Seducing C.C.

by Ariel Tachna

When Astro—as his fellow counselors dub him—signed up to spend the summer at Camp Laguna, North Carolina’s premier girls’ camp, he had two goals in escape the memories of his cheating ex and avoid any other romantic entanglements. Then he meets C.C., the camp’s EMT and handyman. It doesn’t take long for Astro to realize that C.C. will pose far more problems to his peace of mind than his ex ever did.

C.C. is gay, unattached, and interested. He’s also a playboy of the worst order, and Astro is all too aware that they only have nine weeks together before the summer ends. So Astro has a fan the flames between them and hope he can seduce C.C. into a relationship that lasts past the end of the summer, or let the chance pass him by and protect his heart.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, LGBT, Gay, Fiction

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2010

About the author

Ariel Tachna lives outside of Houston with her husband, her daughter and son, and their cat. Before moving there, she traveled all over the world, having fallen in love with both France, where she found her husband, and India, where she dreams of retiring some day. She’s bilingual with snippets of four other languages to her credit, and is as in love with languages as she is with writing.



Visit Ariel at her website http://www.arieltachna.com or on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ArielTachna, or e-mail her at arieltachna@gmail.com.

Reviews

[Bubbles Hunty Honest & Direct Opinions · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had been looking forward to reading this book for a long time; maybe my expectations were too high? But this was a huge disappointment.

The first half has no romance or character/relationship development between the two male main characters, it is all about the camp and Astro getting to know Spirit (a female camp counselor) the relationship developing between had me thinking this might be MF if it weren’t for the fact that Astro lusts after/avoids CC because CC is a slut. First half of book Astro just watches/listens about CC’s random hook ups in the bar bathrooms and blah. Just not enjoyable I wanted to just mark this as didn’t finish but wanted to give it more of a chance.

Then around 55% Astro and CC still have no romance but start sleeping together and it is all sex for the last half of the book… Very last Chapter we learn what CC’s name is and what CC stands for but still by this point everything has been about the camp activities or just sex. At first the camp stuff was fine and maybe a little slow but I wasn’t bored, but after 100 pages of it and no character development it got excessive and boring.

ETA ---
There is a random scene where Astro watches CC changing his panties in his tent while CC doesn’t know he is being watched. After CC falls asleep while Astro is still watching him sleep CC is restless and tossing and turning and CC says the name “Lynn” in his sleep. The Next day when Astro asks who is Lynn CC just gets all hostile and says it’s an ex and he doesn’t want to talk about it…

Ok WTF is up with this scene why is Lynn never mentioned again? Who is Lynn since latter CC says he hasn’t had a relationship was just a complete slut… There are a couple times Astro asks CC a question or says something and CC just tells him to fuck off… Yeah this book wasn’t romantic IMO

[Nikyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. I DO think it should have been titled Seducing Astro, though. XP

The characters and the camping descriptions fascinated me. I love it when books give details on things I don't normally know about because I feel like I'm experiencing them for myself. I will say if you don't like overly descriptive things then stay away from this book because a big portion of it is all about camping, repelling, climbing, etc. I loved it but others won't.

I liked the characters a lot. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of either of them but they warmed up to me. They are likable characters if you take them as they are and what they do, NOT what they've done in the past.

I was really enjoying this one a lot. There wasn't that much sex in the beginning and that helped me love this book. A little after the 50% mark, though, a few things happened that dimmed my enjoyment of it. Some in the book, some outside the book but mostly that's when the sex started to happen. I WOULDN'T say the last half is all sex but there was a lot. Most of it was mostly handjobs and blowjobs, so not really that much anal penetration. Either way, I was loving the book and then I was only liking it.

However, I loved the ending. It was very sweet and that bumped my rating up a little because of it.

Overall, I liked the book a lot because of the plot but the sex was a bit too much for me. I'd still recommend it, though.

[Heather C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this book, but I did have some issues with it. I found the first 50% to be quite boring since it was mostly about rope/rock climbing and camp life without any romance whatsoever. C.C. was slutty, immature and got on my nerves in the beginning. Astro spent most of his time with Spirit and I was frustrated to the point that I was actually hoping that he would eventually hook-up with her! Then, once C.C. and Astro finally hook-up around the middle of the book, its sex scene after sex scene with brief interruptions for camp life. I did end up liking C.C. in the end since he really wasn't a bad guy after all.

