B.L. Blair's Blog, page 68

Monday Excerpt - Notice Me (Holton Series #2)

     
     As always, her heart stopped when she saw him.  Victoria knew she had seen better looking men, had even dated better looking men, but Andrew always moved her.  For a moment, she enjoyed the simple pleasure of just looking at him.  His broad shoulders filled out the conservative blue suit and his powerful arms and legs made him a lean, dominant picture.  His thick brown hair had fallen across his forehead, and Victoria’s hand itched to brush it back.  He was talking softly to his sister explaining the papers in his hand.  Victoria watched his mouth move and waited for the smile that always made her toes curl.  It happened and Victoria took a deep breath.  She thought she should be used to that reaction by now, but it still caught her by surprise.  Andrew’s smile brought butterflies to her stomach and made her ache for his love.  She quickly pulled herself together and closed the door behind her.
     Andrew looked up at the sound, and Victoria found herself looking into his piercing green eyes.  They had narrowed and trained on her immediately.  The intense green gaze locked her into place.  She stood very still while his eyes roamed over her.  Victoria knew the past few months had accomplished this.  Andrew was now very physically aware of her.  What he thought about her, Victoria did not know.  She did know he invariably watched every movement that she made.
     She now walked slowly across the room with his eyes following her.  She watched him straighten and his back stiffen.  He was uncomfortable around her, and Victoria hoped this was progress.  She had waited twelve years for him to notice her as something other than a child, but she wasn’t sure making him nervous was the right thing to do.  She wanted him to notice her, but she did not want to scare him away.
     The last time Victoria had tried to get Andrew to notice her, she had been nine years old.  At fourteen, Andrew and Steven had decided Victoria and Julie were too young to hang around with them.  Steven had pushed her away and sent her home at every opportunity, but Andrew had simply ignored her.  This did not sit well with Victoria so when she had overheard the boys laughing about putting a frog in their friend’s bed, an idea had formed.
     Even at that age, Victoria knew how to plan.  She had captured four frogs and then sneaked out of her house.  She could still remember listening to Andrew’s howl as she hid outside his bedroom window that hot summer night.  Steven’s reaction had been equally satisfying.  Neither one had told her parents as they would have had to confess their own deed, but Steven had threatened to spank her.  Mitch had intervened and Steven had settled for punching her in the arm.  Andrew had lectured her for twenty minutes on proper behavior.  Then the next day, he went back to ignoring her.  Victoria hoped this time would end differently.
     After Carolyn had died, Victoria had waited two years to give Andrew time to grieve.  Then she set a new plan into motion.  She moved back to Holton, gave him time to get used to having her around, and got better acquainted with his children.  Three months ago she began an all-out assault.  She smiled and flirted with him at every occasion.  She touched him whenever she could and tried everything she knew to let him know she was attracted to him.  Slowly, she thought he was beginning to see her as a woman and not a kid sister, but she did not know how much more she could take.  She was not known for her patience.
     "Hi, Drew.  How are you?" she asked softly.
     As always, he stiffened at her shortening of his name.  No one called him anything except Andrew, but Victoria had decided she needed to be different.  She wanted to make sure Andrew knew she was unlike anyone else.
     "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" he asked impatiently, raising one eyebrow.  Victoria’s heart skipped a beat.  She had always found that gesture very sexy.
     She smiled again.  "I don’t know.  How many times have you told me not to call you that?"
She laughed at the frustrated look that crossed his face.  At least, he wasn’t ignoring her.  She knew she could irritate him.  She just hoped she could also attract him.
     "Come on, Drew, lighten up."  She walked over to him, placed her hand on his shoulder, and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.  He accepted the salute but did not return the gesture.  Apparently nothing had changed.
     Suddenly, it was too much for her to bear.  She hid a sigh and quickly walked toward the exit.  She said goodbye to Julie and told her she would call.  At the door she turned and flashed one more bright smile before she left.

Sunday Quote

Cover Reveal - Dead in a Park: Leah Norwood Mystery #2

     When Leah Norwood finds the body of Donald Collins in the city park, she didn’t know he was a distant relative. Young Donnie was a jewel thief and a career criminal. Hidden in the lining of his 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 finds her?
Coming in November.

TGIFiBooks - Free Books on iBooks

Free on iBooks.

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.

