REVIEW: Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young

I really enjoyed Moonlight on Nightingale Way by Samantha Young and over the years I've been a firm fan of this series of books in the On Dublin Street series. It's been nice to see not only how individual characters develop but also relationships and to see these friendships and a large family circle grow over time into something really strong and special. 

Thoughts on the series overall: the descriptions of the love and loyalty and strength of connection between this entire group makes me cry a little bit. I love that everyone is just there for each other and really gives each other plenty of chances. I don't always love the over-the-top descriptions of traumatic events and sometimes the descriptions of love and devotion are on the cheesy side. But neither of these slight niggles is enough for me to stop loving this series in its entirety. 

Moonlight on Nightingale Way felt a bit different to the other books. And I don't mean because it is the final book in the series (I didn't know that until the very end!). It felt different to me because the relationship between to the two main characters, Grace and Logan, went a different way to the other couples in this series. They seemed obviously physically attracted to each other right from the start (as per the usual) but they bond over shared concern for a young teenage girl that they both help to raise. I found it interesting to see them build a family unit first and then admit their feelings for each other. It's not the conventional method but I liked it.

I really liked both Logan and Grace immediately. They're both really loveable in different ways and I really liked how their relationship begins with lots of complaints and antagonism. 

I don't actually remember Logan from the previous book, Echoes on Scotland Street. He's Shannon's older brother and he's just been released from prison for assaulting Shannon's attacker. He spends a lot of time hopping into bed with one night stands and generally pissing off his next door neighbour, Grace.

Grace is so not so amused by Logan's antics at first. She's there to witness g-strings in the hallway and vomit on her doorstep and loud sex noises into the small hours of the night. She's escaped a difficult home life and has been living in Scotland making a living from being a freelance editor and has a group of friends she considers family. She really doesn't need or want someone like Logan in her life... Until the day that things change entirely and Grace digs in and helps out Logan in incredible ways and the two start leaning on each other and seeing the other in very different lights. 

It's quite sweet, this story. I really enjoyed it. It felt much more like a family drama than it did a contemporary love story though of course it was both. I thought Logan's character development in particular was great to witness. The arrival of Maia into his life changes everything for him and it was great to see him step up and take on this new role. 

Again, the parts that I loved the most about these books are the strength of friendship and relationships between all of the main characters. There's a real sense of community in these character's lives in which no one person has to handle any kind of drama or trauma alone. And I like that. Reading these books is a real comfort to me and I've really loved each and every one of them. 

Moonlight on Nightingale Way gives an extensive epilogue which finishes off each of the couples that we've been introduced to throughout this series and they each get their own little send-off and proper goodbye. There is a lot about marriage and babies which I didn't think was necessary (and falls into the cheesy description that I mentioned earlier) but it was definitely nice to see that the series ended not only in a satisfactory way for Grace and Logan but for all of the beloved characters of the On Dublin Street series. I shall be looking forward to whatever Samantha Young chooses to write next! 

REVIEW: Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

As most of you know, I'm not the biggest fan of books in the new adult genre but I will occasionally give these books a chance to surprise me and change my mind about the necessity of the genre.  Such was the case with Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine and, I'm pleased to report, that I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking out for more by the same author and for the companion novels to this one!

Best Kind of Broken really did surprise me.  I thought initially that this book would be a rather straight forward romance story especially as the two main characters, Pixie and Levi, obviously are incredibly attracted to each other and are right from the beginning.  I thought there'd be some minor hurdle they had to overcome and then all would be good in the world.  And I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't quite the case between these two.  Because of the huge amount of history between them but also this unpoken tragedy which meant that their lives and their relationship was never going to be the same.

I quite liked Pixie (real name Sarah) right from the start.  Best Kind of Broken begins with some fun bickering between Pixie and Levi as they've both come to live and work in the same inn and therefore also share the same hallway and bathroom and fight over the hot water.  I also loved the setting of the Willow Inn and all of the amazing characters that populate it especially Sarah's aunt, Ellen.  I thought there were some great characters introduced who work there but also other people who will have their own companion stories further to Best Kind of Broken.

