Showing posts with label C.J. Duggan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label C.J. Duggan. Show all posts

Monday, February 24, 2014

Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway- That One Summer by C.J. Duggan

Hi, guys! I am excited to be a part of the That One Summer Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. This series is all you ask of summer- fun and flirty! Let's get on to the post I have for you as part of my stop on the tour. The entire tour schedule can be found here. There's some basics on the series and the books to come (which sound so cool). 





BOOK LINKS: 




ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

 C.J Duggan is a Number One Best Selling Australian Author who 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. 
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her highly successful Mature Young Adult Romance Series.

AUTHOR LINKS: 


GOODREADS SUMMARY:

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.



Summer series: 


REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of That One Summer by C.J. Duggan in exchange for an honest review. We thank C.J for the book! 

I was pleasantly surprised by That One Summer since it turned out to be a pretty fun and nice read, especially when compared to the first two books of C.J. Duggan's Summer seriesThe Boys of Summer and An Endless Summer respectively. The cover of this book, first and foremost, is the prettiest cover in the series! I love the naughtiness it portrays and it fits the characters perfectly. 

The reason why I really liked this book is because, unlike the first book protagonist Tess but a little similar to the second book protagonist Amy, the protagonist in the third book, Tamara Maskala, even though she had her share of emotional outbursts and petty misunderstandings, was a matured and smart girl. We had met Tammy in the previous books and even though I don't remember much about her personality from before, what I read in her own words in this one made me like her. She was great to have around and it was a joy to read from her funny and sensible point of view. 

Tammy's love interest in That One Summer is the very cool, mysterious, moody and utterly sexy Chris Henderson. Even though I liked Toby and Sean from the first two books, I like Chris the most. He could be cute when he wanted, charming when it was needed, smart-ass when he was in the mood and sweet when he was himself. I really liked getting to know him, but I felt that somewhere, there was something hiding underneath his cocky, quiet and stoic exterior which wasn't taken up at all. 

It was amazing to see the silent chemistry between Tammy and Chris which started from the very beginning and there were just enough sizzling scenes to add spice. The two didn't have any issues or problems, individually or together, but then again, that's what summer books are about. They're about having a blast and unexpectedly stumbling upon something that could possibly be everything. And it fit the two lovers perfectly. 

In That One Summer, the Onslow Boys plan a New Year trip for themselves which, by some silly turn of events even has the girls on it as well. I enjoyed reading about all the people we've met in the previous books and it was nice to have updates on them and their relationships. From Tess and Toby to Amy and Sean to Ellie and Adam, it was lovely to see the gang together and ending the year 1999 and welcoming the new millennium on a confused, romantic and fun filled note. Honestly, this book wasn't as dragged as the previous books in the series which made it a fantastic read that was packed with fun.

RATING:


GIVEAWAY: 

There's a cool giveaway for you! And its's INT. One winner will get e-books of the first three books in the series, i.e, The Boys of Summer, An Endless Summer and That One Summer. Trust me, this is a series you want to read, so go ahead and participate. May the odds be ever in your favour! But please read the text below provided by the tour hosts. 

 RULES AND RESTRICTIONS: 
Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond  or another winner’s name will be selected. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That's all there is for now! I hope you loved reading this post just as much I loved having it up. I'd like to thank YA Bound and C.J for letting us be part of this fun tour! Thank you, readers, for stopping by! 







Review- That One Summer by C.J. Duggan

Goodreads Summary:

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.


Summer series: 


REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of That One Summer by C.J. Duggan in exchange for an honest review. We thank C.J for the book! 

I was pleasantly surprised by That One Summer since it turned out to be a pretty fun and nice read, especially when compared to the first two books of C.J. Duggan's Summer series, The Boys of Summer and An Endless Summer respectively. The cover of this book, first and foremost, is the prettiest cover in the series! I love the naughtiness it portrays and it fits the characters perfectly. 

The reason why I really liked this book is because, unlike the first book protagonist Tess but a little similar to the second book protagonist Amy, the protagonist in the third book, Tamara Maskala, even though she had her share of emotional outbursts and petty misunderstandings, was a matured and smart girl. We had met Tammy in the previous books and even though I don't remember much about her personality from before, what I read in her own words in this one made me like her. She was great to have around and it was a joy to read from her funny and sensible point of view. 

