B.L. Blair's Blog, page 48

Sunday Quote

Monthly Giveaway

The giveaway for April is a $10 Barnes and Noble Gift Card. You may enter each day, but please note that entering the giveaway will also register you to receive my quarterly newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time. Good Luck! 
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Way to Go Series by Mandy Colton - Win a $25 Gift Card

Way to Go: Veronica Lane works in the travel industry in her dream job when she experiences a hellish travel day ending in the loss of her job and stranded far from home. To make the situation even worse, she drowns her sorrows in the hotel bar, and wakes the next morning to a big surprise.
Gathering up the remains of her dignity along with her travel bags, she returns to her hometown in Peachtree City, Georgia. A community similar to a progressive Mayberry, except with golf cart paths and carts. A lot of them. Her family is kooky. The parents are sexually free and liberal, her brother is a golf cart cop with more good looks and brawn than brains. Her grandparents, one from each side, live in the same retirement community and maintain a constant battle while entertaining the other senior citizens. The Grandmother on her dad's side is stuck in the 1960’s, and the Grandfather on her mother's side served in WWII and thinks that the Japanese are still trying to kill him.
She calls inquiring about a job in the newspaper, a group escort for a small tour company in Atlanta. She is hired immediately and leaves the next day with her first group to Jamaica. First, she meets a handsome pilot with the charter airline they use, and then there is one unusual group participant that doesn’t seem to belong. He leaves the group for periods of time and when things happen, he uses MacGyver like skills to get them out of the situations. She is aggravated and knows something is fishy and the bad thing is, the man is very charismatic and she’s not just a little attracted to him.
Upon their return, she finds out that the man is friends with her rather unconventional boss and after a second unusual group excursion to Puerto Rico; she knows for sure that the little tour company in Atlanta is not really what it seems on the outside. When the truth is revealed, she finds herself unintentionally dropped into a new career that she can't exactly add to her resume.
Veronica finds herself in uncomfortable and hilarious situations, surrounded by crazy tour participants, family, friends, neighbors, and pets. After a long dry spell, she finds that there is suddenly an overabundance of romance, drama, and intrigue in her life. Her life is now a sometimes very bumpy, yet exciting ride.
Way to Roll: Secure your seat belt and get ready for another bumpy ride.
Veronica Lane never considered her life dull as a single woman working in the travel industry as a sales representative—not until one bad day ends in the loss of her dream job, and desperation leads her to Cavalcade Tours. The fun quickly turns into chaos and eyebrow-raising questions. Disaster leads to a shocking revelation leaving Veronica disgruntled and unsure if she has what it takes to begin a whole new career.
Some time away, deep thought, and her own misadventures have her gathering up the remains of her dignity and returning to her job with its interesting group of colorful and charismatic cohorts...with one big change. She’ll no longer just be a tour escort this time. Milton Porter, the owner of Cavalcade Tours, owns another company with secrets.
With her mind made up, new skills, passport in hand, and her bags packed, Veronica is ready to roll out for new destinations. Things get hairy as she tackles the dual roles her new job demands, dodging wild animals, nasty foes, and sometimes even the new men in her life.
Surrounded by kooky tourists, Veronica’s adventures place her in some dramatic and hilarious situations, and each return home to Peachtree City, Georgia has its own drama with her family of oddballs, nutty bunch of friends, and their pets. Her new life is sometimes bumpy and filled with turbulence, but it stays an intriguing and exciting ride.

