried before I started that I wouldn't like Jo's character, as I didn't care for her much in the first book, but I fell in love with her almost immediately. It was a rocky start to the romance between her and Cam...he was certainly a jerk at times...but I thought that made the story more real. Relationship don't always start out perfect, and I grew to love Cam as the story progressed. I think the only thing that could have made the story better is a dual point of view. I would have loved knowing what was going through Cam's head many times. This book had the perfect mix of love, angst, intrigue, and super hot sex! I also enjoyed how the author intertwined characters from the first book, and introduced some new ones (that I can't wait to hear more about). Elle Newlands did a great job with the narration. I only have good things to say about this one. Well done Samantha Young!

Much Needed Love Story

Would you listen to Down London Road again? Why?

I would most certainly listen to this book again. The narrator was awesome but the story line was also very believable and realistic.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Braden. I love the alpha male. He is strong and sexy but very sensitive too. His words sent chills up my spine.

What about Elle Newlands’s performance did you like?

She was absolutely fantastic. The Scottish accent is hard to maintain when switching back and forth to an American accent. She did a great job because the transition was flawless which made following the conversation easier to do.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh out loud a few times and also tear up. It was a feel good all of the time book but touched on true matters of the heart. I literally laughed out loud when Braden was tickling Joss' foot and she farted. No one ever talks about things like that in a "romance" novel. But in real life those things happen often.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book to someone searching for a feel good love story. It was also a quick read/listen.

Love this series

Simply put this series has everything! Love, drama, intrigue, friendship and so much more! I just love it!

THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL FROM START TO FINISH. WELL DONE

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES, AND WILL.

What did you like best about this story?

Getting to know Jo. From the first book, you really don't know why she does the things she does and to be honest, I judged her wrongly. Goes to show you. That old saying. "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is true. I had no idea what her life was like.. But soon you find out, everything is not as it seems. She is a strong women with one goal. Cole. And she fought to keep him happy. That made this story so good as a mother and a big sister. Her determination made me proud to say that being a women we can do anything we want when we need to. At any cost. And Jo did. I can kick my self for waiting so long to read these. So glad I waited until I had the time to listen the entire day. Wow! great book.

What does Elle Newlands bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She knows how to put emotions in reading books. This is my first book with her, And she knows when to soften it up and good with the steamy scenes as well..

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The length a women will go to protect the ones she loves.

Any additional comments?

This books is excellent, at first you really need to listen in order to get the history of Jo. On Dublin Road, she is portrayed differently and you want to listen hard as to what her life is like and how she handles day to day life. It's hard for her, Every day is a struggle. . Women today give up. No way some women today would work as hard as she did to make life bearable for her brother. It's worth a credit and even to buy this book is not a waste of good money. I am glad it's in my library and I can go back and listen anytime. And it wouldn't be a bad idea just to put things into perspective from time to time for me.. It does have great sexual encounters, Not as many as ON Dublin Road, but it's a different story as well. And I loved the fact that Author worked all of Dublin Road folks into this as well.. They are family.. Remember that. Don't base this book on being all sex, Oh it's there, and it's HOT but in a context of this story being told. I loved both books. Great book.