Overall, the book was really sweet and cute and I really liked the ending once I finally got past all the sex.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pacing of this book is like an actual seduction, it starts slow and builds and never rushes. There is great character development, the stage is set and then when the main character Roger (Astro) decides that he is going to seduce C.C. into a meaningful relationship,he goes about it slowly and methodically and romantically. I enjoyed watching the characters get to know each other, I liked how there were sweet kisses that blossomed into passion and I loved how the two men fell in love. It would make a great movie, the one you ooh and ahhh over and sigh at the end of.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5 stars

"This slow paced story features quite a big cast of characters. The descriptions of camp life are interesting, especially as I never attended summer camp myself. Overall I wasn't really disappointed with the writing, which was good, but rather with the 'cuteness' factor of the story. I look forward to reading other stories by this author in the future as I've enjoyed her other books in the past."

Complete review posted at Rainbow Reviews

[Meggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read that book two or three times now, and it's always the same. Great story with that specific attraction and slow blooming love. All the female characters are interesting, too. I totally love this kind of a story. The main couple is just awesome together and you get more then just fast sex, sex, sex.

Great work, thx

TOTALLY RECOMMENDED READ !!!

[DelozeElla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jolie romance entre un animateur deluré et un joli garçon un peu farouche spécialiste d'accrobranche.....on se laisse emmener au milieu des bois et des randonnées.......oui...mignon!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one. Take time to be intimate. Get to know who you are pursuing. It doesn't always have to be sex. Be real.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger is looking to escape, however briefly, from a bad break-up with a cheating ex when he accepts a position as outdoors specialist at Camp Laguna. Newly dubbed Astro by his tentmate, C.C., he fights against an instant attraction, certain that C.C. is straight. When a night away from camp shows him to be anything but, Astro has to decide whether he's worth risking his heart, or if C.C.'s philandering past is more than he can chance.

Astro is likable enough. He's willing to stand up for himself, gun-shy without being completely neurotic, and still mostly self-confident despite his occasional questioning of himself due to his ex. I never really felt invested in him, though; he never made it past words on a page to me. I appreciated his romantic quandary with C.C., but I wouldn't have been crushed if it hadn't worked out.

C.C. caught me a bit more. He struck me as rather vulnerable despite his bluster, and the reveal of what was behind his name was charming in its bittersweetness. He did tend to come on a bit too strong for me to buy it, though, given the setting. Then again, college students can be supremely dumb when it comes to hormones, so I suppose it really isn't too terribly unbelievable.

The chemistry between Astro and C.C. starts out as one-sided lust, grows into mutual interest, and finally explodes into the physical. It takes a long time to get to even their first kiss, but it's all downhill from there. From there on, the sex gets frequent and frantic enough that I actually found myself skimming the final scene. There was definitely heat between them, just a bit too much exploration of it for me.

What ultimately ruined it for me was a preliminary scene before Astro and C.C. actually had sex. In it, C.C. is busily fingering Astro with only saliva for lubrication... which is refreshed between bouts of fingering. The thought of said fingers going from ass to mouth to ass again just completely put me off of the scene and soured me on the sex in general. It's one of those things I just can't move past, unfortunately.

The supporting cast was stellar, threatening to walk away with the story more than once. I particularly enjoyed Spirit, but most of the counselors, particularly those dubbed the Amazons, were fun, well-developed personalities. I would have enjoyed spending more time with them, although what was shared in the story was plenty in and of itself.

The story itself is cute, centered on the camp life when not on Astro and C.C. There's mild conflict here and there, but nothing to really threaten the relationship and nothing that isn't quickly resolved. I usually prefer a little more conflict, but this is a sweet enough premise that it wasn't really necessary. The story is also told entirely from Astro's point-of-view, so everything is flavored by his personality and perceptions.

Actually, sweet fits the story as a whole, not just as a premise. The characters and relationships were sweet, the story was sweet, the development and ending were sweet. I wish I'd had a summer camp like Camp Laguna when I was younger. The hot guys in love with each other are just a bonus.

[Tornado · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je n’ai pas été emporté

Tout au long du livre, l’atmosphère m’a paru plate. C’est doux, mignon peut-être, mais pas vraiment dans le sens positif du terme. C’est peut-être dû aux explications trop nombreuses sur la vie dans ce camp, mais ça amène un récit finalement un peu ennuyeux.

Les parties les plus excitantes arrivent quand la relation entre Astro et C.C. nous est décrite. Les moments qu’ils passent ensemble repiquent notre intérêt, alors que le reste laisse à désirer.

