B.L. Blair's Blog, page 71

TGIFiBooks - Free Book Friday

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.  My first book is free on Barnes and Noble and iBooks. 

Tragically Broken by NJ Danner

 
Tragedy destroyed Alex Kohen’s life, until fate offered her a chance to escape her nightmares and possibly find love…
Beautiful, compassionate Dr. Alex Kohen had the perfect life – until, in an instant, it was tragically ripped from her. Plagued by her demons, Alex moves to a new city and devotes herself to her work and her patients. But her secrets continue to haunt her, making her afraid to build a future outside of her career. Convinced that her heart is irreparably broken, Alex has closed herself off to the possibility of love.
That is, until she meets sexy, confident Kellen Rhion ­– a wealthy CEO with a reputation as the ultimate playboy. Kellen, plagued by personal tragedies of his own, knows from the moment they meet that Alex is the woman he wants. And with patient determination, he slowly begins to break down her long-fortified defenses.
Although they meet under tragic circumstances, out of that catastrophe is born a connection that neither can deny. And despite the challenges of their demanding and busy careers, Alex and Kellen find the time to nurture their growing relationship. They struggle through obstacle after obstacle, including Kellen’s celebrity lifestyle and Alex’s emotional baggage.
But after Kellen’s supposed betrayal and brush with death, can Alex really trust him with her heart? And can Kellen accept that she will always, in a way, be broken?

Excerpt
“Alex, you need to eat,” Kellen prompted after a while.
“I know. I just don’t have much of an appetite. The food is wonderful. It was very thoughtful of you to bring it in.”
Disappointed and suddenly feeling like an intruder, Kellen said, “I just wanted to see you before I left for my trip.”
The nursing staff and residents had started trickling in to grab some food, and Alex suddenly needed to get out of the ICU.
“Let’s go to my office,” she said, discarding her plate of picked-over food and striding purposefully from the room. Intrigued, Kellen followed. With a quick directive to Gia to page her if necessary, the two were out the door.
Just down the hall, Alex led Kellen into her office, which was nicely decorated, and had its own bathroom and sleeping quarters. Kellen looked around, checking everything out. There were a few pictures on Alex’s desk of what looked to be her parents and a couple friends, but other than that, the office was impersonal – but private. Taking advantage, Kellen hugged Alex close, then lifted her chin and placed a soft kiss on her lips before trailing down to her neck, which elicited a soft moan. He let go of her long enough to swiftly close and lock the door, then walked back towards her, his stance predatory. He pushed Alex up against the wall and secured her hands above her head.
“I’ve not been able to think of anything but you since Saturday night. I cannot be away from you for another second,” he said, voice deep and seductive. Then, pinning her against the wall with his hips, he kissed her passionately. Alex did not resist – it was good to be able to get away from her thoughts and lose herself in him.
Kellen’s tongue tangled with hers while he ground his arousal into her, leaving her wet and throbbing with need. Her nipples tightened, and Kellen used his free hand to reach under her scrub top and bra to caress her heavy, tingling breasts. His touch was pure heaven. It had been so, so long since a man had made her feel the way that Kellen was making her feel. Alex knew that the prudent thing to do would be to stop before things escalated, but found herself so caught up in the out-of-this-world sensations he was stimulating in her lady parts that she just could not bring herself to voice her concern.
In a fit of passion, Kellen lifted her up and carried her to her sleeping quarters…  Purchase Linkswww.amazon.com/Tragically-Broken-NJ-Danner-ebook/dp/B00U4X2QH8www.smashwords.com/books/view/523675store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/tragically-broken-1www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tragically-broken-nj-danner/1119322597?ean=2940046606881www.goodreads.com/book/show/22799375-tragically-broken  About the Author If you have already read my book, then you have already seen into part of my soul. Each of my characters is a part of me. They each have some aspect of my personality, or represent who I wish I could be or would hate to be.  I have always been an avid reader, even as a child, and I’ve always loved to get lost in a good book. Reading a book would take over my life, and at times it still does. It is my addiction. Once I start a book, I cannot put it down until I know the end of the story … which may be a few books later. Same thing with writing – once the story pops into my head, I obsess about it until I have it down on paper. I have notes on scenes all over. Some have already been developed into a book, and some are waiting for the rest of the storyline to be written in order to find their journey and see where it ends.  For a decade, or more, I had to put all that creativity on hold while I dedicated my life to my professional career and creating my family. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and two angelic children.  Supporting and nurturing them is now my number one priority.  Once my life reached a stable point, I was finally able to find time to rekindle my love of books. Twilight took me by storm, which then catapulted me to Fifty Shades of Grey. “It all started with a vampire who was replaced by a man with a whip.” Reading tales written by my favorite authors reignited my own creativity, my mind wandered into stories of my own, and now, amazingly, I am an author.   When my time is not consumed watching my daughter dance or my son play hockey, spending time with my husband, or working, I am lost in either reading a good book or writing. Disney World is my respite and I love all things Mickey. My family and friends are incredible people and support me in all that I do. I have learned that life is too short, and we have to take time to enjoy its simple pleasures.   

Relationship Charts

During research for my next book, I have been looking at relationship charts. Interesting stuff but confusing. Who decided to use the once removed, twice removed, etc. terminology? All the charts are similar.  The one I thought was the easiest to use was from Family Tree Magazine.
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/upload/images/PDF/relationship.pdf

June 2015 Giveaway - $10 Barnes and Noble eGift Card

Enter to win!  Entering the giveaway will also register you to receive my quarterly newsletter. You may unsubscribe at anytime.  
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Last Day to Enter Monthly Giveaway

Forgive Me (Holton Series #4).
Growing up, Mitch Carson had always dreamed of leaving Holton, Texas, traveling the world, and writing life altering stories.  As an investigative journalist, he made those dreams come true, but he left behind the only woman he ever loved.  That was his greatest mistake.  Mitch has returned home to see if she can forgive him for leaving her when she needed him the most. 
In high school, Emily Fairview had fallen deeply, madly, and completely in love with Mitch.  The two of them planned a life together far away from Holton, but when Emily’s family needed her, she chose to stay.  Mitch chose to leave.  Fifteen years later Mitch is back and wants a second chance, but Emily doesn’t know if she can forgive him. 
Return to Holton, Texas one last time to see if Mitch can get Emily to forgive him.  Forgive Me is the fourth and final book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.

E-copies giveaway is open internationally:
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All for Love by Susanne Matthews $10 gift card giveaway

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 26 may till 8 June, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

All for Love
By Susanne Matthews
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Publisher: Anaiah Press
Release Date: May 26, 2015

Blurb:
To overcome your fear, you must first face it.

Someone is out to destroy Greg Simmons and everyone he has ever loved. After an accident leaves his teenage daughter depressed and distraught, Greg will do anything to make her happy again.
Olivia Marshall lost both her fiancé and her cousin in a deadly avalanche. She has vowed never to set foot on a ski hill again. But now, working as a bodyguard with Anderson Security, Olivia must face her greatest fears to save Greg and his daughter.

Something about Olivia’s determination strikes a chord in Greg, but will she be the salvation he needs, or will he be her destruction?

You can find All for Love on Goodreads
You can buy All for Love here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Smashwords

About the Author:
Susanne Matthews grew up as an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Today, she has made her dreams come true. A retired educator, she now gets to spend her time writing, so she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Susanne lives in Cornwall, Ontario with her husband. She has three adult children and five grandchildren. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, chatting on the Internet with her writer friends, and hearing from her readers.

You can find and contact Susanne here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Google+

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of All for Love. These are the prizes you can win:
- 2 $10 gift cards (US Only)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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Your Heart to Keep by Amanda Mackey

  We don’t choose fate. It chooses us. Or so we are led to believe.
Holly Jenkins is about to receive a new heart, thanks to a donor match from accident victim, Chloe McQuade.
The victim’s boyfriend, Bad boy Jax, is angry and grieving for his lost love. He hates everything and everyone, including Holly. It isn’t until he meets her that he realizes there is something about her he can’t explain.
Could it be the beating heart of his dead girlfriend - the very one he owned, that calls to him?
Is the intense pull towards Jax coming from Holly’s own emotions or are they Chloe’s? And why is she suddenly craving things she never did before?
How do they decide what’s real and what’s not?
Is fate at play or is it something more? 
Available on Amazon.
 Excerpt:
He stopped. His shadow loomed over me. I knew he was taking me in. No one said anything but I could see Ty and Micah move in closer as if to stop Jax from doing something stupid.
“You!” His low, tight voice greeted me and I stifled a whimper at his nearness as his breath touched the side of my face causing me to close my eyes and let it wash over me. What was wrong with me?
Turning my head and raising my eyes to the outline of his face, all I could hear was his heavy breathing. At that very second I wanted nothing more than to have full vision. To look into his eyes and see the storm I knew would be brewing. I sensed the distaste rolling off him, swirling around me but it didn’t matter. I didn’t care. Even with the front door open, his large body shot waves of heat through me as if I was standing beside the burning flames of hell.
  About the Author:
I was born in NZ and raised in Australia where I’ve been living most of my life. My love of books came at an early age, introduced to me by my wonderful mother. I’ve always been an avid reader and writing became an extension of that. My favorite genres are paranormal, romance, erotica and some crime. I adore animals and I’m currently sponsoring a Malaysian Tiger through WWF. Cats in general, whether they be small house cats or larger wild tigers and lions are my favorites. I’d love to travel to Italy and Europe as well as Africa, Tibet and Nepal. 

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Happy Memorial Day

Thank you to all who served and their families.  

Forgive Me (Holton Series #4) Blog Tour

Thanks to all the hosts who posted about my book, Forgive Me.  May 11 - Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours - Kick OffMay 11 - Books Direct - ExcerptMay 12 - Author Poppy Lawless - ExcerptMay 13 - Obsessed With My Shelf - ReviewMay 14 - We're Jumpin Books - ExcerptMay 14 - TLBC Book Blog - ReviewMay 15 - Readsalot - ReviewMay 16 - A Blue Million Books - ExcerptMay 17 - Coffee Book Mom - ExcerptMay 18 - BYO Book Club - ExcerptMay 19 - Jody's Book Reviews - ExcerptMay 20 - A Place in the Spotlight - ExcerptMay 22 - Let's Get Booked - ExcerptMay 23 - Caught Up in Books - ReviewMay 23 - RABT Reviews - Wrap Up   Leaving Emily was Mitch’s greatest mistake.  Can she forgive him? 
 Growing up, Mitch Carson had always dreamed of leaving Holton, Texas, traveling the world, and writing life altering stories.  As an investigative journalist, he made those dreams come true, but he left behind the only woman he ever loved.  That was his greatest mistake.  Mitch has returned home to see if she can forgive him for leaving her when she needed him the most. 
 In high school, Emily Fairview had fallen deeply, madly, and completely in love with Mitch.  The two of them planned a life together far away from Holton, but when Emily’s family needed her, she chose to stay.  Mitch chose to leave.  Fifteen years later Mitch is back and wants a second chance, but Emily doesn’t know if she can forgive him. 
 Return to Holton, Texas one last time to see if Mitch can get Emily to forgive him.  Forgive Me is the fourth and final book in the Holton Series but may be read as a standalone novel.
  Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, and CreateSpace. 

Lily of the Nile

Isn't this a lovely picture? Lily of the Nile (downloaded from freeimages.com)