3volve and Shadow of Loss by Josefina Gutierrez $20 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

3volve
By Josefina Gutierrez
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Multicultural
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: July 14, 2015

Blurb:
From author Josefina Gutierrez, of “The Shadow of Loss”, comes a new New-Adult contemporary love story.
I thought my life began when I graduated high school and moved far, far away—okay three hours away. But I was wrong. My life didn’t start until it almost ended.
I’m Cristal Escobedo, twenty-two years old and a former wild child who favors tequila far too much. But that all changed when life happened, and I ended up being responsible for my younger brothers. To top it all off, I think I’m falling in love with my best friend—dammit.
This is my not-so-happy story of how I grew up and got my shit together. My story isn’t filled with a bunch of pretty analogies or hyperboles. The people are real, the hurt is deep, and the love is complicated. People are flawed in the ways that matter; it’s what makes us human.

Excerpt:
“Do you feel like you’re missing something?” Charlie asks with a stern voice, but underneath I can sense his gentle nudge.I shrug, “My phone.”“You were supposed to meet my assistant, because she scheduled a meeting with a job prospect.” He drops a stack of papers on my coffee table.“Yes! See I remember that…I was just going.” I claw at the inside of my palms nervously, “I needed my phone first, gosh where is that thing anyway—” I trail off laughing awkwardly.“Looking like that,” he points at my ketchup stained Atreyu shirt, with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. I knew I should have looked at my shirt closer, the smell test is never a sure thing.“Well obviously not. Hello! Who do you take me for? I was going to change.” I backtrack from the living room.Charlie counters me, walking towards me with his stern face. “So you didn’t forget about the meeting then?”“Of course not! I am totally prepared,” I say bumping into the wall.“Good,” he repositions me, turning me around, “because I would hate it if you were lying to me right now.”“Good?” I question him, slowly walk to my room. He only says ‘good’ when he’s already onto me. Shit, he’s on to me! He’s going to see scruffy-face guy—then I’m going to get a lecture about my poor choices in men. Ugh. Now he’s going to give me a disappointed long face, with a ‘good’ to top it all off.“So you didn’t get plastered last night?” Charlie asks. I can sense him trying extra hard to smell me from where he’s standing. I knew coffee was a good idea!“Of course not!” I stop in front of my door, blocking it.“Good.” He swats at me to move and I nudge over a bit.I turn around exasperated. I can’t keep this up. “Okay, fine. I lied. I’m lying! I totally forgot about the stupid meeting, with your stupid assistant, about the stupid job,” I roll my eyes. “Alright, that’s not fair of me. Your assistant isn’t stupid,” I say moving to block the door again.“Uh huh,” he says, reaching for the door handle. But I smack his hand.“You know my room is such a mess. You know me. I can get dressed faster than you can say…”“Good,” we both say together.“Yes! See I know you,” I smile—but he isn’t having any of it. I open the door slightly trying to nudge myself in without letting on too much, but Charlie barges on through as if he owns the place, which sure he found the place for us, but I still pay rent.I ready my defense, hoping to calm him down, when I notice scruffy guy isn’t in the bed anymore. Huh. Where the heck did he go? Oh, well, who cares, at least he’s gone.“Why do you look so surprised? It’s not like your room has ever been clean. Get dressed we don’t have much time,” he rummages through my closet. Finally deciding on my nice blue suit, throwing it in my direction.
You can find 3volve on Goodreads

You can buy 3volve here:
- Amazon


The Shadows of Loss
By Josefina Gutierrez
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Multicultural, Romance
Age category: Young Adult

Blurb:
Evelyn Gonzalez keeps losing people, which is always hard, but has she lost something much more? Has she lost her soul? Evelyn has a nervous breakdown and is institutionalized, after months of sorrow and pain she is thrust back into the world. The world of teenage angst and Calculus. Can she trust people again? Especially after hurtful assumptions and judgments made her miss her junior year of high school. Evelyn is just trying to heal what she lost and graduate from high school.

Excerpt:
Ever heard the expression it all went down in a pile of flames?  Well shit, I didn’t think life was going to get all literal about it.Now I am quietly tucked away between four white walls and a twin bed, where I can touch opposing walls with my index fingers.  I have been stuck with my thoughts in this box for months.  I have been cut off from the outside world, because I went crazy.  My own sister, locked me up, but I don’t blame her—I really don’t.  Olive was trying to help me when everyone else abandoned me.  She writes me letters every week.  I guess it is another way to anchor me to the living.  It’s not like I don’t see her on visiting days, but like she says, “Letters are better for communicating, they force you to realize what is important.” “Miss Gonzalez, your sister has arrived.  Please gather your personals and follow me,” the orderly tells me.  She was nice, but firm.  I’ve heard the opposite is usually true in these cases—so I was lucky.  She introduced me to Stigmata.“Yes ma’am,” I say and walk over to the desk.  I was only allowed the basics.  I was stripped of all the vital things that would keep me informed or busy.  I grab my small travel bag and my copy of Stigmata, which is on loan.  Stigmata did for me what others could not.  Some might have chosen an entirely different genre or novel, but it was never a matter of deciding, I knew.  Institutionalization was a no brainer.  I hand my personals to her and follow her to the front.  I see her waiting for me.  She was always the attractive one.  She is pacing back and forth near the front desk.  She doesn’t see me yet, but I wave anyway, hoping she can sense it.  Her face looks swollen, she must have been crying.  She also looks skinnier than our last visit.  How is that possible?  I saw her a few days ago.  Tsk tsk, frozen dinners most likely.“Okay, Miss Gonzalez here are your items you brought in,” the orderly says.  She hands me my old clothes, “You need to get changed.”“Yes ma’am,” I grab my clothes and change quickly.  I want to leave.  I need to leave.  I will try harder.  I know I can try harder.  When I open the door, sure enough the orderly is waiting for me.  “Follow me Miss Gonzalez,” she says and turns to leave.  “Yes ma’am,” I follow her.She walks up to security.  It is procedure upon discharge to get searched.  They have my travel bag open and are rifling through my belongings.  Opening caps and peering inside bottles.  Why would someone smuggle something out of here?  This seems unnecessary, but I go along with it.  Besides I am supposed to be a reformed crazy person.“All clear,” he tells her, and she begins searching me.  Yes, I smuggled something on my person when I was in the restroom stall.  I desperately wanted that five year old edition of Times.After I am searched, I grab my personals and hand the book back to her, but she just shakes her head.  “Miss Gonzalez I hope we don’t see you again.  You keep that book.  Remember to take deep breathes to calm yourself,” she gives me a genuine smile.  You know those smiles where a person’s eyes crinkle, so you know it is real, then it hits me I won’t see her again—hopefully.
You can find Shadow of Loss on Goodreads

You can buy Shadow of Loss here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo


About the Author:
Josefina Gutierrez is a Young Adult eBook author, who resides in San Antonio. Josefina writes Young Adult Multicultural, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy literature in her free time when she’s not embarking on adventures with her son and gnomes Fitzgerald and Bartholomew. Her current projects in the works are a Fantasy dystopian series, a Mystery-Thriller eBook, and New-Adult Contemporary Romance.

You can find and contact Josefina here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Goodreads
- Pinterest




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The Summer Diary by Elyse Douglas - Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

    After her best friend and her husband are killed in a private airplane crash, Keri finds some of her friend’s personal effects, one of which is a diary. When Keri reads it, she discovers her friend had been secretly in love with another man, a soldier. Keri knew nothing about the relationship, even though she and her friend were as close as sisters.  
Determined to find the secret lover, Keri sets off on a journey and discovers the key to her destiny.
 

 

Keri stopped, hovering on the edge of an absurd thought.  Should she try to find Ryan?  The thought gave her a sudden electric thrill.  She stared down into the sand, seeing the eroded ruins of an old sandcastle that had been punished by the hostile tide.

“Ryan,” she said aloud, the sound instantly swallowed up by the beat of waves striking the beach.

Keri circled the space, gently kicking at the sand castle, mentally kicking at “what ifs.”  What if he’d been killed?  What if he’d moved away?  What if he was married and didn’t want to remember Sophia?  What if Sophia hadn’t revealed the whole truth about the relationship because there was some awful truth about him?

And how could she possibly ever locate Ryan without a last name?  Sophia had never once mentioned it.

In an instant, Keri knew the decision had already been made:  She had to find a way to track down and speak to this man.  She whirled and marched back across the beach to where she’d left her chair and the diary.  There had to be clues in the diary—had to be phrases that could help her find Ryan.  At the very least, she could discover what had happened to him. 

