Uncharted by Claudia Burgoa ~ Excerpt & Giveaway

I read the blurb to Uncharted and just had to share it with you! I am off to buy it while it's 99c too! It sounds soooooo good, and hell, I love the guy on the cover!! 
Title: Uncharted
Author: Claudia Burgoa
Series: Unexpected #3
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Published: July 21st 2015
Buy Now - Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Jacob
As a rule, men don’t grow up believing in a happily ever after. We don’t believe in meeting the love of our lives or the white picket fence, and 2.5 children. Every man thinks that those stupid dreams or fantasies are just nonexistent shit until it happens to them. We should have been forewarned.

I wish I was prepared for someone to appear in my life and change all my priorities. I suddenly wanted that fence and children. The part of meeting the love of my life became very real, but I wasn’t ready for suddenly losing it all, and my life plummeting into this shithole forever.


The heartbreak of losing your soulmate is one of the worst pains you will ever live with. I should campaign and warn the young people. Vaccinate against love because if you lose it, you could lose yourself for the rest of your life. The burden on your back will forever mark you and wither away your soul, darkening your days and the rest of your natural life.

This isn’t false advertisement or a dramatic display of one bitter soul.

Pria

I fought by my mother's side until her last breath, and tried to help my father until his last memories dissipated. My sister is the last one standing, but her life is a miracle that can end at any given moment. All my life I’ve never been alone, but always felt lonely.

Today, my options on how to live my life are endless, yet my heart and my best friend limit them. Stay in Seattle, close to the one person that will never let me inside his world.

The thug, as mom would've called him. A man with a bad boy attitude and a heart bigger than the ocean.


