B.L. Blair's Blog, page 79

Virtual Book Tour Update

All the tour dates/stops have been set.Notice Me (Holton Series #2) will be on tour July 14 - 25, 2014.  The tour is being organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.  Below is a list of tour stops.  A paperback copy of all three books in the Holton Series will be given away to a randomly drawn winner.  Please check out these great book blogs.

July 14: Books to Light Your Fire
July 14: My Devotional Thoughts
July 15: Room With Books
July 16: Our Wolves Den
July 17: Books Direct
July 18: Booklover Sue
July 18: Book Suburbia
July 21: Rage, Sex and Teddy Bears
July 22: We Love Kink
July 22: Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews
July 23: Mismatched Bookends
July 23: Brooke Blogs
July 24: For the Love of Bookends
July 25: Susana's Morning Room

Virtual Book Tour

Notice Me, the second book in the Holton Romance Series, will be on a Virtual Book Tour presented by Goddess Fish Promotions.  The following book blogs will be sponsoring a stop on the tour during July 14-25, 2014 with more to come.  In the meantime, check out these great blogs!

Books to Light Your Fire
My Devotional Thoughts
Room with Books
Our Wolves Den
BookLover Sue
Susana's Morning Room

I am looking to increase the number of reviews for my boo...

I am looking to increase the number of reviews for my books.  I would be happy to give an eBook copy in exchange for a review posted to Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Any takers?

Please contact me via my website if interested.  http://www.blblair.com/Contact.html

Read an eBook Week

Read an eBook Week is an annual international celebration of ebooks that kicks off this Sunday March 2, 2014 and runs through March 8, 2014.  Smashwords.com is encouraging its authors to participate and will be offering great discounts for readers:

"Read an Ebook Week is an international celebration of ebooks in which thousands of authors,  publishers and retailers feature free and discounted ebooks to help promote the joys of e-reading to the world's readers.  Each year, Smashwords authors are the most active participants, and our store features the largest selection of participating titles."

Many books on their site will be priced at 25% off, 50% off, 75% off or free.  Visit the Smashwords RAEW Page to view the books.

I thought this would be a great promotion so I will be offering Notice Me (Holton Series #2) for free and Trust Me (Holton Series #3) for 25% off.  The first book in the series Convince Me (Holton Series #1) is always priced at .99 cents.  

I hope you find a good book to read!

Holton Romance Series Book Giveaway Contest

The Holton Romance Series Book Giveaway is now closed. And the winners are:
Natasha Dargan - Grand Prize winner receives a copy of all three books in the Holton Series
Marian Boll - receives a copy of Convince Me (Holton Series #1)Shruti Khairnar - receives a copy of Notice Me Me (Holton Series #2)Wendy Mastin - receives a copy of Notice Me (Holton Series #2)Bethany Mitchell - receives a copy of Convince Me (Holton Series #1)Jennifer Watts - receives a copy of Convince Me (Holton Series #1)
Congratulations to all the winners.  Thanks to everyone who entered. 
I am giving away 10 copies of Trust Me (Holton Series #3) on Goodreads. If you are interested in entering, please visit the Contest page on my website www.blblair.com. Good Luck!

Holton Romance Series Giveaway

One week left to enter the Holton Romance Series Giveaway.


Contest Details
Five winners will be selected at random to receive one free copy of the book of their choice from the Holton Romance Series.  One grand prize winner will be selected at random to receive a free copy of all three books in the Holton Romance Series.  
Winners may choose to receive the book in an ebook format via Amazon Kindle or Smashwords or as a paperback.  Please note winners requesting a paperback copy will have to provide a mailing address.

To enter, complete the form on my website using the link below.  The entry deadline is Saturday, February, 15, 2014 at 10:00 p.m. central standard time.  Winners will be announced no later than Saturday, February, 22, 2014.  All winners will be contacted via email, and their names will appear on this website as well as other social media outlets.
Click here to enter

Holton Romance Series Book Giveaway

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the day that I self-published my first book.  It was a short novella that I have since unpublished.  I was experimenting to see how all this self-publishing stuff worked.  I found out that it was pretty easy.  Maybe too easy?  I have learned a lot since then.  I quickly self-published two more books and have since added a third.

To celebrate my one year anniversary as a published, albeit self-published author, I am giving away some copies of my books.  Below are the contest details and the link to enter.  Good luck and happy reading!

Contest Details
Five winners will be selected at random to receive one free copy of the book of their choice from the Holton Romance Series.  One grand prize winner will be selected at random to receive a free copy of all three books in the Holton Romance Series.  

Winners may choose to receive the book in an ebook format via Amazon Kindle or Smashwords or as a paperback.  Please note winners requesting a paperback copy will have to provide a mailing address.

To enter, complete the form on my website using the link below.  The entry deadline is Saturday, February, 15, 2014 at 10:00 p.m. central standard time.  Winners will be announced no later than Saturday, February, 22, 2014.  All winners will be contacted via email, and their names will appear on this website as well as other social media outlets.

