Finding My Reason

By: Claudia Burgoa

Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Lidia Dornet

I expect my best buddy’s wedding to be a bust until the beautiful bartender asks me if I could use something stiff. Trust me, “getting something stiff” is the least of my worries.

One touch of Jade’s silky-soft hand, and there’s a zing, just like in the movies. Somehow, I find the magic words that make her mine for the night.

This one-night stand has second date written all over it.

And, just like that, I have the whole world in the palm of my hand. It figures that right when I meet the girl of my dreams, karma drops the other shoe.

A fantasy-come-true infatuation like ours can’t last. Can it?

Don't miss this swoony friends-to-lovers romance.

©2016 Claudia Burgoa (P)2022 Claudia Burgoa

Poignant and Epic Love Story!

This is a poignant and epic love story between two broken souls. Hudson Drago was abandoned by his mother when he was small, leaving him to help raise his younger sister because his father could never recover from that heartbreaking loss. Hudson never wanted to marry and set himself up for so much pain and suffering when they would eventually leave him. Jade Vance was abandoned at birth and rejected from one foster home after another until she was finally adopted by a very loving and supportive family. She still has anxiety over not being good enough and is always trying to please those around her, ignoring her own needs and desires. Jade and Hudson meet at Hudson's best friends wedding. What starts as a one night stand grows into so much more. Jade is off the next day to attend graduate school in Australia, then travel the world as a photojournalist. Hudson stays behind to prepare to start his own company. They can't stop thinking of each other and soon start calling to stay connected. They become best friends and slowly fall in love. Jade is carefree, passionate, and creative while Hudson is practical, strong, and kind. He comforts Jade and makes her laugh when she needs it. But can time and distance keep you warm on lonely nights? When they are in the same place, can a heart survive the ache it feels when they are forced to separate time after time? Jade finally finds a reason to stay and Hudson is eager to finally begin the life together he has patiently waited years for. But they both looked at a piece of paper very differently. To one it is a prison and to the other it is security. When meddling family, past lovers and a piece of paper comes between them, will they be able to find their reason to fight for their HEA? I fell in love with Jade and Hudson, even though they frustrated me at times. They were so good for each other, helping each other heal. I love that Ms. Burgoa takes her time developing Hudson, Jade and their complex relationship, making their growth, and epic love feel solid, authentic and unbreakable. She expertly weaves a multilayered tale that will make you feel every emotion and capture your heart.
Jason Clarke, and Lidia Dornet are superb storytellers! They embodied these characters perfectly, bringing them to life so clearly. They magnified the doubt, fear, heartache, joy, and passion of this story and I was completely captivated from start to finish. This unique and refreshing love story is a must listen!

So many feels!

I've read and/or listened to a fair number of Claudia Burgoa's books, and I've mentioned her characters and the journey they have to take to get their HEA. Well, Hudson and Jade take the cake when it comes to a journey - a journey away from each other, a journey to each other, a journey together... I'm sure you get the point. Anyway, their long and winding path is full of feels. Seriously, I think Claudia covered the whole range of emotions with this one. From Hudson's absolutely hilarious wedding toast to the chemistry this pair has right from the start to Hudson's inner turmoil about relationships and marriage to Jade's wanderlust. I'll stop there, so I don't spoil anything, but rest assured, there is so much more for this couple. They both drove me a little crazy at times, and I wanted to shake the daylights out of them so many times, but that didn't prevent me from totally falling in love with their story. From the minute I started listening, I was hooked. Hudson and Jade's story is one I'll be thinking about for some time to come, and I'll definitely be visiting them again.
Jason Clarke and Lidia Dornet give voice to the characters, and as always, the author has chosen perfectly. I already loved Jason Clarke's narration, so I expected good things and found them. Lidia Dornet was new to me, but I'll be looking for more of her work. She captures the emotion of the story so well. The whole thing comes together wonderfully, and I can't recommend Finding My Reason enough.

I went through an entire box of tissues!!!

One of the most "perfectly imperfect" love stories, EVER! Jason Clarke and Lidia Dornet unequivocally knocked it out of the park. The gut wrenching, emotional rollercoaster ride that last couple of hours thoroughly shattered my heart over and over again. Then the way Jade and Hudson each came to their epiphany moments about the other, broke me in the best way possible. Claudia did not disappoint and put my heart back together in a beautifully messy and unexpected way. Love isn't always tied up neatly with a bow or all smooth sailing. Not just romantic love, but our love for friends and family too.

The supporting characters were brilliant and had such depth that you couldn't help falling in love, or hate, with them as well. The complex family dynamics and childhood trauma suffered by each MC played a huge part in their past and present throughout the book. The roadblocks thrown at them, be it their own internal dialogue or from outside forces, created utter chaos. Complete with misunderstandings, miscommunication, confusion, and crossed wires that made me want to throw things. That's a huge sign for me that the author understood the assignment!

Don't worry though, there's lots of steam and humor to go around. I so hope we get Libby's story. She and her daughter, Heather, were my favorites outside of the MCs. Their banter and constant ribbing of Hudson had me laughing to the point of tears. So, grab that box of tissues because you're going to need them one way or the other.

Emotional

Oh my stars, Hudson Drago and Jade Vance are two broken souls who find each other. If anyone deserved to find love and happiness, then it was these two. I love friends to lovers stories, add in it was written by one of my favourite authors, Claudia Burgoa and it was a win/win for me.
What starts off as a one night stand, quickly morphs into so much more. However, outside influences cause complications. Both Hudson and Jade have baggage and they both need to come to terms with it, confront the past and take a leap of faith.
The performances by Jason Clarke and Lidia Dornet brought this emotional story to life for me. Their voices were easy to listen to and they did justice to the story that Ms. Burgoa wove.

Finding My Reason

3.5 stars

Finding My Reason starts out at a wedding - not for the main characters of this book, but they are both in attendance.

Hudson is best friends with the groom and Jade is cousins with the bride. The two of them think that one night of fun together will be all they share, but a real connection and friendship forms. This is a right person, wrong time story and you can see why at times things just don't work out for them. The anticipation of finally seeing them getting it right made me want to keep reading/listening to the audiobook. Jason Clarke is one of my favorite narrators and he does a really nice job here. Both narrators were nicely cast and I am glad I picked up the audiobook.

A Beautifully Moving Story! Fabulous Narration🎧

This is a wonderful romance novel, the story swept me in right from the start, not only grabbing my attention and captivating my attention but tugging on my heartstrings the entire time. Claudia Burgoa is a gifted author, her characters and storylines are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. The complexity of the characters and the world building is amazing and so is how she made these two work for their happily every after.I adored the two lead characters, Hudson Drago and Jade Vance, though I may have yelled at them a time of two. The two met at a wedding, his best friend, Brody’s wedding, oh and that best man speech, absolutely loved it, and she is the cousin of the bride, Claire. There was an instant attraction between them, and it led to a steamy and memorable night together. She had plans studying and traveling abroad and then roaming the world for the foreseeable future with no plans of settling down. Hudson is finishing his studies and building a career in tech, but he can not get Jade off of his mind and despite not exchanging numbers, he gets it anyway. They correspond with each other via texts and then calls, getting to know each other while building a friendship, both with hopes of one day being more than friends. But life and obstacles get in the way, making it a bumpy journey for them. I loved how this story was told and plotted in a way taking us through the years, starting in 2003 thru 2016, it took them that long to find their reason, well it took Hudson that long and it almost cost him everything that meant something to him. Kudos for Jade for standing up to her convictions. This is a beautifully written and beautifully told romance, there is plenty of drama, angst, lots of heartfelt emotions, some heartwarming and some heartrending ones too, as well as some hot and steamy loving. Claudia Burgoa, thank you for this amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, Claudia Burgoa chose the perfect cast to bring her characters and story to life. Jason Clarke and Lidia Dornet are superbly talented narrators and versatile voice artists. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, giving each a voice that is a perfect fit to that character’s persona, sounding believable and just as I picture the character to sound. Lidia Dornet played Jade’s role with perfection, grasping her every emotion and had you feeling every single one, Jason Clarke did the same for Hudson. Both were great at performing the roles of the secondary characters as well. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to and their narration enhances the story to another level. Thank you for another exceptional listen!

Emotional, great narration

Finding My Reason is a very emotional, heart wrenching and intense story. It was hard to read/listen to this book because there is so much anguish, misunderstanding and unwillingness to bend.

I found myself frustrated with both Jade and Hudson but understand them standing their ground.

Jason Clarke and Lidia Dornet do a fantastic job with the narration. They bring so much emotion and depth to each of these characters.

I received a complimentary copy and I am leaving my honest review.

Almost did not finish

I almost did not finish this book. I did not care for the book at all. The only part of the book that was worth my time was the ending, but still it was hollow. I'm not a fan of the female narrator, and Jason Clark wasn't as good as he is in most books.

Sadness

Better choices for me - laughter and romance. I am a widow and prefer those. Jason Clarke my only reason for choosing. He was great as always.