Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Review: Echoes of Scotland Street

ECHOES OF SCOTLAND STREET
On Dublin Street #5
Samantha Young
Contemporary New Adult
384 pages
NAL/Penguin
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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…


MY THOUGHTS
Echoes of Scotland Street is yet another sweet, sexy, and moving addition to the On Dublin Street series, finally allowing a young man who’s been prominent in the periphery of all the previous books his chance to really shine. The setup of the romance between Shannon and Cole is nothing if not familiar in terms of the baggage each brings into the relationship, but Ms. Young has the extraordinary ability to take what’s been done before and infuse it with the perfect amount of emotion and conflict. She knows exactly when we need the quiet moments to bring a smile to our faces, when we want to feel the heat flare between them, and when we wish for the conflict to find a satisfying resolution.

Shannon arrives at INKarnate’s doorstep with a heart sporting scars she wants to remain unseen, determined to break the cycle of abusive men in her life and start fresh on the straight and narrow. When we first learn of her trust issues–able to decipher from the hints she drops that she’s been cheated on and far worse–we can’t help but worry those issues are going to be what cause the crash and burn of her relationship with Cole, and that her tendency to make snap judgments is going to hurt him in ways we might not be able to forgive. That worry sits like lead in our guts as we watch them slowly make their way toward one another, loving the way they make the other feel while at the same time bracing for Shannon to make the Big Mistake that’s going to cause Cole to question the rightness of their relationship.

What’s so delightful about this story (other than the beauty of Cole and Shannon together) is how Shannon surprises us at every pivotal moment, proving that though her past relationships left invisible and permanent marks, they are no longer all she sees about herself. She allows Cole to oh-so carefully dismantle her defenses, and though he scares her in so many ways, she doesn’t let that fear blow up in either of their faces. When that inevitable relationship moment comes toward the end, Shannon impresses once again, immediately recognizing the effect her careless words have on Cole and seeking to make amends any way she can. She reaches out to Cole in a number of ways, but when she finds herself face to face with his rejection, instead of taking it to heart and throwing her defenses back up, she confronts that rejection head on, making sure she gets all the facts from the source instead of filtering what she sees and hears through the twisted prism of her past.

Overall, Echoes of Scotland Street delivers on every level, Shannon and Cole a steamy couple in the bedroom and a supportive one out of it, and my only wish for this series moving forward is that it never ends.

Rating: 4/5
 

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

41 comments:

  1. One day I will dare to try a read contemporary NA ;)

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  2. I wouldn't mind Cole dismantling my defenses ;) Rachel is a big fan of Young's books, so I really think I need to give her books a go soon. Brilliant review Jenny!

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  3. I'm a bit behind on this series but I have yet to meet a Samantha Young novel that I didn't love. I love the sound of Cole and Shannon's relationship. "My only wish for this series moving forward is that it never ends." Pretty sure I'm going to feel that way too. :-) Lovely review Jenny!

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    1. This is a series I would happily read into the upper teens Lauren! I think there's only one more after this though. *sobs*

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  4. I really enjoy this series too. This one wasn't my favourite installment but was still goo! Shannon annoyed me a little at times - I found her to be quite judgmental (even though she swears she isn't!) I think there is one more book to go in the series - focusing on Shannon's brother, Logan.

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    1. She was a touch frustrating in the beginning with how judgmental she was, but I really liked how she handled things with Cole when things got sticky:)

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  5. I haven't read a book by the author yet but I heard great things about her. I should try one one day mainly as some are already translated in French too. I'm curious to discover the couple.

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    1. YES! I'm a huge Samantha Young fan. I hope you give her a try!

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  6. I was very very worried that Shannon judgmental attitude would drag for most of the book when she first entered, but she definitely surprised me with her growth throughout the book! And Cole! <3 Oh my heart! That man was so yummy! It was so difficult to not love him! :)
    I'm excited to read Logan's book considering his history. It should be good.
    Lovely review, Jenny!

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    1. I NEED MORE COLE NICK!!! Mooooooorrrrrrrrreeeee :) I'm super excited for Logan's book too!

