Paris Lights - Review

Paris Lights (Heart of the City, # 1)

By: CJ Duggan

Publication: December 1st 2016

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--'You're breaking up with me!' He was silent. 'In Paris.' Eyes dropping. 'Under the Eiffel-[...]-Tower!' I screamed.

Twenty-five-year-old Claire Shorten had looked forward to spending a romantic weekend in Paris for as long as she could remember, and now it was here - three blissful days of strolling through cobbled streets arm-in-arm with her beloved, eating copious amounts of baked goods and soaking up the culture through each and every pore of her body. Well, at least, that was how she'd pictured it . . .

Even after her boyfriend dumps her rather unceremoniously in the most romantic place on earth, Claire is determined not to give up on her dream altogether - with or without a boyfriend. She finds herself a job in the kitchen of a small hotel; Michelin-starred it most certainly is not, but somehow Claire makes a place for herself amidst the dirty dishes and the foreign misfits who run the place.

When the restaurant attracts the attention of the enigmatic - if not slightly terrifying - tycoon Louis Delarue, and Claire manages to survive his high-powered business luncheon from hell, she knows that she can survive anything, surely. But all bets are off when Louis makes a game-changing decision: he's coming back for a second course . . .

I picked up Paris Lights because I'd just read three fantasy books--two of which were extremely slow paced and took me the majority of the month to read. I wanted something that would hook me and that I could read quickly. And that's exactly what happened. I read the first 30% and then basically finished the rest of the book the next day.

The description is a little deceiving. Claire does get dumped by her boyfriend, and she does find a job in the kitchen of a small hotel. But the hotel is more the focus than the kitchen. And Claire pitches in all over the hotel, from manning the reception desk to washing dishes. But the reason Claire pitches in is because the hotel needs saving and Cecile (the owner/manager) gave her a place to stay when her boyfriend dumped her and she decided to stay in Paris. Cecile has managed to get one of those reality TV shows--think Restaurant Impossible or Kitchen Nightmares or I guess Hotel Impossible if such a show existed--to help her save the hotel.

And like Robert Irvine or Gordon Ramsay, Louis Delarue has a tough outer shell. Louis tends to come into a hotel or restaurant and rip the food, accommodations, and staff to pieces. Most people seem to be terrified of him. The problem is that he expects perfection. He has high standards of people. It takes a lot to earn his respect, but when you've gotten it you know that you've earned it. Of course this doesn't sit well with all people and Claire starts off with an intense dislike of Louis. Sure he's attractive physically, but not the way he treats people. And so she challenges him to behave differently. The problem is...she only sees what's on the surface. Beneath is a passionate and generous man. I really appreciated how Claire's opinion of Louis changed rather slowly. And they built their relationship upon shared experiences rather than physical attraction. Of course things do get physical, and CJ Duggan was fairly graphic when things got there. Yet overall there weren't many scenes in the book of this nature.

I felt like some pieces could have been explained better. Like how and why Louis ended up choosing the Hotel Trocadero as one of his project hotels in the first place. Claire's actual duties in the hotel and with the project were vague at best and could have been flushed out more. Just a few issues like that. The only highlights I made were a couple of overused phrases.

Overall, Paris Lights was exactly what I expected--a quick, fun, light read. I read the first 30% quickly and was hooked after that. There was some language and physical scenes, but neither were excessive throughout the book. Paris Lights gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Paris Lights? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Paris Lights

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Paris Lights (Heart of the City, # 1)

By: CJ Duggan

Expected Publication: December 1st 2016

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--'You're breaking up with me!' He was silent. 'In Paris.' Eyes dropping. 'Under the Eiffel-[...]-Tower!' I screamed.

Twenty-five-year-old Claire Shorten had looked forward to spending a romantic weekend in Paris for as long as she could remember, and now it was here - three blissful days of strolling through cobbled streets arm-in-arm with her beloved, eating copious amounts of baked goods and soaking up the culture through each and every pore of her body. Well, at least, that was how she'd pictured it . . .

Even after her boyfriend dumps her rather unceremoniously in the most romantic place on earth, Claire is determined not to give up on her dream altogether - with or without a boyfriend. She finds herself a job in the kitchen of a small hotel; Michelin-starred it most certainly is not, but somehow Claire makes a place for herself amidst the dirty dishes and the foreign misfits who run the place.

When the restaurant attracts the attention of the enigmatic - if not slightly terrifying - tycoon Louis Delarue, and Claire manages to survive his high-powered business luncheon from hell, she knows that she can survive anything, surely. But all bets are off when Louis makes a game-changing decision: he's coming back for a second course . . .

I've really enjoyed CJ Duggan's books in the past, so I'm looking forward to this new series. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten Books with Less Than 2000 Ratings on Goodreads

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books with Less Than 2000 Ratings on Goodreads.

I was honestly surprised at the amount of books on my read shelf that had less than 2000 ratings.

1. Surviving Ice (Burying Water, # 4) by KA Tucker (4 Stars)
2. The Fall by Bethany Griffin (4 Stars)
3. Red (True Reign, # 2) by Jennifer Anne Davis (4.5 Stars)
4. An Endless Summer (Summer, # 2) by CJ Duggan (4 Stars)
5. That One Summer (Summer, # 3) by CJ Duggan (4 Stars)
6. The Secrets of Attraction by Robin Constantine (4 Stars)
7. Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark (4 Stars)
8. Truest by Jackie Lea Sommers (5 Stars)
9. Push: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve by Chalene Johnson (5 Stars)
10. Praying the Names of Jesus: A Daily Guide by Ann Spangler (4 Stars)

Forever Summer - Review

Forever Summer (Summer, # 4)

By: CJ Duggan

Published: December 29th 2015 by Smashwords Edition

204 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--You see there’s this boy.
He makes me smile, forces me to listen, serenades me out of tune and keeps me sane, all the while driving me insane. He's really talented like that. But for the first time in since, well, forever, things are about to change. The question is, how much am I willing to lose in order to potentially have it all?

I have been waiting on Forever Summer for quite some time. Obviously Ellie and Adam have both been pretty main characters since book 1, The Boys of Summer, as they are both best friends with Tess. In The Boys of Summer Ellie and Stan started dating. I was surprised to see them go their separate ways as the books progressed but was pleasantly surprised to see Ellie and Adam draw towards each other. I do so love a best friends-turned-more story.

Ellie is a party girl. She's been known to get trashed. And even though we found out in The Boys of Summer that they're mostly not true, Ellie's always had rumors going around about how easy she is. That being said, Ellie's probably the character I related to the least, but wanted her happy ending the most. Ellie definitely isn't a perfect character. She has a habit of being way too much in her own head and a bit self absorbed. But it's easy to not be concerned with the goings on of others when they're not open with you about what actually is going on with them.

Adam apparently has a lot on his plate. Yet this is one of those situations where everyone around him knows the deal but Ellie. He's hanging out with an ex-girlfriend a lot. And he's been kind of sketchy when it comes to being there for Ellie like he used to be. I wish there had been more discussion about Adam's military involvement, but I guess since Adam wasn't actually narrating and that would have been time spent away from Ellie it makes sense that it wasn't really a focus of this book.

I wasn't thrilled about the flashbacks and diary sections of Forever Summer, but I guess I can see why they were central to the story. Necessary to understand all of Adam and Ellie's history.

Forever Summer reminds me of the CJ Duggan writing that I prefer and enjoy. I didn't enjoy the Paradise series that she did near as much. The pacing was pretty quick and I found that I didn't want to put Forever Summer down even when I had to. I will say that considering Ellie's history, I was impressed with how non-graphic Forever Summer was. Yet the amount of f-bombs were above and beyond. I'm not sure if that's a cultural thing or what, but I've found this to be the case in most of her books.

When all is said and done, I've really enjoyed the Summer series. Forever Summer might be my least favorite in the series, but considering how highly I've rated the others that's not too much of a surprise. I still feel like Forever Summer deserves 4 Stars. Have you read Forever Summer? What did you think? Let me know!

Paradise Road - Review

Paradise Road (Paradise, # 2)

By: CJ Duggan

Published: November 22nd 2015 by Hachette Australia

336 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In the sequel to CJ Duggan's PARADISE CITY Lexie Atkinson discovers that the road back to Paradise is never easy . . .

More than anything, seventeen-year-old Lexie Atkinson wants to move forward with her life, but she can't seem to shake free of the heart-pounding memories of Paradise High. Back on her parents' property in rural Victoria, she thought she'd left behind the glitzy, gritty nightlife of the big city and the group of misfit friends she'd loved to hate, but she soon realises that in order to move forward, there's something she must do first ...

Lexie's going back to Paradise City to face the boy who stole her heart.

Lexie arrives in Paradise City eager to determine if her future includes bad-boy surfer, Luke Ballantine, but Luke is nowhere to be found. Determined not to lose her drive, she focuses on the positive - her amazing new apartment and a chance to try her hand at slinging drinks for the wild partygoers of Paradise City. But when Dean Saville, the owner and broody boss of the Wipe Out Bar, starts stirring more than just her drinks Lexie's future seems less cut and dry; and when Luke barrels back into town, Lexie is forced to choose between her head and her heart.

Basically, I've loved CJ Duggan's work in the past, but Paradise City left me unimpressed. I really struggled with Lexie as a character. She was whiny, overly dramatic, inconsistent between thought and action, and very immature. I had a hard time buying the romance between Lexie and Ballantine as it didn't seem to be built upon any substance. (As a complete side note, I HATE how Lexie calls him Ballantine like his friends, rather than Luke since that's his first name. It never felt right to me.) And while I guess I liked Luke the best of the two of them, even he had moments that frustrated me when he was overly sensitive and wouldn't give Lexie the chance to explain. That being said, when I saw that Paradise Road really seems to build up the triangle between Lexie, Luke and Dean (Luke's half brother), I can't say I was overly excited. However, I needed to know how it would all end, and I wanted to see if CJ Duggan would bring Lexie into a character that I could support.

Well I have to say that I still struggled with Paradise Road. Lexie is still overly dramatic. She's still immature. She still overreacts. She has a really bad potty mouth. But even with all of that she was definitely better than she was in book 1. That just goes to show how much room for growth she truly had.

Since I was never really sold on Lexie's relationship with "Ballantine", I wasn't sure whether I was rooting for Luke or for Dean. Dean is one of those leading males that's often mean to the main female. He's older than Lexie, but at the same time, at least these two had interactions of more substance than she had with Luke. So I ended up rooting for him.

What surprises me the most is that it really feels like CJ Duggan's writing has taken as step back from her Summer series which was self-published initially (**I believe**). I truly hate to say that. I didn't have thoughts of "bad" writing continuously while reading--only moments here and there.

Favorite quote:

-"If he doesn't believe you, trust you, then you have nothing."

I will say that I read Paradise Road quickly. I wanted to keep reading it even if I couldn't fully get excited about the characters. I didn't love the writing in this one even though I still feel like CJ Duggan will be an author that I support for many books to come! (PLEASE PUBLISH FOREVER SUMMER ASAP!) That being said, I think my review of Paradise Road is coming off more negative than I felt. I still enjoyed it overall. I just know CJ Duggan can do better. Paradise Road gets 3 Stars. Have you read Paradise Road? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Paradise Road

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Paradise Road (Paradise, # 2)

By: CJ Duggan

Expected Publication: August 28th 2015 by Hachette Australia

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In the sequel to CJ Duggan's PARADISE CITY Lexie Atkinson discovers that the road back to Paradise is never easy . . .

More than anything, seventeen-year-old Lexie Atkinson wants to move forward with her life, but she can't seem to shake free of the heart-pounding memories of Paradise High. Back on her parents' property in rural Victoria, she thought she'd left behind the glitzy, gritty nightlife of the big city and the group of misfit friends she'd loved to hate, but she soon realises that in order to move forward, there's something she must do first ...

Lexie's going back to Paradise City to face the boy who stole her heart.

Lexie arrives in Paradise City eager to determine if her future includes bad-boy surfer, Luke Ballantine, but Luke is nowhere to be found. Determined not to lose her drive, she focuses on the positive - her amazing new apartment and a chance to try her hand at slinging drinks for the wild partygoers of Paradise City. But when Dean Saville, the owner and broody boss of the Wipe Out Bar, starts stirring more than just her drinks Lexie's future seems less cut and dry; and when Luke barrels back into town, Lexie is forced to choose between her head and her heart.

I've loved CJ Duggan's Summer series, but I can't say that I loved book 1, Paradise City, as much as I wanted to. I'm hoping this one will be better, but I'm a little wary.

Paradise City - Review

Paradise City (Paradise, # 1)

By: CJ Duggan

Published: April 28th 2015 by Hachette Australia

336 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--There's bound to be trouble in Paradise . . .

When her parents decide a change will be good for her, seventeen-year-old Lexie Atkinson never expected they'd send her all the way to Paradise City. Coming from a predictable life of home schooling on a rural Australian property, she's sure that Paradise will be amazing. But when she's thrust into a public school without a friendly face in sight, and forced to share a room with her insipid, hateful cousin Amanda, Lexie's not so sure.

Hanging out with the self-proclaimed beach bums of the city, sneaking out, late night parties and parking with boys are all things Lexie's never experienced, but all that's about to change. It's new, terrifying . . . and exciting. But when she meets Luke Ballantine, exciting doesn't even come close to describing her new life. Trouble with a capital T, Luke is impulsive, charming and answers to no one. The resident bad-boy leader of the group, he's sexier than any boy Lexie has ever known.

Amidst the stolen moments of knowing looks and heated touches, Lexie can't help but wonder if Luke is going to be good for her . . . or very, very bad?

My experience with CJ Duggan books up until Paradise City have all been very pleasant. I’ve read 3 of her books from the Summer series (The Boys of Summer, An Endless Summer, and That One Summer) and I cannot wait for the last book in the series to publish. So when I saw that she had a new series coming out, I knew that I wanted to jump on it.

The description of Paradise City had me thinking that Lexie was being sent off to boarding school. Maybe I assumed that because Amy from An Endless Summer was sent off to boarding school. But actually Lexie’s parents allow her to live with her aunt and uncle during the remainder of the school year. She’s a Junior (year eleven), and they wanted her to get acclimated and see if she likes the school before her senior year (year twelve). Amanda, her cousin, and Lexie used to be friends when they were younger, but when Lexie shows up and ends up sharing a room with Amanda, Lexie quickly sees that things aren’t as they used to be. Amanda thinks Lexie is going to cramp her style and so they start off with a rocky relationship.

Truthfully guys, I had a really hard time connecting in this book. I was 40, 50, maybe even 60% in before I really started getting hooked. The buildup and set up took a really long time, and for the first 40-50% nothing really happened. This was really disappointing to me considering my past experience with CJ Duggan’s books. Her other stories have all had a slow-burn romance, but none of them have waited so late for the action to begin.

On top of that, I had trouble connecting to Lexie herself. She pretty much develops a crush on Luke Ballantine immediately and based on looks alone. I mean she’s crushing major through 50% of the book with their biggest interaction being a few moments of eye contact and a borrowed pen. I told my sister that I remember being like that…..IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! Granted, Lexie comes from being homeschooled in an extremely rural area so I imagine male interaction was at an extreme minimum for her. But this was painful at times to go through with her. And so I essentially felt like there was no real basis for her feelings for Luke other than the fact that he was cute. Luke eventually wins me over when it comes to personality the more I experience of him as a reader, but the things I focused on weren’t really the major things that Lexie focused on—at least not when it came to developing her feelings.

Some quotes to back me up:

-It was then I wondered what had me so desperate to want to be around him, what was it about him that intrigued me more than anyone else?

See Lexie doesn’t even know why she likes him.

-…there was a happiness inside of me that bubbled to the surface, a ridiculous satisfaction knowing that my pen was participating in some small way.

Seriously? How old is she? “He’s touching my pen. The same pen that I will touch again later! Oh my! *swoon*” I’m not even sure I can say that I’m exaggerating here.

-I had hoped beyond measure that Amanda would speak of Ballantine’s undying infatuation with me….

Maybe Lexie was just a bit dramatic for me. I did notice that Lexie’s inner voice was often very timid and scared and lacking confidence, but this was at odds with her behavior. She often spoke and acted bold and risky. I know there’s probably a level of overcompensation to be accounted for, but more than feeling like she was overcompensating, I ended up feeling like her character was inconsistent.

In an attempt to draw Ballantine in and make him jealous and thus spark him into action towards claiming Lexie as his own, Lexie and her friend Laura plant a spark of rumor about Lexie hooking up with another guy. But they picked the one and only guy who Ballantine could have possibly believed capable. This was two-fold. It did in fact spark Ballantine to action, but it also planted a seed of doubt that he truly had difficulty overcoming.

In the end, Paradise City had a bit of a cliffhanger. I wasn’t expecting book 2, Paradise Road, to follow up on Lexie and Luke’s story. I was expecting to swap to one of the other couples—Amanda and Boon or even Laura and someone—like the Summer series did. But it looks like book 2 will definitely be a continuation of Luke and Lexie’s story. I can’t say that I loved Paradise City, but I was left wanting to know how it all ends, so I’ll definitely continue the series with hopes that the CJ Duggan I really enjoyed from the Summer series will be back in full force. Paradise City gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Paradise City? What did you think? Let me know!

That One Summer - Review

That One Summer (Summer, # 3)

By: CJ Duggan

Published: December 14th 2013 by Amazon Digital Services

349 pages

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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.

I have been absolutely enjoying this series. The Boys of Summer was such a pleasant surprise, and was followed up by an equally enjoyable An Endless Summer. I wasn’t as excited to see That One Summer was going to be about Chris or Tammy. Even though they’re reasonably likable side characters in the previous two books, there were other characters that I’d like to know their stories a bit more. But once I started getting into That One Summer Chris and Tammy became some of my favorites. Or at least Chris did.

Tammy is a little high strung. She obviously has some confidence issues. She’s anxious almost at all times. And she doesn’t feel like she fits in, but I felt like that was more in her own head than actually not fitting in. I can relate to Tammy a lot actually. Plus she’s made some lifestyle adjustments so that physical exercise is a big part of her life. I liked how CJ Duggan used that in places throughout That One Summer yet didn’t make the book feel like the entire story or all of Tammy’s changes were due to her physical exercise changes.

Chris didn’t come off to me as the description suggests. I guess there are times when he seems broody and moody, but mostly I think Chris is just a serious and quiet guy. He’s not the life of the party, but that’s totally fine with him. Not everyone can be. He felt genuine and honest. I still don’t have Chris completely figured out. I couldn’t predict his actions or his responses, but that didn’t matter. I enjoyed them anyway.

As happens from time to time, I feel like the description above is a bit misleading. Starting off the description with talking about how "loving Chris would be wrong but oh he can kiss" gave me the impression that Tammy experienced this knowledge prior to the start of the events within That One Summer and that’s not true. Tammy and Chris find themselves in a few situations together that start to spark some romantic tension. And so when they get stuck riding together to the group’s camping trip, it is to be expected that they both learn more about the other and begin to develop an attraction as well as a bond.

There was a section of this book that had Tammy jumping to some conclusions which caused her much mental stress. Obviously we all know what assumptions tend to do. This section wasn’t my favorite part because as an avid reader I know that any assumptions made without absolute fact or proof usually turn out false. But I did have a slight panic attack of “what if” going on at the same time.

Favorite quotes:

-Sometimes I wished I could just let go, just stress less and enjoy myself like the others, but I was always plagued with doubt, with worry. Afraid of not fitting in, which was ironic as I sabotaged every chance of fitting in by constantly stepping aside from everyone.

-I wanted to get to know him, the real him. I didn’t want to dismiss him in petty anger because he didn’t make a move last night…

-“You’re not as invisible as you think.”

That One Summer was an enjoyable read for me. I can’t wait to continue the series. I’m not happy that Stan and Ringer only have novellas, but I do hope to read those at some point. I had a few small frustrations, but I could relate to Tammy and Chris was simply a loveable character once I got to know him better. That One Summer gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read That One Summer? What did you think? Let me know!

An Endless Summer - Review

An Endless Summer (Summer, # 2)

By: CJ Duggan

Published: July 11th 2013

311 pages

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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 really read the description for An Endless Summer except to see that this was Amy and Sean’s story. Sean was one of my favorite characters from The Boys of Summer so I was excited to read his story. In The Boys of Summer, Tess was concerned about the age difference between her and Toby, but then Amy was at least two years younger than Tess. So that means Amy is about 6 or 7 years younger than Sean. Again, the age difference doesn’t bother me. I’ve said plenty of times, my husband is 12 years older than me. But I guess I was just surprised that Amy would end up being the girl for Sean.

After having finished The Boys of Summer I kept getting the nagging feeling like I really needed to continue with this series sooner rather than later. And being the mood reader that I am, I followed my mood. And I’m glad that I did. An Endless Summer was a very enjoyable read. As the description says, the Onslow Hotel, which was the main setting for The Boys of Summer, has fallen into disrepair. Amy’s father has left hotel maintenance in the hands of an incapable and untrustworthy manager. Her father has focused his attention of late upon saving his marriage to Amy’s mother, and I’m not sure anyone can blame him for that. But the Onslow is Amy’s home. She’s never really felt at home in the city or at the boarding school she was sent to after a drunken, near death experience. And so when Amy needs a break from life in the city, she returns to the Onslow. What she finds breaks her heart, and she puts her all into repairing and restoring the Onslow back to its former glory.

Of course, Amy isn’t alone in the repairing and restoration process. Sean Murphy who also happened to be the one to save her from her drunken drowning incedent that sent her off to boarding school happens to be just returning to town himself. He’s successfully built a construction and contracting business that has made him pretty wealthy. And Sean brings his new skills and success to Amy’s rescue again. Amy doesn’t want to be indebted to Sean again. And this particular aspect annoyed me because sometimes you just need to accept help, but I also found myself proud of Amy because some things you just need to do yourself. She’s not completely a spoiled princess. She’s willing to get her hands dirty and work hard in order to see this project through to the end, but at the same time, she’s always been provided for and never really had to worry about money or necessities. Those things were always taken care of by her parents.

Similarly to The Boys of Summer, I loved the slow building relationship that Sean and Amy have. Sean definitely clues in a lot sooner than Amy does, but you can see her resistence to the idea is more about protecting her heart than anything else. Amy is feisty and essentially just what funny-boy Sean needs and wants. She doesn’t take his bull, but he doesn’t allow her any slack either. While these two do have a physical relationship, this book is not very descriptive when it comes to those scenes which I appreciate. I would definitely say because the of the physical relationship as well as their ages, I would classify this as a new adult book, but because the lack of description during these physical scenes, I would classify this as one of the tamest new adult series I’ve ever read.

Fans of Contemporary Romance everywhere will enjoy this series. I wasn’t particularly surprised by any of the events, and I think Sean’s backstory could have been explored a bit more, but other than that, this series has just been a joy to read. There haven’t been any moments when I’ve been too annoyed or frustrated with the characters. And there haven’t been any conflicts that felt like they were thrown in for the sake of having SOME kind of conflict.

An Endless Summer easily gets 4 Stars from me. I can’t wait to continue forward with this series. I don’t know that Chris has been a favorite character over the last two books, but I’m sure that will change when I delve into his book with That One Summer. I can see myself going ahead and purchasing that one soon. Have you read An Endless Summer? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Paradise City

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Paradise City (Paradise, # 1)

By: CJ Duggan

Expected Publication: April 28th 2015

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--There's bound to be trouble in Paradise . . .

When her parents decide a change will be good for her, seventeen-year-old Lexie Atkinson never expected they'd send her all the way to Paradise City. Coming from a predictable life of home schooling on a rural Australian property, she's sure that Paradise will be amazing. But when she's thrust into a public school without a friendly face in sight, and forced to share a room with her insipid, hateful cousin Amanda, Lexie's not so sure.

Hanging out with the self-proclaimed beach bums of the city, sneaking out, late night parties and parking with boys are all things Lexie's never experienced, but all that's about to change. It's new, terrifying . . . and exciting. But when she meets Luke Ballantine, exciting doesn't even come close to describing her new life. Trouble with a capital T, Luke is impulsive, charming and answers to no one. The resident bad-boy leader of the group, he's sexier than any boy Lexie has ever known.

Amidst the stolen moments of knowing looks and heated touches, Lexie can't help but wonder if Luke is going to be good for her . . . or very, very bad?

I've really enjoyed CJ Duggan's Summer series, and I can't wait to read more. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

The Boys of Summer - Review

The Boys of Summer (Summer, # 1)

By: CJ Duggan

Published: December 17th 2012

321 pages

Genre: New Adult/Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library (free deal--and still free)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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.

The Boys of Summer wasn’t really what I was expecting it to be. There are some sexual experiences and occasional coarse language like the warning in the description suggests, but the situations weren’t really descriptive, and the language while present, wasn’t as bad as some books out there with similar warnings. I definitely expected The Boys of Summer to be more of a new adult book, but even though I’m not sure what age group I would suggest this book too, it felt younger than most new adult books. But all of that honestly was refreshing rather than a disappointment.

The Boys of Summer is about Tessa and her friend, Ellie who happen to get summer jobs working at a local hotel. They both work as waitresses and occasionally dishwashing. And through these summer jobs, Tessa and Ellie befriend a popular group of older boys that they’ve nicknamed the Onslow Boys. Tessa has had a crush on Toby Morrison since 7th grade and has almost obsessively watched him throughout the years. And Ellie, well Ellie is mostly just boy crazy. She seems to flit from one boy to the next without caring much about her reputation. Tessa and Ellie are also best friends with Adam, but Adam spends most of his summer in a different location and isn’t as present. He was a likeable character even if it seemed a bit odd for him to be a part of their threesome. I wondered if he had feelings that went deeper than friendship at points, and I’m still interested to see what might happen with Adam.

The Onslow Boys are about 5 years older than Tessa and Ellie. Five years isn’t entirely too much, but there can be a big gap between 17 years old and 22 years old. For one, these guys were drinking ALL THE TIME. It didn’t matter what time of day. They all had a beer in hand at all times. It was a bit much. Tessa started off the book feeling very young to me. She does grow and come into her own throughout the book, but it emphasized the differences in their ages for a while.

One of my favorite parts of The Boys of Summer was how confused Tessa was when it came to Toby (and just boys in general). She has a hard time reading Toby. Is he interested? Is he not? Does he like her? Does he not? Is he flirting with her? Is he mad at her? I mean aside from the fact that Toby actually has a girlfriend. Does he like Tessa? Or is he happy in his current relationship? She just has no clue. And as the reader, I wasn’t sure either. His actions as Tessa perceives them were definitely confusing. And I appreciated CJ Duggan’s choices there. She chose not to reveal to the reader more information than Tessa herself had and that kept me authentically just as unsure as Tessa felt. I really connected with this because that’s how I felt in high school. I felt all over the place. How do you know if a guy is genuinely interested in you or if he just likes to flirt? It’s not always easy to differentiate.

I wasn’t sure how CJ Duggan was going to wrap everything up in a way that felt authentic and that I would be satisfied with, but she pulled it off.

I loved all of the characters (main and secondary) and can’t wait to delve into the others deeper when I continue the series which I can’t wait to do. Sean and Adam were particularly enjoyable aside from Tessa. Tessa, Adam, and Sean were all characters that made me laugh at different points. I’d quote them, but the sections I highlighted were kind of lengthy.

I will say that it was obvious to me that this was not an American author or setting. I enjoyed the difference in the way the characters talk, but sometimes I was like “what in the world is she talking about?” And it made me realize how much I take for granted being from the United States. And that made me think about this post Lola @ Lola Reviews did about some frustrations she has and struggles with reading American literature. It’s something I’ve never really thought about before, and I haven’t read enough non-US authors in order to think about this more. On top of that, Nomi @ Nomi's Paranormal Palace told me that this was an authentic depiction of Australian life. She specifically said that this series was very similar to her own experience growing up in Australia.

I really enjoyed The Boys of Summer. It was different from what I expected, but in the end, I think that turned out to be a good thing. The Boys of Summer gets 4 Stars from me, and I can’t wait to continue this series. Have you read The Boys of Summer? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten New to Me Authors I Read in 2014

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten New to Me Authors I Read in 2015.

1. CJ Duggan - The Summer series
2. Jay Clark - Finding Mr. Brightside
3. E. Lockhart - We Were Liars
4. Claire Wallis - The PUSH series
5. Tahereh Mafi - The Shatter Me series
6. Barry Lyga - The Jasper Dent series
7. Jen Frederick - The Woodland series & The Kerr Chronicles
8. Kelly Oram - The V is for Virgin series
9. Jojo Moyes - One Plus One
10. Mary E Pearson - The Remnant Chronicles series
11. Jenny Han - To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
12. Rebecca Donovan - The Breathing series

Have you read any of these authors? What do you think? Who were your favorite new-to-you authors that you read this year? Let me know!