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)

Lovely story

I loved the story. The narrator did a great job.

Story flowed well & is in line with on Dublin Road. Can't wait to start Jamaica Lane!

I was glad when Jo finally came out of her broken shell & became the woman I knew she was. Cam was HOT & of course had to open his mouth & say some crappy things in the beginning. I think he made up for it in the end for sure.

Another hit!

I'm going through the Dublin series so quickly because they are that good. I didn't like this performance as much as the first book, the male characters were performed breathy and like a whisper & the American accent was odd but you can beat the Scottish accent.

This story had the romance, the angst and the emotion were all 10/10... I loved every second.

Surprisingly very good...

I was very thankful to Loupe from Hot Listens to have recommended and gifted me the audio copy of On Dublin Street. I loved it so much that when I didn’t know what to listen to I knew I should start the 2nd book in this series.

Down London Road focuses on Johanna aka Jo (Joss’ co-worker from the bar). I wasn’t looking forward to this book too much since Jo was portrayed as a gold digging woman in On Dublin Street and I just wasn’t eager to hear her story. Honestly, I didn’t think she’d have a good story. Boy was I wrong.

Jo was/is a much better person than she was portrayed as in On Dublin Street. Jo works two jobs to support her family, her family that consists of her drunk alcoholic mother and her younger brother. She has basically raised her little brother and though she is a big sister, she very much acts like a mother. Although Jo handles it all in good stride, she can’t shake the insecurities of one day it all crashing down on top of her.

The wealthy men that Jo dates is because they can easily provide that security that she so needs. They buy her nice things but she NEVER asked for anything. When the relationship or love affair is over, people would be surprised to know, that she auctions everything off on eBay. Not your typical gold digger, huh?

Jo meets Cameron aka Cam, he is her current beau’s ex girlfriend. Cam things the same that everyone things of Jo, that’s she a gold digger. Cam treats Jo terribly since he doesn’t think much of her. Slowly after being around her so much Cam starts to notice that he’s DEAD WRONG about Jo. The chemistry in Jo and Cam is there from the start and is present in every one of their encounters. Jo and Cam were perfect for each other. Through their ups and downs Cam was always there for her.

Narration Note: Elle Newlands, I thought did a great job! All of her voices were very distinct and I LOVED her Scottish accent. Her accent sounded spot on. :-) There were parts in the book where Jo (main character) was choked up, upset and in tears….Elle played this to PERFECTION. This book and her narration had ME choked up and in tears because she sounded so REAL. I can’t wait to hear more from Elle Newlands.

Love This Strong Woman

Where does Down London Road rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would rank this in my top 5. Jo has a such a good heart.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jo.

What about Elle Newlands’s performance did you like?

Great job.

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

I laughed and cried. I wanted to kill Cam because he was so blind to Jo's feelings about Blair.

Raw and full of feeling

Any additional comments?

I had read On Dublin Street years ago and this was a series I had always wanted to get back to.  The audiobook was offered at a great price so I had to jump on it.  Elle Newlands is a suburb narrator, I loved the accents!

This story snuck up on me and I was surprised how much I got into it.  Jo was such a complex character, who was shaped of years of abuse and neglect into a woman with very little self-worth.  She only thought she was good for being a pretty face and a good girlfriend.  And she was resigned to that as long as she was able to care for her brother.   It was heartbreaking, because you knew and felt that she could be so much more if only she believed in herself.  Then comes Cameron.  To be honest I didn’t like him at first, you weren’t meant to, he was horrible to Jo and you honestly want to reach into the book and nut punch him.  Yet their attraction and sexual tension grows and grows.  It was a tangible thing. 

Jo and Cameron’s story was raw and full of feeling and one that will stick with me for a time.  The one thing that I loved was that Cameron helped Jo discover he self-worth and to realize she is more than just a girlfriend.  That is what a true partner does, the lift you up and make you better.  That is what Cameron did for Jo and it was bloody brilliant.....Sara    

Loved It Overall

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

I would recommend this audiobook to a friend because I love the series, it is realistic and relatable. I care about the characters, and feel genuine feelings for them. I also really enjoyed the narrator and thought her American accent was excellent.

Would you recommend Down London Road to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend Down London Road for the reasons I just stated, but I will say them again. I love this series, it is realistic and relatable. I care about the characters, and feel genuine feelings for them. The only problem I had with the book was all the back and forth. It was like a daisy, He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not. I wanted to say, grow up a little. I mean, she is grown before her time due to her family situation, but in the love department, she was really immature.

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

I have not listened to one of Elle Newland's performances before, but I really enjoyed this one.

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

This was a book that I could have listened to in one sitting, and I practically did by listening to the gym, at the gym, to work, during lunch, on the way home, repeat.

I am hooked!

Great love story ❤. It is the kind of relationship that we should all have or hope to have. Jo's character has many sides. Since she was physically abused as a child she is healing from that heart, she wants to protect her teenage brother from that hurt. This is the second book so make sure to listen to London Road before this one. You will grow to come familiar with all the amazing characters. The some Swiss and turn that will keep you wanting more!!

good book with possible Scottish accents

the narrator's where good. Joe had to realize her self worth. It's a struggle when you have dysfunctional parent's who tell you your worthless . Cami sounded sexy but he should of been straight with Joe so there wasn't any misunderstanding.

Glad I finished it..

I HATED the first half of this book! I wanted to quit. BUT I spent a credit on it and didn’t want to waste it. I’m glad I furnished it. The 2nd half of the book was great.. I would have loved to had both POV to the book but this was still good.. the first half made me not like our heroin at all.. but like I said halfway through she redeemed herself.

Must Read

This book was slow. And I was finding myself wishing Cam would break up with Becca and Jo with Malcolm, so we could get things moving along. And so Cam would start being an asshole to Jo. Usually I could handle or even giggle at a little teasing, in enemies to lovers troupes. But in this case it was pure judgemental. I'm all for a "lust at first sight" storyline, but whenever Cam misunderstood Jo texting Cole I was like why are you even attracted to this man 🙃. Especially when she had to go home to a mother saying similarly nasty things. But when he apologized, he grew on me slightly.

When he moved in under Jo, that's when the book picked up for me. Especially since we meet my favorite character Nate. And he was the humor and wit this story needed at this point. Especially since not a few chapters later Cam's jealousy had him screaming at her for spending the night with Malcolm....her boyfriend 🥴. However this was an important scene for their relationship development, and we see Jo's true emotional and mental state, because of her traumatic past. There first real conversation between them in Cam's apartment was proof the of importance of communication. They both misunderstood each other's true colors. And then sharing about their past kicked started a very needed friendship.

The one thing that drove me crazy was Jo's stubbornness. At least 3 people offered her a job to help better her situation, and she turned down each one of them. Why? Pride? It was ridiculous,then she would turn them down and then follow it up with "I'm useless", girl these people think the you are worth the world. It was selfishness in my opinion, her choices were hurting Cole. She would complain about leaving Cole alone with their mother, when given the opportunity to change that, she would say no each time 💀.

Now Cam allowed Jo to be herself. Jo was living a lie and Cam brought out her true self. After their first spicy scene, all the above the thoughts about Cam with out the window 😅. Cause wow, I was giggling, swooning, clutching my pearls and blushing all at the same time. All that built up sexual frustration between the two finally was released. But most importantly he asked her what she wanted and that's something desperately needed.

Hannah reminded Jo and the readers the importance of stepping out of comfort zones, to avoid possibly living with regret of what we missed out on. The conversation between Cam's dad and Jo was the confidence boost that she needed regarding her relationship with Cam. Had this hopeless romantic teary eyed. Until she got into her own head, and started regretting breaking up with Malcolm. But that brings me back to why didn't she take the job offers from Braden. Blaming Cam for quiting her job, she needs to blame Malcolm for telling her boss private information.

I usually don't like the jealous of the ex trope in books. But I think it worked well in this story. To help Jo overcome her insecurities and Cam face reality in general. When Blair showed up, I immediately said to myself I hope Jo told Cam about Malcolm. When he called while Cam and Jo were arguing about Blair, I let out a "damn". The whole argument was hypocritical on both sides. But Jo talking to Malcolm never set right with me, especially when she decided not to tell Cam. Cam immediately told Jo about Blair coming over the next time he saw her, though not in the best manner. Overall this argument showed the lack of communication in this relationship. Yes the sex is good, but they never had good communication in the beginning. Then homegirl was at Cam's house when Jo got attacked... why, what was the reason 😭. Just pulling on my heart strings like that.

Mick, Braden and Cam, having a "word" with Murray. Now that's the type of chosen family, friend and boyfriend every girl needs in her life 😭. Overall I loved this book and enjoyed watching Jo and Cam fall in love. I read this book for the first time back in 2014, and I don't remember liking as much as I did now. Glad I gave it another read through.