Natasha’s review of Echoes of Scotland Street (On Dublin Street #5) by Samantha Young.
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…
Oh boy, Samantha Young has done it again! Echoes of Scotland is the fifth book of her On Dublin Street series and this may be my favorite so far. Going into this I was already jumping up and down for joy knowing this was about Cole and hopefully his happily-ever-after ending. When Cole was first introduced into this series, it was during Jo (his older sister) and Cam’s (his now brother-in-law) book. Jo basically raised Cole because there was no father in the picture and their mother was nothing but an abusive alcoholic drunk. And of course, because Jo loves her brother to no end, had to hook up with older men with lots of money to help support herself and her brother but all that came to an end when Cam came into the picture. This kinda gives you an idea of what Cole’s upbringing was like. He may have had the unconditional love of his sister, his brother-in-law and some close family friends, that still could not mask the unwanted feeling he received from his own mother. Who would be the one to capture the heart of this sexy man?
Shannon MacLeod would be this lucky woman but she fights it every step of the way. I love Shannon! Her description that of a “wee fairy” with her too red auburn thick wavy hair and less than average height and of course her spunky attitude made for the perfect companion. One of my favorite parts of the book is the Prologue where Cole and Shannon first meet as young fifteen year olds. They were so cute and innocent and everything around them seemed to fade away until that stinkin’ horn ruined the moment. I believe Shannon said it best when describing that first meet between those two, “I felt like fate had just handed me two cups and I’d stupidly drunk from the wrong one”.
Well its been nine years since that day and fate would have it that they should meet up once again. Neither Cole nor Shannon is the same young innocent fifteen year old from that day. Each have gone through their own experiences that have shaped who they are and the way they live today. With that being said, it seriously frustrated me that Shannon kept fighting tooth and nails to keep her distance from Cole. Okay, so what if he appeared to be the epitome of everything she just promised herself to stay away from but how can you deny this magical connection you feel with this man? I mean sheesh, at least give him a try. I’m not saying to jump his bones right then and there but try to start off some kind of a friendship. Not come off as some snotty stuck up biyotch!! If she had just given it some time to get to know Cole, she would have found out that he wasn’t anything like those losers she dated who took advantage of her. She seriously was a magnet for some sorry ass excuse for a boyfriend. I mean don’t get me wrong, I get Shannon was burned really bad by these loser boyfriends of hers but it ticked me off that Cole was getting treated this way because of their mistakes. Cole did not deserve that, especially coming from some receptionist they just hired. Hell, she knew nothing of him nor did he know anything about her. It was a wonder they were able to have a civilized conversation but that was only after she finally apologized.
This was such a great read and a totally unexpected pleasure to revisit some of the characters from her earlier books. It was an even better treat to meet some of these fabulous new characters that really made this book so great! Thank you Ms. Samantha Young for letting me escape my reality and be a part of your On Dublin Street world. I feel like I know all these characters as if we were long time homies. Until the next book, I’m out!
Rating: 5 out of 5
This title is available from NAL. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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