The Book Hooker

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Published: August 31st 2012

ISBN: 978-041419705

The EASIEST five stars I have ever given to any book ever written.

"Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare… Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.
But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul."

Usually I prefer reading events in a chronological order but this novel definitely did the whole 'random' thing justice. On Dublin Street is written from Jocelyn's perspective and rather than explain her whole background and then come to the present, it starts with the present and shows flickers of her past. Jocelyn and Braden meet instantly (which is perfect) and from the very beginning there was a connection. I'm not talking about the connection between them, I'm talking about the connection between ME and them. It wasn't a cringey first meeting but one filled with sexual promise. I'm 16, I don't even know what sexual promise is but I'm guessing it's what Braden and Jocelyn had.

"Wait."

I froze and shot the Suit a wary look over my shoulder. "What?"

"Do you have a name?"

I smiled, feeling relief now that I was getting away from him and the bizarre attraction between us.

"Actually, I have two."

Okay maybe I was a little quick on the trigger, but you really need to read the whole first meeting to understand my lack of control.

The story then goes on following Jocelyn and her new blossoming friendship with her roommate, Ellie Carmichael, yes she is related to Braden and yes she is his sister. Unable to deny their sexual attraction, Braden and Jocelyn agree to be friends with benefits for three months but of course the lines get blurred somewhere along the way. Cue Robin Thicke. Once the three months are over they decide to date and everything is a ray of sunshine from then.

Until... Jocelyn realises that she cares way too much for Braden and Ellie and that's going to cause her a lot of heartbreaks should anything happen to them. So she does what anyone would do; break Braden's heart by lying and telling him she never loved him. Right, smart move Jocelyn. At this point in the book, my emotions were a hot case of messed up.

Slowly, he pulled away from me, his eyes hard as he gazed into mine. "You're lying."
Yes. I'm lying, babe. But I won't survive you. And worse, you won't survive me.
"I'm not. I don't love you, and after everything you've been through you deserve someone who loves you."
His arms fell away from me, but not even like he meant to let go. He looked shocked.

WELL AREN'T YOU A SMARTY PANTS JOCELYN? Now look at the mess you've created.

But my anger didn't last long because Braden soon realised that Jocelyn had been lying and did his best to break down the barriers she had put up. So it was a happy ending eventually but that doesn't mean the journey there was a ray of sunshine. Okay, it was anything but happy but my point is that the whole journey was worth the emotional trauma. So worth it. And Braden, oh Braden. It's weird how emotionally attached I can become to someone who doesn't even exist. It's a sad world we live in where Braden Carmichael cannot be touched.

I would recommend this book to anything with two legs because it was honestly such a brilliant read and I still find myself going back and reading some of my favourite scenes. Samantha Young did a fantastic job with this novel and I can already tell you that she's an author to watch out for! She has a gift of writing about events and making you feel as though you're not only there, but you're inside the head of her characters. Her descriptions and attention to detail don't go unnoticed because they all add to the effect of falling in love with Braden and Jocelyn. I. Heart. You.

For the past three years I have been amazingly and stupendously addicted to young adult and romance novels. My mantra was basically 'a book a day keeps the psychiatrist away' and it's a mantra I'm glad to say that I still live by. With every new book I stumbled upon, every cover I analysed, every page I turned, every character I got emotionally attached to and every tear I shed, I finally realized that my mental health had deteriorated. Greatly. A lot. Like a lot a lot. I was going through so many books and had so many pent up feelings that I couldn't share because my friends weren't as awesome as me so I kept them all in. Kinda like this guy down here.

But alas, there is a happy ending. After a consultation with my bookiatrist I came to the conclusion that I could share my feels with the big wide world out there as well as keep my sanity intact. And voila! The Book Hooker was created. I'll try my best to post as regularly as I can but when I do, I hope my reviews will be as honest and helpful as I can possibly make them. I also pinky promise (a type of promise no man has ever dared to break) that I will include at least one relevant gif in my review.

Now that the introduction is over, I guess I can start posting.