And I liked the development on this strained relationship between Pixie and Levi and I loved wondering what on earth happened between these two that has turned their relationship from best friends to barely acknowledging each other at work.  And the missing puzzle to their history was interesting as well.  Both Pixie and Levi have a lot of healing to do on their own and they also had quite a lot to work out between them as well.  Both left so much unsaid that it would be hard to move on without tackling some of their strong feelings.  I love that the love story is at the heart of this book, there is still quite a lot of personal development for both characters and that they both had and maintained personal lives throughout ... with friends and hobbies and other love interests as well.  It's always nice to see well-rounded characters in a new adult novel. Especially one in which there is sexual chemistry and scenes but that isn't overly explicit either.

I really enjoyed Best Kind of Broken.  I felt really connected to the characters and was very close to crying at one point at a scene involving a friendship of Pixie's. I'm definitely intrigued enough to pick up the other two companion novels to this when they are both published in a few months' time!

REVIEW: Hard Time by Cara McKenna

I wasn't quite sure what to make of Hard Time by Cara McKenna when I first received it.  Adult romance isn't something that I read a great deal of AND it's a story about a romance involving a convicted criminal whilst he is in prison (which sounds more than a bit iffy!) but this book came along at a time when I was feeling adventurous... and I'm really glad to say that I absolutely loved it and after reading it I immediately decided to seek out more books by the same author.  There was just so much to enjoy about this book that I couldn't resist.

So, Hard Time tells this story about Annie, a librarian, who as part of her job goes into a prison once a week in order to run different courses for the inmates in order to promote literacy.  On her first day she sees Eric, one of the prisoners, and she's immediately drawn to him: his sexy good looks, his bad boy vibe. And this crazy and intense attraction is shared by Eric. And very quickly, Eric ends up writing Annie a love letter.

Now honestly? I think I could fall in love with the most unsuitable person in the world once he's written a love letter.  There's just something about putting thoughts and feelings into words that can make most things sexy.  And while I feel like things between Eric and Annie get a little hotter a little quicker than perhaps I was ready for, I really enjoyed seeing how things progressed between the two of them. Also, I loved that there was more to this story that each of the characters had to overcome.  In particular, Eric's dysgraphia was an interesting addition to the story. I'd never heard of the term dysgraphia before but I assume it's more common than most people realise.

Eric and Annie are an interesting couple. Annie is still reeling from a past abusive relationship and at times I felt uneasy about her exchanging letters with Eric considering her background, but I could also see quite clearly that through Eric she was reclaiming something that was taken from her. I liked witnessing her grow in confidence again. And as for Eric, as I was reading, I was thinking it could have been a lot easier for Cara McKenna to turn his character into something easier for reader to digest - if, for example, Eric was innocent of the crime or if the crime was something more 'acceptable' - it would have been a lot easier for readers to fall for him and root for happiness for all involved. Instead, we have a convicted criminal charged with assault who has committed the crime and admits to choosing the same course of action in future.  It really made for interesting reading when Annie learns of this and watching her struggle with this information as well as her growing attraction not only to Eric's physicality but also to what she reads in his incredibly romantic, sexy letters.

I was really surprised by how addictive I found this book.  I found myself really sympathising and relating to both of the main characters and I did want the best for both of them. I felt really sorry for Eric throughout because in his letters and the way he speaks and behaves, it really does come across as him not believing that things can be real between him and Annie, especially when the two have to face the realities of an actual relationship.  Hard Time was a really sexy, emotional and addictive story to read and I really did love it.

REVIEW: Echoes of Scotland Street by Samantha Young

I think I'll always be quite excited to read another book by Samantha Young, especially in this series.  I was particularly excited by Echoes of Scotland Street because it features one of my favourite ever characters from the On Dublin Street series of books: Cole.  I really fell in love with Cole as an awkward teenager in Down London Road. But now he's all grown-up and it's his turn to find love in this new book. And man, did I love taking this journey with him.

Echoes of Scotland Street tells us this story of Shannon MacLeod, a girl carrying around a bit of baggage from her previous relationship.  She's decided to move to Edinburgh for a new start and finds a job at a tattoo parlour where she meets sexy Cole Walker.  Immediately Shannon thinks she knows exactly the sort of man Cole is based on his appearance and how strongly Cole comes onto Shannon and she's determined to avoid him at all costs.  Unfortunately (or not!) Cole doesn't share her opinion.

