Where Life Takes You and Getting By Claudia Y Burgoa with REVIEWS & GIVEAWAY

Claudia Y Burgoa has two amazing NA releases, Where Life Takes You and Getting By! And I can't wait to tell you more about her and her books!

Release Date: December 1, 2013

BECCA TRENT LIVED HER CHILDHOOD NEXT TO A CRUEL WOMAN—her mom—who lived to torment and neglect her. During her high school years, her mother married; bringing home not only a new husband, but a step sister her same age. The latter took over her Mom’s role—making Becca’s life miserable. Including stealing Ian—Becca’s best friend and boyfriend—Lisa treated her worse than her mother had for the previous fifteen years. A couple years later, thing ended up in tragedy.

Becca buried that part of her life in the deep corners of her psyche, caught between sanity and nightmares. Between therapy, work and her constantly looming past she can’t seem to find room to breathe. The memories of her late step-sister, Lisa, are her closest company.

Her best friend, Dan gives her that family love she always lacked. Everything was close to perfect, until everything and everyone from her past came back. Now she’s trying to figure out how to survive and keep that bond which seems now to be held together by a thread.

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Where Life Takes You

By Claudia Burgoa

Review by Christina Mock

5 Stars

Becca has spent a lifetime as the victim of her mother’s cruel emotional abuse, the scapegoat of her stepsister’s untimely death. Becca’s mother blames her, Becca blames herself, and the community is suspicious of her for the incident that took the life of her stepsister and best friend, Ian. Only Becca knows the truth though, she was the only one in the room that escaped to tell the whole story.

Dan is Rebecca’s best friend, her confidante, her boss. He understands she is broken. He may not know exactly how she got that way, but he is there for her, in any way she needs him. He has deep feelings for her that she doesn’t recognize, although she has feelings for him as well. Dan has his own demons he is fighting; can he possibly be strong enough to fight his own battles, much less Becca’s?

Dan & Rebecca’s relationship is incredibly complicated and inter-woven on so many different levels, with a deep, rich, shared history. Their characters are well developed, the fragility of Becca’s psyche in particular is palpable, as well as the love Dan feels for her. Theirs is a story of true love, in an abstract, broken, kind of way. They are the family, to each other, that neither of them has ever known.

There is a lot of going back and forth between the past and present day events, however it is done so in a way that makes it easy to follow and it provides much needed background information as the plot twists become more complicated. Becca regularly writes to her deceased step-sister in a journal, giving the reader a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings that have haunted for years. It feels deeply personal and slightly voyeuristic.

When a person from Becca’s past returns, harboring secrets of his own, she must face the truth once and for all, bringing long buried secrets out into the open. Little did she know, someone was out there all along who could help clear her name of any wrongdoing on her part, perhaps giving her the opportunity to put the past behind her, to move on and put her life back together.

Where Life Takes You is another absolutely stunning work that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. Ms. Burgoa has a talent of creating plot twists that go straight for the gut and leave you breathless. Where Life Takes You is five stars from cover to cover. It is an intensely emotional read but will engage you from the very start. Be prepared though, because at the end we’re left with the mother of all cliffhangers and a mean case of book hangover. Normally I’m not a fan of cliffhanger endings, however it was a very natural place for the story to pause, I just wish the next volume was available to jump into right away, as I have gotten so emotionally attached to these characters I am eager for resolution.

Christina Mock

3/22/14

Release Date: February 18th, 2014

When Emma Anderson arrived at San Francisco International Airport, she regretted accepting the distinction of being the maid of honor to Gaby’s—her childhood friend—wedding. It had been years since the last time she set foot in Menlo Park, where her parents had been killed. The rug where she had been shoving her feelings since that day looked bumpier than a camel’s hump. Who could blame her; if she hadn’t been selfish they’d still be around. Ever since that fateful day, Emma has been perfecting the knack of Getting By.

Cade’s wedding in Menlo Park—a city close to San Francisco—might be the perfect place for Jake Knight to shake the memories of his ex, Emma Anderson for good. Single, available women galore for an entire week was the perfect medication, one he intended to take three times a day for an entire week to return to his player days. It was a plan the former spy thought flawless until he came face to face with the maid of honor. Jake’s perfect retreat turns into a flight, fight or hide week of celebrations.

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Getting By

(A Knight’s Tale #1)

By Claudia Burgoa

Review by Christina Mock

5 Stars

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I can assure you right now, she has been added to my “autobuy” list.

Emma is in her early 20s and has the career of her dreams. She lives, breathes, and dreams the advertising world and is a workaholic. She has no time for anything else in her world except work, which takes her mind away from all of the things that went wrong in her past. She lost her parents and may as well have lost her only sister. Upon their passing, secrets were revealed that turned her world upside and upset the relationships with her only living relatives, both sets of grandparents. Emma doesn’t need relationships; she has work, which is her main focus.

Jake is a smart businessman who turned a small nest egg into a fortune, with the support of his two brothers. Jake is a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. He has far too much going on with acquisitions and mergers to worry about a relationship, so when he first meets the quirky Emma by chance in a broken down elevator, his world is turned upside down and he learns the meaning of the word serendipity. What started as instant attraction between two strangers in an elevator, it turns into a two-year-long affair of chance meetings around the globe. Once things get a little too comfortable and start resembling an actual relationship, Emma makes a run for it, leaving Jake to wonder what went wrong.

A few months later serendipity makes a play again when both Jake & Emma find themselves attending the same wedding in California. This is the first time Emma has returned to Menlo Park, CA after the tragedy that changed her life. She’ll have to confront the ghosts that continue to haunt her, as well as deal with the feelings between Jake and her that are obviously still very much alive. Can Jake accept the secrets that Emma has been keeping? Are there even more secrets that members of Emma’s family haven’t discovered? This book will literally keep you on the edge of your seat with the twists and turns it takes.

When I originally read the synopses I was immediately intrigued. When I opened my kindle and started reading, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. Ms. Burgoa has expertly created amazing characters with depth and mystery and a storyline that you just can’t let go. The book invokes such a range of emotions. There were moments of happiness, sadness, the heat between Emma & Jake was palpable and you could feel the affection that the families have for one another. This truly was an amazing book.

If I could give Getting By six stars, I would, it really was that good. Thankfully there is more to this story as this is the first in the series. I know I will definitely be looking out for the next installment. While this book is considered a New Adult romance, it is so different that most of the books that fit into the genre. Whether it is just because Ms. Burgoa’s writing is better than her peers or the storyline is just more mature than others I don’t know, but I truly feel as though this story stands out as one of the best books so far this year. Check this one out, you won’t be sorry.

Christina Mock

3/19/14

Claudia lives in Colorado with her family and three dogs. Two beagles who believe they are human, and a bichon who thinks she’s a beagle. While managing life, she works as a CFO at a small IT Company. She’s a dreamer who enjoys music, laughter and a good story.

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What are Jamberry Nail Wraps and How to Apply Your Jamberry Nails

What Are Jamberry Nail Wraps?

Jamberry Nail Wraps  are a solid film covering that can be applied directly to the nail to achieve a look not found anywhere else. This special material is both pressure and heat activated to create a water tight bond to your nail. The shields are made in the USA, with no harsh chemicals and are latex free.

This new nail treatment can be applied in about fifteen minutes at home. With over three hundred styles to choose from, these designer wraps are made to last up to two weeks on fingers and 6 weeks on toes. Unlike traditional nail polish, they won’t chip and require no drying time. It’s so easy to achieve a professional, salon look at a fraction of the cost.

Jamberry Nail Wraps are the newest way to accessorize your fingers and toes! Get your own unique, professional nail design and say “goodbye!” to nail polish. With today’s hottest celebrities already wearing unique nail designs, it’s quickly becoming a fashion “must have.

Tools of the Trade...

How to Prep and Apply Your Jamberry Nail Wraps?

1. First if you have any nail polish on, remove that with Nail polish remover.  Then WASH your hands with common Grease Fighting Dish Soap.  This Helps remove any oils that you naturally have on your nails.  If you have really oily Nail Beds, you can soak your nails in the soap for a few minutes, then wash your hands.

 2. Second, Push back your cuticles.  Even if they LOOK like they are pushed back, make sure. Any piece of skin on the nail will prevent your Wraps from Adhering correctly.  ( you will be surprised what is there and you didn't see.)  File your nails to the desired length and shape. 

 3. Next, Lightly Buff the nail surface with your buffer block.  If you have GEL Nails or Acrilic Nails that you do not want to buff the surface, you can lightly spray your nail surface with hair spray, to give the wrap something more to adhere to.

  4. Once your Nails are filed to the length you want and the surface is buffed, wipe your nail down with isopropyl alcohol (wipes or from bottle with cotton balls) or Acetone (don't use non-acetone).  If you are using Hair Spray, do this BEFORE you spray on the Hair Spray.  Once your Nail is CLEAN and PREPPED, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT Touch your nail.  You don't want to get any oils from your fingers back on the nail you just prepped.

5, Next, choose the Nail Wrap that fits your finger.  If you are in between sizes, go smaller.  You don't want the Wrap to Touch your skin.  I made Templates of my Nails to make selection easier and it allows me to cut wraps to fit my nail perfectly EVERY time.  The templates also allow me to be more frugal and get more applications out of my wraps.  If you would like to see how to make templetes of your nails, here is the link.....making-nail-templates-for-your-jamberry

 6. Use your Orange stick, or a pair of tweezers to remove your wrap from the backing. DO NOT touch the Adhesive side.  I cut mine out (I try not to waste any), but you can lift them off the full sheet and cut it from there.

 7.  Hold your Wrap in front of your Heat Source (Jamberry Mini Heater, Hair Dryer, Small Room Heater, etc.)  Jamberry recommends 3-5 seconds. I hold mine there a little longer.  You will see the material become soft and flexible.

 8. Apply the wrap to your finger, careful not to let it touch your cuticle or skin on the side of your nails. DON'T worry if you get in the wrong spot.  You can lift and reposition if needed.  Once you have it in the correct spot, apply pressure with your opposite thumb or finger.

 9. Using your Nail Scissors, cut off any excess wrap. You don't have to cut it all, or make it perfect.  Your file will help with that.  Once the excess it cut off, apply more heat and then pressure, making sure to get a good fit.  Use your orange stick, or rubber cuticle pusher to help with the edges and at the nail bed.

10. File off the excess wrap at a 90 degree angle to your nail, only in a downward motion.  Aggresive Filing is not nessarry and may damage the wrap.  Once you start filing downward you will start to see the excess roll off.  If your nails do not extend past your finger tip, use cuticle clippers to cut the excess off.

11. If you have any creasing or buckling, I found that using a rice bag helps to warm the wrap, while smoothing it out.  I have pre-made Rice bags if anyone is interested.

10. Finally once you have a water tight seal, apply Cuticle oil to your nails, to keep your nails nurished.  Jamberry has Cuticle oil.  I use Coconut oil, because I have a ton of it.

 You can also use coconut oil to remove your wraps. See the Video Below.

Ta-Da!

 Here are some of the Reasons I fell in LOVE with these Wraps

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Here is Jamberry's Offical Application Video:

And Here is how I like to Remove My Jamberry's. 

 

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Surrender to Fate by Jacelyn Rye

Surrender to Fate

(Fate's Path, Book 1)

Synopsis:

Some say fate holds the cards. But what if love deals the hand? No love goes untested. Ever. Indeed, true love is left to prove itself. And that is exactly where fate steps in to play the game.

For William and Sarah, that game begins with growing up, in the unspoiled mountains of Colorado. In a time and space as clear as the Rocky Mountain skies above, these young souls together learn about life, what matters most, what endures, what doesn’t, and about love. Innocent young love moves ever so surely toward lives they both can picture, lives spent loving each other in a place they know so well and cherish.

Will and Sarah are ecstatically swept away in the swells of new love. And it is in their rarefied bliss that they make the fragile promise of first love, a promise that fate will soon rock and pound into doubt, guilt, and epiphany.

Unexpected and unprepared, these young lovers are suddenly torn apart, first by distance, and then by the far greater pressures of temptation that test the very fidelity of their heart-held promise. No longer able to console each other, hold each other, touch each other, they face the inevitable decision: move on to other loves, or cling to the faith that they will someday be together, again.

Will and Sarah stare down an unknown path, sensing destiny will not wait long before it comes to take them. Wracked with doubt, they wonder if their love was real. Caged by guilt, they both feel tempted by others intent on stealing their hearts.

Fate plays hardest when love is tested. And Will and Sarah are no exception, letting go of their happy past to embrace hope for an uncharted future. Love plays hardest when fate tests. And so it is, even through their trials of the heart, Will and Sarah never really stop loving each other. Theirs is a love so real and pure that each just wants the other to find happiness, even if it's with another.

But fate does not surrender so easily. Dealing blow upon blow, both Will and Sarah are each struck by jolting events that take them to the very edge of life, itself.

Sarah and Will hold tightly to their past, but steadfast promises begin to wane. Life continues, filled with romance, drama, and two souls yearning to understand the challenges brought with coming of age, and learning that fate is ultimately in control. What happens to love when life is on the line? Can they both relinquish control when love is on the line? Will fate even allow them to find out?

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Purchase link:

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Teasers:

Fate's Path Series

Shattered by Fate

(Fate's Path #2)

Synopsis:
One heart cannot remember. Another heart cannot forget. Both hearts reach toward something to grasp. For Sarah, it is her past. For Will, it is to bring that past back. The only thing standing squarely in their way — is their future. Each has promised their heart and life to another. But where happiness should be, instead are the dark billowing clouds of a storm of reckoning. The thunder of regret splits a horizon now raining down upon them in shards of shattered promises and unreachable memories. In Book One of this three-part saga, fate seemed it would not be denied, bringing Sarah and Will together in a turbulent world, uniting young hearts for the right reason: love. But — almost as if it has eyes — fate sees to it that no love that is meant to be is allowed to be, without it being tested to the passionate edges of chance. Accidents. Small ones are remembered and retold with a laugh. Useful ones are celebrated. But shattering ones — those are the ones that slip from the fingers of fate. The kinds that are followed by silence as it roars the sound of life changing. And it is this pounding drone that Sarah and Will — once inseparable — now hear when they listen to their hearts. After her accident, Sarah awakens in a hospital room and into a very different life. Will, accidentally buried by heavy timber when he heroically saves a fellow worker, is also delivered into his own unforeseen, disoriented new life. Destiny’s dust never settles. And nothing is clear when doubts appear. Sarah is betrothed to Adley, while Will is engaged to Margaret, yet both are still connected to each other by an indescribable draw seemingly groping out from the deepest reaches of fate. A fate that deliberately leaves the door of temptation cracked open, giving Will a yearning peek at the naked truth of Sarah, who reaches out with the same tortured passions. A fate that leaves both to fight the desperate desires of wanting what each knows they cannot have. A fate that dares them to ask, “What will happen if I finally feel you?”

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Purchase link: 

Amazon US

Chosen by Fate, Fate's Path #3 --  COMING SOON!

About the author:

Jacelyn Rye

Jacelyn Rye is many things. She can be as alluring as the love that flows from her pen: pure, honest, simple. But then, like a storm that suddenly appears over the mountain, she can also have you running for shelter where there’s no place to hide. Like life, itself, Jacelyn delivers the hard with the soft, the pain with the joy, the instant with the forever. All of it, for a reason. And it’s there that one can best enter her life.

“I believe in signs, I believe everything happens for a reason,” she’ll tell you. If you know someone like that, you already know a primal piece of Jacelyn — a person who actually listens to the Universe because there, she knows she’ll find more than answers, she’ll find reasons. And those reasons give her insights about nature, and human nature, both of which she invites us to explore with her.

Growing up in the blue sky country of Colorado doesn’t leave an impression, it becomes a lifeblood. For Jacelyn, the clarity of that truth flows through her stories, her characters and her inherent spirituality that somehow knows faith, in the end, triumphs over despair.

Through her storytelling — firmly stimulated by that early country life that taught her to always be prepared when venturing forth — Jacelyn’s uncanny ability to “see” what could happen takes readers into a crystal ball where the future’s many possible outcomes await in a swirl of incandescence, right down to the details of smell, touch, fear, love.

Because life also presents its possibilities in dreams, Jacelyn holds dear that open door. “My dreams mean a lot to me. I listen to them, solve problems in them, learn from them,” she confides. It figures, then, that when you read her stories, you’d best get ready for a trip with an original dream weaver.

And then, there’s serendipity. To know Jacelyn is to accept a dance with chance. She accepted one such chance when she moved from her beloved Colorado to an unknown life awaiting her in Southern California, where she lives today. “I knew another beautiful world was out there. I was ready for adventure,” she says, with the confidence that proves her faith is more than just words. “I moved from Colorado as soon as I graduated from college, thanks to a great job offer. The night after I received my job offer, I saw a commercial that said, ‘California, find yourself here.’ In that moment, I stopped debating the move and took it as a sign that my adventure would be found in California.”

As Jacelyn does so well, she shares those adventures in her writing. In her first book series, you’ll find Jacelyn’s experiences of this major life change play out in Sarah, who also moves from Colorado to California. “What I’ve seen and felt enable me to write realistically about how a Colorado mountain girl feels about living in California.”

In the quiet mornings, you’ll find Jacelyn savoring her coffee, outside. To her, it’s all about listening, breathing in, appreciating being here for another day. And of course, there’s time spent in the mountains, fishing, wading in creeks with the people she loves. Curiously, this girl who comes from the mile-high mountains, still fears the miles-deep ocean she frequently visits, but only to sink her toes in the hot sand and watch, in awe and respect, the thundering surf.

On any given day, be it in the mountains, at the beach, or on her terrace, Jacelyn is dreaming and writing, her way of sharing something meaningful with those who come to know her.

One thing is for sure, wherever she goes, wherever she’s been, Jacelyn is aware and thankful for the gifts around her. Indeed, although she does not get back to Colorado that often, she’s there in spirit, and in absolute detail, in a moment’s call. “The smells, the sound aspen leaves make when the wind asks them to dance, how tall pines gently sway back and forth against a backdrop of the bluest blue I’ve ever known.” That’s someone who takes it all in, who takes it all with her, and who offers it to everyone who opens her books.

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