Click here to enter

My Favorite Books of 2013

I have noticed a lot of end of the year posts listing the best or favorite books of 2013.  So I am adding mine.  Here are my favorite books from 2013, in no particular order, and a few honorable mentions.  Descriptions from amazon.com. 

Anyone who has read my posts knows I love the Kate Daniels series.  The latest installment did not disappoint.
Magic Rises: A Kate Daniels Novel by Ilona AndrewsMercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

There were two Savannah Martin books released this year.  Rafe - yummy.  What more do I need to say?
Change of Heart (Savannah Martin Mystery 6) by Jenna BennettIt’s late February, just two months after Savannah Martin and Rafael Collier finally worked things out between them, and Rafe is already sneaking out of bed in the wee hours.
Catching fellow realtor Tim Briggs rinsing blood from his hands in the office sink makes for a welcome distraction, and when Tim disappears just as one of his clients is found dead in a nearby park, Savannah throws herself into the investigation with abandon.
But even the murder mystery taking place right under her nose can’t completely distract her from worrying about personal problems. Has Rafe changed his mind about their relationship, or is something else going on? And what are the chances of Savannah coming out of this latest debacle with her life – and her heart – intact?
Kickout Clause (Savannah Martin Mystery 7) by Jenna BennettWhen Shelby Ferguson, Savannah’s ex-husband’s new wife, begs Savannah’s help in figuring out what’s going on with Bradley, Savannah can’t in good conscience say no. Shelby has no one else to turn to, no one to whom she can admit that her marriage is on the rocks and that Bradley may be straying.
But helping Shelby turns out to be just the tip of the iceberg. With two different sets of buyers vying to purchase Mrs. Jenkins’s house, and an escaped prisoner targeting Savannah, she has more than enough to deal with. And that’s before TBI rookie Manny Ortega is shot down in cold blood.
With Savannah’s boyfriend Rafe Collier, and their friend, homicide detective Tamara Grimaldi, busy looking for Manny’s murderer, it’s up to Savannah to juggle buyers and agents and vandals and lawyers, and come out on top... without losing her Southern Belle poise or her life in the process.  

The October Daye series is another favorite.  Lots of Action.
Chimes at Midnight: An October Daye Novel by Seanan McGuire Things are starting to look up for October "Toby" Daye. She's training her squire, doing her job, and has finally allowed herself to grow closer to the local King of Cats. It seems like her life may finally be settling down...at least until dead changelings start appearing in the alleys of San Francisco, killed by an overdose of goblin fruit.
Toby's efforts to take the problem to the Queen of the Mists are met with harsh reprisals, leaving her under sentence of exile from her home and everyone she loves. Now Toby must find a way to reverse the Queens decree, get the goblin fruit off the streets--and, oh, yes, save her own life, since more than a few of her problems have once again followed her home. And then there's the question of the Queen herself, who seems increasingly unlikely to have a valid claim to the throne....
To find the answers, October and her friends will have to travel from the legendary Library of Stars into the hidden depths of the Kingdom of the Mists--and they'll have to do it fast, because time is running out. In faerie, some fates are worse than death.
October Daye is about to find out what they are.

I discovered the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries a few of years ago and really enjoyed them.  I read the first six and thought that was the end of the series, but I found two more in 2013.
Little Black Book of Murder: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery by Nancy MartinNora Blackbird may have been to the manor borne, but these days money is so tight, she can’t afford to lose her job as a society columnist. So when her new boss at the Philadelphia Intelligencer—Australian tabloid editor Gus Hardwicke—tells her to work the celebrity gossip beat or start checking the want ads, the choice is easy.
Now Nora’s writing a profile on billionaire fashion designer Swain Starr, who recently retired to build a high-tech organic farm with his new wife, Zephyr, a former supermodel. But before Nora can get the story, the mogul is murdered. And now Gus wants her to snap up an exclusive on who killed Starr before the cops do.
But solving a celebrity murder isn’t easy with a home life as colorful as Nora’s. Her sort-of-husband, Mick, a former mobster, is associating once again with unsavory characters. Her sister Libby is on a mission to get her diabolical twins on stage or screen with the help of an unscrupulous former child star. And the youngest Blackbird sister, Emma, just got kicked out of the house by Mick—who refuses to explain why.
If anything can bring the blue-blooded Blackbird sisters together, it’s a murder investigation involving high-society events, glamorous people, and the disappearance of a genetically perfect pig that may or may not be basking in the sun at Blackbird Farm. They’ll all have to pull together this time, because if Nora can’t bring home the bacon, she might have to exchange her bucolic estate for a cramped walk-up.

