B.L. Blair's Blog, page 20

Thanksgiving

November Giveaway - Dead in a Park Paperback & Tote Bag

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Donald Collins in the city park, she doesn’t know he is a distant relative. Young Donnie was a jewel thief and a career criminal. Hidden in the lining of his suit jacket was an exact replica of a ring that has been in Leah’s family for over a hundred years. After her home is burglarized, the sexy chief of police is convinced the ruby ring has something to do with the murder.
Leah wants to find out what happened to Donnie, but why would someone kill for a hundred year old ring? She discovers a connection between Donnie and the drug-dealing Cantono family, between the Cantono family and a jewelry appraiser, and between the jewelry appraiser and one of her own employees. Chief Griggs might be onto something. All clues lead back to the family ring.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer strikes again?

This giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only. Entering the giveaway will also add you to my mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Halloween

Excerpt from Dead in a Park

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Donald Collins in the city park, she doesn’t know he is a distant relative. Young Donnie was a jewel thief and a career criminal. Hidden in the lining of his suit jacket was an exact replica of a ring that has been in Leah’s family for over a hundred years. After her home is burglarized, the sexy chief of police is convinced the ruby ring has something to do with the murder.
Leah wants to find out what happened to Donnie, but why would someone kill for a hundred year old ring? She discovers a connection between Donnie and the drug-dealing Cantono family, between the Cantono family and a jewelry appraiser, and between the jewelry appraiser and one of her own employees. Chief Griggs might be onto something. All clues lead back to the family ring.
Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer strikes again?
Excerpt:“Was he murdered?” I asked softly. “Oh, yes. It was murder,” Griggs replied.The last time I found a body it had never occurred to me that the police would consider me a suspect. As a law-abiding citizen, I had just assumed that people knew I was innocent. My experience with the police showed me I was wrong. I looked at both Griggs and Reddish.“Please tell me you don’t think I killed him.”Griggs snorted. “No, we don’t think you killed him. He was taller than you, and his neck was broken. No way could you have done that.”“It was fast and neat,” Reddish added and then turned to Griggs. “Probably someone with military or combat training.”“Someone who knows how to kill with their hands,” Griggs said softly. I swallowed. Candace had shot and killed two people in December and tried to kill me twice. She had been crazy, her behavior unexpected and unpredictable, which had made the situation scary. This sounded worse. A person who was calm and rational murdering someone with their bare hands was chilling. And I couldn’t forget about the weird shoe thing.“Did you find his shoes?”“No,” Griggs replied, turning toward me.“Why would someone want his shoes?”“Who knows? There wasn’t much of a struggle, although there were multiple sets of footprints. But all appeared to be made by people wearing shoes.” He turned away from me and back toward Reddish. “Between Leah and her dog stomping around, I doubt we’ll get any viable footprints.”“Hey,” I said indignantly. Both men ignored me.“Let’s keep the area secure anyway,” Griggs continued. “Send a team out to see if they can find anything. Maybe the shoes will show up somewhere else in the park.”“Got it,” Reddish replied as he started to walk away. “See you around, Leah.”“Bye, David,” I said reluctantly. I didn’t want to be alone with Griggs. It was awkward and unpleasant. I’m not exactly sure why he had kissed me and then disappeared from my life, but I wasn’t going to ask. I hadn’t thought he would be interested in me in the first place. Although not traditionally handsome, Griggs is an extremely attractive and sexy man. After waiting weeks for him to call or come by, I finally chalked it up to a gaffe on his part. Instead of telling me he wasn’t interested, he simply disappeared. If I hadn’t found this body, I probably would have never seen him again except in passing.We stood there in silence for a few moments before Griggs said, “You can leave now. Thank you for your patience.”He sounded so formal and polite. I didn’t like it. I gathered Harry’s leash, pulled him up, and started to walk away. “Well, I guess…I guess I’ll see you around.”Griggs stepped back and let me pass. I hadn’t gotten very far before I heard him call my name. When I turned around, he was standing in the same spot with an odd look on his face. He rubbed his hand across his head and then gave me a slight smile. “It was good to see you, Leah.”“Uh, yeah, you too,” I stuttered before we both turned and walked away.
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Park-Leah-Norwood-Mystery-ebook/dp/B013VYOZBGiBooks:https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dead-in-a-park/id1030628578?mt=11B&N:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dead-in-a-park-b-l-blair/1122527821?ean=2940152095425Kobo:https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dead-in-a-parkSmashwords:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/568893CreateSpace:https://www.createspace.com/5775385

The Lost Macaw

The Lost Macaw is the fourth novella in the Lost and Found Pets series. Alexandra Prescott is a licensed private investigator specializing in finding missing animals. Reuniting pet and owner is more than just a job.
A former client hires Alex to find her lost parrot. The bright colored bird has flown away before, but this time there is evidence that Molly was kidnapped. The demand is simple—the bird for the pictures.
When her client suffers a stroke, Alex is left with a ransom note, a missing bird, and some very incriminating photos. She is in a race against time to solve the mystery of the lost Macaw.
Excerpt:I reached the front door just as Trudy was unlocking it. There was a bright yellow business sized-envelope taped to it. I grabbed the envelope and handed it to Trudy as I walked inside. The house is small but tidy. I hadn’t been in anything other than the living room, but I could see the kitchen from where I was standing and a hallway that appeared to led to a couple of bedrooms. All the furniture was old, and the house could use a fresh coat of paint, but everything was neat and clean.“So where was Molly when you last saw her?” I asked.“She was sitting on her stand,” Trudy said pointing to a bird stand near the window. “I let her out when I get up in the morning. She usually spends most of the day on her stand. About eight I went for my usual walk, and when I got back she wasn’t here. I don’t know how she could have gotten out. I clipped her wings just last week. She can’t fly far.”Her voice was starting to quiver, and her breathing picked up. I glanced at her. She was pale and swaying just a little. She was holding the yellow envelope in her hands, and they were trembling.“Let me just look around a little. See if I can find any clues in here. Then Hero and I will go outside to search.”With Hero at my side, I started a methodical search of the room. We looked behind the couch and under the chairs, desk, and coffee table. I had Hero sniff around Molly’s cage before we started on the rest of the house.As I was headed down the hallway, there was a sound behind me. I turned to see Trudy standing near the front door. She had opened the envelope. She held a single sheet of paper in her hand. The left side of her face drooped, and her arm fell to her side causing her to drop the paper.“Trudy?”“Mmmoll…”Her swaying increased. I rushed over and caught her just before she tumbled to the floor. Gently I laid her down and reached for my phone to call 911.“Stay with me, Trudy.”Her color was awful. She was sweating and breathing shallowly. I had some first aid training and believed she was having a stroke. As I spoke with the emergency operator, I grabbed a pillow from the couch and placed it under her head.“Hleped..mollll..caag.”Trudy was mumbling, trying to speak, but I couldn’t make out the words. Her speech was slurred and disjointed. She looked old and scared. My own breathing was labored. Heart pounding, I tried to be positive.“Just try to relax, Trudy. Help is on the way.”The next fifteen minutes were some of the longest of my life. Trudy’s breathing got worse. She vomited once. She kept mumbling about Molly. I tried to reassure her that I would continue to look for the bird, but I’m not sure she understood anything I said. By the time the paramedics arrived, she was unconscious and barely breathing. I was just about to start CPR when they burst through the door.

Now available for preorder on Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords.

A Moment at Christmas by Jennifer Faye - $25 Amazon GC Giveaway

This is my stop during the book blitz for A Moment at Christmas by Jennifer Faye. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 19 till 25 October. See the tour schedule here.

Start the series for cheap!
Get book 1 in this series, A Moment to Love, for free from Amazon, B&N, Kobo or iTunes!
And buy book 2 in this series, A Moment to Dance, for only $0.99 from Amazon, B&N, Kobo or iTunes!

A Moment at Christmas (A Whistle Stop Romance #5)
By Jennifer Faye
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: October 19, 2017

Blurb:
Needed: A nanny in time for Christmas!

Christian Danser keeps his home at the Broken Arrow Ranch just as his late wife left it: cozy and orderly. With an early winter settling in and the ranch shorthanded, he needs a nanny ASAP.

When Noelle Forrester finds herself unexpectedly unemployed, she and her young son are facing eviction. An ad for a live-in nanny appears to be the answer to her prayers. Until she comes face-to-face with Christian—the sexy yet irritating cowboy who cost Noelle her previous job!

Christian resists hiring the beautiful but failed waitress. She’s too young, too busy, and far too tempting. Nonetheless, when his daughter takes a shine to Noelle, he reconsiders. But when Noelle’s holiday cheer conflicts with Christian’s avoidance of the holiday, sparks fly. Somehow, Noelle has to open Christian’s heart to the spirit of Christmas…or she and her son will be homeless by the New Year.

You can find A Moment at Christmas on Goodreads

You can buy A Moment at Christmas here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- iTunes
 
Previews books in the series:

Start this series for free!

For a limited time A Moment to Love is free on all vendor sites! Start this series for free and pick up book 1 today:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- iTunes

And buy book 2 A Moment to Dance for only $0.99!

Free bookmark offer for A Moment at Christmas
Jennifer Faye is offering reader her latest bookmark for:
A Moment at Christmas


NOTE: A big apology but due to postal fees, the freebies are only available to continental U.S. residents.
All you have to do is go to Jennifer Faye’s Contact Page and let her know your physical mailing address.
NOTE: Please be specific as to the quantity desired.
And remember you can order extra to share with your favorite bookstore, library and friends. :-)

About the Author:
Award-winning author, Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published with books translated into nine languages. She is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, named a TOP PICK author, and been nominated for numerous other awards.

Now living her dream, she resides with her very patient husband, amazing daughter (the other remarkable daughter is off chasing her own dreams) and two spoiled cats. When she's not plotting out her next romance, you can find her curled up with a mug of tea and a book.

You can learn more about Jennifer at:
- Website
- Newsletter
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Pinterest
- Amazon
- Goodreads
- Bookbub

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of A Moment at Christmas. One winner will win a $25 Amazon Gift card.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt from Notice Me

Victoria has loved Andrew for 12 years. It's time to make him notice her.
Andrew Moore has always thought of Victoria as family. She is his best friend’s little sister and his little sister’s best friend, but recently something has changed. Andrew is thinking about Victoria in a completely different way. She will never fit into his quiet, conservative world. They are too different to have a future together, but he cannot stop noticing her.
Victoria Carson has been in love with Andrew since her sixteenth birthday, but Andrew never noticed her as anything other than the girl next door. She fled from her hometown so that she wouldn’t have to watch Andrew build a life with someone else. But things have changed. Andrew is now a widower, and Victoria has returned home. It is time to make him notice her.
Return to Holton, Texas to see if Victoria can get Andrew to notice her. Notice Me is the second book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.
Excerpt:Victoria took a deep breath before tossing Andrew the baseball. She watched with satisfaction as his eyes widen and a crooked smile crossed his face. As always, his smile took her breath, and when his eyes locked with hers, she was unable to look away. Her heart beat faster and her mouth went dry. Andrew’s smile faded and his eyes narrowed. At that point, it was just the two of them. Everyone else in the room faded away. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Victoria knew her desire for him showed but was surprised to see a flickering response in his eyes. She was unable to breathe and for a moment, she thought he was going to reach for her. Then, he took a deep breath and the desire faded from his face."Thank you, Victoria," Andrew said gravely.A sharp stab of disappointment ran through her but the spell was broken. He might desire her but he wasn’t going to act on it. She quickly averted her eyes and launched into the story about the player and getting his autograph. They were all impressed that she had actually met him, and the conversation became a rehashing of his career. Julie decided it was time for her kids to go to sleep so Victoria volunteered to help put them to bed. She felt the need to put some distance between her and Andrew.Upstairs, she took Katie to her room. The five year old was tired but fighting sleep and she begged for a story. There was little Victoria could refuse Julie’s daughter. She loved all of the Riley children, but did admit to herself that Katie was her favorite. Named after her, Katherine Victoria was sweet, affectionate, and mischievous. Julie had put Michael to bed and stopped by Katie’s room. She smiled when she saw Victoria with Katie’s favorite storybook in her hand."Do you want me to read to her?" she asked from the doorway."No. I want to."Julie nodded and headed back downstairs. Victoria picked up the book and began reading. It wasn’t long before Katie drifted off to sleep. Victoria carefully rose and covered her with the bedspread. She stood a moment by the bed fighting the longing for a child of her own. When she turned and headed for the door, she saw Phyllis leaning against it."Is she asleep?"Victoria nodded and walked over to Phyllis. She linked her arm with the woman she considered a second mother. As a child, Victoria had spent as many hours in the Moore home as she had in her own, and she had a great deal of love and respect for this woman. Victoria closed the door softly behind her and headed for the stairs. Phyllis stopped her before she reached them."Tori, you should consider having children of your own."Victoria closed her eyes momentarily against the pain her remark caused. Twice in a matter of days, someone had made that suggestion, and Victoria fought the longing each time. She smiled ironically. "I think it’s too late for me to marry and I can’t imagine raising a child on my own."She looked at the older woman and saw that Phyllis was staring at her, searching for something."You’ve given up," Phyllis said softly.Fear raced through Victoria. Surely, Phyllis didn’t know. She quickly gathered herself together. "What do you mean?""You’ve given up on Andrew, haven’t you?"Victoria leaned back against the wall and sighed. "How did you know?""Oh, Tori. I’ve known you since you were five years old. I still remember the look on your face at your sixteenth birthday party when Andrew handed you his gift. It was like a light had suddenly been turned on inside you. You had always burned bright but that day, a fire ignited in you. It worried me at first but I should’ve known better. You were incredibly sensible underneath all that flamboyant exterior even then. You knew you were too young at the time and you were willing to wait. Only we both waited too long, didn’t we? I wasn’t prepared for Carolyn either."Victoria watched Phyllis as she turned and looked down the stairway. For some reason, it helped to know that she had been watching out for her. She listened as Phyllis went on."I wish I could say I had loved her. Carolyn was very nice and a good daughter-in-law. She gave me two beautiful grandchildren but I couldn’t love her. You see, I wanted you for Andrew." She smiled a little sadly at Victoria who leaned over and hugged her. "Don’t give up on him, Tori. He’s coming around. I can see it.""I don’t know, Phyllis. I don’t think I’m making any progress, and it hurts so much.""I know it does, dear. I wish I could say that you will never hurt again but we both know that’s not true. All I can say is that I think you are just what he needs. I believe someday he’ll realize that."
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Notice-Me-Holton-Series-ebook/dp/B00BFCM5RSApple:https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/notice-me-holton-series-2/id689557714?mt=11B&N:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/notice-me-b-l-blair/1116761884?ean=2940045217057Kobo:https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/notice-me-holton-series-2Smashwords:https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/346414 CreateSpace:https://www.createspace.com/4210983

Saved by H.L. Anderson - New Release

Theresa Kent is a wife, mom, and hardworking nurse living in rural Colorado. Life is good until her increasingly despondent, unemployed husband suddenly snaps—his vicious attack leaves Theresa fighting for her life as she tries to escape the insane version of the man she loves.
Ryan Tucker appears to have it all, except he’s been merely existing, not living, for the last three years. His emotions get a much needed jump start when he rescues Theresa from the torment her life has become in just a matter of days. Ryan feels an instant and fierce desire to protect this stranger that fell into his life.
Hanging over their heads is the knowledge that Theresa’s husband is still out there, hunting for her.
Can two broken souls be repaired, or will the demons of the past and present come between the repressed love that grows between them?
Excerpt:Theresa sat forward, the seatbelt tugging at her collarbone. She smiled as she stared at the crooked, brown, furry trunks that split into thick branches—a melon-sized clump of green reaching for the sky atop each branch. “I’ve killed a cactus before. More than one, actually.”
“Ah. Did the cactus do something to deserve an early demise? Or, are you just a silent psychopathic killer of cacti?”
She cringed a little at his choice of words, but hid it with a small chuckle. “Neither. I’m just really bad at keeping plants alive. My thumb is not only decisively not green—it’s necrotic. I have necrotic thumb syndrome when it comes to plants.”
“Hmm. I see. So, how, exactly, do you go about killing a cactus?”
“Well, there are several ways actually. Too much water. Not enough sunlight. And, surprisingly, not enough water. Apparently, you can’t just ignore one and hope it sucks up enough moisture from the air to survive.”
“Okay. Necrotic thumb noted. There will be no gifts of living plants from me in your future. How do you fare with the plastic versions?”
She snorted at the fake seriousness in his voice. Turning to him, she wrinkled her brow to match his tone. “I can’t guarantee the safety of even synthetic greenery in the care of my black and decaying thumb.”
Mouth twitching, he narrowed his eyes and placed a finger alongside his jaw, nodding. “I see. This is more serious than I thought. Dead flowers and chocolate will have to suffice, I suppose.”
She laughed, then turned serious, laying her hand on his arm where it rested between them. “Or, we could just say that saving my life and taking care of me when you really didn’t have to is enough of a gift to last an entire lifetime and then some.”
About the Author:Holli Anderson has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing—which has nothing to do with writing, except maybe by adding some pretty descriptive injury and vomit scenes to her books. She discovered her joy of writing during a very trying period in her life when escaping into make-believe saved her. She enjoys reading any book she gets her hands on, but has a particular love for anything fantasy.
Along with her husband, Steve, and their four sons, she lives in Grantsville, Utah—the same small town in which she grew up.
Website: www.holli-anderson.comFaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Holli-Anderson-338395009614151/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HaAuthorInstagram: anderson.holli