EXCERPT from Way to Go:I was dreaming about Gremlins, an old movie I’d watched years ago as a kid. The little critters in the movie were really cute, until they got wet and then multiplied and wreaked havoc. Somehow they’d gotten in my head and dragged a hot tub in with them, having some twisted version of a frat party. That’s when my dream turned into a nightmare—fur balls popped as the creatures multiplied, wiggling and wallering around squealing. All the bouncing around and commotion started to nauseate me. My subconscious pleaded with me to wake up and just make it stop.
When I finally opened one eye and turned to look at the clock, a line of drool followed me. I smacked at my lips, grimacing at the strange taste in my mouth, and looked down at my pillow. Yuck. I seriously slobbered in my sleep?
Nice, Lane. Can’t wait to look in the mirror.
I swiped my hand across my mouth and slowly opened the other eye. Looking down, I waited a few seconds for my vision to clear. No nightgown. Drooling and naked. Not good signs. Blinking a few times, I looked around the room.
Agh, shit!
I closed my eyes and declared in my head that I was still having a nightmare. I would open them again and just be curiously sitting here naked with a hangover. That’s all. One, two, three…
I opened one eye. Aww, fuck—I mean, fudge. What did I do? Uhn…probably did just that.
There was a man in my bed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Mandy Colton is from Louisville, KY, and lives a very quiet life with her husband and teenage son. She’s a fan of romance, fun adventure stories, and some occasional sci-fi or paranormal thrown in. Veronica Lane and the idea for her adventures came from her own experiences and career working in the travel industry.
She claims that working in the travel business could be horribly stressful but was equally laugh-out-loud funny at times. She enjoyed many priceless and comical experiences with groups, friends, and peers. Even her clients shared humorous adventures of their own. Her opinion is that there just are no better stories than those that involve true life.
Subscribe for notifications on future new releases! http://www.mandycoltonfiction.com
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March 21: Christine Young
March 21: Long and Short Reviews
March 22: Writer Wonderland
March 23: A Writer's Life
March 24: A to Z Reviews
March 25: Wendi Zwaduk ~ Romance to Make Your Heart Race
March 28: Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
March 29: Rachel Brimble Romance
March 30: Two Ends of the Pen
March 31: T's Stuff
April 1: Booklover Sue
April 4: Ali - The Dragon Slayer
April 5: EskieMama Reads
April 7: Louise Lyndon Romance Author Hear Me Roar
April 8: Straight from the Library

Sunday Quote

Last Day to Enter! Free eCopy of Dead in a Park

Monthly Giveaway
This month's giveaway is an eCopy of Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2. You may enter each day, but please note that entering the giveaway will also register you to receive my quarterly newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time.


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?

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Monday Excerpt - Convince Me (Holton Series #1)

Blurb:Anna is afraid of love, but Steven changes everything.
Anna West just wants to start over in a new town far away from her past. The only child of a mixed race couple, Anna learned about the ugly side of human behavior at an early age.  After watching her abusive father mistreat her mother, Anna knows that love is not for her.
Steven Carson has always known what he wanted, and from the moment he saw her, he wanted Anna.  Steven is ready for love.  He is ready to settle down, start a family, and he knows Anna is the one for him.  Now all he has to do is convince her.
Come visit Holton, Texas to see if Steven can convince Anna to take a chance on love. Convince Me is the first book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.
Excerpt: Steven headed to the kitchen to help Anna. Once there, he was surprised to see that Andrew and Mitch were already moving the large jugs from the refrigerator to the living room. Mitch was flirting with Anna and standing far too close for Steven’s comfort. Anna was smiling at something he said when her eyes met Steven’s. Instantly the laughter died, and she gave Steven a look that would have frozen ice. Seeing the look, Mitch turned his head and saw Steven standing in the doorway.
“I’ll just take this into the living room,” Mitch said following Andrew out the door. “There should be plenty for the rest of the party.”
Anna started to follow, but Steven stopped her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said coldly.
“Anna, the temperature dropped about fifty degrees when I walked in. Aren’t you having a good time?”
“I’m surprised you noticed. You were so busy with your little friend.” The reference could only be to Olivia. “Anna, are you jealous?” he asked softly.
“Of course not,” she snapped. “If you want to ignore your guests, that’s no skin off my back.”
“Well, you sound jealous.” Anna’s eyes flashed and Steven grinned. “Oh, honey, you have no reason to be jealous.”
“Mitch said you and Olivia were really close in high school.”
Silently cursing Mitch, Steven patiently explained. “We were close in school but, Anna, that was twelve years ago. I’ve only seen her a couple of times since then. She’s just an old friend.”
Turning to walk a few feet away, Anna took a deep breath. “I do sound jealous, don’t I?”
“A little, but I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one suffering from the particular ailment.”
“You’ve been jealous?” Anna asked, with a surprised look on her face.
Steven nodded. “You said so yourself earlier this evening when you met Mitch.”
“He’s your brother.”
“So?”
“You aren’t really jealous of Mitch are you?”
“You said he was sexy.” Steven walked over to the sink and leaned against it.
“Well, Mitch is sexy,” Anna said slowly, and Steven’s heart sank. She walked slowly toward him, and he watched her with apprehension. Suddenly, she smiled a very wicked smile, and Steven’s body leaped to attention. She leaned forward and kissed him deeply before whispering, “Mitch is sexy, but you are sexier.”
Gathering her into his arms, Steven grinned at her once before covering her mouth with his own. He deepened the kiss as her lips parted under his. Pulling her closer, Steven molded her body to his and captured her head with one hand. Holding her still, his mouth trailed kisses all along her jaw before returning once more to her lips.
“Excuse me,” said an amused voice.
Reluctantly, Steven raised his head and glared at his brother who stood in the doorway grinning. Unfazed by the look, Mitch walked toward them. He picked up the extension cord that was lying on the counter. “Tori is ready to start the entertainment.”
Mitch flashed them another grin and walked out of the room. Steven looked down at Anna who was still in his arms. She had buried her head on his chest under his chin. “You still think he’s sexy?”
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, and Google.

