by C.J. Duggan
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: 07/17/13
Format Acquired: eARC from author (thanks!)
Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada
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.
I didn't think it was possible to think the first book in a series was just okay but end up liking the sequel so much. I'm biased when I say this book is really good because Sean's my favorite character in The Boys of Summer and I really wanted to see his story continue. And boy I wasn't disappointed. I got all the Sean Murphy awesomeness I was craving for and a new found appreciation for everyone and everything else in Onslow.
When I saw that Amy's the love interest in this one, I was so curious as to how things would work between her and Sean. I neither liked nor disliked Amy in the first book. She was the kid, the publican's daughter (which she hates being called) that everyone knew. I just felt meh about her existence, basically. I was interested in seeing whether or not their pairing was believable. The story started out with Amy contemplating on her parents 2nd chance at making their marriage work and how this affected her. She needed an escape for the summer and this led her back to the Onslow Hotel. Much to her dismay, it wasn't the same place she grew up in. This is where the fun begins. Every time Amy attempted to save the pub by herself, Sean would swoop in and help her. He brought the gang with him and everything seemed like what it was four summers back. I really liked that there was this sense of familiarity when Tess, Ellie, Ringer, Toby and Stan were back in Onslow. They brought the same humor and warmth to the story. It made me care about what happens to the hotel because I felt like I actually knew these people. I especially liked when they started helping out with saving the hotel and they were in on Sean's plans. Amy was quite stubborn at first, refusing to accept all the free help Sean offered. One of my favorite light moments was when Amy started asking around where all the cans of paint came from, everyone answered with the same silly it-fell-off-the-back-of-a-truck story which obviously Sean came up with. It not only showed how much Sean cared for Amy but it also showed how tight their group was.
Sean was still the same cocky player he was when he was in his early 20's. Except now, he's met his match. I liked how their relationship started. I felt like it was one of those I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun (*sigh* Darcy) love stories. There really wasn't this grand declaration of feelings where the light bulb clicks and you realize just how much they've fallen for each other. Well, Sean did do this sweet gesture towards the end to let Amy know exactly how he felt about her but by then you basically knew that they weren't playing around anymore. Everything happened gradually. They started flirting with each other, trying to beat the other at the little game they played but you could totally see how smitten they are with each other! I love the banters between them, their casual conversations and everything else in between. So was their relationship believable? Definitely.
In the end, I found myself suddenly attached to the whole series. I learned to love the whole gang and the summer town of Onslow. Now I couldn't get enough of their stories. The first book didn't quite do the trick, but An Endless Summer did. It's light, humorous and sweet. I rarely say this about summer reads but THIS is one book that's perfect for the season.
My Rating:
(Refer to rating system)
Purchase your copy today!
About the author
C.J. Duggan
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.
CONTACT INFORMATION
GIVEAWAY
Prizes:
1 Signed paperback copy of either The Boys of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT)
5 ebook copies of The Boys of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT).
No comments:
Post a Comment