JACOB
“Can we order them online?” Matthew whines while waving the booklist in front of me. We could, with a few clicks and a credit card, but I want to have the whole college experience, and that includes the campus bookstore. “Think about the hours of sleep I’ve missed already.”
Not even glancing in his direction, I continue my way to our destination. Moments like these make me wonder if we made the right decision about heading to UW instead of following our sister to UT. AJ would help with babysitting Matthew—and maybe me too. Instead of a dorm, perhaps the parents would’ve leased an apartment for the three of us. She’d clean, I’d help her cook, and we wouldn’t be miles apart.
I won’t ever admit this in front of her, but I miss my sister. We’ve gone months without her because of summer camps or vacations. However, this situation is different from the others. This time she’s going to be far away for years. Two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s, and whatever else she plans to do with her life. Matthew tried to persuade her not to go to Texas. We even agreed to follow her to any music school that accepted her, but she declined all of them.
As my brother and I discussed our options, Seattle won. Our parents own an apartment they are letting us use, we have access to the recording studios, and our father Chris visits Seattle often. Neither of my parents plan on visiting my sister. Both avoid being seen with us in public. A part of our daily life, living in the shadows because of their fame.
“We’ll go in and out, Matthew James.” I push on the glass door, and as we enter, we both stop in our tracks. The entire place is jam-packed—clearly the first sign we’re in the wrong place and why we should find a way to move in with Princess-bitch. She’s usually the one who keeps us organized. Without her, I have to create my own evil plan. “You get in line, I’ll gather the books.”
“Can we come back at a better time?” He hunches his shoulders, using a dreadful voice.
“No.” I fight the urge to slap him in the back of his head for behaving like a child. “Your job is to stand in line.”
I hurry through the mass of college students, gather the books on the list, and head back to where MJ waits.
“Here, carry your own shit.” I hand him half of the stack and keep the other half. “They’re heavy.”
“Why buy two of each?” That’s a rich question coming from the guy who had issues lending his toys, and sharing his drums, guitar, or any other object he owned.
“For the same reason our parents always bought two or three of each.” He gives me a hooded glare. “You have trouble sharing and making decisions on what you want to do. This is college, not home.”
He shakes his head, rolling his eyes in exasperation. The mane of dreadlocks dangles along with his face. “Dude, I’m not a child anymore. We’ll take one set and save some of that money they gave us.”
I hang my head without uttering a word. He dares to tell me with a straight face that he isn’t a child anymore. The dreadlocks and Jamaican hat imply the opposite. The outfit he wears screams party: “I’m here for the beer, the sex, and whatever else they throw my way.”
“Humor me, MJ. Let’s take both sets.”
I plan on having fun too, because all work and no fun isn’t my game. However, he’s all fun and little work when our parents aren’t around. Just one reason why I’m hauling his ass. The main reason is because I have no fucking idea what I would do without him. This dude and I have never been apart. Never. Ever. And the thought of that happening this soon scares the shit out of me. I’m not ready to face the freaking real world without him. One day we’ll do it, but not yet.
“As long as you do my homework, you can buy as many books as you want, Jacob.” I slam a hand on my forehead. That had been a stupid promise.
He wanted to be an English major, a useless degree that would take him too long and would be a waste of our time, as we both want to pursue our music career. He made the right choice when I explained that the more time we spend in college, the more we have to push the release of our second EP. The band is our life. We started it two years ago, released a few singles and one EP, and toured with a couple of bands. Nothing too far from the West Coast, but we do have a small fan base.
Pushing him toward finishing school with me was easy, as I’d promised to help him study, do his assignments, and be his personal butler for the first month. As far as I’m concerned, in a couple of years we’ll be as famous as our father, Chris, and we’ll hire our own butler. If we can stick to the plan for one entire school year, we’ll earn our freedom.
“No, Mommy.” I hear a soft voice behind me. My ears tingle with the sound and it makes me look that way. “I’m telling the truth.”
A black curtain of curls blocks the view of the female subject that piqued my interest. She holds a bunch of old books, and her eyes remain on the floor, even when I clear my voice trying to grab her attention. That’s when I realize she’s on the phone. I stare at her olive colored legs and the fun, pink Converse sneakers she’s wearing. Time to implement some of those moves I keep in reserve to lure a girl in. College awaits. If only I had done this while we toured—flirt with girls. However, Chris traveled with us and used his hawk-like vision, steering us away from trouble. The two times he was unable to join, he sent his trusted friend and bodyguard, Arthur Bradley. Unlike the other bands, we were escorted straight out of the venue once we had finished playing.
College is the opportunity to expand my horizons, get acquainted with the opposite sex, and have sex. My brother elbows me, giving me a warning glare. Choosing to ignore him is a no-brainer. With a beauty like this, I couldn’t have picked a first college fling better if I’d tried.

Born on the mystical day of October 30th in the not so mystical lands of Mexico City, Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled a caffeine-injected soap opera. Seventeen years ago she ventured to the lands of her techie husband—a.k.a. the U.S.—with their offspring to start a new adventure.

She now lives in Colorado working as a CFO for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, said nerd husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact. 



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Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett ~ Review & Swoon Thursday

I am on a bit of a YA binge at the moment, and had to dive in to the second book in the Confessions series immediately. I just love Rose and how much she has grown so far.
Title: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend
Author: Louise Rozett
Series: Confessions #2
Genre: YA Contemporary
Published: June 25th 2013 by Harlequin

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N 

Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...

...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.

When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself.

I picked up Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend immediately after finishing the first book, Confessions of an Angry Girl. Rose’s journey so far has been difficult and I was eager to see how she would handle her sophomore year. This book was a pretty difficult for Rose, as she is dealing more with her issues and her mother by going to therapy. She grew as a person and began to find her own path in life.

Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend began with Rose watching someone else being harassed and bullied at a party before the year begins. It was sad to see this sort of thing happen because of what a person’s sexual preferences are. I was proud of Rose, lending a hand, even though it backfired on her and continued to be an issue throughout the book for her.

Rose continued to struggle emotionally throughout the story, but the issues tie more to her mother and brother. Attending therapy is hard, but I could see that both Rose and her mother were starting to open up. There were still situations at school that were hard for Rose and she dealt with it all the best way she could. I liked the change in Tracy, although at times it was hard for Rose and I sided with Rose in most of those occasions. Jamie… well, he is a tough nut, he opened up occasionally, but was quick to withdraw, and that really annoyed me.