Available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IplDQT

 
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse grew up near the sea, roaming the beaches, reading and writing stories and poetry, receiving a Degree in English Literature.  She has enjoyed careers as an English teacher, an actress and a  speech-language pathologist.  She and her husband, Douglas Pennington, have completed five novels: The Other Side of Summer, Christmas for Juliet, Wanting Rita, Christmas Ever After, The Christmas Town and The Christmas Diary. 

Website: www.elysedouglas.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/elyse.authorsdouglasTwitter: https://twitter.com/douglaselyseBlog: http://www.elysedouglas.com/blog-index/

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Monday Excerpt - Trust Me (Holton Series #3)

Paul opened his door and got out.  He was no longer excited about viewing the home.  If Rachel didn’t want him living here, there was no point in even looking.  One of the homes in Plano would work just fine.  He didn’t need a large house if Rachel didn’t want to be part of his future.  The agent introduced herself as Rachel got out of the car.“Mr. Hart?  I am Sabrina Garza.”“Nice to meet you,” Paul said automatically as he shook her hand.  Rachel walked around to join them.“Hi, Sabrina,” she said to the agent.“Oh, hi Rachel.  How are you?”“Fine, thanks.  Is Jesse feeling better?”“Yes, he is.  It was just a cold after all.  I was really worried at first because his fever was so high, but the doctor said he would be fine.  And he is.  He really hated missing the story hour.  It was Victoria’s turn to read, and he loves her.”“All the kids love her, but I am glad he is feeling better.  Victoria and I were both worried about him.  Tell him that Patricia will be reading next week.  I know Jesse likes her as well.”“Yes, he does.  I’ll tell him,” Sabrina replied.  “Well, are you ready to view the house?”Paul nodded and followed the two women into the house.  It was a beautiful home.  The front door opened into a large foyer.  All the rooms had hardwood floors.  There was a study just off the entryway, and the living room was directly in front of them.  It had vaulted ceilings and the back wall was almost completely covered by windows.  There was a glass door that opened out to an enclosed patio.  The bedrooms and master suite were on the second floor.Sabrina went into her sale’s pitch, and Paul listened absently as he looked around.  He actually liked the house.  It was lovely and had plenty of room for entertaining.  He didn’t have a lot of large parties, but in his business, he did occasionally host a dinner party or two.  The house was perfect for his needs.  He wandered through the rooms on the first floor before stepping out onto the patio.  Rachel followed him.“Paul,” she said. He turned to see her standing just inside the doorway.  Sabrina was still in the living room.  Rachel took a step closer.  “I didn’t mean to upset you.  I was just surprised.  You hadn’t said anything about moving to Texas, much less Holton.”He nodded.  She was right.  He had sprung it on her rather suddenly.  They hadn’t spoken much about his business the past three weeks.  Their time together had been so limited that they had stuck to the basics.  He had mentioned to her that the office was not running as smoothly as he liked, but he hadn’t gone into any detail about the operations or the fact that he felt he needed to be here for longer than just a few months.She took another step closer to him and reached for his hand.  “I’m sorry if my reaction was negative.  I would love for you to move here.”  She paused a moment and then briefly looked over her shoulder at Sabrina.  Rachel smiled that mischievous smile he had come to love.  She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear.  “I hope to get you to break Rule #4.”Paul pulled back and looked at her, a frown on his face.  He didn’t have a rule four.  “What is Rule #4?”“Relationships are only temporary,” she said saucily as she walked back into the house. Paul grinned.  Okay, maybe he had read her right.  They appeared to be on the same page now.

Sunday Quote

Happy 4th of July

July 2015 Giveaway

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Isabel Meeks in the dumpster behind her store, she can’t believe the police consider her a suspect. Sure, she didn’t liked Isabel, but then again, neither did anyone else. Isabel had a condescending attitude and a bad reputation. As manager of the antique store, Patina, she had made a lot of enemies. 
There is Patina’s assistant manager, the handsome and charming Trent. Isabel was blackmailing him. There is Patina’s owner, the aloof and influential Anthony Thorpe.  Isabel was smuggling drugs through his store. And there is the entire drug dealing Cantono family. Isabel had lost a box containing heroin from one of their shipments. That is just to name a few and didn’t even include the stranger who was seen arguing with Isabel just hours before her death. 
The police have too many suspects and too many soft alibis. Leah needs to prove to the sexy new chief of police that she had nothing to do with Isabel’s death. Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the police arrest her for murder?
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