That One Summer Blog Tour

 

That One Summer
Author: DJ Duggan
Publication Date: December 17, 2013

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.

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Excerpt

“So what do you think?” Chris stood with his elbow leaning casually on the open door of his jet black panel van. He looked up at me expectantly. “Pretty sweet ride, huh?” 

“If you’re a serial killer,” I said, cautiously descending the steps.

Chris’s head snapped around with surprise, his eyes almost as dark as the van itself. He slammed the car door and folded his arms, glowering at me as I approached.

“I’ll have you know, Toby and I have spent the better part of six months fixing this old girl up.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Really?”

“It’s got a 308 and a four barrel carby.”

“Why, it could be grease lightning,” I smirked.

I didn’t think a death stare could vary in so many ways, but Chris had mastered a variety of pissed-off stares like no other. The one he was now casting me was a whole new level of anger.

Oops.

I cleared my throat and looked away, suddenly super aware that the last thing I should do was alienate my ride, but then the thought did occur to me: did I want to be trapped in a car with Chris Henderson for three days? Three long, insufferable days – could I subject myself to any more death stares, sneers, scoffs and deep sighs? Maybe I would be doing myself a favour if I gave him good reason to leave me behind. Before I fully acclimated to the idea, my attention was snapped back to the present and the duffle bag that landed at my feet.

I frowned toward the verandah where Chris had moved and was readying himself to turf my other bag down.

“Hey! Watch it,” I snapped. “You might break something.” It was a possibility, though I didn’t know exactly what. Maybe Mum had slipped in a crockery set? Who could honestly guess?

“Let me guess,” Chris said with a smirk as he slung my beach bag over his shoulder and trotted down the steps. “Hairdryer?” He threw a cocky smile and grazed my shoulder as he passed, heading for the van. My eyes burned into his back as he opened the double doors to chuck in my bag. He turned to me expectantly, his hand out for me to pass him the duffle. I snatched it up, trying not to let the strain of its weight show as I lugged it over and carefully placed it into the back. I attempted to, anyway. With a rather inelegant lack of grace, I hitched it up onto my knee, trying to be all cool and casual, as if I was totally in control …

I so wasn’t.

Chris plucked it from me as if the bag weighed nothing and turfed it into the back.

“Careful!”

“Relax, it landed on the mattress.”

Mattress?

I peered into the back. Sure enough, a mattress lined the whole floor up to the front bucket seats. The windows were blacked out and the inside walls were lined with black carpet. Oh, ick. All it needed was some leopard-print cushions and a disco ball.

It would seem that black was a common theme throughout Chris’s van, and the colour matched his mood.

Chris slammed the back shut. Viewing time was over.

I half expected him to say, “Let’s get this show on the road,” or “We’re burning daylight,” but instead I got a rather lackluster, “Get in.”

Yep! Three long days.

Review

This series is the perfect summer read no matter what time of the year it is! That One Summer is set in Australia so while I’m looking out the window at a few inches of Midwestern snow the Onslow crew is sunning, swimming, and ringing in the New Year with a bang!

Tammy Maskala is new to the Onslow crew and in a lot of ways she feels like a third wheel. Tammy is insecure about her position in the group and when the Onslow Boys decide to go on a New Years trip she tries to back out and ends up being forced to ride with Chris Henderson, the quiet, brooding, new co-owner of the Onslow Hotel.

I immediately liked the relationship that develops between Tammy and Chris. Both of them feel like outsiders, hanging out with the group but also still apart from it. It seemed natural that these two would gravitate toward one another. I loved that right up until the end you weren’t really sure if things were going to work out between them. Both characters are so guarded it was hard to tell who would cave first and admit their feelings.

One of my favorite things about this series is seeing characters who have previous had their own stories reappear. I like getting to know a character from a different angle. It always surprises me the difference between how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. It’s fun to explore that in the summer series. Both Tess and Amy play big roles in the story.

I also liked how the relationship between Ellie and Adam was set up. The next novel in the series is their story and I CAN. NOT. WAIT. Ellie and Adam are totally scene stealers and I can only imagine how their personalities are going to grow and change when they have their own book. I have a feeling it is going to be a lot of fun.

The Summer Series has been one of my favorites this year. I love returning to Onslow. There is a camaraderie that develops between the characters and the reader and I now feel like I’m a part of the Onslow crew. Make sure to read this series, it is light, fun, and sexy. The perfect summer read year round!

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).

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That One Summer Blog Tour