While I do love the sex appeal of Cole Walker and the chemistry between him and Shannon, I did think it was a little bit hard to really get behind Shannon and her perspective of Cole from the beginning. And this is because fans of this series will already be familiar with Cole and know that he's as far from the 'tattooed, bad boy' that Shannon thinks he is - with an attitude and lack of respect for women.  Readers will know this about him but it takes Shannon a lot longer to come to this realisation and in the time it takes her to realise this she's already said and done mean, unfair things to poor Cole which didn't endear her to me initially.

Still loved it though.  Samantha Young writes such wonderful stories that are yes, filled with amazing  and intense romance, but also amazing friendships and this sense of family that goes beyond biological relationships.  A previous criticism of books in the series was that a lot of back story was hashed out unnecessarily but I didn't find that in Echoes of Scotland Street at all.  I thought the story progressed at a great pace and that all of the secondary characters played their parts very well.  I loved seeing Cole's friendship with Hannah from a different perspective and also seeing how Cole fits into this whole On Dublin Street family from an outsider perspective.

A lot of the story line does revolve around Shannon gaining confidence in herself and her abilities again after an abusive relationship and I thought that the author handled this aspect of the story really well.  I love that not only do we see Shannon falling in love with a great guy who for the most part is really understanding and supportive, but also that she manages to find friends, a life, and she's able to explore her own creative side in this book.  I like that in my romance novels. But it isn't just that Shannon is broken and Cole fixes her, they both are coming from dark places and able to explore moving forward together.

Echoes of Scotland Street was captivating and addictive and sexy as hell! I was gripped right from the very first page and Cole Walker is now my absolute favourite Samantha Young love interest. He's so passionate and straight-forward that I couldn't help but fall for him wholly and completely! I highly recommend this book and this series!

REVIEW: Harder by Robin York

Oh man, was Harder an amazing sequel.  I really didn't think that I could love another book more than I loved Deeper but Robin York really brought it with Harder.  It was really emotional and complicated and I fell hard again for both Caroline and West in this book.

Harder tells us this story about this broken relationship between Caroline and West.  It's four months or so after West left university to return home and Caroline and West have broken up.  Even so, when West phones Caroline after tragedy has struck, Caroline is pure reaction: she jumps on the first plane out to Oregon in order to be with West to try to provide comfort and support in this difficult time.

What was heartbreaking was West's reaction to Caroline being around his mother and in this environment he'd fought so hard to leave behind.  What Caroline learns during her time in Oregon is that the people you care about the most are definitely the people who are capable of hurting you the most. And West does his very best to lash out and get Caroline to leave.  I wasn't expecting this. I thought from the product description that a lot of the book is set in Oregon around West's family, but it isn't.

Not only is this book about West and Caroline and how they both move forward from what happens in Oregon but it's also carries on what happens with Caroline's lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend and about taking responsibility and about making the right decisions for the right reasons.  I loved the messages in this book about how people everywhere make things harder for no apparent reason and how both West and Caroline try to break out of this habit and work towards having what they both really want.

I absolutely adore Caroline and West.  I love Caroline's determination and I loved seeing West take care of his sister and seeing West realise how much his upbringing and home life have meant that him and Frankie have missed out in so many ways.  I loved seeing how much West changes over the course of this book.  It isn't easy but it's worth it.

I really love both Deeper and Harder by Robin York.  I loved seeing this amazing, chemistry-filled couple and to see the massive highs and lows of their relationship.  I loved how in both stories both West and Caroline stepped up in order to support the other when it was most needed.  What a fantastic story that I really recommend!

REVIEW: Fall From India Place by Samantha Young

I really loved Fall From India Place by Samantha Young. I haven't read all of the books yet by Samantha Young that circle around a similar cast of characters but I'm sure that it won't be very long before I pick up those last few books and satisfy my curiosity about them.  Samantha Young writes really interesting, romantic and emotional stories and I find myself really falling into the story and becoming quickly wrapped up in these characters and their lives and friendships and romantic relationships. 

And in Fall From India Place, we're told Hannah's story.  Hannah who is all grown up and dealing with love and loss and relationships in a way that we've seen her from On Dublin Street and the rest.  Hannah and Marco's story really tugged at my heart strings.  I remembered from On Dublin Street that Hannah had had a crush on a boy and things hadn't exactly worked out but I always thought of Hannah as sort of a young teen. 

Now, she's 22 and working as both a high school teacher and a volunteer teacher for adults who are struggling with reading and writing.  Despite being happy in her career, her (extended) family and with her friendships, her love life is not something that Hannah has ever really focused on before.  In fact, she's still stuck in a place from five years previously in which Hannah's heart was broken by her first love, Marco D'Alessandro.  What I loved so much about this book is that Samantha Young gave us everything with Hannah and Marco's relationship. From the first awkwardness as teenagers, the build up towards them both having feelings for each other, the heart-breaking way that things ended between them five years previously and also the angsty ups and downs of them building on a relationship in the present as they try to maneuver around the anger, resentment and heart-break that remains. 

I really loved discovering how much Hannah and Marco have changed from teenagers into adults and how their very meaningful relationship played such a large part in their lives.  When Hannah and Marco meet again after these five years apart, they are both holding back important pieces of information about their lives and experiences and secrets from both sides really threaten to derail their burgeoning relationship. 

What I love about this series of books so much is the heavy support from friends and family.  I love Sunday brunch and how close everyone is and how more people are added to this group as extended family almost without question.  I especially enjoyed the friendship between Hannah and Cole and being shown the basis of that strong friendship. Another highlight from Fall From India Place is the description of Hannah's jobs both as a mentor to a promising teen boy with an attitude and also a grumpy adult women who is taking literacy classes to help her find a better job. I found this aspect of the story really interesting!

I really, really loved this book. I did.  If I had any criticisms of this book it would be two things. The first is that while this book can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel away from the other On Dublin Street companion novels, I did find it a little bit confusing as each and every one of the previous couples from those books relationships are also explained in this book (ie Joss and Braden met this way, Jo and Cam met this way etc).  I felt that was unnecessary and that it could either have been dropped entirely or that the author needed to find a better, more seamless way of adding that information (if needed) into the narrative rather than the way it was done in Fall From India Place. The other criticism is that the UK paperback book contains a 70-80 page short story, Castle Hill, at the end of this book and I was slightly disappointed when I realised that all those extra pages weren't more of Hannah and Marco's story. 

Still, I loved how emotional and romantic this story is.  My heart ached for Hannah and Marco and I was rooting for them throughout!

REVIEW: Deeper by Robin York

I really loved Deeper by Robin York. I found it very surprising how much I enjoyed this story and this relationship especially as I'm not always a fan of the new adult genre.  But Deeper was such a fantastic book that I felt dealt with serious topics well, had a great, empowering storyline and characters and a relationship that I could really root for from the very first page! I was really intrigued to see the topic of the unauthorised distribution of sexual/naked photos appear in more than one book I'd read recently (the other by Jennifer Brown) and I thought it was dealt with in a really interesting and enlightening way. 

In Deeper, Caroline is a university student whose life alters unexpectedly when her ex-boyfriend, after a difficult break-up, sends their sex pictures to a revenge porn site.  Suddenly, Caroline is the subject of gossip and cruel rumours, judgement from other people, weird looks.

I really felt for Caroline. She obviously knew her ex is the only possible person to have done this to her and yet at the start of the story, there isn't a great deal that Caroline feels she can do about it all. Except fight to have these photos removed and also to internalise all these terrible things people are saying about her. I was really sad and angry on Caroline's behalf for everything she goes through and everything she begins to believe about herself. There is a great deal of harassment and slut shaming from friends, family members, complete strangers.  It was really quite harrowing to read in parts. Despite being really smart and motivated and strong, this whole thing really gets to Caroline. All of her self-confidence is shredded by the actions of her ex-boyfriend.

And the thing that I love the most about Deeper is that despite the very typical looking romantic-new adulty cover, this story, for me, focuses a lot more on Caroline's struggle to reclaim her identity. For such a long time, she begins to think of herself as only that girl in the sex photographs but mostly through her friendship with West she claws her way back towards being more and not letting that one event identify who she is as a person. I loved that. 

Which isn't to say that I didn't absolutely love Caroline and West as a couple! I did, I loved them. I loved every single one of their interactions together and I loved hearing about their strange first connection when they first met and how they never spoke for an entire year. I loved that they reconnect by baking bread together and how much their friendship (and more) develops over time. I really loved the two of them together. They had amazing chemistry and I really cannot to read the sequel, Harder, which is being published later this year! 

Deeper by Robin York was an amazing new adult novel and it's quickly become one of my favourites. I really recommend that you pick it up!