I have been reading the Mercy Thompson books since the first one came out.  I love Patricia Briggs writing.
Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson) by Patricia BriggsMercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…
After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.
Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

I also really enjoyed the following books:Rylee Adamson Series by Shannon MayerEmerald Isle (A Stacy Justice Mystery Book Four) by Barbra AnninoFatal Mistake: Book Six of the Fatal Series by Marie ForceTurning Point (The Kathleen Turner Series #3) by Tiffany SnowFor Whom The Spell Tolls, A Fantasy Romance (Dulcie O'Neil) by H.P. Mallory

My Four Favorite Book Series (still in process)

My last post was about my four favorite book series that have been completed.  I also wanted to list my favorites series that are still being written.  This one was harder as I read a lot of series.  Narrowing it down to a few is difficult but here they are, in no particular order:
Savannah Martin by Jenna BennettThis is a mystery/romance series.  Savannah is a southern belle who is trying to build a life as a realtor after her first marriage ends in divorce.  She was raised to be a lady but manages to fall in love with a bad-boy criminal.  Rafe is sexy, fun, and all alpha.  Their relationship is a lot of fun.
The books are:A Cutthroat BusinessHot PropertyContract PendingClose to HomeA Done DealContingent on ApprovalChange of HeartKickout Clause
Kate Daniels by Ilona AndrewsThis is an urban fantasy series with a nice romance.  I love that Kate is such a strong character.  She is tough but soft at the same time.  The relationship between her and Curran is a perfect blend of caring and tough love.  One of my favorite things about this series is the relationships that Kate keeps building along the way after begin alone for so long.
The books are:Magic BitesMagic BurnsMagic StrikesMagic BleedsMagic SlaysMagic Rises
Chrissy McMullen by Lois GreimanThis is a mystery/romance series.  These books are some of the funniest I have ever read.  I have a fairly sarcastic sense of humor and these books are my type of humor.  Chrissy is a psychologist who keeps getting involved murders.  Her love interest is Jack Rivera a police officer.  The witty dialogue between the two main characters keeps me coming back.
The books are:UnzippedUnpluggedUnscrewedUnmannedOne Hot MessNot One ClueUncorked
Mercedes Thompson by Patricia BriggsThis is an urban fantasy series.  Like most people who read unban fantasy, I enjoy a good story along with the werewolves, vampires, and like.  This series delivers.  I like the relationship between Mercy and Adam but the storylines are also very compelling. 
The books are:Moon CalledBlood BoundIron KissedBone CrossedSilver BorneRiver MarkedFrost Burned
If you have any favorites, please let me know.  I would love to hear from you.  I am always looking for a new series or author to read.  Have a happy and safe holiday season.

My Four Favorite Book Series (completed)

The other day I was looking for something to read that was familiar and yet still captured my attention.  I picked a mystery/romance series that I have read several times.  It was like visiting with an old friend and it made me start thinking about my favorite book series.  I really enjoy reading series.  I like revisiting characters and watching them move forward with their lives. 
So I decided this post would be about my favorite book series.  I know that many people will think that my choices show a certain lack of sophistication but I read mostly for enjoyment and these are the ones I truly enjoyed. 
I didn’t think it was fair to include ones that are still being written with ones that are already completed so I picked my four favorite series that I considered finished.  Here they are (in no particular order):
Vicky Bliss by Elizabeth PetersI wrote about this series when Elizabeth Peters passed away a few months ago but I had to list it because it is one of my favorites.  These books are mysteries with a touch of romance.  Vicky Bliss is an art historian who works at the National Museum in Munich.  Her love interest in most of the books is John Smythe who is a thief.  The relationship between these two characters is what I like best about the series.  They are both sarcastic but charming.  The mysteries are interesting and stories are well-written.  The books are:Borrower of the NightStreet of the Five MoonsSilhouette in ScarletTrojan GoldNight Train to MemphisThe Laughter of Dead Kings
The Belgariad by David EddingsThis was the first science fiction/fantasy series I ever read.  I remember it clearly.  I was working in a mall at a gift store back in the mid 80’s and had a second job at another store nearby.  I had time to kill before starting my shift at the second store so I went to the bookstore and found Pawn of Prophecy.  I wasn’t sure about it but it sounded interesting so I took a chance and was hooked.  I quickly devoured the others in the series.  These books are not exceptionally original but they are very enjoyable.  They are fun to read.  The books are:Pawn of ProphecyQueen of SorceryMagician’s GambitCastle of WizardryEnchanter’s End Game
Jason Bourne by Robert LudlumSome may think I am cheating on this one as Jason Bourne novels keep coming out but as far as I am concerned, this series consists of only three novels.  I first read the Bourne Identity in high school and was blown away by the novel.  I had never read anything like it.  I know that there are a lot of books out there that are considered better examples of espionage novels but this was my first exposure to the genre.  Because of these novels, I read many other books in this field.  The books are:The Bourne IdentityThe Bourne SupremacyThe Bourne Ultimatum
The Ozark Trilogy by Suzette Haden ElginI first read these books in the late 80’s.  I had only been reading science fiction/fantasy for a couple of years and I was intrigued by the folklore that runs through these stories.  They were released in 1981 but I think they still hold up today.  The novels are set on a planet ruled by magic users and inhabited by people originally from the Ozark region of earth.  It is a fun series.  The books are:Twelve Fair KingdomsThe Grand JubileeAnd Then There’ll Be Fireworks
Anyone have a favorite series that you have to read over and over again?