It's that time again at The Honest Bookclub! Once again we're on tour, and once again it's not the sort of tour one might think of. Mostly because we aren't really going anywhere, and the tour is still happening.

Following the Thoughtful blog tour in the end of February, we were kindly asked to take part in the Hero blog tour by the kind representatives over at The Little Brown Book Group. It was an immediate yes for us. We are no strangers to New Adult is a genre here on the blog, and having already read and thoroughly enjoyed a book by Samantha Young in the past, taking part in this blog tour was as much a privilege as it was "work". We already know that Samantha Young is a wonderful writer. And this is the best possible spoiler one can have before stepping into a new book, and - by extension, a new world. We could expect to enjoy it.
Was that enough set-up to have you intrigued? We hope so. Because as far as New Adult goes, we consider Sam Young to be the elite. And Hero was intriguing and promising enough at a glance, and all the more so once we got down to reading. So come look and find out more about Samantha, the book and what we thought of it!

 Hero is available March 5th. 

You can purchase it as an ebook or paperback, the links are included in the 'Read more' section.

We received this ARC from the kind people at The Little Brown Book Group in exchange for an honest review, as well as a slice of the blog tour. We thank them kindly for the opportunity.





Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren’t his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets,. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they’re on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again… 




I'm quite familiar with author Samantha Young as I read her book Before Jamaica Lane, which I loved so much, so when I received an email regarding 'Hero', I had to say yes.

Her writing is just as well written as 'Before Jamaica Lane', still having that nice flow and her great way with words, which got me through this story really quickly. I'm a slow reader so it's always a good sign if I finish it in a short period of time!

Alexa "Lexie" Holland, our protagonist, is a photographer's assistant at the start of the book. She gets herself fired and ends up becoming Mr Caine Carraway's PA, a high-powered control freak millionaire. It does sound familiar (hint hint), and I have to say, it kind of is, but a lot of New Adult at the moment seems to be taking the Grey route lately.

So, at first, he's not very nice to her. But as to why? There is a very good explanation. Lexie's messy past, as it turns out, is linked with Caine's family, too. And what a bad and terrible secret it is. He's bitter about it, but they have an attraction that they can't seem to ignore, and they start up a no-strings sort of a relationship together. It is written well, they weren't cheesy or recycled, each time was steamy and set apart from the others. While adult content can often get repetitive in New Adult lit, this was very much not the case with Hero.


I liked their banter and their relationship, but it can be frustrating with lead characters like these at times. Both are so alike and headstrong, with different and oftentimes conflicting emotions and lifestyles. It's not surprising, exactly, but it does add to the overall tension. These characters are both in such denial about so many issues they face, but yet somehow they're quite well matched. They both certainly kept me on my toes throughout. There's something to be said for the opposites attracting in the best way imaginable Samantha Young's novels.

As mentioned before, I did find a lot of similarities to 50 Shades of Grey. Caine Carraway is like Christian Grey in terms with his past, the career he's built from nothing, his ambitious traits and his love for control. He's not as worrisome as Mr. Grey, but Caine has his moments. Boy, does he ever! I found him quite backwards and forwards with his feelings for Lexie, but I guess when you live a life like him, you have many other priorities, as well as being new to all of this. (This being romance.)
It's important to emphasize that Hero was by no means a carbon copy of 50 Shades of Grey, but I could see the little similarities thrown in there, which were at times distracting. I read the book late 2013 and still I noticed. Whether it's intentional or not, I'm not sure. Nowadays it's hard to distinguish between homages and unintentional channeling. Hero is well-written, though, and this more than anything is what sets it apart from many of the similar novels within the genre. Not a fan of re-reading the same book over and over again.

I will say that the back story and conflicts between the families weren't my favorite aspect of the book. I did lose track of it after a while, and I didn't really have much interest in that overall subplot. Luckily it wasn't the biggest plot arc, as the overall novel was centered more around Alexa and Caine's relationship. This, in my opinion, was a big plus.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were easy to get along with. Caine can be a tough nut to crack, but he's interesting to read about - never a dull moment with him around. Intriguing writing and a romance which lovers of NA will doubtless enjoy. 

Hero by Samantha Young is published by Piatkus in paperback and eBook. You can find of all Samantha Young’s titles in the Kobo website HERE.


 
Samantha Young is the author of the runaway bestselling On Dublin Street, which sold over 150,000 copies within five weeks and has now been sold in more than 25 countries. Published by Penguin UK until recently, her first book with Little Brown (Castle Hill) was one of the top 10 Hachette ebooks for 2014. This year she has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance. She lives in Stirlingshire, Scotland and is available for publicity purposes, along with corresponding regularly with her 22,000 fans on FB and 15,000 Twitter followers.

You can visit her at samanthayoungbooks.com. 
Praise for Samantha Young:
‘This steamy romance is mysterious, all-consuming and pretty damn good’ Closer
‘Ridiculously incendiary chemistry.’ Dear Author
‘A true gift for storytelling’ Daily Record
‘Young writes stories that stay with you long after you flip the last page’ Under the Covers




If you're interested in reading this book, or any other Samantha Young books, I would recommend you give them a go. The links you need to look up and purchase Hero is listed above. And if you're thinking of reading it, let us know in the comments below, or on any of our social media.