Tammy's love interest in That One Summer is the very cool, mysterious, moody and utterly sexy Chris Henderson. Even though I liked Toby and Sean from the first two books, I like Chris the most. He could be cute when he wanted, charming when it was needed, smart-ass when he was in the mood and sweet when he was himself. I really liked getting to know him, but I felt that somewhere, there was something hiding underneath his cocky, quiet and stoic exterior which wasn't taken up at all. 

It was amazing to see the silent chemistry between Tammy and Chris which started from the very beginning and there were just enough sizzling scenes to add spice. The two didn't have any issues or problems, individually or together, but then again, that's what summer books are about. They're about having a blast and unexpectedly stumbling upon something that could possibly be everything. And it fit the two lovers perfectly. 

In That One Summer, the Onslow Boys plan a New Year trip for themselves which, by some silly turn of events even has the girls on it as well. I enjoyed reading about all the people we've met in the previous books and it was nice to have updates on them and their relationships. From Tess and Toby to Amy and Sean to Ellie and Adam, it was lovely to see the gang together and ending the year 1999 and welcoming the new millennium on a confused, romantic and fun filled note. Honestly, this book wasn't as dragged as the previous books in the series which made it a fantastic read that was packed with fun.

RATING:


Friday, July 19, 2013

Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway- An Endless Summer by C.J. Duggan

Welcome to our stop on the An Endless Summer Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. You can check out the full tour schedule here
Before we move onto our post, I'd like to thank author C.J. Duggan and Nereyda for letting us be part of the tour! 


An Endless Summer (Summer #2)
Release Date: 07/17/13


GOODREADS SUMMARY:

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. 

BOOK LINKS (GOODREADS) :


AN ENDLESS SUMMER ON AMAZON: 


THE BOYS OF SUMMER IS ON SALE:


The Boys of Summer is on sale right now and you can get you copy for just $0.99 or .99c. Grab you copy by clicking the following Amazon button or the respective links! 



AUTHOR BIO:

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.


AUTHOR LINKS:  photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of An Endless Summer by author C.J. Duggan in exchange for an honest review. We thank C.J for the book! 

Although I had many problems with the MC in the first book of the Summer seriesThe Boys Of Summer, I really enjoyed the story as it was fun and flirty- an almost perfect summer read. You can find my review of it here
When I started the second book, An Endless Summer, I had a feeling I won't quite enjoy it as much as the first one and I had problems with the MC here as well. However, as the book progressed, I was hoping things would go a certain way and when they did go the way I wanted them to go, I as good as fell in love with the story. The best part about this book, unlike book #1, was that there was a lot of other stuff involved other than just romance. 
In An Endless Summer, daughter of the publican Mr. Henderson, Amy, who nearly drowns herself and is saved by Sean Murphy and returns from an all girls boarding school, is back in town, only to be greeted by a rather dense and fallen Onslow Hotel. She knows how much the hotel means to the Henderson family and decides to work hard to get it back in shape without her dad knowing anything about the same. Little does Amy know about her mum's plans regarding the hotel. 
As an MC, I admit that Amy worked hard to get things back on track and she was a good enough girl as well. I did feel that she wasn't contributing a lot as compared to the others. I liked how she didn't make boys the center of her thoughts unlike Tess in the first book. Amy balanced her hotel life and love life quite well. It's just that I felt bored reading her point of view until the Onslow boys and the gang from The Boys Of Summer came along. 
It was nice to meet Sean, Tess, Toby, Stan, Chris, Adam and Ellie again. They brought in a lot of colour and cheer and took Onslow to a new level altogether with their dedication and loyalty towards it. I loved Adam in the first book as a best friend and in this one again, I loved him as a cousin brother. I really hope that the third book, That One Summer is his book. 
Amy's love interest Sean Murphy was a fab guy. I liked him a lot in the first book as well and in this one, I liked him even more. He was such kid and a gentleman at the same time and I loved getting to know him better. He and Amy had the sparks going on from the initial pages itself and I really loved how Sean tried to express his feelings. His romance was unique and quite fun as well. 
Author C.J. Duggan's writing is smooth again and has a nice flow. It's very easy to read her books as they're full of sweet things. An Endless Summer was an enjoyable read that ended in the way I hoped for it to end and it left me smiling for a long time after I'd closed the book. 

RATING:


GIVEAWAY:

Enter to win one paperback copy of either The Boys Of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT) and 5 e-copies of An Endless Summer (INT again). 


Thank you for stopping by! 


Review- An Endless Summer by C.J. Duggan

Goodreads Summary:

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.


REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of An Endless Summer by author C.J. Duggan in exchange for an honest review. We thank C.J for the book! 

