Blog tour - That One Summer (Summer #3) by C.J Duggan

Hi everyone, today I am pleased to be participating in the blog tour for That One Summer by C.J Duggan hosted by The Three Bookateers!

To see the full tour schedule click HERE

Author: C.J Duggan

Release Date: Dec. 17, 2013

Series: Summer
Genre: New Adult - Contemporary Romance
Pages: 321
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I loved the first two books in the Summer series, The Boys of Summer and An Endless Summer so I was eager to read Chris and Tammy’s story in That One Summer.

Tammy Maskala feels like a bit of an outsider when it comes to the Onslow gang, introverted and lacking in confidence she is Amy’s best friend who likes to blend in to the background but as we get to know her we find out what a sensitive, sweetheart she is.

Chris Henderson has always been a bit of a broody mystery with attitude but I have always been intrigued by him; we haven’t learnt a lot about this smexy bartender in the previous novels besides that he is a bit of a controlling grouch so I was pleasantly surprised to learn a lot more about him. He was actually quite charming and extremely caring towards those closest to him which isn’t what I expected, I found myself really liking his character.

The story-line follows the close knit group as they decide to celebrate NYE out of Onslow with a camping trip. The road trip to get there is where the most fun happens as Tammy and Chris travel together and get to know one another on a different level, it was at times quite intense but hilarious at others, CJ Duggan writes great witty one-liners and entertaining dialogue, it flowed naturally which I enjoyed and the slow build-up to the romance I found to be really sweet.

I think we learnt a lot more about the side characters from the previous books on a deeper level in this installment, this is something I felt was previously lacking so it was nice to get additional tidbits and to carry on their stories which really showcased the amazing friendships this group share; I was surprised by the tension between Toby and Tess. I have always loved Adam so I am really eager to read his and Ellie's book which is up next.

I adore this series, it comes without the unnecessary drama and trouble you tend to find in NA novels; being an Aussie the setting is always wonderful as is CJ Duggan’s writing which had me mesmerised from the very first page.

Overall, That One Summer is a wonderful addition to the series that shows us amazing friendships, sweet romance, lovable characters with a satisfying HEA.

The Summer Series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/92873-summer

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

BUY LINKS

      Amazon Links:

Australia     |     US     |     UK     |     Canada

Apple (iTunes) Links:

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Kobo

Excerpt:

“Guess we better not muck around then.” Even in the night-time shadows I could tell that amusement lined his face; I could tell simply by the way the words had fallen off his tongue. They were tauntingly suggestive.

If he thought it was funny to make me squirm under his penetrating stare, well, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

I lifted my chin. “Keep dreaming, Henderson. I’m not skinny dipping,” I said proudly. “I don’t care how secluded this place is.”

The light of the moon illuminated the brilliant flash of Chris’s toothy smile. “More’s the pity,” he said. “To be honest, I’ll be amazed if you even get in.” He walked right up to the edge of the pool.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I said quickly.

Chris stretched his arms to the sky. “You just don’t strike me as a girl who gets out of her comfort zone much.”

Comfort zone? My entire summer had been spent out of my comfort zone. This whole trip had been massively out of my comfort zone. But I had done it. Against all my better instincts, here I was. I had even been prepared to potentially do something last night with Chris that was completely out of character. I had wanted him to kiss me – everything in my body language had screamed as much at him. He would have to have been blind not to have understood that much last night, but he had known. Of course he had. Why else would he have spun around so fast other than to avoid me?

I felt not so much the burning of humiliation rising in me, but more the burning of anger.

He didn’t know anything about me. So what if I didn’t want to go skinny dipping? Just because I had some safety-related questions over the creepy, poorly lit, abandoned pool, I was a girl who never pushed the boundaries?

That never went against the grain? F*ck you, Chris Henderson.

My brows narrowed and all of a sudden I hoped that I was illuminated well enough that he’d see just how angry his statement had made me.

I pushed past Chris, my feet slapping angrily against the cool, wet concrete as I glanced out toward the massive pool.

“You don’t have to, you know,” Chris said, looking uncomfortable. “I just thought that it was kind of a cool place to bring you after a long trip.”

Oh, now he was trying to be nice and supportive? Underneath the glow of the pool light, I stood close enough to count all the different shades of brown in his eyes, eyes that ticked across my face as if trying to solve the mysteries of the universe through me. Then they lit up, as if at that very moment he had realised what my determined, serious gaze meant.

“Tammy, wait …”

It was too late. In an act of defiance, as he reached out toward me, without a second thought I dived into the water.

About the author: 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).

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

Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads

INTERNATIONAL RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

As part of the tour, there will be an international tour wide giveaway. Prizes include

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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a Rafflecopter giveaway