Review

Honestly, what’s not to love about Before Jamaica Lane?

If you’ve been reading Samantha Young’s On Dublin Street series, you’ll remember that we were introduced to Olivia and Nate in Down London Road (Jo and Cam’s story).  

Here’s the quick backstory to how Olivia came to be in Scotland. Olivia’s father was like a father to Jo for the first half of Jo’s life and then went to Arizona when he discovered he had a daughter. That daughter would be Olivia. Her mother dies of cancer and several years later, Olivia and her father go to Scotland, where they both decide to set down roots.

It is through Jo that Olivia meets Nate. Nate is one of Cam’s best buddies, and her attraction to him is immediate. Seriously, Nate is movie-star hot. But he’s a total player. He goes through girls like Kleenex. Plus, the minute he realizes who she is, he stops devouring her with his eyes and shifts their relationship into platonic zone.

Since I’m a total sucker for the friends-to-lover trope, this story totally works for me. They both have this simmering attraction neither will act on—that is until Olivia asks him to help her hook this guy she’s hot for who comes to the library where she works. It starts with a kiss, which of course pretty much rocks both their worlds. Then after Joss and Braden’s wedding (Yay, they get married!), she asks Nate to give her lessons in ‘sex’.

Well you can imagine what happens now. The sex between them is off the charts. Seriously, Ms. Young knows how to write some sizzling hot love scenes. But as you can imagine, what starts out as lessons evolves into something more. Olivia feels it but Nate—hurt by the death of his first love, Alana—won’t allow himself become involved with any woman, which definitely includes Olivia. He even has a tattoo on his chest to memorialize Alana.

Without giving too much away, things come to a head and their “lessons” come to an end. There are hurt feelings and broken hearts. Of course everything works out but I loved the way the denouement played out. I loved that Olivia stood strong even though she desperately wanted to cave. I also grew very fond of Benjamin (the guy from the library she was so hot for). I hope we see or hear from him again in future books.

Can I also say how much I loved catching up with the whole gang. Ellie and Adam, Cam and Jo, Joss and Braden but more importantly, Hannah and Marco. Yes! I wanted to know more about Hannah and Marco when their pairing was introduced in Down London Road. Getting a glimpse into what was going on between them in Before Jamaica Lane only increased my impatience for their story. I was relieved to learn that they will get their own story and Fall From India Place will be coming out in June.

All in all, I adored this book. I fell hard for Nate. I loved the duality of his personality. Playful and laid back, but also passionate and intense. I particularly love him in the scene when he realizes what he’s losing. But then, I’m a sucker for a hero who knows when and how to admit their wrong (some may call it groveling). Olivia is a fantastic heroine. I love how straightforward she is with Nate about her feelings. To me, she’s soft when she needs to be and strong when it’s required of her. Together, Nate and Olivia make a wonderful couple and I can’t wait to discover what happens to them over the next five or so years.