Sunday Quote

Thought I'd lighten it up a little this month. For March, the Sunday Quotes will be funny or sarcastic depending on your sense of humor. I hope you enjoy them. :)

Dead in a Park - Free eCopy

Monthly Giveaway
This month's giveaway is an eCopy of Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2. You may enter each day, but please note that entering the giveaway will also register you to receive my quarterly newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time.


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?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Silent Partner by Jennifer Chase

Blurb:One Cop, One Serial Killer, One WitnessWho Will Survive?
Northern California’s elite Police K9 Units arrive at an abandoned warehouse after a high-speed chase and apprehend two killers after they have fled a grisly murder scene. This barely scratches the surface of a bloody trail from a prolific serial killer that leads to unlocking the insidious secrets of one family’s history, while tearing a police department apart.
Jack Davis, a top K9 cop with an unprecedented integrity, finds himself falling for a beautiful murder suspect and struggling with departmental codes.
Megan O’Connell, suffering from agoraphobia, is the prime murder suspect in her sister’s brutal murder.
Darrell Brooks, a psychopath who loves to kill, is on a quest to drive Megan insane for profit.
Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. Someone else must die to keep the truth buried forever. Silent Partner is a suspense ride along that will keep you guessing until the bitter end.
Excerpt:The city streets were quiet. It was approaching 1 a.m. and most residents were fast asleep waiting for the next day to begin. The sleeping neighborhoods were completely unaware of who and what roamed the streets in the middle of the night.
Everyone had a story to tell and those people out in the middle of the night were no different. What made it unlike any other night was that there was a serial killer on the loose and it didn’t seem like the police were close to catching him anytime soon. The erratic murders didn’t seem to have any type of connection except for the victims it left behind.
The sidewalks, along with a few parked cars, were wet from a mild rain from a couple of hours ago. Large droplets of water on the road reflected the approaching headlights of a police cruiser.
The car idled as it slowed near quick flashes of light. In the shadows, transients were lighting up their scrounged cigarette butts in between quick swigs of cheap booze disguised in brown paper bags.
The cruiser paused for just a moment, then slowly moved on.
Deputy Jack Davis surveyed the streets with intense, dark blue eyes, casually running his fingers through his dark military haircut, looking for anything suspicious or out of place. His well-seasoned cop instincts from the past ten years rarely failed him.
Jack had many things weighing heavy on his mind. One of those things he was going to have out right now.
He vented to his partner, “You’re such an adrenaline junkie. The end doesn’t justify the means.” He sighed and continued, “I can’t even look at you right now. You have to start following procedures otherwise Sarge is going to have both our asses on suspension.”
It remained quiet inside the cruiser.
Jack finally spoke again. “Just because you sleep with me doesn’t make this any easier. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
A muscular one-hundred-pound black Labrador Retriever stared at his partner from the back seat. His large square head tilted slightly to one side, his black eyes fixed at attention as he watched his handler with building curiosity.
Jack demanded. “Say something. Anything.”
The dog barked twice and stood up, pushing his wet canine nose toward Jack and giving him a sloppy kiss on the side of his face, not forgetting the inside of his ear.
Jack smiled. For a brief moment, his tension melted away. “Like I can stay mad at you.”
Jack roughly scratched the big dog’s ears. He was rewarded with snorts and happy low-pitched whines.
The police cruiser took a turn down an alley between two closed businesses, their interiors lit only by low emergency lighting illuminating a shadowy glow from the display shelves.
Jack cut the engine but kept the car lights shining so he could see down the long alley. There were several dumpsters behind the electronics store and deli. The light bounced peculiar shadows and distorted views from the sides of the buildings and off barred security windows.
Jack’s military boots hit the pavement as he got out of the car with purpose. He walked around the cruiser to the trunk, popped it open, and pulled out three gray blankets. He slammed the trunk closed, tucked the blankets under his right arm, and walked around the car.
With eyes focused and ears perked up, his four-legged partner never missed a single step or movement that Jack made. The dog’s black eyes gave the canine an almost demonic appearance.
A sign posted on the side of the back window of the police car read boldly: CAUTION POLICE DOG—KENO. Monterey County Sheriff was printed down the side of the front doors.
Jack’s squeaky gun belt echoed in unison with his footsteps while he walked down the alley as a few suspicious eyes peered out at him from the deep shadows.
Trash and flattened cardboard boxes littered the ground next to broken bottles that had been neatly swept against the side of the building. Some care had been taken to keep the glass from causing any injury to those who had to sleep there.
Upon closer inspection, Jack could see several homeless people hidden beneath the city’s refuse cloaked in several layers of clothing with a few precious personal belongings clutched at their sides.
A young woman barely in her twenties with short blonde hair and a five-year-old child huddled together in their filthy clothing, shivering slightly from the damp evening. The local homeless shelter had only a few beds even for women and children. When they were already occupied, there was nothing else that they could do but find the safest place to hide out for the night. For them, this was the next safest place to be―away from the usual areas of downtown and under the bridge. It was cold, but they would be safe for another night.
Jack slowed his pace and with careful discretion he unfolded the blankets and gently wrapped them around the woman and little girl. They didn’t say a word to him, but their eyes conveyed gratitude. It was difficult for Jack to just leave the homeless behind to shiver in the night, but he turned and kept his focus on the cruiser as he walked back.
Jack didn’t raise his eyes to look through the windshield until he was seated back inside his warm cruiser. Several sets of eyes reflected from the harsh headlights, but they seemed to be more curious than wary of his presence. Some nameless faces had seen him before, especially on extreme cold nights and holidays. He resembled a dark knight coming to the aid of his homeless kingdom.
The cruiser slowly backed up and then disappeared into the night. The lights flashed like ghostly shadows for two seconds and then vanished as quickly as they had appeared. Once again, the alley was dark, quiet, and cold.
Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
About the Author:Jennifer Chase is an award-winning author and consulting criminologist. She has authored five crime fiction novels, including the award-winning Emily Stone thriller series along with a screenwriting workbook.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor degree in police forensics and a Master's degree in criminology and criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.
Website: http://authorjenniferchase.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Jennifer-Chase-208188122534165/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JChaseNovelistBlog: http://authorjenniferchase.com/

Monday Excerpt - Convince Me (Holton Series #1)

Blurb:Anna is afraid of love, but Steven changes everything.
Anna West just wants to start over in a new town far away from her past. The only child of a mixed race couple, Anna learned about the ugly side of human behavior at an early age.  After watching her abusive father mistreat her mother, Anna knows that love is not for her.
Steven Carson has always known what he wanted, and from the moment he saw her, he wanted Anna.  Steven is ready for love.  He is ready to settle down, start a family, and he knows Anna is the one for him.  Now all he has to do is convince her.
Come visit Holton, Texas to see if Steven can convince Anna to take a chance on love. Convince Me is the first book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.
Excerpt:“Anna,” Steven asked softly, needing to know, “why are you so afraid of me?”
The shock on her face was unmistakable, and Steven wondered briefly if he had read her wrong. He didn’t think so. Looking at her now, she was stiff and closed off. She did not answer his question and refused to look at him. He knew he wasn’t wrong so he repeated the question pushing her for an answer.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said quickly but without conviction.
Steven slowly shook his head. “I find that hard to believe when you get so nervous and defensive every time we are alone.”
“I don’t care what you believe,” she said sharply, finally looking him in the eye. He saw the flash of anger and resolve on her face. “I’m not afraid of you. That would be ridiculous. After all, I hardly know you.”
“You know that’s not true. We may not have known each other long, but something happened between us the minute that we met. There was a spark between us, and it’s still there.” She was shaking her head, but Steven wasn’t ready to let it go. “You know it’s true, Anna, why do you insist on denying it?”
He saw the anger flash again in her eyes and was afraid he had pushed her too hard, but he needn’t have worried. Anna was stronger than she looked. She turned on him immediately.
“I’m not denying anything,” she said distinctly. “There is nothing between us. Just because you have an ego larger than the whole state of Texas, that doesn’t mean I’m attracted to you. I don’t know where you got that crazy idea.”
Steven grinned at her anger, enjoying the fact that she could stand up for herself. In spite of his protective nature, Steven had never been attracted to women who could not take care of themselves. Andrew’s late wife had been like that. Carolyn had been totally dependent on Andrew, and Steven had never understood the attraction.
Anna was circling the room. When she turned and saw the grin on his face, her anger grew. “This isn’t funny! I don’t know what to do with you. You won’t take no for an answer.”
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, and Google.