Review: Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young
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Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3) by Samantha Young
Contemporary
NAL (January 7, 2014)
Heroine: Olivia Holloway – Sexy Librarian, Inexperienced
Hero: Nate Sawyer – Freelance Photojournalist, Man-whore
Review:
Nate Sawyer and Olivia Holloway are best friends. From the moment they met, they bonded over their personal losses and the many things they have in common. Olivia moved to Scotland with her father a year ago, after her mother lost her fight with cancer. Nate has experienced his own loss when he was a teenager, in love with a girl named Alana who died of lymphoma. Because they have the same circle of friends, they found they have a lot in common with both being movie geeks and having a snarky sense of humor. Their friendship is comfortable and they aren’t shy about being themselves around each other.
Nate, our hero, is gorgeous, sexy, charming, and a bit of a man-whore. He doesn’t do relationships. Olivia is inexperienced with men, since she spent most of her childhood and teenage years taking care of her mother. Olivia admits to Nate one night, after a few cocktails too many, that she’s interested in somebody. But she lacks confidence when it comes to men and her body image. She feels awkward and gets tongue-tied. Nate is surprised to hear her confession and decides to help Olivia with her confidence and give her lessons in flirting and sex.
First of all, I wish I had a Nate in my life. He can teach me to flirt and tell me I’m beautiful every damn day. Good lord. The man is hot as sin and made my panties disintegrate. Not only is he gorgeous, but he is generous, funny, compassionate and has a nerdy side that I love. Yummy. Sorry, I digress. So, as the lessons continue, things between Olivia and Nate start to heat up. And when Olivia asks Nate to take the lessons to the next level… look out ladies, things get SUPER intense and deliciously HOT.
“That’s right, babe,” he murmured as he lifted my right leg over his shoulder and parted me.
“I’m taking you straight to heaven.”
“Heaven. Hell,” I panted, my fingers raking the wall. “Who cares as long as I ride there on an orgasm…”
“…Damn,” I finally whispered as he undressed. “Your mouth should be illegal.”
The raging chemistry between Nate and Olivia set my insides on fire. They not only have mind blowing sex, but they are amazing together as friends. It was just a matter of time before they realized they’ve fallen hard for each other. I could feel the emotions rolling off of Nate and Olivia. I felt those hot moments with smoldering looks, tender touches, and sensual kisses all the way down to my toes.
But things become complicated as they become more and more entangled with each other and deeper feelings are developed. Nate has deep seeded issue with love and relationships. He has no interest in settling down. Olivia is a different story. Watching him struggle with his feelings for Olivia was truly heartbreaking and this would’ve been a good time to get inside Nate’s head, which is a minor quibble of mine. I felt like Nate’s emotionally heavy story needed to be further explored from his POV.
I absolutely, positively adored Olivia as our heroine. She simply rocks. I love that she has flaws and insecurities like real women do. She didn’t start out with much confidence or experience when it comes to men, but she soon found her confidence as the story progresses. She has so much character growth that I felt proud of her. I love that she is a smart librarian with a naughty side. And I love that she didn’t put up with Nate’s bullshit when he couldn’t own up to his feelings for her. She made a choice and stuck to her guns. I wanted to high five her and take her out for a margarita.
I love this book from beginning to end. It was hard to put down. And it was just so incredibly sexy that it made me purr with satisfaction. The friends-to-lovers trope is my favorite and I love both Nate and Olivia. They are fabulous and fun together. Samantha Young does a wonderful job building up this romance slowly, keeping you anticipating what’s going to happen next, and making me feel everything that happens between the couple. I was honestly in constant state of high emotions the entire time. I truly think fans of Down London Road will be happy with this new installment. This was one of those books that I can’t wait to revisit again. I couldn’t get enough of Nate and Olivia.
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