What I loved the most… Rose coming out of her shell. She was a bit angry in the first book, but in this book she is voicing her opinions more, even if they get her in trouble. She became more confidant, tried knew things and had no idea what to do with compliments… that brought tears to my eyes!! She changed as a person and found her own image by the end and I just wanted to cheer for her!

This was a good follow up to the first book, but even if I didn’t read it, I would’ve understood what happened previously as the author gives you the details you might have missed in the first book. I liked the introduction of the therapy in this book, seeing her mother move forward and the change that brings to Rose’s life, and the introduction of a few interesting characters. I am looking forward to what happens next for Rose as well as her friends and family.

Complimentary copy provided by Harlequin Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



He leans in and kisses me so gently I can’t breathe. For a moment, only his lips are touching me, and I think that I can extract myself, that I can figure out a way to get out of this kiss that shouldn’t be happening. Then his arms close around me and I can’t help myself.

There’s something simultaneously great and awful about kissing a guy who can melt you in a heartbeat. It’s exciting to be powerless when he touches you, but it also sort of sucks to be a slave to attraction. Suddenly you’re going against decisions you thought you’d made, and doing exactly what you know you shouldn’t.

Kindle Arc Loc 2164


Hosted by YA Bound
Lousie Rozett is an author, a playwright, and a recovering performer. She made her YA debut with Confessions of an Angry Girl, followed by Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend, both published by HarlequinTEEN. The next book in the series, No More Confessions, is due out January 2015. She lives with her 120-pound Bernese Mountain dog Lester (named after Lester Freeman from THE WIRE, of course) in sunny Los Angeles, and pines for New York City. 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook





Other reviews by Louise Rozett
Confessions series
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Burn, Rewrite, or Re-Read Tag!

Magen at Corrie the Book Crazed Girl tagged me in the Burn, Rewrite, or Re-Read Tag!

The Rules! 
There are three rounds, wherein I use a random number picker applied to my “read” shelf on Goodreads for three books, and then decide what I’ll do to those three: burn, rewrite, or reread.

I decided I would pick three books from what I read in 2012, 2013,2014... So here goes! 

2012
The Lost Saint (The Dark Divine, #2)The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
Burn - The Lost Saint (The Dark Divine #2) by Bree Despain
I wouldn't have read this series if I new how disappointed I'd be with the ending!
Rewrite - The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa
This was the start of a series that I loved, but I felt this book dragged a litte.
Re-Read - Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
This was a great start to the series and it blew me away!

2013
True (True Believers, #1)Pursuing the TimesFrigid (Frigid, #1)
Burn - Pursuing the Times by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
I was a little disappointed in this book, and frankly, I don't like the cover.
Rewrite - Frigid (Frigid #1) by J. Lynn 
I enjoyed this book, but wanted more from it. 
Re-Read - True (True Believers #1) by Erin McCarthy
This was the first book I read of Erin's and I loved it!

2014
Being a Jett Girl (Bourbon, #2)Stepbrother DearestSweet Ruin (University of Branton #3)
Burn - Sweet Ruin (University of Branton #3) by Nazarea Andrews
Although I enjoyed this one, two guys, one girl, I am not sure how it would work long term! 
Rewrite - Being a Jett Girl (Bourbon #2) by Meghan Quinn
I loved the first book, but this one lacked a little excitement for me.
Re-Read - Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward
This book was AMAZING! I loved every moment and my emotions were all over the place! 

`°•.,¸¸,. •°´`°•.,¸¸,. •°´

Annnnd, that's it! Although I had trouble picking the books, because my Read list has no numbers, this was really fun! 