Bessie - SPCA of Texas

Look at this sweetie.[image error]
http://spcafindapet.com/detail.php?aid=156747&cid=10&tid=Cat

The Christmas Wedding Swap by Allyson Charles - $25 Gift Card Giveaway

BLURB:Allison Stuart has always been the odd-woman-out of her family. She wears her jeans a little too tight, colors her hair a little too blonde, and instead of going into medicine and law like her sisters, she runs a diner. She’s also the only single sibling left. And while she won’t change her style, and her meatloaf is to die for, thank you very much, she wouldn’t mind her share of wedded bliss. So she makes an early New Year’s resolution: No more meaningless flings.
Drop-dead sexy Luke Hamilton is everything Allison has sworn off. His only serious relationship has been with his five-star restaurant, Le Cygne Noir, in Chicago. When he’s threatened by a lawsuit, Luke decides to hide out in Pineville, Michigan, until the statute of limitations runs out. The small town is filled with Christmas charm, but he can’t imagine living there. Heating things up with the hottie who owns the local diner would make his exile bearable—if he can convince her to give up her ridiculous resolution . . .
Excerpt:“Is this restaurant a step down for you?” Allison asked sweetly. She twirled the tip of the cleaver in a circle. “Is my kitchen not up to your usual standards?”
Luke appeared to have more balls than brains. He stood firm. “A kitchen can always be improved. Yours is no exception.”
He was giving her an ulcer. Allison’s stomach grumbled in complaint, and she knew just how it felt. There were some things that just weren’t done, and criticizing your boss’s kitchen was one of them. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you not to piss off a woman holding an eight-inch blade?”
“That’s a solid piece of advice,” Delilah said in agreement.
Luke threw his hands in the air. “Fine. I think you’re making a mistake, but it’s your restaurant.”
“I’m glad you remember that,” Allison said.
Luke’s lips twitched, and he rocked back onto his heels. “I’d heard your nickname was the Tyrant, but I couldn’t see it till now.”
Allison spluttered.
“I mean it as a compliment,” Luke said. “You don’t let anyone push you around. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”
Luke traced a finger along the slick metal surface of the counter, his eyes hot, and Allison felt it as though his finger danced along her spine. She could see in his expression that he meant it. He did find her take-charge attitude a turn-on. And damn if that didn’t make her go a little weak in the knees. Still, she couldn’t let that claim go unchallenged.
“My name is n—”
“No?” Delilah jumped in.
Luke chuckled.
Allison’s jaw grew stiff. If she could incinerate people with the heat of her glare, her restaurant would be down two cooks. They’d be nothing but little piles of dust. “Not no. And not Tyrant. My employees love me.”
Peals of laughter rang through the kitchen.
Allison wagged the knife in the air. “Delilah, that advice about being nice to the woman holding a knife? It goes for you, too.” Spinning, she hammered the cleaver into her cutting board, the blade plunging a quarter inch into the wood. She stepped back, and the cleaver stood upright, quivering in its new slot. With a pointed look at her cooks, she stormed to her office.
The hoots of amusement behind her back rather diminished the effect of her exit.
Buy links:Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=9781601836090IBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-christmas-wedding-swap/id1209823636?mt=11B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-christmas-wedding-swap-allyson-charles/1125489708;jsessionid=7895472FF3C5A0BDE501E6AB0E760A87.prodny_store02-atgap02?ean=9781601836090Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-christmas-wedding-swapGoogle: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9781601836090&c=books
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Allyson Charles lives in Northern California. She’s the author of the "Pineville Romance" series, small-town, contemporary romances published by Lyrical Press. A former attorney, she happily ditched those suits and now works in her pajamas writing about men’s briefs instead of legal briefs. When she’s not writing, she’s probably engaged in one of her favorite hobbies: napping, eating, or martial arts (That last one almost makes up for the first two, right?). One of Allyson’s greatest disappointments is living in a state that doesn’t have any Cracker Barrels in it.
Sign up for Allyson’s newsletter at www.allysoncharles.com/newsletter. You can find her at www.allysoncharles.com, on Twitter @1allysoncharles, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorAllysonCharles.
$25 Amazon/BN GC Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway