Tag Archives: Samantha Young

Villain (Hero 1.5) by Samantha Young-Review & Excerpt Tour

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VILLAIN (Hero #1.5) by Samantha Young-Review and Excerpt Tour

Villain Banner

VILLAIN
Hero 1.5
by Samantha Young
Release Date: December 5, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance

Villain

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

About the book: Release Date December 5, 2017

Nadia Ray is not just a broadcast meteorologist. She’s Boston’s morning television It Girl. Successful and independent, she’s put a past she’s ashamed of behind her and is forging a future she can be proud of. However, when her new boss discovers her secret he blackmails her, intent on using Nadia’s popularity to make them the number one morning show in Massachusetts. He wants her to be part of uncovering the city’s biggest scandal – a secret billionaire Caine Carraway is hiding.

Soon Nadia is thrown into the path of Caine’s best friend: sexy, wealthy bachelor Henry Lexington. But she doesn’t encounter the dashing high society gentleman Henry is purported to be. Instead she’s faced with an insulting and defensive villain who misjudges her at every turn.

When Henry finally realizes the truth, and decides to make amends, Nadia wants nothing to do with him. But she underestimates his determination and charm and soon they find themselves embroiled in an intense, passionate affair.

An affair Nadia knows must come to an end before their feelings grow any deeper and he discovers her secrets.

After all, Henry Lexington isn’t the only one who played the part of a villain once…

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: VILLAIN is the second instalment and companion novella in Samantha Young’s contemporary, adult HERO erotic, romance series. This is broadcast meteorologist Nadia Ray, and successful businessman and managing director of his father’s bank Henry Lexington’s story line. VILLAIN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order as VILLAIN is the companion to book one, and many of the events run parallel to, and cross over with book one HERO.

Told from first person perspective (Nadia Ray) VILLAIN follows the building relationship between weather meteorologist Nadia Ray, and billionaire Henry Lexington. Nadia Ray is hiding in plain sight. The latest ‘It Girl’ on the local morning show, Nadia’s ‘buxom’ body has caught the attention of too many admirers including her boss who has discovered that our heroine has a secret in her past-a secret that will be used against her in a blackmail scheme aimed at uncovering the latest scandal of the rich and famous Caine Carraway. Enter Henry Lexington, Caine’s best friend, and the man with whom Nadia will fall in love. What ensues are Henry’s attempts to stop Nadia from discovering the truth about his best friend Caine, and Henry’s seduction of a reluctant Nadia who is desperate to keep her secrets buried in the past.

Nadia has had to endure too many advances from over zealous admirers who believe the beautiful and voluptuous meteorologist is nothing more than b**bs with hair. Now that her boss know the secret in her past, our heroine struggles between keeping her secrets, or burying the secrets of the infamous billionaire. Henry Lexington doesn’t do relationships; his reputation as a player, and manwhore precedes his introduction to our story line heroine-an introduction that pushes all of Nadia’s boundaries and buttons when Henry threatens to destroy Nadia if she continues on the path of certain discovery.

The relationship between Nadia and Henry is one of immediate attraction that is tempered by Henry’s attitude with regard to his over protective nature towards fellow billionaire and best friend Caine Carraway. Henry knows that he screwed up when he verbally attacked our story line heroine-a screw up Henry intends to right before too long. The $ex scenes are intimate, intense and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a small ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Caine Carraway and Alexa Holland; Henry’s parents Penelope and Randall Lexington; as well as Nadia’s boss Dick Peters, and the morning show host Barbara.

VILLAIN is an enjoyable and encouraging story line about two people pulled together by circumstance and fate. The premise is spirited and inspiring; the characters are spicy and energetic; the romance is sexy and passionate.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
HERO
VILLAIN

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

 

Maybe he really did feel bad for the way he’d treated me.
Yeah, maybe he did.
But did that change anything?
He’d still treated me poorly and who was to say he wouldn’t again?
Just because people felt awful for doing something didn’t mean they wouldn’t repeat the crime.
The real problem was my attraction to him.
I could admit it.
I was attracted to the son of a bitch.
There was something deeply wrong with me that I could be attracted to a man I didn’t even like.
Turned out that lunch with my colleagues was a terrible distraction idea. Because Henry was dining at The Bristol Lounge with none other than Caine Carraway.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” I said as we stood in the lobby outside the restaurant. Henry hadn’t spotted us yet.
Barbara frowned. “This is your favorite place. You love the Bristol Burger.”
I did love the Bristol Burger.
And for the first time in weeks, I was hungry.
Dammit.
No man was chasing me away from my goddamn burger.
“You’re right.” I nodded, sounding more assured than I actually felt. “But I’ll walk on your left side.”
My friend eyed me in confusion as I huddled at her side, trying to hide behind her as the host led us up the few stairs onto the main floor of the restaurant and right past Henry and Carraway’s table near the bar area, to a larger table at the back of the restaurant. As far as I could tell, he hadn’t spotted me and there were now pillars between us that I could hide behind.
Relieved, I slid into my chair beside Barbara.
“Drinks?” the waiter asked.
We’d finished giving him our orders when the sight of Henry Lexington walking into view around one of those aforementioned pillars and toward our table made my pulse skitter.
He gave me a soft smile as if we hadn’t been enemies up until twenty-four hours ago. “Miss Ray, what a pleasant surprise.” That soft smile grew into a roguish grin. “Are you stalking me?”
I arched an eyebrow, wondering what the hell kind of game he was playing now. “A burger. I’m stalking a burger.”
“The burgers are very good here.”
“Mr. Lexington,” Barbara said beside me, sounding delighted to see him, and awfully familiar. “What a pleasure to see you.”
“You too, Barbara. And please, I’ve told you before—smart, beautiful women should call me Henry.”
I didn’t know what to do first: be surprised they knew each other or gag at his flirting with her.
“You know each other?”
“I know everyone worth knowing.” He winked at Barbara and she tittered like a schoolgirl.
Dear God.
And then I was the focus of his attention. He leaned against Andrew’s chair who was, as always, oblivious to anything but himself. “So this burger … will it put you in a good mood?”
“Excuse me?”
Those blue eyes were too intense, much too intense. “A good enough mood to agree to have lunch with me tomorrow?”
I was going to kill him.
How dare he put me on the spot in front of my colleagues, in front of Barbara! What? Did he think I’d be civil to him because we had an audience? I scowled. “No.”
“Are you seeing someone?” he persisted.
“No, she’s not,” Barbara interjected, giving me an “Are you crazy?” look. “And yes, she’s free for lunch tomorrow. You can pick her up from the station at one.”
“Fantastic.” Henry gave her a grateful, gorgeous smile before turning it on me. “See you tomorrow.”
He was gone before I could even get past the shock that had sealed my lips.


 

About the Author Black and Green

Samantha YoungSamantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today  and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland. Villain is a companion novella to the New York Times bestselling romance HERO.

 

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

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Every Little Thing (Hart’s Boardwalk #2) by Samantha Young-Review & Giveaways

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EVERY LITTLE THING (Hart’s Boardwalk #2) by Samantha Young-Review and Giveaways

Everything Little Thing Banner

Every Little Thing Banner

EVERY LITTLE THING
Hart’s Boardwalk #2
by Samantha Young
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

Every Little Thing

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 7, 2017

Hartwell, Delaware—the perfect place to get away from it all, and find what you never knew you needed…

Bailey Hartwell has many reasons to feel content—her successful business, a close circle of friends, and her steady boyfriend…even if their romance feels staid after ten years without a serious commitment. The only challenge in her life comes in the form of sexy businessman Vaughn Tremaine. She thinks the ex-New Yorker acts superior and that he considers her a small-town nobody. But when Bailey’s blindsided by a betrayal, she’s shocked to discover Vaughn is actually a decent guy.

Vaughn admires Bailey’s free spirit, independence, and loyalty. As his passion for her has grown, his antagonism toward her has only worsened. Every little thing Bailey does seduces him. But when Vaughn’s painful emotional past makes him walk away in fear he will hurt her, it opens an old wound in Bailey, and she uncharacteristically retreats.

Once Vaughn begins to realize he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he has no choice but to fight like he’s never fought before to convince Bailey that the love they’ve found together only comes around once in a lifetime.

•••••••••

REVIEW: EVERY LITTLE THING is the second installment in Samantha Young’s contemporary, adult HART’S BOARDWALK romance series focusing on the people and places of Hartwell, Delaware. This is thirty somethings hotelier Vaughn Tremaine, and inn owner Bailey Hartwell’s story line. EVERY LITTLE THING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty although I recommend reading the series in order as Vaughn and Bailey’s story begins in book one THE ONE REAL THING.

Told from first person point of view (Bailey) and third person perspective (Vaughn) EVERY LITTLE THING looks at the frustrating love-hate relationship between competing hotel owners Bailey Hartwell, and Vaughn Tremaine in Hartwell Delaware. Bailey Hartwell is the proprietor and co-owner of the family heritage hotel; a descendent of the original town founders, but on going battles with a local developer –the Devlin family-find our heroine facing a break in and assault. Enter Vaughn Tremaine, the man Bailey has lusted after for several years. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Vaughn and Bailey, the dissolutionment of a ten year relationship, and the ongoing heartbreak with every personal encounter.

Both Vaughn and Bailey battle demons from the past: rejection, jealousy, betrayal and heartbreak have hardened each of our leading characters but none more so than Vaughn Tremaine-a billionaire hotelier who refuses to accept that marriage and love are part of his future.

The relationship between Vaughn and Bailey is tempestuous at best. The back and forth, love-hate, antagonizing exchanges are frustrating but the sexual energy is palpable and not easy to ignore. The other characters struggle with the hostile communication and interactions between Vaughn and Bailey-an emotional exchange between two people afraid to admit their attraction and desire for one another….in this my enjoyment of the story line faltered with their belligerent and combative attitudes and immature emotional mindsets. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive.

There is a large secondary and supporting cast of characters including the introduction of Bailey’s prodigal sister Vanessa-a spoiled, selfish, young woman apparently intent on destroying Bailey’s life. Cooper Lawson and Jessica Huntington (The One Real Thing #1), as well as Cooper’s sister Cat and her son Joey, Iris and Ira who own the local Italian eatery, Emery Saunders book store owner, Cooper’s ex-wife Dana, and the embattled Devlin family return for the ongoing saga of the Hart’s Boardwalk business association vs Ian, Stu and Jack Devlin. Dahlia McQuire, the shy and withdrawn local gift shop owner struggles with her attraction to Jack Devlin, a man who may or may not side with the Devlin clan.

EVERY LITTLE THING is a story of angst, heartbreak, mistakes and family. The premise is intense ; the characters are frustrating and challenging; the romance struggles with preconceived notions, and the back and forth immaturity of two people battling their own emotional demons.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE ONE REAL THING

Copy supplied by the publisher from Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

about the author

Samantha Young lo res c Mark Archibald

About the author: Samantha Young is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series, including Moonlight on Nightingale Way, Echoes of Scotland Street, and Fall from India Place, as well as the standalone novel Hero. She resides in Scotland.

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GIVEAWAY #1

The Reading Cafe and Samantha’s publisher are offering a paper copy of EVERY LITTLE THING to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

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9. Giveaway runs from March 10-14, 2017

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The One Real Thing (Hart’s Boardwalk #1) by Samantha Young-Review

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THE ONE REAL THING (Hart’s Boardwalk #1) by Samantha Young-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

 

THE ONE REAL THING
Hart’s Boardwalk #1
by Samantha Young
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

 

Amazon          Barnes and Noble        iBooks             BAM              Kobo

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 6, 2016

Welcome to Hartwell, a quiet seaside escape where uncovering old secrets could lead one woman to discover the meaning of a love that lasts…

While Doctor Jessica Huntington engages with the inmates at the women’s correctional facility where she works, she’s always careful to avoid emotional attachments in her personal life. Loss and betrayal taught her that lesson long ago. But when she comes across a set of old love letters in the prison’s library and visits the picturesque town of Hartwell to deliver them to their intended recipient, she finds herself unable to resist the town’s charm—and her attraction to the sexy owner of a local bar proves equally hard to deny.

Since his divorce from his unfaithful ex-wife, Cooper Lawson has focused on what really matters: his family and the boardwalk pub they’ve owned for generations. But the first time Jessica steps into his bar, Cooper is beyond tempted to risk his heart on her. Yet as their attraction grows hotter and Jessica remains stubbornly closed off, he begins to realize it will take more than just passion to convince her there’s only one real thing in life worth fighting for.

•••••••

REVIEW: THE ONE REAL THING is the first installment is Samantha Young’s contemporary, adult HART’S BOARDWALK romance series focusing on the people and places of Hartwell, Delaware. This is thirty-something surgeon Dr. Jessica Huntington, and bar owner Cooper Lawson’s story line.

Told from first person (Jessica) and third person points of view (Cooper) THE ONE REAL THING is a small-town romance that follows our heroine Dr. Jessica Huntington as she embarks on a personal journey and a three week vacation to the seaside town of Hartwell, Delaware. As a physician working in a women’s prison, Jessica feels a connection to the ladies and sympathizes with many of their plights. When a vintage but destroyed copy of Pride and Prejudice crosses our heroine’s path she discovers four handwritten letters from a former inmate to a lover on the outside. What ensues is Jessica’s trip back to Hartwell, Delaware where she tries to reconnect the present with the past. Enter Cooper Lawson, the man who will steal our heroine’s heart, along with the town and people of Hart’s Boardwalk. But Jessica has a secret that if exposed could mean the end of her relationship with Cooper, and the friends that she has grown to love.

The relationship between Jessica and Cooper is one of immediate attraction. Cooper has struggled since his divorce from his cheating ex-wife, and in this Jessica is something new and exciting in his life. Jessica is a woman who has stagnated and is unable to move forward; lost in both her personal and professional life. Meeting Cooper Lawson, and the people of Hart’s Boardwalk, finds our heroine falling in love with both the man and his town. The $ex scenes are intimate and romantic.

We are introduced to a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Jessica’s co-worker at the prison Fatima, and her current friends with benefits Dr. Andrew Livingston. We are introduced to a number of Hartwell’s small business entrepreneurs, family and friends including Cooper’s sister Cat and her son Joey, Hart’s Inn owner and town descendent Bailey Hartwell, Paradise Sands Hotel owner Vaughn Tremaine-who may or may not have a thing for Miss Bailey Hartwell; Iris and Ira who own the local Italian eatery, Emery Saunders book store owner, and Cooper’s ex-wife Dana who wants a second chance with our story line hero. There are several developing stories involving the businesses and owners along Hart’s Boardwalk, and the animosity and tension with the Devlin family who are in the process of trying to buy up all of the properties- a family with very close connections to Cooper and his ex wife.

I did have some difficulty with the story line as well as the conflict as it pertained to Jessica’s secret. There was something missing in the presentation; the emotional depth and investment were lacking. Throughout the story our heroine refuses to divulge the truth about her past creating plenty of drama between Cooper and herself, so much so that Jessica is willing to walk away to protect the man with whom she is falling in love. Once the information is revealed I felt it lacked any sort of emotional impact. What I expected was heartbreak and tears but I felt distanced and a lack of enthusiasm when all was said and done. I think it was the toned down reactions of the other characters and the less than explosive disclosure that tempered my own emotions.

THE ONE REAL THING is a slow building story line that introduces the people and players of Samantha Young’s HART’S BOARDWALK. The premise is enjoyable and fated; the characters are colorful and eclectic; the romance was tender but lacked the wow factor. I am looking forward to Bailey’s story EVERY LITTLE THING March 2017.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpt

 

Why did it feel like having sex had complicated things so much? Usually sex was complication-free for me.
But before that night I’d been completely sure that Cooper was interested in exploring something more with me, and now I was freaking out that his interest would wane now that he’d had me.
I shook my head slowly. “No. It was good.”
He scowled, his arms tightening around me so much there wasn’t an inch of space between us. “It was better than fucking good, Jessica.”
I scowled back and pushed at his chest for some breathing space. “Well, I’m sure you’d know all about that.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“You use the word ‘fuck’ a lot.”
“It’s a good fucking word.”
I was tempted to laugh at how disgruntled he sounded and he seemed to catch my amusement because his hold on me eased.
“What’s going on in your head, Jess?”
I thought about evading this conversation. I’d never had to have an adult, open conversation with a man about sex. However, I realized, somewhat reluctantly, if I wanted something more with Cooper Lawson I was going to have to give him more than I was used to giving.
I couldn’t change his past, but I could figure out what it was he wanted in the future by just being honest and asking the question.
“You still want something with me, right? This”—I gestured behind me to the table—“it wasn’t just about sex.”
“No,” he said. “It’s not just about sex.”
As I heaved a sigh of relief, he let go of my waist to cup my face in his hands, dipping his head down to mine so our noses almost touched. He stared deep into my eyes and I shivered. I felt like he was trying to see right into my soul.
“I’m in this for the long haul, Doc. I was before you walked into my bar tonight, but now, after the best fucking sex of my life, after how wild that was, there’s no way I’m letting you walk out of here without me.”
And there he went doing it again.
His words resonated deep within me along with giving me that deep, sexual belly flip of arousal.
My fingers curled into the top of his biceps. “Best sex of my life, too,” I murmured. “It stunned me a little. Confused me . . . I thought maybe . . . you . . . this was old hat for you . . .”
He gave me a crooked grin. “You think I make a habit of fucking women in my bar.”
“You could,” I said. “You are definitely a man who could pull that off.”
Cooper threw his head back in laughter and I pressed my body deeper into his to feel his joy.
And then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me.
Just as I’d suspected, he was a really good hugger.
When he pulled back he was smiling gently at me. “You’re the only woman I’ve had in my bar.” He let me go only to take my hand in his. “No one sits at that table anymore.” He gestured to the scene of the best sex we’d both ever had. “It’s now a shrine.”
“You can’t do that!” I was mortified at the possibility of people finding out why there was a table in Cooper Lawson’s bar that no one was allowed to sit at.
“I can. It’s my bar. I think I’ll even carve ‘Coop and Doc were here’ on it.”
Finally getting that he was joking, I made a face. “Funny.”
“You’re slow on the uptake tonight,” he teased.
“My brain was just frazzled by the orgasm to beat all orgasms.”
He squeezed my hand. “You up for more brain frazzling?”
I shivered at the thought. “Definitely.”
His eyes darkened. “Let’s go back to my place.”
Exhilarated by the prospect, I followed him, and it wasn’t until we’d stepped outside the bar into the cool night air that I said, “I don’t suppose you know where my panties are?”
“I do, actually.” He led me to the back of his bar to the parking lot. A dark-colored GMC was the only truck there.
“Um . . . could I have them, please?”
He stopped me at the passenger side of the truck, pressing me up against the car. “Why?” he whispered against my lips before he kissed me deeply. He came up for air a few seconds later. “You’re not going to need them where we’re going.”
The nagging pressure between my legs increased. “You are so very, very good at stringing the exact right words together.”
He kissed me again.
“You’re just good with your mouth in general,” I murmured.
Cooper grinned and brushed his lips over mine. “In the truck, Doc.” 

 

About The author

 

About the author: Samantha Young is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series, including Moonlight on Nightingale Way, Echoes of Scotland Street, and Fall from India Place, as well as the standalone novel Hero. She resides in Scotland.

Website           Facebook         Twitter                        Instagram

 

giveaway

There are TWO (2) ways to win !!

GIVEAWAY #1

The Reading Cafe and Samantha’s publisher are offering a paper copy of THE ONE REAL THING to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Follow Samantha Young on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from September 6-10, 2016

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GIVEAWAY #2

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the publisher.


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One King’s Way (On Dublin Street 6.5) by Samantha Young-a review

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ONE KING’S WAY (On Dublin Street 6.5) by Samantha Young-a review

One King's Way

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / BAM

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 3, 2015

When he’s not working at the club, Craig Lanaghan looks out for his mother and little sisters. So when it comes to women, all he wants is a good time. But once Rain Alexander walks into his life, there’s no denying that this woman could be worth much more than a one-night stand….

Rain’s lifelong regret is having left her sister Darcy alone years ago with a guardian who turned out to be abusive. So when Darcy’s boyfriend publicly humiliates her in a cruel way, Rain’s overprotective instincts kick in and she follows him to Club 39—where she meets a guy who just might be her perfect match.

The chemistry between Rain and Craig is explosive, but Rain is out for revenge, and refuses to be sidetracked by flirtation. As things between them heat up, she’ll have to make a heartbreaking choice between giving in to the man of her dreams or putting her sister’s happiness first…

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: ONE KING’S WAY is the latest adult, contemporary novella from Samantha Young’s On Dublin Street romance series. This is bartender Craig Lanaghan, and online business owner Rain Alexander’s storyline. Craig was first introduced to the reader in the introductory storyline On Dublin Street where he was presented as a manwhore and over-sexed, fun loving male bartender at Club 39 who had attempted to seduce Joss.

Told from first person point of view (Rain) alternating with third person perspective (Craig) ONE KING’S WAY follows the building relationship between Craig and Rain. Rain is on a mission to avenge her sister against a man who posted a sex tape that all but destroyed her sister’s life. While Rain sits and waits at Club 39 for her sister’s ex boyfriend to show, Craig will find himself drawn to the most beautiful woman he has ever seen- a woman right out of a 1940s pin-up calendar. Night after night Rain will return to the bar hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who ruined her sister’s life, but what she doesn’t expect to find is her future happiness with a man who has no ambition to settle down.

ONE KING’S WAY is a bit of a flash back storyline as we get reacquainted with Joss and Braden at Club 39. J & B are still in the early stages of their romance and relationship, and therefore the timeline for ONE KING’S WAY falls somewhere in the past.

The relationship between Craig and Rain is one of immediate attraction but Craig isn’t looking to settle down, and Rain wants nothing to do with a one-night stand, or a friends with benefits relationship. As the storyline progresses, we come to learn that Rain is as a romantic at heart; and Craig is a realist with no lofty ideals for the future. The $ex scenes are provocative and seductive.

The secondary and supporting characters include Braden and Joss, Jo, Alistair, Ellie and Adam, Rain’s sister Darcy, and Darcy’s ex boyfriend Angus. We are also introduced to Craig’s mother, and his sister Maggie who push Craig to go after the one that got away.

ONE KING’S WAY is a short story that gives one of Samantha Young’s many secondary characters a shot at love and a happily ever after. But to be honest, the writing style seemed a bit choppy, as though an editor red-inked too much of the story. The dual conflict resolutions appeared rushed; and because ONE KING’S WAY is a story about compromises, it appears that compromise only went one way. Rain’s need for revenge against the man who destroyed her sister’s life, and the way she goes about ‘seducing her foe’ left me with a bitter taste-there were all kinds of issues with what she was trying to do yet she had no clear ideas or plans. Overall, ONE KING’S WAY is a bit of a disappointment for me; a filler storyline to appease fans who wanted something more.

READING ORDER
On Dublin Street
On Dublin Street Christmas (novella)
Until Fountain Bridge (novella)
Down London Road
Castle Hill (novella)
Before Jamaica Lane
Fall From India Place
Echoes of Scotland Street
Moonlight on Nightingale Way
One King’s Way

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Moonlight on Nightingale Way (On Dublin Street 6) by Samantha Young-Review and Giveaway

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MOONLIGHT ON NIGHTINGALE WAY (On Dublin Street #6) by Samantha Young-Review and Giveaway

Moonlight on Nightingale Way Banner

Moonlight on Nightingale Way
On Dublin Street 6
by Samantha Young
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

Moonlight on Nightingale Way

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / The Book Depository

About the book: Release Date June 2, 2015

Last in the Series

Logan from Echoes of Scotland Street is back with his own smoldering story, as the New York Times bestselling On Dublin Street series returns…

Logan spent two years paying for the mistakes he made. Now, he’s ready to start over. He has a great apartment, a good job, and plenty of women to distract him from his past. And one woman who is driving him to distraction…

Grace escaped her manipulative family by moving to a new city. Her new life, made to suit her own needs, is almost perfect. All she needs to do is find her Mr. Right—or at least figure out a way to ignore her irresistible yet annoying womanizer of a neighbor.

Grace is determined to have nothing to do with Logan until a life-changing surprise slowly begins turning the wild heartbreaker into exactly the kind of strong, stable man she’s been searching for. Only just when she begins to give into his charms, her own messy past threatens to derail everything they’ve worked to build

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: MOONLIGHT ON NIGHTINGALE WAY is the sixth and final full length installment in Samantha Young’s adult, contemporary On Dublin Street romance series focusing on a tight knit group of family and friends from Scotland. This is bartender Logan MacLeod and freelance editor Grace Farquhar’s storyline. We were first introduced to Logan in Echoes of Scotland Street-Logan is Shannon MacLeod’s older brother.

The storyline follows the building relationship between Logan and Grace. Grace’s new neighbor is a man-whore. The nightly racket and noises of $ex play next door have become tiresome and aggravating, and Grace has had enough. When she finally confronts her new neighbor the animosity and distaste between our couple is obvious and painful to watch. Logan thinks Grace is a shrew, and Grace believes there is nothing redeeming about a man whose parade of women is less than respectable or quiet. When Logan’s life takes a dramatic turn, Grace is there to pick up the pieces, and the pieces begin to fall, over and over again.

The relationship between our couple is fraught with issues of trust, anger, and preconceived notions about one another. Grace works from home and the noise levels in Logan’s apartment have caused too much strain in their tepid friendship. As the storyline builds, so too does the friendship and love between our leading couple but a prior family history of betrayal, heartbreak and pain force Grace to protect her heart by pushing away the man with whom she is falling in love. Logan’s life has changed dramatically and Grace has found herself on the roller coaster ride of her life.

MOONLIGHT ON NIGHTINGALE WAY is an ensemble storyline. All of the series previous storyline couples play a secondary and supporting role. We are reunited with the cast and characters, as well as get a glimpse into their present and potential futures as the epilogue looks at each couple through the eyes of the individual series heroines. MOONLIGHT ON NIGHTINGALE WAY looks at Grace’s dysfunctional family dynamics and how the early years have affected Grace’s ability to trust and love. We also get a glimpse into the future for Grace and Logan, and how the past meets the present affecting the future for everyone involved.

MOONLIGHT ON NIGHTINGALE WAY is an emotional story of heartbreak and betrayal; falling in love and letting go. Grace’s past had destroyed her faith in relationships and love, and in this the tone was set for the fall out from a family history of neglect and emotional abuse.

Samantha Young’s ON DUBLIN STREET romance series is first and foremost a series about friendship and family. Family is not always the blood in your veins, but the people who love, support and stand beside you along the way. There are moments of joy and sorrow, laughter and love, moving forward and starting over but in the end, everyone will get their happily ever after –although the road is not always easy or kind. Samantha Young’s imagination gave us a series to love; characters with passion; happily ever afters that will captivate your mind. The intimacy between the couples is intense; their love addicting; and their futures hopeful and inspiring to read.

READING ORDER
On Dublin Street
On Dublin Street Christmas (novella)
Until Fountain Bridge (novella)
Down London Road
Castle Hill (novella)
Before Jamaica Lane
Fall From India Place
Echoes of Scotland Street
Moonlight on Nightingale Way

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

giveaway

The Reading Cafe and Samantha’s publisher are offering a paper copy of MOONLIGHT ON NIGHTINGALE WAY to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE and Follow Samantha Young on Facebook

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

7. Please FOLLOW us on TSU for an additional entry.

8. Giveaway open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from June 1 to 5, 2015

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Hero by Samantha Young-Review and Giveaway

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Hero by Samantha Young-Review and Giveaway

Hero Banner

HERO
by Samantha Young
Genre: Adult, contemporary, erotic, romance
Release Date: February 3, 2015

Hero Feb 2015 jpg

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren’t his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets,. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they’re on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again.

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: HERO is a contemporary, erotic romance storyline from the pen of Samantha Young focusing on billionaire businessman Caine Carraway and professional assistant Alexa Holland.

An horrific incident years before would irrevocably connect our couple for eternity placing Alex at the mercy of Caine Carraway. Although neither one was personally involved, it is their familial connections that reap what the family’s have sown. The storyline focuses on the building relationship between Caine and Alexa-a strangers to enemies to friends with benefits relationship that began with Caine offering Alexa a job as his PA following her firing from her most recent position.

Caine and Alexa met during a shoot where Alexa revealed her connection to Caine sending Caine into turmoil and confusion. Caine is hoping to destroy Alexa and make miserable her life for the disintegration and shattering of his family years before. What follows are Caine’s attempts to break Alexa, and Alexa’s attempts to get closer to the man with whom she is falling in love.

Alexa is a feisty, bold, defiant and dynamic personality-a personality that attracts Caine like a moth to a flame. Alexa will stand up to Caine’s acerbic rhetoric and less than welcoming manner but Caine is still in control and Alexa knows that to push too hard could mean a push out the door.

Caine is a difficult and complicated man who is determined to make Alexa’s life miserable. Alexa knows going into her job that Caine plans to break her but Alexa is more than willing to push back when Caine intends to step up his attack.

The sexual relationship is passionate, provocative, emotional and heartbreaking. Samantha Young pours her heart and soul into a heartbreaking relationship that has an end date of indeterminate time. Caine doesn’t do relationships; his past is dark and his memories even darker-friends with benefits is what Caine has to offer but Alexa sees their relationship as an affair of the heart. Alexa will go into the affair knowing that Caine intends to walk away at some time in the future. There is plenty of back and forth; push and pull throughout the story.

The secondary characters are colorful, difficult and complicated including family, friends and Caine’s ex lovers who throw a wrench or two into the couple’s relationship. We are introduced to Caine’s BFF Henry who knows Caine’s deepest, darkest secrets, and Alexa’s friend Rachel who worries that her best friend is in over her head. Alexa’s grandfather plays a significant if not controversial role in her life-one that finds Alexa at odds with their current relationship- a relationship steeped in whispers and secrets.

The world building pulls the reader into the bedroom, the boardroom, the office, and the lives of the rich and infamous. We are privy to the background information about how two families were destroyed, and the lingering betrayal and fall out.

Samantha Young writes fast paced storylines with emotion driven characters; intense and powerful images of passionate love and heartbreaking sorrow. You are pulled into a provocative world where your imagination takes flight and the drama never ends. Prepare to be seduced!

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

giveaway

Samantha’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of HERO to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please LIKE us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please LIKE us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please LIKE us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow Samantha Young on Facebook.

8. Giveaway is open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from February 4-8, 2015

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Echoes of Scotland Street (On Dublin Street #5) by Samantha Young-Review and Giveaway

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Echoes of Scotland Street (On Dublin Street #5) by Samantha Young-Review and Giveaway

Echoes of Scotland Street Banner

Echoes of Scotland Street
On Dublin Street #5
by Samantha Young
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance,

Echoes of Scotland Street

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 7, 2014

Shannon MacLeod has always gone for the wrong type of man. After she drifted from one toxic relationship to the next, her last boyfriend gave her a wakeup call in the worst possible way. With her world shattered, she’s sworn off men—especially those of the bad-boy variety.

Cole Walker is exactly the sort that Shannon wants to avoid—gorgeous, tattooed, charming, and cocky. But his rough exterior hides a good man who’s ready to find “the one.” He’s determined to pull Shannon from her self-imposed solitude and win her heart.

As Shannon opens up in the face of Cole’s steady devotion, the passion between them ignites to blazing levels. But when Shannon’s past comes back to haunt her, her fears may destroy the trust Cole has built between them—and tear them apart for good.

••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: ECHOES OF SCOTLAND STREET is the fifth full length storyline in Samantha Young’s adult, contemporary On Dublin Street romance series focusing on a tight knit family and group of friends from Scotland. This is tattoo artist Cole Walker (Jo Walker’s brother from Down London Road) and Shannon MacLeod’s story. Although Echoes of Scotland Street is part of the continuing series, it can be read as a stand-alone without any problems but why would you want to!!

We were first introduced to Cole as a fifteen year old young man in the first book of the series- On Dublin Street. In Echoes of Scotland Street the storyline begins around the same timeline when Cole and Shannon first met years before. Fast forward nine years where Cole and Shannon will be reunited at Inkarnate-a tattoo shop in Edinburgh, Scotland –where Cole works and manages, and Shannon comes looking for a job. But the previous nine years have destroyed Shannon’s faith and trust in men, and seeing Cole again, brings back too many painful memories.

The focus of the story is a second chance-of sorts- for Cole and Shannon. With only a brief conversation between the pair nine years earlier, Cole has never forgotten the cute and tiny redhead that captured his eye. As Cole tries to win over Shannon, he will be constantly pushed away until he has been pushed too far. Shannon’s distrust of everything male has left a bitter and broken heart that has yet to mend. Her past is rife with heartbreak, abuse and loss.

Shannon’s past experiences with men have left her in a perpetual state of jumping to conclusions and building up walls. She is quick to judge based on appearances; she does not give anyone the benefit of the doubt; and in this she was a difficult character to like. Everyone has some sort of emotional and physical baggage but Shannon has had a more difficult time than most recovering from the pain of the past. Every encounter with Shannon, Cole would be on the receiving end of preconceived notions, sarcastic and rude comments. It will take a number of people to show Shannon that Cole is not the person she believes him to be-but it may be too late because Shannon may have destroyed any hope of forgiveness and love. Shannon’s continuous need to push people away will result in a self-fulfilling prophecy when she can no longer trust the man with whom she has fallen in love.

The sex scenes are provocative, sensual and passionate. The relationship between Shannon and Cole is emotional and intense.

The world building continues with the inclusion of many of the previous storyline characters including Cole’s sister Jo and her new family, Joss and Braden, Olivia and Nate, Marco and Hannah. We will be introduced to Cole’s colorful co-workers and employees as well as Shannon’s dysfunctional family. Sometimes the family that loves and accepts you is not the family by blood. Shannon’s brother Logan is in desperate need of a happily ever after, so I am looking forward to Logan’s story in the future.

Samantha Young’s ON DUBLIN STREET series continues to captivate the imagination of her readers. The friendship, love and camaraderie between the characters are something everyone should aspire to in real life. The storylines are seductive; the characters are colorful, heartbreaking and sometimes aggravating but everyone will get his or her happily ever after.

READING ORDER
On Dublin Street
On Dublin Street Christmas (novella)
Until Fountain Bridge (novella)
Down London Road
Castle Hill (novella)
Before Jamaica Lane
Fall From India Place
Echoes of Scotland Street

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Giveaway

Samantha’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of ECHOES OF SCOTLAND STREET to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and remember to click GET NOTIFICATIONS.

4. FOLLOW us on Twitter

5. LIKE us on GOODREADS 

6. LIKE Samantha Young on FACEBOOK.

7. Giveaway is U.S. only

8. Giveaway runs from October 8 – October 12, 2014

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Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3) by Samantha Young-a review

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Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3) by Samantha Young- a review

Before Jamaica Lane

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

BEFORE JAMAICA LANE (On Dublin Street #3) by Samantha Young

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 7, 2014

One simple lesson in seduction between two friends can turn into so much more…

Despite her outgoing demeanor, Olivia is painfully insecure around the opposite sex—usually, she can’t get up the nerve to approach guys she’s interested in. But moving to Edinburgh has given her a new start, and, after she develops a crush on a sexy postgrad, she decides it’s time to push past her fears and go after what she wants.

Nate Sawyer is a gorgeous player who never commits, but to his close friends, he’s as loyal as they come. So when Olivia turns to him with her relationship woes, he offers to instruct her in the art of flirting and to help her become more sexually confident.

The friendly education in seduction soon grows into an intense and hot romance. But then Nate’s past and commitment issues rear their ugly heads, and Olivia is left broken-hearted. When Nate realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he will have to work harder than he ever has before to entice his best friend into falling back in love with him—or he may lose her forever…

••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: BEFORE JAMAICA LANE is the third full-length instalment in Samantha Young’s contemporary, new adult, erotic ON DUBLIN STREET series focusing on a close knit group of family, friends and lovers in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is American-born Olivia Holloway and Nate Sawyer’s storyline-one that made me cry for a woman who considered herself less than worthy of a man’s love. When Olivia approaches her best friend Nate for help in the seduction department he jumps at the chance to help-but of course-when two people are attracted to one another, playing with fire will only get them burned.

The storyline focuses on Olivia’s reluctance to approach a sexy postgrad who is her current crush. Her lack of self-esteem and negative self image perpetuates the belief that she is unattractive to the opposite sex. Asking her best friend Nate for help in seducing the object of her affections begins to backfire when their friends with benefits policy and instructions becomes something more. Not only does Olivia realize she is in love with Nate but Nate’s heartbreaking rejection throws Olivia into a depression that will be difficult to overcome. Nate is a player and his inability to commit to one woman will bring pain and sorrow to two people who need to overcome the past to more forward.

The relationship between Olivia and Nate begins as best friends to lovers when Olivia’s lack of confidence forces her to ask the impossible of the one man in her life that has always been there. You know that the ‘lessons in sexual seduction’ involve the physical act of sex but the heart doesn’t know what the mind has been told. Keeping the relationship from growing into something ‘more’ is impossible when the heart wants what it can never have.

Samantha Young brings together all of the previous storyline characters. BEFORE JAMAICA LANE slightly overlaps the events of the novella CASTLE HILL where Joss and Braden get married and the epilogue continues eighteen months into the future. The series will fast forward into Hannah and Marco’s storyline-FALLING FROM INDIA PLACE in June 2014.

This is a friends to lovers storyline that will break your heart for two people afraid to open their hearts to the possibilities of finding their happily ever after –together. Nate will push away the woman that he loves only to realize he may have pushed too far.

BEFORE JAMAICA LANE is a seductive, sexy and heartbreaking storyline about two people who are perfect for one another but past losses prevent each from moving forward. Samantha Young pulls the reader into an emotional tale about love and loss; heartbreak and sorrow; friendships and family. Keep the tissue box near by –you are going to need it.

READING ORDER
On Dublin Street
On Dublin Street Christmas (novella)
Until Fountain Bridge (novella)
Down London Road
Castle Hill (novella Dec 2013)
Before Jamaica Lane (Jan 2014)
Fall From India Place (June 2014)

Copy supplied by the publisher.

Reviewed by Sandy

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