I'm going to tag Brandee @ Bookworm Brandee 
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Waiting On Wednesday # 151 – Until Friday Night / Reawakened

I love sports romances, and Abbi is bringing me one! YES! 
This new series from Colleen Houck sounds interesting too! 
Until Friday Night (The Field Party, #1)
Title: Until Friday Night
Author: Abbi Glines
Series: The Field Party #1
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Expected Publication: August 25th 2015

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

Reawakened (Reawakened, #1)
Title: Reawakened
Author: Colleen Houck
Series: The Reawakened #1
Genre: YA Mythical Fantasy
Expected Publication: August 25th 2015 by Delacorte Press

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where I have the chance to spotlight upcoming releases that I’m eagerly anticipating.
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Misbehaving by Tiffany Reisz ~ Review & Teaser Tuesday

I am a fan of Tiffany Reisz's Original Sinners series, and I grabbed this one to see what else she could do. If you are after a quick erotic read, you will enjoy this one!
Title: Misbehaving
Author: Tiffany Reisz
Genre: Erotic Romance
Published: February 11th 2014
Buy Now - Amazon | B&N

Wanted: Adventurous, open-minded man willing to try anything…

As a popular sex blogger, Beatriz gets paid to have orgasms. So being on deadline the week of her sister’s wedding isn’t as rough as it sounds. There’s just one hitch: Bea’s assignment is to write a review of a sex position manual, but she doesn’t have a plus one to play with.

The good news: Ben, the one who got away back in college, is also attending stag--and he's as temptingly gorgeous as ever.

The bad news: Ben turned down Bea’s offer of graduation night sex five years ago.

The best news: He’s not planning on making the same mistake twice.

Misbehaving was such an amusing read! Once I started it, I knew I was going to like Bea… the girl blogs about sex for a living! That’s right; she’s willing to try anything, anyone or anything when it comes to sex, then she writes down all her feelings about it before turning it in to be posted! Then throw in her sister’s wedding, a sex manual to be blogged about, and Ben, the guy she wanted in college, and you know it’s going to be a lot of fun!

I liked all the characters in this book. Bea and Ben were really good together and definitely competitive in the bedroom. I learned why things never progressed in college and was excited for them to get their second chance. Claudia and Henry were just as amusing and it was sweet to see them taking that next step, but Henry is a bit of a worry wart. I could tell that both couples were all friends and  comfortable with one another, because they never held back their feelings and told each other exactly what they were thinking.

This was a really quick, erotic read that I burned through. The characters were believable and I enjoyed how the storyline unfolded. I love how Reisz creates strong independent women as her heroines, and Bea never held back on what she wanted. If you are after a fast, sexy read, I definitely would suggest this one! 

Complimentary copy provided by the Publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


She opened her mouth against his and he deepened the kiss. She tasted sweet and tart, like she’d been drinking orange juice. He pulled up and smiled down at her.
“Mimosa?” he asked.
“Blame Claudia,” she sighed. “Do I need to go brush my teeth?”
He shook his head. “No. You taste amazing.” Ben traced her bottom lip with his thumb. “Absolutely amazing.”

Kindle Arc Loc 522 


Hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm
Tiffany Reisz is the author of the internationally bestselling and award-winning Original Sinners series for Mira Books (Harlequin/Mills & Boon). Tiffany's books inhabit a sexy shadowy world where romance, erotica and literature meet and do immoral and possibly illegal things to each other. She describes her genre as "literary friction," a term she stole from her main character, who gets in trouble almost as often as the author herself. 
She lives in Portland, Oregon. If she couldn't write, she would die.






Other reviews featuring Tiffany Reisz
The Original Sinners series

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Just One Lie by Kyra Davis ~ Review & Quote-tastic

Just One Lie by Kyra Davis releases tomorrow, and I want everyone to read this book! It was an INCREDIBLE read! It's a difficult journey, but totally worth it! 
Title: Just One Lie
Author: Kyra Davis
Series: Just One Night #2
Genre: Romance
Expected Publication: July 28th 2015

Buy Now - Amazon | B&N 

In the instant international sensation Just One Night, sensible Kasie Fitzgerald unleashed her passions—and found herself—through an explosive affair. In Just One Lie, we meet Kasie’s wild and tortured sister, whose impulsivity and lack of self-control has set off a chain of events that changes her family forever.

