When a big-city agent wants to rent the abandoned chapel on the Bowens’ property for an obscene amount of money, it seems like a deal of a lifetime . . . there’s just one small catch.Nathaniel Black.Disgraced, broken-down, whisky-swilling rock god Nathaniel Black is set to make a comeback, or at least that’s what his long-suffering agent is hoping.Nathaniel’s last chance for salvation is to lock … for salvation is to lock himself away from the temptations of his wicked life. With no women, no booze, and no drugs. Only the music. The one thing he didn’t count on was forming a complex, life-changing bond with a reclusive, talented songbird, Sadie Bowen.
Twenty three-year-old Sadie has all of Nathaniel’s cassette tapes under her bed and his tattered poster lining the inside of her wardrobe door. And now he’s here, in her backyard, eating her food and sharing her bathroom—a dream come true, right? Until Sadie realises her teenage idol is the most infuriating, arrogant man-child she has ever met.
Will seclusion lead to destruction? Or will Sadie finally get a chance to learn who the real man is behind the music? One thing is clear: despite every voice inside her head telling her to stay away, she can’t.
She can’t help it, can’t fight it.
Nathaniel Black is about to become her favourite mistake.
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*4 Stars*
This one starts off with some horrible characters, treating the main character badly – not in a violent way, just in the way that their actions can hurt others and make them feel terrible about themselves. I was intrigued by this, and then as we get thrown into this world, I was kind of cruising along and wondering what was going to happen.
This wasn’t a bad story – I found I liked the main characters, it just seemed to take a while to get the feel for them and their personalities. This was more of a sweet sort of book when it came to the romance side of it, and there were some lessons thrown in about treatment of others and prejudices that people face.
I liked that this was set here in Australia (the author is Aussie, so that’s great) and I loved reading things written correctly in the ways that we speak etc (I’ve read some horrible attempts at Aussie characters in the past).
My first book by this author, and I would like to read more by her.
A well written story filled with plenty of heartache and feelings of betrayal frustration and loneliness was Sadie’s life, abandoned by her mother at 8years of age on her grandfather’s doorstep, raised isolated from the small township and considered the poor granddaughter of the lonely old man who lives on the hill.
That is until one day a black SUV drives up their long dusty driveway and a man named Sarge offer to rent the little chapel on their property and drops off Nathanial Black, who happens to be a rock god, and who Sadie has had a childhood crush on as a teenager. Sadie now 23 years old can’t believe that she was about to have her life turned upside down and all it took was 1 month. A sweet slow romance filled with plenty of love and understanding. Recommended reading.
I Want Nathaniel Black!
I loved this story so much! Beyond Here Lies Nothing is such a fantastically written story and explores so many issues so well, it truly is a must read. So do yourself a favour, and grab a copy today.
There are plenty of laughs, cringes, sweetness, surprises, sadness and hope within these pages that will have you captivated and needing to know where things will go for Nathaniel and Sadie. There are characters you will love, hate, love to hate and want to know more about! Both Nathaniel and Sadie both have issues that are holding them back and if either of them want to move forward with their lives whether together or apart they need a realty check that isn’t necessarily nice but has to happen. I really hope one day we might get stories about the other guys from Captain Black and the Heartbreakers especially Zeke!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I heart this story and have waited so long for this story.
As a Tween she loved his music. She never thought she would meet him. Good romance and read. Hope to read more about the Heartbreakers.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first book by this Author that I have read. Nathaniel Black and Sadie Bowen’s story was a story I liked reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wonderfully written storyline with characters that were so believable and engaging that I was totally captivated until the very last page!
Duggan delivers a story that is full of heart and dives right into the messy parts about life. She creates a world you can imagine, feel, and be in. She creates characters that you fall in love with and ones you think about long after the story ends. Intertwined are the funny moments, the scenes that reminded me of my teenage years (cassette tape and pencil , fawning over the members of the hottest band), and laugh out loud moments that make you keep wanting more. That is my only complaint with this book, I wanted more of Sadie and Nathaniel.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout. and am voluntarily leaving a review.
