I feature very few indie/self-published authors on my blog. But CJ Duggan is one of the few self-published authors whose works I adore and can definitely say, has the calibre of a published author. So I am very happy to be part of the That One Summer blog tour and my review stop is here today :D
Date Read: November 24 - 26 2013
Release Date: December 17th 2013
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Review copy via author
Genre: Contemporary
My rating:
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"
Release Date: December 17th 2013
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Review copy via author
Genre: Contemporary
My rating:
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"
---
“And there was nothing more frustrating than a smug Onslow boy”
CJ Duggan’s 2012 Aussie YA contemporary debut, The Boys of Summer, completely blew me away with its ‘90s Aussie setting. A year later and she’s onto her third book in the Summer series – she set the bar high with The Boys of Summer, but That One Summer does not disappoint at all.
I’ll be honest, I was scared to read the sequels in the Summer series because I’m such a Tess/Toby fan and I didn’t think any other Onslow couple would beat the one from The Boys of Summer. But reading TOS I found I absolutely adored Tammy and Chris. They’re very different to Tess and Toby and that’s what made their story so enjoyable.
Set approximately 4 years after we’re first introduced to the Onslow Boys and directly after the events of An Endless Summer, the new millennium is approaching and nobody wants to spend New Year’s Eve in Onslow. The result is a camping road trip organised by the boys. Stuck with the brooding Chris Henderson for the road trip, Tammy Maskala as the newest addition to the gang has insecurities about fitting in with the rest. Her sarcastic voice had me in stitches countless times and her wit made her a very likeable protagonist. Being inside Tammy’s head, I could really relate to her. She over analysed a lot of things which might be annoying in some characters, but when one is stuck in a very long car ride with Chris Henderson, who wouldn’t over analyse every word the man manages to speak? I guess the only thing that annoyed me about Tammy was how easily she cried. I’m a pretty emotional person but even I thought Tammy was a tad too sensitive… Almost on the cry-baby side. Nearly everything set her off; don’t get me wrong, she’s a strong person but I think she may have needed a bit more mettle where the crying was concerned.
“In other words, I had gone from the usual third wheel to spare tyre.”
Chris Henderson. Or as I sometimes to referred as, “50 Shades of Frowns”. This guy had a different unpleasant expression for absolutely everything. Constantly brooding, he barely strung together complete sentences but what he did have to say was either extremely hilarious or very meaningful. Chris Henderson is my kind of guy. At first it seems the only trait that makes Chris an “Onslow boy” are his good looks. On the surface, it seems the defining characteristic of the Onslow boys is aesthetics, charm and their outgoing, confident nature. But look beyond that and what the Onslow boys really do have in common is the way they treat girls fairly, never looking down on them; they don’t say demeaning things; they’re good natured, sweet and the type of guy every girl should be looking for. What I love about the Onslow boys is their ability to love, and to love unconditionally no questions asked. They give their whole heart, they’re faithful and Chris Henderson is no different. Deep down, there’s a funny side to him, and more importantly, a truly caring guy that looks after those around him. Just like I fell in love with Toby in The Boys of Summer, I fell in love with Chris in That One Summer.
“Do you ever feel like you have so much to say, but you just don’t know how to say it?”
The romance was sexy as! I loved the build-up that Duggan created with the glances, flirting and light touches. She also writes steamy scenes like no other, filled with longing, desire and passion. Duggan teases, taunts and hints at what could be, all the while leaving the reader reeling from the possibilities.
“I desperately wanted to reach out to him, to bring my shaking hands up and slide them over his shoulders, to press skin to skin, drawing him near and crushing against him, like the stirrings of wave slamming into rocks.”
Duggan knows just what everybody wants: to see all our favourite characters from previous books again! The whole ensemble from the previous books make their way to 2000 and seeing everyone again just made me really happy. Each of the characters/couples had their own subplot; whether it was the addition of new characters, couples continuing in their bliss, or the trials they had to overcome, That One Summer had it all. The subplots made it a great way to see more into the lives of the crew, and of course, made headway for future books!
“You know more than anyone that I am never one to love for the sake of being in love, but I love because of you.”
There’s nothing overly complicated or angsty about the plot, but it’s a road trip of self-discovery, love and friendship. Duggan intertwines the various subplots with Chris and Tammy’s story, set against the gorgeous back drop of Australian scenery – from highway, through the bush, to beaches and resorts. And as the clock strikes ever closer to January 1, 2000, will everybody get their happily-ever-after? And will Chris and Tammy find it in each other to see their feelings? This is that one summer you won’t want to miss – sweet, sexy and topped off with that serene laidback vibe that only comes with an Aussie YA.
“… We hoped for our lives to change in some way from this night on.”
---
The Summer Series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/92873-summer
CJ Duggan’s 2012 Aussie YA contemporary debut, The Boys of Summer, completely blew me away with its ‘90s Aussie setting. A year later and she’s onto her third book in the Summer series – she set the bar high with The Boys of Summer, but That One Summer does not disappoint at all.
I’ll be honest, I was scared to read the sequels in the Summer series because I’m such a Tess/Toby fan and I didn’t think any other Onslow couple would beat the one from The Boys of Summer. But reading TOS I found I absolutely adored Tammy and Chris. They’re very different to Tess and Toby and that’s what made their story so enjoyable.
Set approximately 4 years after we’re first introduced to the Onslow Boys and directly after the events of An Endless Summer, the new millennium is approaching and nobody wants to spend New Year’s Eve in Onslow. The result is a camping road trip organised by the boys. Stuck with the brooding Chris Henderson for the road trip, Tammy Maskala as the newest addition to the gang has insecurities about fitting in with the rest. Her sarcastic voice had me in stitches countless times and her wit made her a very likeable protagonist. Being inside Tammy’s head, I could really relate to her. She over analysed a lot of things which might be annoying in some characters, but when one is stuck in a very long car ride with Chris Henderson, who wouldn’t over analyse every word the man manages to speak? I guess the only thing that annoyed me about Tammy was how easily she cried. I’m a pretty emotional person but even I thought Tammy was a tad too sensitive… Almost on the cry-baby side. Nearly everything set her off; don’t get me wrong, she’s a strong person but I think she may have needed a bit more mettle where the crying was concerned.
“In other words, I had gone from the usual third wheel to spare tyre.”
Chris Henderson. Or as I sometimes to referred as, “50 Shades of Frowns”. This guy had a different unpleasant expression for absolutely everything. Constantly brooding, he barely strung together complete sentences but what he did have to say was either extremely hilarious or very meaningful. Chris Henderson is my kind of guy. At first it seems the only trait that makes Chris an “Onslow boy” are his good looks. On the surface, it seems the defining characteristic of the Onslow boys is aesthetics, charm and their outgoing, confident nature. But look beyond that and what the Onslow boys really do have in common is the way they treat girls fairly, never looking down on them; they don’t say demeaning things; they’re good natured, sweet and the type of guy every girl should be looking for. What I love about the Onslow boys is their ability to love, and to love unconditionally no questions asked. They give their whole heart, they’re faithful and Chris Henderson is no different. Deep down, there’s a funny side to him, and more importantly, a truly caring guy that looks after those around him. Just like I fell in love with Toby in The Boys of Summer, I fell in love with Chris in That One Summer.
“Do you ever feel like you have so much to say, but you just don’t know how to say it?”
The romance was sexy as! I loved the build-up that Duggan created with the glances, flirting and light touches. She also writes steamy scenes like no other, filled with longing, desire and passion. Duggan teases, taunts and hints at what could be, all the while leaving the reader reeling from the possibilities.
“I desperately wanted to reach out to him, to bring my shaking hands up and slide them over his shoulders, to press skin to skin, drawing him near and crushing against him, like the stirrings of wave slamming into rocks.”
Duggan knows just what everybody wants: to see all our favourite characters from previous books again! The whole ensemble from the previous books make their way to 2000 and seeing everyone again just made me really happy. Each of the characters/couples had their own subplot; whether it was the addition of new characters, couples continuing in their bliss, or the trials they had to overcome, That One Summer had it all. The subplots made it a great way to see more into the lives of the crew, and of course, made headway for future books!
“You know more than anyone that I am never one to love for the sake of being in love, but I love because of you.”
There’s nothing overly complicated or angsty about the plot, but it’s a road trip of self-discovery, love and friendship. Duggan intertwines the various subplots with Chris and Tammy’s story, set against the gorgeous back drop of Australian scenery – from highway, through the bush, to beaches and resorts. And as the clock strikes ever closer to January 1, 2000, will everybody get their happily-ever-after? And will Chris and Tammy find it in each other to see their feelings? This is that one summer you won’t want to miss – sweet, sexy and topped off with that serene laidback vibe that only comes with an Aussie YA.
“… We hoped for our lives to change in some way from this night on.”
---
THAT ONE SUMMER will be released December 17
The Boys of Summer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13562232-the-boys-of-summer
An Endless Summer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16301141-an-endless-summer
An Endless Summer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16301141-an-endless-summer
About CJ Duggan
C.J Duggan is the number one bestselling Australian author of the Summer Series! C.J lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia. When she isn’t writing books about swoony boys and 90’s pop culture you will find her renovating her hundred-year-old Victorian homestead or annoying her local travel agent for a quote to escape the chaos.Novels in the Summer Series includes: The Boys of Summer (2012), An Endless Summer (2013) and the highly anticipated, soon to be released That One Summer (2013).
Find her at the following places
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cj-Duggan-Author/207724915934429 Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJ_Duggan
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779034.C_J_Duggan
Giveaway
As part of the tour, there will be an international tour wide giveaway.1. ONE WINNER will receive a SIGNED PAPERBACK copy of the ENTIRE SUMMER SERIES
2. THREE WINNERS will receive EBOOK copies of the ENTIRE SUMMER SERIES
3. FOUR WINNERS will receive an EBOOK COPY of THAT ONE SUMMER
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