Melody Fitzgerald is the opposite of the “perfect” daughter. The lead singer of an indie rock band, she is impulsive and creative, with a rebellious streak that both defines her and becomes her greatest enemy. Her lover, the enticing and unpredictable Ash, shares her free spirit and penchant for trouble. On the face of it, he seems to be her perfect match.

So why is she so drawn to her soft spoken, reliable drummer, Brad Witmer? How can a man who wears polo shirts and reads the financial section of the paper be of any interest to her at all? And why on earth does someone like that appear to be so captivated by her?

Before she knows it, Melody finds herself on a path of self-discovery, passion, and affairs of the heart. But will a dark secret from her past derail it all? Or will its exposure be the very thing that unburdens her heart and allows her to seek a future with the one man who loves her completely?

Just One Lie took me on an emotional ride, unlike any book I’ve read before. This story followed Mercy, as she struggled to find her place in a world where she felt unloved, she experienced heartbreaking loss and really didn’t know who she was. It was a beautiful read that made me smile, made me sad and occasionally brought on tears.

Mercy was a troubled child; she rebelled a lot, took drugs, drank alcohol and was basically tossed out of home. Each detail I discovered about Mercy put another crack in my heart. She had been through so much, but somehow continued to live. She enjoyed the rush while performing in her band and doing her other little jobs. When a man from her past comes back into her life, he helped her escape her troubles and to have fun in the present.

Then there is Brad, the new drummer in Mercy’s band. He see’s past the façade that Mercy had created to the broken girl beneath. He forces Mercy to face some of her demons and they form a bond deeper than just friendship. He’s such a caring person, and went out of his way for Mercy at times, helping her get back on her feet.

Mercy and Brad’s story was not an easy ride. They had a lot of hurdles to face, some of which they faced together but mostly on their own. There were other factors they had to consider and made unselfish decisions that would bring them back together with the least amount of destruction. I could see how deep their feelings were growing for one another, they had some life changing and sweet moments together, which totally made me swoon.

Just One Lie focused on an element that affects people all over the world: depression. Mercy has struggled with it for a long time and never had any help. It caused her to do things that could cause harm to herself or to others. At other times, she went from extreme highs to unhappy lows. The author, Kyra Davis, did a remarkable job at weaving this particular thread into the story, it was realistic and it opened my eyes to the difficulties people go through.

Although this is the second book in the Just One Night series, it can be read as a standalone as the characters from the first book don’t really come into it until the very end. I didn’t think I missed any details by not reading Just One Night, but I am curious about the couple now that I am done. I really enjoyed reading my first book by Kyra Davis, and will be on the lookout for more of her work in the future!

Complimentary copy provided by Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for an honest review.


“You are a woman. You are the woman who sees the world in ways no one else sees it. You’re the woman who has empathy for the people others scorn and who speaks truths to people who need to hear them. You’re the woman who is a complete mess and yet in some ways is more together than anyone else I’ve ever met. You’re the woman who has an angelic voice and devilish moves. You’re the woman I’ve fallen in love with.”
“Brad...”
“I want you, Mercy, mood swings be damned. And I’m not giving up on you.”

Paperback Page 253

Hosted by Anna @ Herding Cats & Burning Soup

about kyra-davis-authorKyra Davis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Just One Night, Pure Sin and Sophie Katz series as well as So Much For My Happy Ending. Just One Night has been optioned for television by Anonymous, (the producers of True Detective).

Before publishing her first book, Sex, Murder And A Double Latte in 2005 Kyra supported herself and her son as a marketing manager for a sports club and before that was a department manager at Nordstrom’s Savvy department. She studied at The Fashion Institute Of Design and Merchandising and Golden Gate University.


Kyra now lives with her husband (director and screenwriter, Rod Lurie), her teenage son (proud science-geek and Hawaiian-Shirt-aficionado), dog (champion eater and guardian of the backyard…no squirrel will dare set foot in it) and gecko (the gecko doesn’t do much).




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