Although I had many problems with the MC in the first book of the Summer series, The Boys Of Summer, I really enjoyed the story as it was fun and flirty- an almost perfect summer read. You can find my review of it here
When I started the second book, An Endless Summer, I had a feeling I won't quite enjoy it as much as the first one and I had problems with the MC here as well. However, as the book progressed, I was hoping things would go a certain way and when they did go the way I wanted them to go, I as good as fell in love with the story. The best part about this book, unlike book #1, was that there was a lot of other stuff involved other than just romance. 
In An Endless Summer, daughter of the publican Mr. Henderson, Amy, who nearly drowns herself and is saved by Sean Murphy and returns from an all girls boarding school, is back in town, only to be greeted by a rather dense and fallen Onslow Hotel. She knows how much the hotel means to the Henderson family and decides to work hard to get it back in shape without her dad knowing anything about the same. Little does Amy know about her mum's plans regarding the hotel. 
As an MC, I admit that Amy worked hard to get things back on track and she was a good enough girl as well. I did feel that she wasn't contributing a lot as compared to the others. I liked how she didn't make boys the center of her thoughts unlike Tess in the first book. Amy balanced her hotel life and love life quite well. It's just that I felt bored reading her point of view until the Onslow boys and the gang from The Boys Of Summer came along. 
It was nice to meet Sean, Tess, Toby, Stan, Chris, Adam and Ellie again. They brought in a lot of colour and cheer and took Onslow to a new level altogether with their dedication and loyalty towards it. I loved Adam in the first book as a best friend and in this one again, I loved him as a cousin brother. I really hope that the third book, That One Summer is his book. 
Amy's love interest Sean Murphy was a fab guy. I liked him a lot in the first book as well and in this one, I liked him even more. He was such kid and a gentleman at the same time and I loved getting to know him better. He and Amy had the sparks going on from the initial pages itself and I really loved how Sean tried to express his feelings. His romance was unique and quite fun as well. 
Author C.J. Duggan's writing is smooth again and has a nice flow. It's very easy to read her books as they're full of sweet things. An Endless Summer was an enjoyable read that ended in the way I hoped for it to end and it left me smiling for a long time after I'd closed the book. 

RATING:




Saturday, July 13, 2013

Review- The Boys Of Summer by C. J. Duggan

Goodreads Summary:

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.


REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of The Boys Of Summer by C.J. Duggan in exchange for an honest review. We thank C.J for the book! 

I was really looking forward to reading author C.J. Duggan'The Boys Of Summer. A typical summer book, it was a nice and light hearted read that was all about planning to make the oncoming summer a memorable one and enjoying it to the fullest with the additional sprinkle of some pretty unexpected and sweet things. Tess McGee and her best friend Ellie set out to make the summer they have going on the best summer of their lives by introducing the Operation Go With The Flow plan and they have the time of their lives putting it into action. 
While I really enjoyed this story about first love and summer flings, I had some problems with the protagonist, Tess McGee. I remember laughing at my buddy Tanja when she said that these kids are young and they eventually grow up in her review of the book. Now I know how right she was and what she meant. Tess was a nice, regular girl overall, but God! She acted like everyone around her lived a happening life when in reality, her life was far more happening than theirs with all the boys all around her. I could totally understand her confusion, dilemma and excess thinking about boys. But at a certain point, when she began lying to her parents and changing which was more like going with the times for her, it got too much. Also, I really didn't see the point in her being so concerned about her young age when in the end, she ended up doing what she wanted anyways. 
Tess takes up a summer job with her best friends Adam and Ellie at the Onslaw restaurant where the Onslaw boys frequent. Adam and Ellie were fabulous best friends! While Adam added a lot of fun and humour, Ellie added lots of drama and girly gossip and all these went into making The Boys Of Summer an entertaining read. I loved the friendship between Adam, Ellie and Tess. They had their share of fights and misunderstanding but they got through it all smoothly. 
The Onslaw boys were really quite typical but totally swoon worthy at the same time. They were funny, kind and smart. Tess' love interest Toby was really good and the two, with a lot of fanfare and flourish, grew to be nice couple. 
Author C.J. Duggan's writing had a nice flow to it and she made Tess' voice seem so real and natural. I really enjoyed The Boys Of Summer. What you feel as your first love becomes a summer fling and your summer fling actually ends up being your first love and that's probably the sweetest thing that could happen and the book leaves you with an epilogue that makes you smile. Keep this book in mind for when you're on the lookout for something light, fun, flirty and enjoyable. 

RATING: