Tuesday, January 7, 2014

**Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ That One Summer ~ C.J. Duggan**


I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for C.J. Duggan's That One Summer. This is the third and final book in her The Summer Series, although she will have a spinoff series. *squee* I have all the pertinent information on the book for y'all, as well as my review and a GIVEAWAY. 

TWO lucky winners will receive an ebook copy of either The Boys of Summer or An Endless Summer. And ONE lucky winner will receive a set of both! THREE winners! Yay! This giveaway is open internationally and ends January 14th. To enter, simply leave a comment about this post. Good luck!

You can follow along with the tour by clicking here.

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That One Summer by C.J. Duggan
The Summer Series #3
Release Date: December 17, 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 Worms

Synopsis:
Loving Chris Henderson would be wrong. Diabolically disastrous. I mean, what is there about him to love? He’s moody, bossy, brooding, a control freak, and that’s on a good day … but there was one achingly obvious fact that haunted my every thought, every minute of every day …

He sure could kiss.

As the countdown to the new millennium begins, there is one thing everyone agrees on: no one wants to be in Onslow for New Year’s Eve.

So that can only mean one thing: road trip!

No longer the mousey, invisible, shy girl from years ago, Tammy Maskala is finally making up for all those lost summers. A new year with new friends, which astoundingly includes the bossy boy behind the bar, Chris Henderson.

She likes her new friends (at least most of them), so why does she secretly feel so out of place?

After chickening out on the trip, a last-minute change of heart sees Tammy racing to the Onslow Hotel, fearing she’s missed her chance for a ride. The last thing she expected to meet was a less-than-happy Onslow Boy leaning against his black panel van.

Now the countdown begins to reach the others at Point Shank before the party is over and the new year has begun. Alone in a car with only the infuriating Chris Henderson, Tammy can’t help but feel this is a disastrous start to what could have been a great adventure. But when the awkward road trip takes an unexpected turn, Tammy soon discovers that the way her traitorous heart feels about Chris is the biggest disaster of all.

Fogged up windows, moonlight swimming, bad karaoke and unearthed secrets; after this one summer nothing will ever be the same again.





Ahh! It was such a pleasure to hang out with the Onslow Boys and their gang again. And getting to spend some quality time with Chris Henderson was even more of a treat! ;)

That One Summer is told from Tammy Maskala's POV, who we met in An Endless Summer. She's Amy Henderson's best friend, and since Amy's return to Onslow, Tammy has become a part of the Onslow gang. But Tammy was always the shy, frizzy-haired, awkward girl. Although she's come a long way from that girl, she still doesn't always feel like she fits in. And Chris Henderson, with his signature scowl, intimidates Tammy unlike anyone else. So the thought of spending several days, alone, in a car with him terrifies her. But that's exactly where she ends up.

Chris is probably my favorite of the Onslow boys, aside from Sean Murphy. I don't know exactly what it is about him...but there's something. Chris is the serious, responsible Onslow Boy and typically wears a frown or a scowl. But that doesn't mean he's not something to look at! ;) As he and Tammy begin their road trip, catching up with the rest of the gang for a New Year's celebration, he shows Tammy a side of himself he rarely shows anyone. And in his very 'Chris' way, woos her.

I so enjoyed watching as these two start falling for one another. Tammy has a hard time fighting her insecurities while Chris, being Chris, does his level best to seduce her. I already adored Chris, but seeing him be so thoughtful of Tammy, hearing his humorous side... well, he had me swooning! Being with the rest of the gang was also loads of fun. Amy and Sean are still blissfully in love. Stan has a new girl that everyone seems to like. Ellie and Adam are still living it up as only they can, and Ringer is still Ringer. A road trip was a great setting for the story as nothing encourages bonding like time spent in a car or a tent together. The only tension in the story, aside from the sexual tension between Chris and Tammy, comes from Tess and Toby. It looks as though there's a little trouble in paradise for them. 

Ms. Duggan certainly has a way of making you feel as though you're a part of the Onslow group. The only thing I missed in That One Summer was the snarky banter present in An Endless Summer. But that wouldn't fit the personalities of Tammy and Chris -- they are both too serious for that. That One Summer was so much fun and a great way to end the series. Although I was ecstatic to reach the end of the book and find that Ms. Duggan is doing a spinoff series. I'm very anxious to read Ellie and Adam's story. :)

**I received an ecopy of the book, as part of the tour, in exchange for an honest review.**



The Boys of Summer ~ #1 The Summer Series


Synopsis:
It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.

To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget. 

It will be a summer she will always remember. 

Warning: sexual references, and occasional coarse language.





***
An Endless Summer ~ #2 The Summer Series

Synopsis:
Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study.

“Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.”
I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.”
A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”

After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:

Boarding School.

Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past.

How had her dad let it come to this?

With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.

In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy.




C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.

The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.


For more on C.J and ‘The Summer Series’, visit www.cjdugganbooks.com

10 comments:

  1. These sound like a great read, and I think I would fall for Chris

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    1. I hope you love them if you read them, Brandi. And yes, you'll fall for Chris...I can guarantee it. :)

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  2. This series sounds positively yummy, Brandee! How come I haven't read any of these books yet? have you been hiding these summer boys from me, by any chance? :D

    Thanks for sharing. I'm off to add all of these to my TBR *grin*

    I hope you're having a terrific Tuesday, my friend. *hugs*

    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

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    1. I don't know why you haven't read them yet, Lexxie...but hopefully you'll win a copy (or both) and can start the series asap. They're great books...and I'll share my Onslow Boys, begrudgingly, with you because I'm nice like that. ;)

      Happy Reading, dear! *hugs*

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    2. YAY, I would like that :) And I'm so happy you will share your Onslow boys with me ;)

      Have a wonderful Wednesday :) *hugs*

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  3. I really want to give this series a try and meet these Onslow boys for myself. I hear they're pretty darn awesome! I also love how character driven it sounds and you really feel like they're your people! Great review, love!

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    1. I hope you do, Giselle. I really, really love this series. The Boys of Summer made my favs of 2013 list! Thanks!!

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  4. I really need to start this series! I absolutely adore books set in Austrailia. And very cool news about the spinoff.
    Great review!

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  5. Yes, you do, Andrea. :) We MUST work on that time-turner!! LOL Ms. Duggan does a great job with setting the scene as well as developing the characters. I think you'll adore this series! Thanks!

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  6. My TBR just groaned because you just managed to add not one, not two, but three books to it!! LOL seriously I love the sounds of this series and Chris *yummy* I love series that use sexual tension well and also that have a good grasp of their characters different personalities, so that when you switch POV like this one did it fits the characters (despite making you lose the banter you loved). Great review!!

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Now you know what I think...what are your thoughts??