My rating: 4/5 stars
ARC received by the author in exchange for an honest review
Samantha Young is my unicorn author; all her books bring me joy and a sense of reading something that suits my heart. Since her Dublin Series, I love everything she writes, even if she likes to add drama to her stories or turn them into supernatural tales.
When I found out that she will be continuing the Dublin Series with the kids of the original couples, my heart made a happy dance, because what you read in that series is nothing you’ve ever experienced. The love, the family, and the way the characters help each other and protect one another is everything you need to feel for yourself. Not to say that the love between the main characters is intense and Sam’s talent for delivering steamy scenes pops the thermometer into pieces.
Beth Carmichael is Braden and Joss’s daughter, a very talented and hardworking young lady, who has her own social media company. She is very determined to succeed in this industry, considering she barres the name of Carmichael on her shoulders and she needs to be as successful as her parents or beyond. She meets Callan Kane at 16 and kind of falls in love with him instantly. But, there are things from Callan’s past that would intervene with their relationship, making Beth choose between him and her family. The way Beth ended things with Callan left a mark and I was not ok with it, but further on, this will have an explanation.
Years after, Beth will be Callan’s neighbor in the same building, resurfacing all the feelings and frustration that both of them shared. Callan is very resentful of Beth because of the way she ended things and his behavior was correct because that was not the way to handle it. He is now a very successful football player, with fame and money, but even so, he didn’t fall in love again after Beth.
I don’t want to give spoilers, but their story is a second chance, from my POV, but it kind of came at the right moment, because they seem more prepared for this kind of feelings to resurface. I was not expecting this emotional turmoil and all the drama behind the 2 characters. I identified a lot with Beth, with her struggles and emotions, because I feel like that many times and it’s very hard to handle it on your own.
I also grew very fond of Callan, because his childhood was rubbish, and considering that, he managed to achieve his dream and play at a professional level the sport that he loved. They are both examples of ambition and dedication, even if their upbringing was different. It is clear that Beth was more privileged, but that doesn’t mean everything was OK for her.
Samantha surprised me with the level of steaminess because the romantic scenes were frequent and very explicit. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy them, but I was not expecting that much. Their relationship was physical at the beginning, but it grew up to be very emotional, once all the sharing began and you understand where both characters stand. You understand their connection and love it.
A big emotional impact for me was seeing the characters from Dublin Street again, after all these years. It’s like seeing your best friends again and it killed me. We got to see Braden and Joss and not only see them, got to see them argue, be protective, be funny, or even annoying. They were a very important part of the story and I was just delighted. Nevertheless, all the family comes together and it will take a while for you to understand exactly who is who and what is the exact family tree. But you will love every moment of it. As a request, maybe Sam can draft a family tree for us to follow.
To conclude, I loved being back in one of my favorite series of all time. I think the idea was great and all these feelings contributed a lot to the success of the spin-off. I think Samantha will absolutely nail it and our hearts will be full of contentment by reading about this beautiful family again.
Ramonisme 