TSK, TSK, What to Read?: BLOG TOUR: Out of the Shallows by Samantha Young

From the New York Times bestselling author of Into the Deep

LIVE YOUNG. LIVE HARD. LOVE DEEP.

Charley and Jake’s story concludes in Out of the Shallows…

Somehow, after everything they’ve been through, Jake Caplin and Charley Redford made their way back to one another. But finding each other and staying together are two completely different things.

When Charley’s world is flipped upside down, she begins to question the choices and decisions she’s made since her arrival in Edinburgh, and in an effort to grip onto what she holds most dear she believes she must sacrifice her love for Jake.

Returning to the States for her senior year, Charley struggles to find peace and happiness. While everyone else seems to be finding themselves in college, Charley is terrified that, along with almost everything else that’s important to her, she’s lost herself.

While friends and family deal with their own tumultuous lives, there is one person resolved to uncover the reason behind Charley’s sudden defection and unhappiness. Refusing to give up without a fight, Jake believes he is the only one who can truly understand what Charley is going through, and this time he’s determined to prove he’s there for her no matter what obstacles are thrown in their way.

However, as Charley strives to make it through the biggest personal journey of her life thus far, there is no guarantee that the woman she is becoming will still need Jake as much as the girl she once was did...

We are soooo excited to bring you this

DELETED scene below...Check it out...

Edinburgh, February 2013

Lowe placed another small pile of golden pancakes he’d just made on our kitchen table. While our friends dug in like ravenous wolves, he turned to me with a quizzical smile. “You sure you don’t want any?”

I shook my head. “Not hungry.”

He gave me a long look that I ignored. I also ignored Jake’s gaze burning into me. Jake was crammed in at the table along with Beck, Denver, Rowena, Claudia, and our flatmate, Maggie. I was curled up in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the corner by the window, Matt sprawled on the floor at my feet. He’d already eaten a whole bunch in Lowe’s first two batches. Now he was staring up at the ceiling, alarmingly quiet for Matt.

I let myself worry about that. It was much easier to worry about Matt’s unusual quiet that it was to worry about … well, everything else.

A week had passed since my Skype chat with Mrs. C, and it had only taken those few days for my optimism to plummet. Andie and my dad still weren’t talking to me. An unrelenting sickness sat in my stomach. I hated not talking to my family.

Jake was an issue too.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I loved him, I still didn’t know if I trusted him, and in an effort to protect myself, I’d begun subtly pushing him away. The last time we’d been intimate was the night of the Skype chat. I kept telling him I was busy with school, I was tired, I was hanging out with Claudia. A few days ago I got my period, so I had a valid excuse not to have sex. Still, having my period didn’t mean we couldn’t hang out, so when Jake began to push, I made sure all our friends were there to hang out with us.

The Stolen had a gig late last night so I’d waited until early afternoon to invite them over. Upon discovering we had fresh ingredients in our kitchen, Beck had begged Lowe to whip up some pancakes. Everyone was digging in with abandon, except me. I was too preoccupied with my family woes and avoiding Jake’s gaze to concentrate on hunger.

Earlier, I’d sought distraction in Claudia as we chatted about Dustin, her real father. She let me read the email he’d sent back to her, explaining that he knew about her but her mother and stepfather had asked him to stay out of her life. They hadn’t wanted to confuse her. But Dustin was delighted to hear she wanted to meet and he was looking forward to her visit in the spring. It was the first good piece of news Claudia had had in a while. Dustin had also explained that he was terrible about emailing and he was in the middle of creating works for an upcoming showing, but if she wanted to continue to email him, he would write back when he could.

Although talking to Claud about her dad and imagining what he was like in real life was distracting, it wasn’t enough. So … Matt would have to do for now.

Matt was surfer cute, totally a contrast to the rest of the band with his curly blond hair, year-round tan, and baby-blue eyes. More often than not, he said stupid shit we knew he didn’t mean. Matt was a good guy—he just sometimes didn’t know when to censor himself. I sometimes wondered if what he said was really on his mind or if it was all a ruse to cover hidden depths. I knew he’d lost his parents when he was young and had been raised by his aunt and uncle. I couldn’t help think that someone who had been through something like that had to have more to him than sex jokes and weed stories.

“You okay, Matt?” I asked, unintentionally drawing everyone’s attention.

Matt turned his head to look up at me. “Yeah, why?”

“Because you’ve been in the room with Claudia for over an hour and you haven’t hit on her yet.”

“An oversight.” He rolled his eyes so he was looking at Claudia upside down. “Hey, beautiful.”

Claudia looked at me wide-eyed. That was way too tame for Matt and actually kind of sweet. What the heck was wrong with him? Claudia dropped her fork and stared at him with a pucker between her brows. “Matt, what the hell is wrong with you?”