C.J. has captured the heart of another beautiful story of Australia written in Beyond Here Lies Nothing.
I love the message that you receive once you have read the story of C.J.’s novels.
Sadie is a small town girl with a big heart and has been in love with the band Captain Black and the Heartbreakers. Lead singer Nathaniel Black is every girl’s idol and pinup poster boy. Sadie’s little heart is broken when she cannot see Nathaniel Black on stage live…
Nathaniel Black seems to have writers block and is on his last leg to produce an album or his career is over. Nathaniel’s manger finds an old chapel, in a small town, out in the middle of nowhere to find his groove again. Who does this chapel belong too, in this small town, out in the middle of nowhere… None other Sadie…
Watch Sadie’s and Nathaniel story unfold and know that stepping out of your comfort zone is ok… We all need to learn and grow as a person and when one door closes, another one always opens…
You received this ARC provided by the author/ publisher in exchange for an unbiased opinion. No type of compensation was made. There is no relationship/affiliation between the reviewer and the author/publisher
Remember that feeling you had as a teen that idolized their favorite band? It’s an unforgettable love affair….one that Sadie knows all too well. There was no one in Sadie’s eyes like The Captain, a true star in the world of rock in roll. Everything about Nathaniel Black drew Sadie in like a Siren’s Song. That song would carry Sadie through the trials of being a teenager and the accompanying hurdles in life.
Time has passed and Sadie enjoys a simple life living with her grandfather. The two don’t live a life filled with luxury, but it is definitely a place to call home. When an unexpected visitor pays a visit to Sadie’s grandfather, life suddenly gets a bit more interesting for Sadie. In a last ditch effort to save his career, Nathaniel Black must find a way to push his creativity to the brink, and the church is just the place for redemption.
Life hasn’t been an easy road for Nathaniel Black, and now his penance is due. The record label is extending one last opportunity to produce music that will appeal to the masses. With Sadie giving Nathaniel a piece of her mind at every turn, life only finds a way to become more complex for the former rocker. The clock is ticking for Nathaniel, but Sadie’s presence might just be the push that will bring this ‘has been’ back into the limelight once more.
Beyond Here Lies Nothing is a coming of age story that melts the past into the present. Everyone has a childhood idol, and Sadie gets to experience hers for a second time as an adult. The bad boy tendencies that Nathaniel brings into Sadie’s life are full of mischief and discovery. Duggan writes about the interactions with vivid imagery and eloquent words. I found myself picturing the farm that Sadie and her grandfather lived on, and thought it was the perfect setting for a reckoning of a washed up rock star.
Sadie and The Captain will lead you on a journey of self discovery and the love of music. I loved the role the Heartbreakers played in the story as well!! Each nuance of the life of a rock star will hold your attention from beginning to end. The Rainbow Festival…..well – it definitely adds just the right touch to this coming of age story. Beyond Here Lies Nothing has just the right touch of romance, rock and roll, and the value of friendship and family!!
This story, for me, was a slow starter. I hung in there and found it was worth it! It was a well-written, although wordy, story filled with angst for a young teenage girl, heartbreak for the young adult she became, and witty, funny moments. This story took on some very touchy subjects, i.e., alcohol, and homophobia. I agree with another reviewer that there is endless possibilities of more stories from the group and actually furthering Sadie and Nathanial’s. I, for one, would like to see where life leads them.
This is a new author for me so I will be adding her to my list for further reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is another great read from CJ Duggan, it had a good well-written storyline that had me hooked I liked the characters they are really real and likable I really enjoyed getting to know them and would recommend their story.