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  7. Oooh. You always know you've found a good series when you don't want it to ever end. Rock on.

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  8. It's such a good feeling when a secondary character finally gets his time in the limelight! The main couple sounds incredibly well-rounded which is a rarity in New Adult, and YAY for steam. If every reader loves this novel as much as you did, I'm sure you'll get your wish for lots more installments!

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    1. NA is hugely hit or miss for me Carmel, but Samantha has never let me down. She, Cora Carmack, and Ann Aguirre all have NA series I will never hesitate to pick up:) Oh, and Jay Crownover too!

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  9. I think next time I want a good NA I need to pick this series up. I have been seeing this around everywhere and I know how much you and Kim love this series. I need more hours in the day Jenny!

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    1. It's so good Ali!!! I think you'd really enjoy these books:)

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  10. I loved Shannon and Cole's romance! I was a bit miffed at her harsh and judgmental words, but happy she immediately recognized her error and tried to rectify it. Loved seeing all the past couples and additions, too. Wonderful review, Jenny! :)

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    1. Same, Rachel! She was really great about admitting to her mistakes, and I can appreciate and forgive a woman like that:)

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  11. Eeep! So glad you loved it, hon! I got it yesterday in the mail and my mom will be happy to see this since she's even a bigger fan of the series than I am lol. Trust issue books are bad (regarding emotions), but I'm positive Samantha will make this work. "Shannon impresses once again, immediately recognizing the effect her careless words have on Cole and seeking to make amends any way she can." Ahh! I love those kind of heroines! So excited to read this :') and haha! Everyone in this series oomphs of so much steam that you have to rub your eyes to get the steam away from you lol.

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    1. I need more of this series in my life Siiri!!! Such great characters and definitely some steamy romance ;-)

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  12. I really need to get back to this series. Everyone is loving this latest installment. Young definitely knows how to write a solid romance. So glad this was a winner for you, Jenny :)

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    1. It was definitely a winner Heidi! Can't recommend these books enough:)

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  13. I only read the first book in this series, Jenny, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to get back to this series. It'll be a nice winter read. :)

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    1. Joss and Braden will always be my favorites since they came first, but I love all the characters in this world:)

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  14. I've had the first book for awhile, I really need to read it. I'm glad you enjoyed this one!

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  15. Wait book 5?!? Already. These people are writing books faster than I can read them. I still have to more from the second book in this series. But I'm so happy that this series keeps being sweet, interesting and sexy. I love that about it. Great review, Jenny :)

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    1. I know! This series has come out quickly which I love. Hope you get a chance to get caught up Tanja!

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  16. Another NA you tempt me! I still am not loving the genre, but you seem to find ones that interest me. I will have to start this one at the beginning. Don't look at me like that... I sometimes start them at the beginning. ;)

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    1. YES MELISSA! You need to read Joss and Braden asap:)

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  17. I absolutely adore this series and I keep hearing so many great things about this fifth installment that you've just reminded me how badly I NEED TO DOWNLOAD this book ASAP!

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  18. I enjoyed On Dublin Street but haven't read any further and I can't believe there are already five books in this series! So many books to read...when will I find time? ;-)

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    1. I feel the same way! So many good books out there to read! I'm super excited to meet Samantha next week at Indie Con!

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  19. I felt the same way about this one, Jenny. I really enjoyed it after the overly dramatic past couple of novels and it rekindled by love for the series as a whole. I'm kind of hoping this isn't the end now... ;)

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    1. I think we're definitely getting Shannon's brother Logan's book, but I don't know if there are more after that. I've got all my fingers crossed though:)

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  20. I hadn't realised that this little series was continuing. I am two books behind now. I really enjoyed the first three books and I am excited to see that there is more to experience. Thanks for putting Samantha Young back on my radar. I am also very glad to see you enjoyed this one, Jenny.

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  21. I have read this author YA books but not her NA or Adult books. I will have to read them soon. Awesome review.

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  22. Hmmm, I think I might end up giving a try to this series, even if I haven't been in the mood for contemporary romance...
    Great review, Jenny!

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