The girl next door never looked so good… always thought Cam hung the moon. She’s even let herself dream of a future with the brooding bad boy in her heart of hearts. After one explosive kiss, it’s time to make her move. The guy who always leaves might be tempted to stay by a no-strings offer of a summer romance.
No strings is exactly what Cameron needs to explore these confusing feelings about the beautiful girl next door. He knows he’s not worthy of their hometown’s resident good girl. But this good girl’s ready for an adventure…one that just might end up lasting a lifetime.
This title was originally published as Tempting Cameron in 2013. While there are some stylistic changes, the story essentially remains the same.
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That One Summer is the second book in the Lone Pine Lake series, but I don’t feel like I truly missed anything by not reading the first book. This was an unknown author to me, so I was pleasantly surprised while reading this book. It was fast-paced, beautifully written, it flowed smoothly through the scenes, and the plot and characters were realistic. I love small-town romances and this one fell right in that category. The characters were wonderful and it was nice to see their understanding of each other and their slow-burn romance.
Chloe Dawson was raised in Lone Pine Lake and is now a second-grade teacher in the same school she went to. She longs for adventure, but she loves her hometown and friends. She’s always had a crush on her best friend’s brother. Cameron “Cam” McKenzie was raised in Lone Pine Lake and left town as soon as he could to become a professional photographer and rarely returned. His younger sister, Jane was getting married, so he had to return home. He had been injured on his last assignment and now that he had recovered, he had no plans but to spend the summer with his family. At the wedding, Cam found himself attracted to Chloe, his pesty younger sister’s friend. He knew he was not a “sticking” person and he needed to keep his distance, but that’s easier said then done. Can a summer fling turn into forever?
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
ARC given in return of an honest review
Give me small town romance any day of the week, absolutely one of my favourite tropes.
Chloe and Cameron, what’s not to love about this pair. He is the older boy who never noticed her growing up, she is the town princess, it screams ‘get it on already’
Cameron left town to pursue his love of photography, he hated that he lived in Lone Pine Lake, it was just too small and everyone knew your business. Chloe became a teacher and was delighted to live in her sweet hometown, everyone loved her here.
When they were younger Cameron had no plans to act on chloe’s crush, imagine his surprise when he goes to his sisters wedding back home and sees chloe, even more surprised to feel some kind of connection to her.
Cameron feels he not good enough for chloe and does his absolute best to try push her away with some terrible consequences.
Can they work these things out? Is Chloe enough to finally keep Cameron home in Lone Pine Lake? Will she actually let him in?
Read and find out, you definitely will not regret it.
I really enjoyed this book, it had so much of my favourite things to read about. I love books set in small towns. I love reading about summertime and I love when a crush comes to fruition, I mean who didn’t have a crush on an older boy at school.
It was a really easy fast read for me, totally one sitting material which I love. Definitely a good escape from the real world kind of book.
I thought the characters were great together, and really great for each other too.
There was a twist or two which I never saw coming and it definitely got the emotions going.
Overall a great book and one I would absolutely recommend to others.
Thanks for the chance to read this book Karen, I loved it a lot.
This is a short (15 chapters) story of a girl who has always admired her friends older brother, but he never saw her as more than a pest. Chloe has been enamored with Cameron McKenzie since she was a preteen but Cameron has always wanted to get away the small town of Lone Pine Lake and that is exactly what he did. Now he is back with no idea what to do next. He sees Chloe at his sister’s wedding and suddenly the girl who was always a pest pulls at him in another way.
The writing in this book is good, the story is fine, but I had issues connecting with the characters. Maybe because it just moved so quickly. Im not sure. In the end this is a sweet romance with a good bit a steam.
** I did receive a free copy of this book from Social Butterfly Pr in exchange for a fair and honest review **
Je découvre la plume de Karen Erickson ( enfin façon de parler puisque sous ce nom de plume on retrouve Monica Murphy) et cette saga que je ne connaissais pas. Ce second tome se lit indépendamment du premier et je n’ai eu aucun souci de compréhension. Cette romance se lit très vite et elle offre un moment très sympathique de lecture.
Chloé Dawson est une jeune femme qui a toujours vécu à Lone Pine Lake et qui aurait aimé vivre un peu l’aventure ailleurs mais elle est finalement restée sur place pour devenir l’institutrice du coin. C’est une jeune femme pleine de vie qui est adorée par la communauté et qui n’a jamais fait un pas de travers. Elle est non seulement appréciée mais aussi respectée. Aussi quand elle a un accident de voiture, toute la communauté reprend son souffle et regarde de plus près son rapprochement avec Cameron, le bad boy du coin. Ces deux là se connaissent depuis leur plus tendre enfance et les quatre ans de différence ont fait qu’elle a toujours idolâtré ce magnifique garçon. A l’occasion du mariage de sa meilleures amie , qui n’est autre que la soeur de Cam, elle va le revoir et on va vite comprendre que ses sentiments n’ont pas changé. Elle redevient cette adolescente qui était en admiration devant mais Cam lui n’a pas changé et il va de nouveau la repousser d’un revers de la main.