He closed his eyes tight. “Nothing.” Denver gave a low snort and Matt’s eyes popped open. “Don’t say a fucking word, man.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Denver took another bite of pancake, smirking around the mouthful.

Okay, now I was intrigued. “What did you do now?”

“I didn’t do anything. Why do you assume I did something?”

“Because you’re a tool,” Beck threw in.

“You know I’m getting sick of your abuse.”

“No, you’re not,” Beck frowned at him. “You live for my abuse so you can abuse me back. Charley’s right. Something’s up.”

“Nothing’s up!” His face burned. He shot me a dirty look and I held my hands in surrender.

“I was just worried.”

Matt sighed. “I can’t be pissed at a hot chick who’s concerned for me.”

“So?” I prodded further. “What’s up?”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Denver shoved his plate back with a huff. “He’s got chlamydia.”

“Fuck, Denver!” Matt yelled, turning purple. “I’m never telling you shit again!”

“It’s an STD,” Denver yawned. “What’s the big deal?”

The rest of us were silent a moment, exchanging glances, trying not to laugh. Beck ruined it. A snort he couldn’t stop. That trigger set the rest of us off like dominoes.

The only ones not laughing were Matt and strangely, Rowena.

I wiped a tear from my eye, watching her glare at Matt and Matt glare at us.

“Screw you all.” Matt jumped to his feet. “Immature dickwads.”

“Oh, come on,” Jake appealed to him. “We’re just surprised you’re so upset about it, that’s all.”

Matt stared at him like he was nuts. “Dude, I have an STD. I’m on anti-freaking-biotics.”

“That is surprising,” Claudia said. “I had no idea you got laid often enough to get an STD.”

“I’m a drummer in a band.” He shrugged. “Some girls actually want all this awesomeness. Unfortunately, I got carried away and now I’m being punished.”

“Wait.” I bit my lip trying not to laugh again. “Are you upset because of the chlamydia or because you think you’re sleeping around too much?”

“Oh my God,” Claudia said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Matt … are you a romantic underneath all the sex talk?”

His cheeks brightened again and he glared at Beck. “This is why we shouldn’t be friends with women.”

Claudia and I shared a delighted look. Matt was upset because he felt he’d slept around too much. That was kind of cute. “Oh, Matt, you’re not a whore.” I squeezed his hand in mock sympathy, grinning at Jake’s low chuckle.

Matt heaved a sigh. “Can we just stop talking about it?”

“Eh, I don’t think so.” Rowena slammed her chair against the wall, glowering at him. I had never seen Rowena pissed off before. “When exactly were ye thinkin’ about tellin’ me ye huv bloody chlamydia?”

Stunned as sudden realization hit me, I watched as Matt rubbed a hand over his short curls, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

“Um … well …”

“Um … well?” Rowena shook her head. “I huv tae get tested, ye stupid bampot. Ye better grow a pair, be a fuckin’ man, get on the phone tae the lasses ye can remember shaggin’ and tell them they might have chlamydia!” she screeched the last word, fists clenched at her side.

Matt stared back at her, eyes wide.

And as if just remembering we were all in the room, Rowena glanced around at our shocked faces. Her shoulders slumped. “It was one night. We were shitfaced.” And with that, she stormed out. Probably on her way to the student clinic.

I looked at Denver. He seemed surprisingly calm. “Um … Denver?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Aren’t you and Rowena …?”

He gave me a look. “Since when?”

Claudia’s jaw dropped. “Since always?”

“Rowena and I are just really good friends. We’ve never slept together.”

“Did you know this?” Claudia asked Beck.

He nodded, reaching for the last pancake. “Yup.”

“Did you?” she asked Lowe.

“Yup.”

“Did you?” I asked Jake.

He smiled at me. “Yup. I didn’t know you thought Row and Den were together.”

“Of course we thought that.” Claudia gave them all an impatient look.

“Even I thought that,” Maggie added, “and I don’t know them that well.”

“I didn’t know she slept with Matt, though,” Lowe said. “Rowena, really? You couldn’t keep it in your pants?”

Matt made a face. “She started it. I’m only a man. I can’t say no to a pretty woman when she’s so obviously desperate for a taste of all this.” He gestured to his body.

“And he’s back,” I sighed.

“Oh well, it could only last so long.” Claudia got up from the table, grabbing plates and dumping them in the sink.

“You lot are fun,” Maggie said. “I need to hang out with you more often.”

“Yeah, ’cause pancakes and STDs are a real hoot,” Lowe said, grinning at her. She blushed under his attention, which only made his grin turn wicked.

I got up to get a drink from the fridge and as the others started chatting loudly, I bent down to whisper in Lowe’s ear, “Don’t even think about it.”

I moved away, the fridge door obscuring me. Suddenly Lowe was beside me, reaching for a can of soda. “And it’s your business how?” he murmured.

“Not my roommate. Not this one anyway.”

He huffed and bent down to whisper in my ear, “You can forget about me and Claudia.”

I pulled back, bemused.

Lowe smirked. “Jake told me.”

I slammed the fridge door shut and turned to glare at Jake, only to find he was already glaring at me. And Lowe.

Oh shit.

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestselling novel ON DUBLIN STREET. ON DUBLIN STREET is Samantha's first adult contemporary romance and has been sold in twenty six countries.

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I'm really in awe of Samantha Young. She brings so much to a book. What I thought would happen in Out of the Shallows was no where close to the actual story.
I'm not complaining. It just shows how brilliant and talented she is.
Out of the Shallows brought an unconventional love story to life. My meaning? This isn't your run of the mill sappy romance. It is so much more. It reaches deep levels of pain, anger, and regret all the while tying those with hope, love and growth.
For 90% of the book, I wanted to strangle Charley. Just grab her by the shoulders and shake her silly until she gained some sense again.
I DID NOT agree with her decisions. The choices she made really just pissed me off. But...BUT...I understood... I got it...She was just in THAT place. It's so eerie too...I could identify with her on so many levels. Having that connection with the main character like that. It definitely makes the story that much more.
However, I truly admired Charley when all was said and done. She grew so much during this book and to see her face her fears and become the woman she could be proud of...yeah...that gets you right in the heart.
It was a long, HARD road for her and it left me very worried...I really didn't know if things were going to work out. The complexity of the situations kept those ton of bricks on Charley's shoulders leaving me with the grave feeling of things not ending well...
Now, I bet you are wondering where Jake is in all of this??
I can tell you that in this book I fell more in love with him that I thought possible. And I mean the head over heels, melt in to a pile of gooh in love with him.
What he endured throughout Out of the Shallows proved him to be a man of unbelieveable character. *sighs heavily*
I believe this may even make him my top book boyfriend...(yeah...that is saying LOADS!!!)
Anyways, Out of the Shallows is a work of pure ingenuity. It is a story that encompasses so many emotions. Challenging you to encounter your own fears head on...provoking you to look deep indide and discover your true self.
Every moment, every scene, you connect to these amazing characters. Filling you with angst, anger, worry, passion and love...with scorching heat from the hot sexy intimate interludes...Out of the Shallows is a book that is a definite must read...

It's been some time since I finished Out of the Shallows. It's taken this long to gather up the shreds of my tattered heart. To accept this is truly. The. End. And then, to bask in the afterglow. And still, I can't quite summon up my thoughts.

We jump back into the love fest that is Jake and Charley- and just as quickly, we're thrust into panic, confusion, and heartbreak. And I felt as if I might have to choose sides. I was beyond torn. And though I was assured all would end well, I didn't like where this was going. And this is how it left me...

Typically, in one of Sam's romances it's the heroine I'd love to pal around with, comfort,and share all my secrets with. In this instance, it's Jake. Normally I just fall for the guy. And I did fall for Jake, but more than that, I would have wanted him as my best friend and confidant. The one I ran too for... everything. He's just a good guy. A really, really, good guy. And my heart ached for him through so much of this story. And many of the events that take place made me a little angry and disappointed in Charley.

Now don't get me wrong. I love Charley. I relate to Charley. And I've always wanted her to find her HEA with Jake. But let me tell you... this girl tried my patience this go 'round. Charley seems to struggle with everything. At times she made it difficult for me to keep a hold on my own control and not let loose of the kindle. I wanted to fling it across the room while screeching, "JUST GIVE IN. You know you want to! You're making it TOO HARD!" I was pulling my hair, biting my lip, and chewing my nails. And seriously beginning to believe the HEA was never going to come.

Thank the lord for swoony flashbacks, fate, and Jake's persistence. The alternating times and place were often a perfect reprieve from the emotional intensity. Being able to get out of Charley's head and just enjoy the memories made it possible to not give up hope. To see that if someone could just get through that girl's thick, complicated head, she'd finally listen to her heart. That Jake really, truly, was The. One.
Or was that all my wishful thinking??? Was I just "Jake drunk"? Was Charley being the smart one or ... Was the whole thing one big, bad dream? *drops head into hands*

There's so much to witness and so much to feel. I am telling you now, this book is FULL of the FEELS. One thing you can count on, Out of the Shallows is one hell of an amazing rollercoaster ride. And once again, Samantha has a smash on her hands. OOTS has different cadence than Into the Deep. It's a bit jumpier. More back and forth. More erratic. More intense. It fits the fire and ice temperaments of the characters. And gives us glimpses of the many reasons they end up in such a heap. It is endlessly exciting. Yes, aggravating. Romantic. And of course, off the charts HOT and sexy.

I think each reader will take something different from the story. But I'm pretty damned sure everyone will walk away content and complete.