What a whirlwind of emotions. There is literally a little bit of everything in it. I absolutely loved this book. It certainly came at the right time. From the beginning where it took me to my teenage years, falling in love with some music artist to my grown up self today not knowing what love is anymore. But, after this read, I fell in love again. There is a beautiful story of forbidden love. Something that is frown upon in small places. Where when shown a bit of kindness, you can change someone’s world. I was truly inspired. The lead frustrated me so much at one stage that I wanted to climb into the book and give it a smack with one, but in the end I got it. All very unique characters, it was fun imagining what they all looked like. This is a well written book and easy to read. Get ready for a all nighter. This book made my heart happy, hope y’all enjoy it as much as me.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
From the very beginning I was hooked. C.J. Duggan does it again! “From Beyond Here Lies Nothing” is suspenseful, relatable, heartbreaking, and beautiful. Sadie is so relatable that you could picture yourself in her shoes. She is a typical young adult who like all of us had a crush on their favorite singer. Then one day her dreams become reality but Sadie soon realizes that dreams are often too good to be true. Will she be able to handle her dream becoming a reality? or will she crack?
“He came from nowhere—just another stranger blowing into our backward town. They come, they go; no one ever stays in Pretty Pine for long. Except he wasn’t just anybody. He was very much a somebody. A very talented, very sexy, very famous somebody.”
C.J. Duggan. Beyond Here Lies Nothing (Kindle Locations 56-57).
This book…….I had very high expectations for this book, and am glad to say, that it delivered!!! I have been reading CJ Duggan for a very long time. I enjoy her story lines, her characters, her writing. This book is something different, something more. Sadie is flawed (in her own mind, at least), seeing only what she assumes the people of the town see. Her relationship with her Grandad is one of the central points of the book, and it is one of my favorites. Nathanial is flawed, but I believe it’s due to the life he has led. The ability to see through and past each other’s flaws is what makes a relationship work. There are some pretty heavy topics covered in this book, and I think the writer has maneuvered through them masterfully. Using music as a central theme was also a way to bring every reader in. Think about how music has touched your life. How it is woven in and out of our memories, attached to both good and bad. It is a universal language that can unite even strangers. The main thing about this book, for me, was the writer’s ability to make the emotion and the tension leap off the pages. I found myself holding my breath more than once while reading. I felt Sadie’s disappointment in the beginning, I felt her fear when she heard a car drive up, and I felt the tension when Nathanial arrived. I felt it all down to my bones. To be able to do this with words on a page is not easy, it is rare, and it is a gift. I have loved Ms. Duggan’s books up to this point, but I believe with this one, she has upped her game.
I’ve said and wrote it a million times and I will say it a million times more, I don’t care about sounding repetitive, Cj is one of my favourite authors and she so totally rocks! Cj never fails to write a storyline so fantastic that you feel transported into the book as if you are actually there with the characters. This lady is a writing genius in my eyes.
Nathaniel Black is your stereotypical rock god. It is all about the women and the booze and the bad rep. Nathaniel shows as big headed with child like behaviour traits. But he is also so damn sexy and wanted by many.
Sadie Bowen is a small town gal. She has lived with her grandad since the age of 8. Sadie has lived a simple, uncomplicated life, trying to stay in the background unnoticed. Sadie shows traits of sensible behaviour patterns and intelligence and hospitality.
Nathaniel’s manager is hoping that by leaving him in the middle of nowhere with no temptations to distract him, that he can turn his music career around and make a huge comeback. He is on a final chance to save his music career after going off track. Nathaniel needs no alcohol and no women and needs to produce some chart topping music.
Sadie’s grandad wants her to see the world, he wants her to explore or study a music career, but Sadie doesn’t feel she can go off and leave her grandad alone. Right now she is happy to stay, work her job, look after her grandad and play her piano and sing in the sanctuary of an old chapel on their farm using her grandma’s old piano.
So when a stranger appears at the farm and makes Tom, Sadie’s grandad, a monetary offer he cant refuse, Sadie is angry when she is informed that her sanctuary and piano has been loaned out for a few months, that is until she see’s how much they are to be paid. Sadie’s mind is blown when she discovers who will be staying in her chapel, her sanctuary for the next few months. The one and only Nathaniel Black, from Captain Black and the Heartbreakers.