Quand une amnésie partielle suite à son accident l’amène à oublier la dispute qu’elle a eu quelques minutes avant le moment fatidique , elle va se lancer dans une aventure amoureuse avec Cam mais les choses sont claires dès le début puisqu’il n’y a aura que du flirt et surtout pas de sexe, synonyme d’attachement et de sentiments. On se demande donc si elle sera capable car elle va peu à peu percer la carapace qu’il s’est forgé et malgré les mises en gardes de son amie Alison mais aussi de Mac ( un autre frère de Cam), elle foncera tête baissée dans le vide. Si les souvenirs revenaient peut être aurait elle l’occasion de voir Cam comme les autres le voit mais elle sait au plus profond d’elle même que les apparences sont trompeuses. J’ai bien aimé cette romance qui a un côté amourette de vacances car au final elle n’est pas prise de tête et les conséquences ne seront pas dramatiques.
Cameron McKenzie est donc notre héros masculin et on peut dire qu’il a le don pour offrir aux autres le bâton pour se faire rosser. Il a toujours été un électron libre et sa réputation n’est plus à faire. A 18 ans, il a fui cette ville dès qu’il l’a pu pour vivre son aventure et profiter de son talent de photographe. Ce n’est que plus tard que nous apprenons que ses missions l’ont conduit dans des endroits dangereux du monde et que cela a non seulement laissé des traces mais a aussi eu un impact sur sa vie. C’est un homme très fermé qui n’exprime jamais ses opinions et donc ses émotions et on ne lit donc pas en lui comme dans un livre ouvert. Il a cette façade qui fait que nous n’essayons pas de creuser. Chloe va elle tenter de réaliser l’impossible mais elle risque bien de se brûler les ailes. Même sa propre famille ne sait pas tout de sa vie depuis qu’il est parti parcourir le monde. Malgré un début où on a dû mal à le comprendre, au fil des pages, on va avoir d’en savoir plus et de gratter le vernis pour voir ce qu’il cache.
Bref, si vous lisez en VO et que vous avez envie d’une romance sympathique et sans prise de tête, alors That one summer est fait pour vous.Ce second tome de la saga Lone Pine Lake nous offre un bon moment de détente avec des personnages qu’on va apprendre à connaître et à apprécier.
Karen Erickson’s That One Summer is a fast-paced small town romance that would be perfect to throw in your beach/pool bag for a quick read.
Cameron McKenzie couldn’t wait to leave Lone Pine Lake, the small town where he grew up. An accomplished war photographer, he’s gotten really great at just that… leaving. It’s only when he reticently returns home for his sister’s wedding that her best friend, Chloe Dawson, catches his eye. Chloe has always had a crush on her best friend’s older brother, and manages to see beyond his brusque exterior… most of the time. When an accident throws them together, their simmering chemistry will spill over and leave them both wondering if it’s just a fling, or whether they have what it takes to make it work.
I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between Chloe and Cameron, as well as the supporting cast of characters. Chloe’s friend, Ali, and Cameron’s brother, Mac, definitely have an underlying story within the greater narrative arc, and I’d love it if Erickson continues this series with their story. There were some elements of Cameron’s initial cruelty that I didn’t love, and parts of the plot line was a bit over the top, but sometimes that’s just what you need when reading a romance.
Thanks to NetGalley and Social Butterfly PR for the ARC, which I’ve reviewed honestly.
Chloe has always had a secret crush on her best friend’s older brother, Cameron but as soon as he could, he left their small town of Lone Pine Lake and hasn’t come back for a long period of time since. When Cameron’s little sister gets married, he comes home and is shockingly surprised by the change in Chloe. She’s no longer the little girl he left behind; she’s grown into a beautiful woman. When Chloe offers Cam a no strings attached summer fling, Cameron isn’t sure it’s such a good idea, but he gives in. While Cameron thinks he isn’t good enough for Chloe, can she convince him otherwise?
This was a quick and sweet read! I love that Chloe was such a relatable character and the way she pined after Cameron for so long is something I think a lot of people can relate to! Who hasn’t had a crush on a friend’s older brother at some point in their lives?! And Cameron, wow, he’s just how describe the brooding bad boy who thinks he’s better off keeping everyone at arm’s length. I loved reading about Chloe slowly breaking down his walls. This was a great book with an even better ending!