Mais même les liens entre Astro et les autres personnages du livre m’ont semblé trop pâles. On nous décrit des personnages hauts en couleur, avec du caractère et de l’assurance, mais nous ne le ressentons pas. Je suppose qu’ils sont trop relégués au second plan. Ce qui fait qu’on ne les voit pas vraiment, et je trouve que nous n’avons pas assez d’informations sur eux. Je ne me suis donc attachée à aucun. Les seuls qui attisent notre intérêt sont le couple de l’histoire.

Pourtant, même ce couple ne m’a pas enchantée… Leur histoire d’amour m’a semblé étrangement trop mécanique. J’ai été comme détachée des sentiments que le couple éprouve. Je n’ai ressenti aucun réel intérêt pour l’évolution des deux personnages. J’ai eu l’impression que ce qui se passe entre eux est calculé, réfléchi ; ce qui induit que leur amour ne paraît pas naturel.

L’écriture fait que les éléments ne sont pas liés entre eux. Et finalement, je n’ai pas trouvé de sens profond dans ce récit. Ce qui est vraiment dommage, car le personnage d’Astro est de loin le plus intéressant. Il amène avec lui une façon de pensée rare. Au sujet du couple, et tout ce que ça implique. Il ne veut rien laisser au hasard, et a une force de conviction impressionnante.

La scène de fin d’été est assez émouvante, ce qui m’a agréablement surprise, avec la toute fin du livre mignonne comme tout.

Au final, une lecture qui dans l’ensemble m’a vraiment laissé froide, et dans laquelle je n’ai pas trouvé mon bonheur.

2,3/5

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roger (aka Astro) is taking the summer to get over his cheating ex and work at an all girls summer camp. At least he won’t have to deal with guys. Ooops, except paramedic CC with whom he shares a tent. He’s sure CC is straight until he catches him picking up a quickie in the bar. Now he’s doubly pissed, because he’s attracted but isn’t into casual sex or guys who are. The two of them dance around their attraction and when they finally get together Astro is determined to show CC that a relationship would be a good thing. There is a LOT of description of the camp. What they do, the orientation, the whole group going camping, doing the rope course and rappelling, interacting with the kids. I’ve never gone to camp, but I feel like I have now. In a way it was too much for me. I didn’t really want to read about singing around the campfire and making smores more than once. I liked that they went slow in the relationship once they decided to try, and I really liked Astro’s friendship with Sprite, one of the female counselors who was also getting over a cheating ex, but I found myself skimming over some of the descriptions of camp life to get to the relationship between the two guys. I also found Astro’s negative attitude toward anyone who had casual sex a bit annoying. Casual sex between two single people doesn't equal cheating bastard. *shrug* I guess judgmental people annoy me.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little less mature than other works from this author but it completes the feel of the book. The characters range between 10 years old and little over thirty so it makes sense. I kind of expected some struggling from C.C. about suddenly being in an exclusive relationship but his past hangups never really showed. There was some awkwardness at the beginning but it was very well dealt with and the easygoing feel of everything never faltered. They never rushed into anything and it was ideal for the story because it certainly contradicted all the initial talk about C.C.'s lack of commitment.
I did kind of expected some lasting friendship between Astro and Spirit so I was a little disappointed it wasn't mentioned in the end but Astro and C.C.'s romance was more than enough to eclipse that. I really liked it.

[Adara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story called out a lot to me because I went to girl scout camp when I was 12, and I remember the staff and what I thought of them, and I worked the Ropes Course at my university when I was older. This story reminded me of all of those times, which is why the announcement at the end of camp hit me hard - I truly cried at that. (In a good way, for those wondering. I don't want to spoil.)

That aside, I liked the characters and they fit together very well. I'm seriously considering buying this one in paperback because I enjoyed it so much. Rereading it will probably seal the deal for me.

[Eyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author created a nice, likable set of characters but the pacing was a bit slow for me.

Being a girl from NC, I did enjoy the familiar setting; although, I'm still not sure why the author had the characters go to the hospital in Sylva when other descriptions made it seem like Asheville, which has a larger, better hospital, would have been so much closer. I guess that's the danger of reading books set in places that are so very familiar.

[Mtsnow13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good description on the outdoors experience. I wanted to actually attend this camp! I enjoyed the relationship of the head counsellors and how one of them was so nice as to provide friendship and advice on such short knowledge of the first-person character.Overall, a very pleasant read.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Altough the book is well written it wasn't my thing i didn't finished the book i just couldn't get in to it.

[Zuyuan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can read but nothing much or impressing.

[Jess Candela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story, and fun reminders of summer camp. Originally gave it 4 stars, but found it lingered with me for weeks so I bumped it up.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[jules0623]

God, this was boring! :\