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)

Incredibly talented narrator. She made the book!!!

What did you love best about Down London Road?

The voice of the narrator was amazing. Her American accent was great.

What did you like best about this story?

Ok story. A couple of the issues could be hot spots for some readers.

What about Elle Newlands’s performance did you like?

Her speed of speech, intonation, various accents....I could go on. She really made the story that much better.

I Can't Believe It!

I thought there was no way this author could top On Dublin Street. I thought Jo would be a superficial character, maybe a bit two-dimensional. Boy, was I wrong. Not only did I listen to this audio book straight through, but I listened to it again when I was done.

I loved this book as much as the first. I honestly can't say which one I loved more. The story was great, the characters were wonderful and the narration was perfect Thank you Samantha Young for another great story. This is one I will treasure like an old friend.

ABSOLUTLEY BLOWN AWAY!

Would you listen to Down London Road again? Why?

Yes! I've been an audible listener for a few years now and have never written a reveiw before now. Don't get me wrong, I've listen to great books from all different genres by fantastic authors (Ken Follet and Karen Marie Moning are amoung my top favorites) and have even revisted the classics, but this book has it all! Set in the historically beautiful and vibrant Scotland, we get front row seats to watch a great romance unfold between two well-developed characters in the most unconventional way that's definetly not your typical cookie cutter romance novel format. There is a has a true depth and a realness that doesnt always lend itself to romance novels. The backstory for Jo is gut wrentchingly honest and I love how the author didn't try to soften up the real world of domestic violence and alcohol abuse. I've never cried so much during a book in my life. Some were tears of pity, but most were tears of pride as I listened to Jo overcome the hand she was delt and how determine she was to not have her little brother go through the same awful upbringing that she herself had to endure.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Down London Road?

Oh there are so many, but the one that stands out was the scene in the hallway when Cam first confronts Jo for leaving Cole with her drunk mother overnight and he grabs her arm triggering her first flash back and subsequent reaction to her hungover mother in their kitchen. Oh man....the raw emotion in the reader's voice absolutley tore my heart out. It was well read and not over done in any way!

Which scene was your favorite?

Again, so many were my favorite. The scene at the end when Jo runs to Cam in what has to be the most vulnerable moment in her life only to find another woman is already in his flat. It just tied the story in for me and made it real becasue so much of life is one big mis-understanding and that scene definetly was!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Most definetly!

Any additional comments?

The only thing about the reading that i didn't like was the way the reader did Cam's voice. I hated the breathy winded tone she took and wished she made him more masculine sounding, like Braden in On Dublin Road. Other than that she did AWESOME and I'm already on the look out for other books she's read! Next on my list- "Letters From Skye" :)

Magnificent!

Samantha Young is my new favorite author. I loved On Dublin Street and she actually wrote a second book to top that one! There are so many things I loved about this book: the real life drama, likeable and complex characters and a romance that builds great anticipation and intensity. The narration was very good too. A must listen to anyone who likes contemporary romances.

Well Developed Characters Make this Work

I enjoyed the first book in this series, On Dublin Street, a great deal. I was impressed with the depth of the characters, the layers of problems that made the main character a complex, difficult yet compelling, woman to love. I bought Down London Road as soon as it came out, but for some reason I put off reading it. I think I put it off because the main character in Down London Road was a secondary character in On Dublin Street, and not a particularly interesting or sympathetic character at that.

When I finally did read this book, I was very glad I did. Like On Dublin Street, it is at its core a contemporary romance. But again the depth of the character makes it much more than that. The aspects of Jo I found unsympathetic and uninteresting in On Dublin Street were explained and she suddenly became a very strong, brave and sympathetic person. I think the open animosity against her expressed by her eventual love interest made the reader defensive and protective of Jo and suddenly she was a character worth knowing. The character of her younger brother matured throughout the book and the closeness between the two main characters was portrayed realistically but felt very genuine.

I thought the narrator did a very good job with the book.

I highly recommend this.

Johanna's Story

This sequel featured Johanna Walker and her younger brother Cole, who were mentioned in book 1.
I found it amusing that the narrator's name was Elle, because it sounded like Ellie Carmichael was telling Jo's story. But the narrator did a great job and I loved her accent.

Johanna had been presented as this low-self esteemed bimbo, always looking for a sugar daddy, instead of taking care of herself. I felt like while Joss worked with her at Club 39, Joss and Braden looked down on her and tolerated her out of pity.
I was surprised that in this book, Johanna, Joss and Braden were the picture of the best of friends. It felt like a bit of revisionist history, especially since Johanna had made a play for Braden in book 1.

Johanna’s story was a perfect reminder that there are two sides to every story. Johanna Walker was the daughter of an abusive father and an alcoholic mother. She worked two jobs to support her family as her mother’s illness prevented her from being able to work. Jo was afraid to loss her brother Cole to foster care system if anyone found out about her family, so she worked hard to hide their secret shame, while financially providing for them.
Jo’s pursuit of rich men was born out of her need to have the financial resources to feed her younger brother, and pay for him to go to college. It was humiliating, but Cole was her responsibility and she decided she would do anything she had to for him.

When she met Cameron McCabe, he encouraged her to stop being everyone’s doormat and figure out a more respectable way to take care of her family. It was a tense relationship because while they were very attracted to each other, Jo was determined to find a “safe” relationship that would accommodate her financial concerns and also be drama-free (no physical abuse).

After Cameron moved into Johanna’s apartment complex and got an understanding of Johanna’s hellish home life, he started seeing what a kind hearted person Jo really was. He began wooing her until he convinced her to break up with her current sugar daddy and give into their passion.

Their love wasn’t an easy ride, but it was an emotionally engaging one because clearly Johanna had not been emotionally attached to any of her previous beaus. Cameron was also good for Johanna because he encouraged her to stand up for herself, and he gave Cole another male to look up to. I really loved how Samantha Young flipped the script on what seemed like a simpleton gold digger, and showed us there was really a loving sister and woman who just needed support to fulfill her dreams.

I found Johanna’s parents to be the worst kind of people and I am amazed their children didn’t turn out to be mean and bitter people. They were actually happy considering their past. I also loved how Cameron sought out the person for Johanna’s past, to help her gain a sense of security and try to restore her faith in men.
Cameron was a good guy and he was just what the doctor ordered for Johanna and Cole. Book 2 was a great addition to this series.

Great Job!

What did you love best about Down London Road?

I really liked the narrator. She did a great job.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Down London Road?

It's not a moment- it is the tension between the two- the back and forth and the ultimate way it worked for them

Review: Down London Road

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

Yes, and I already have because it is a good romance book that I believe falls on the list of books you definitely should read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cam was my favorite character. He is such a jerk to begin with but you can tell there is a reason behind it. He's tattoed and hot and we eventually learn he's a huge romantic that refuss to take any of Jo's self-deprecating crap.

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

No I have not. But I really, really enjoyed her performance and would definitely love to hear her narrating again.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The bathroom scene between Cam and Jo. You could just feel the sexual frustration and longing leaping at you.

Any additional comments?

A continuation of the story of the lives of people we met in "On Dublin Street" this book stands omits own feet enough that it's not an absolute necessity to read "On Dublin Street" before this one, but I would still recommend it as that was a great book too.

Steamy Entertainment

What did you love best about Down London Road?

I could definitely relate to Johanna in this novel. Although there were a few far fetched scenes for the most part it was very heartfelt and genuine. The chemistry between Johanna and Cameron is impressive. Samantha Young's sense of humour is right up my alley.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hands down, Johanna. Definitely a honey badger.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Cameron gave Johanna a paint brush.

It was pretty good

This book was not as good as "On Dublin Street" for me, but was still a good listen. I like this author and looking forward to her next book.