Nathaniel Black, in Sadie’s 13 year old eyes wasn’t just any man, he was a god, he was the best of all men. Sexy, amazing singer, charismatic. But are Sadie’s teen idol dreams about to be extinguished when she finally gets to meet Nathaniel black?
Sadie learns she needs to stay away from the bad boy rock god as much as she can, but something about him keeps drawing her in. Is Sadie making the biggest mistake of her life, allowing her intrigue to sometimes, overcome her about this man?
Beyond Here Lies Nothing is written from Sadie’s POV. Life and being an adult got in the way of finishing this book in one sitting, instead I finished it in two sittings 🙂 This book brings some shocking and surprising twists and events. You are sucked in from the start. It brings you all the feels. Hope, anxiety, drama, goofy smiles and some heart stopping moments.
I loved both Sadie and Nathaniel’s characters, and even though Nathaniel is known for his bad boy rock star image, I have to admit I really loved his cheeky flirting ways.
I also loved that Beyond Here Lies Nothing included true to life scenarios, from the event, to peoples reactions, to people overcoming them reactions. All I will say is rainbow festival!
This story is amusing and gripping and will be enjoyed by a wide audience. Cj has managed to establish mood, imagery and meaning in this storyline and this has a captivating effect as a reader. It has an excellent narrative and it is definitely worth a read,
I can so totally see a book number two being do able here. A straight follow on from Beyond Here Lies Nothing. Maybe with a bit of pleading, Cj you could grant me this wish ha ha.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has been in the making for some time, and I can tell you, it is well worth the wait. I feel it is pure C.J. Duggan brilliance. I love a Rock Star romance and I got a huge kick out of the book being set in my own country. The mannerisms and sayings were spot on and other big tick for me was the walk down memory lane with the song references. I challenge anyone who is an Aussie, to not have John Farnham’s voice in your head at one point, or that amazing song from Keane.
Sadie lives out her childhood dream of meeting her teen idol in Nathaniel Black. It is a shame that her first impression did not live up to her imagination. Nathaniel has one last chance to get his act together and write some new material and release a CD. What he wasn’t expecting was the sassy Sadie and her not bowing to any Rock God! It was wake up call he needed.
I throughly enjoyed falling into this book and hiding out with Sadie and Nathaniel. I loved her indecisiveness when conflicted at times as this is me to a T. Her emotions were genuine and heartfelt. She held her ground when dealing with Nathaniel who found it refreshing. I adored his softer side, and his cheeky temperament, it gave us the rock god sex appeal in plentiful supply. My wish is for more from this couple or the other band members to get a book. I am very intrigued to know what is Zeke’s full tale. I want to know where the big wide world will take them all and of their successes.
If you are a fan of this author, or new to her, this book is the perfect way to be reacquainted or discovered.
ARC received for an honest review
What can I say – I have missed CJ Duggan’s stories, and she has come out of the blocks with another wonderful story.
We have all had a crush on a rock star. Hoped to meet them and have them fall in love with us – then we wake up!
Sadie gets that chance when a washed up rock star starts living and working on her property.
I loved that she did not bow down to the all mighty Nathaniel Black. She’s not going to fall into his bed like a groupie, she gives him hell – and it is the best medicine for him I think.
But more than anything – there is a bigger character in this story than Nathaniel or Sadie that I just loved and want one of my own – but I don’t want to give away who/what it was.
I live in a small town, so I get the small town jerks, the prejudices that people are confronted with, the politics at play. I completely got that vibe from this town too. And wanted to kick people in the nuts haha!.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Beyond Here Lies Nothing. I loved that yes, there were issues, but they were dealt with like adults and there was not too much angst.
This is different from what I have read by CJ Duggan in the past, and I hope we get more like it in the future.