Saturday, February 15, 2014

Review - An Endless Summer by C.J. Duggan

Series: Summer #2
Author: C.J. Duggan
Release Date: July, 2013
Pages: 311
Goodreads Rating: 4.24 stars
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
My Content Rating: NA (Contains sex and mature language)

Summary from Goodreads: 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 couldn't wait to read An Endless Summer after finishing The Boys of Summer.  While this book didn't resonate with me quite as much as the first book did, I still loved it and devoured it pretty much in one sitting.

The negatives:
  • Figured out the ending.  Okay, I don't really know what Duggan could have done about this, but I had the twist at the end of the book figured out pretty much from the beginning (not referring to the romance).  I still enjoyed reading to see if I had it right, though!
  • Lack of communication.  There was one point in the book where the only thing keeping Amy and Sean apart was the fact that they just didn't talk to each other for an extended period of time.  I couldn't help but feel like this was a manufactured obstacle.  Supposedly Sean was working a lot, but why wouldn't they have at least talked when the did see each other.
What I LOVED:
  • The Onslow renovation.  I loved everything about the renovation of The Onslow.  I could totally sympathize with Amy's sadness over the possibility of losing her childhood home and I could see how the memories of the place would be so precious to her.  In fact, I was feeling nostalgic for The Onslow just because of the first book in the series!  I also loved that the whole gang pulled together to help Amy (including Tess and Toby! Yay!).
  • Amy and Sean.  Well, I was already in love with Sean in the first book in this series, so it's no surprise that he had me in this book too.  He's sweet, sexy and quite the smooth talker!  It's no wonder that Amy can't get him out of her mind.  The fact that he's got his life so together was a great contrast to Amy, who mostly just felt like she was falling apart - he was exactly what she needed.  I definitely felt for Amy and I loved her character arc - she really grew over the course of the book.  The chemistry between Sean and Amy was amazing too!!
If you're a fan of contemporary romance and you haven't picked up this series yet, you need to!  It's amazing and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!!. 4.5/5 Stars


***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***

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Watch for the upcoming tour for book #3 in this series - coming to my blog later this month!!