Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister’s death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn’t believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn’t know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.
Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.
When their investigation puts Lexi’s life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.
Excerpt:
Were you close with your sister?” Aiden asked.
Not the way we should have been. Not at the end.
“We had a sizable age difference between us. Almost ten years. I was the big sis. The oldest.” Her lips trembled when she pulled them into a sad line. Rolling her eyes she added, “The bossy one, according to her. She was the baby and took full advantage of her status from the moment she realized it.”
“And rightly so.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “I’m the youngest of my brothers and I’ll can tell you with one hundred percent honesty, my oldest brother is the bossiest one of us. I think it comes with birth order. Although he takes his so called right uber-seriously. Especially at work.”
This time her grin was steadier. “What kind of business do you all own together?”
“We a run a private security company.”
“Security?”
“Personal bodyguards, if a client needs protection from something. Background checks for employers. Mostly we do investigations.”
“What, like private eyes? Like on television?”
He laughed. “Nothing so glamorous. The fast cars and hot babes are all fantasy. It’s a lot of boring research, computer work, and surveillance, but yeah, you could say I’m a private eye.”
Lexi’s entire mood turned on his words. The sorrow flew, the hurt dissolved. Even her nervous trivia-speak went dormant. She sat bolt upright, her knees bumping against the tabletop when she shifted. Excitement shot from her system as she turned her body, placed a hand across his forearm and declared, “Oh, my God. You’re the answer to my prayers.”
It’s been five years since William Barrett returned to Dickens to take over as CEO of Wil-Bar Toys. He’s spent these past years helping build Wil-Bar into a leader in creative, handmade toys. His work ethic and drive has left him little time for a personal life. Or, perhaps he’s still pining for the one who got away.
Catherine Gates moved away from Dickens six years earlier. Now a staff reporter for a woman’s magazine, she’s returning to Dickens to do a story on Wil-Bar Toys new production methods and get the scoop on their upcoming holiday line.
When Will and Cat meet up again for the first time in years, it’s as if they’ve never been apart. Rekindling their friendship, and attraction, becomes more important than Cat’s article, or even the secrecy of the new toy lines.
Can these two childhood friends make up for lost time and pursue the romance they missed out on years earlier? Or, will Cat’s story expose too much and put them at odds with one another?
Tagline: Will their first meeting in six years be all business? Or, can they make up for lost time?
Excerpt:
September 1985
Wil-Bar Toy Factory
“Isn’t it a bit early for Christmas carols?” William asked, motioning skyward where the factory speakers were blaring a string of both classical and modern holiday songs. “If we don’t vary it every once-in-awhile, I’m going to end up ripping the wires out of the ceiling.”
His father shot him a pained look. “Is it ever too early for Christmas music in a toy factory where we spend every working hour up until the beginning of December getting ready for the rush?” Waving his hand dismissively overhead, Wilfred Barrett added, “Besides, it keeps the production line moving like clockwork.”
“How’s the new head of design working out? What’s his name? Gibson?” Will asked.
“Ted Gibson. He’s got some great ideas for sure. Including inviting that magazine editor to send someone to write an article on our new state-of-the-art assembly line.”
“Somehow I don’t picture an article in a woman’s magazine doing justice to the mechanics involved in creating toys like our latest designs.”
Giving a shrug, Wilfred admitted, “It can’t hurt. Besides, it’s women who do most of the buying, especially for the children. If the article can convince these mothers that our toys are safe and won’t come apart with one day of rough play, then it’s as much as we can hope for, I suppose.” Pushing aside the ledger in front of him, he added, “I’d like you to be the one to give them the tour.”
“Why me? Let Gibson do it. After all, it was his idea. Or, you do it—it’s your company, after all. I’d much rather keep my focus on these sales and shipping projections.”
“You’re the new face of Wil-Bar Toys, son. The younger—what’s the term—hip version of a toymaker. Not that I don’t still love it, but these young mothers would much rather see your picture accompanying the article than mine.”
“Ted’s young too. And, if the women crowding around the watercooler are to be believed, quite a catch.”
His father leaned back in his chair, a sure sign the discussion was coming to an end, his decision made. “The magazine is sending one of their staff writers to do the interview. She’ll be here day-after-tomorrow.”
Will turned toward the door to his father’s office. “I feel the flu coming on,” he groused. “I may have to call in sick.”
“You might be a grown man, but I’m sure your mother would love to have you home all day long,” his dad quickly pointed out, a grin lighting his face. “She can stuff you with chicken noodle soup and fuss over you to her heart’s content.”
“You can be downright mean when you want to be, Pops” Will said, chuckling. “No doubt, you’d suggest she read to me too.”
NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.
When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
If you’re looking to be spoon fed knowledge about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, look elsewhere. (Yes, they do touch on other cryptocurrencies). But if you’re looking for a clever, entertaining read, and information presented in a way that doesn’t have you saying, “this is over my head”, Smart Bitches is it. I’m not saying you won’t learn from this book. You will. I don’t know enough about Bitcoin to invest in it yet, but this book gave me enough information to whet my appetite and encourage me to dig deeper. One thing I did learn:- To consider Bitcoin when, at the beginning, I’d thought it was an investment game for the very wealthy.
The authors’ witty presentation of dry facts keeps you turning the page. It doesn’t immediately put you off with huge, industry specific words that might daunt the uninitiated (like this reader), or put you to sleep in your recliner. If someone says ‘bitcoin’ now, at least I know what they’re talking about!
Where will you store your Bitcoin? They give you the alternatives.
A quick, fun, and illuminating read.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Branden LaNette will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
It seems like everyone’s talking about Bitcoin these days. Still, a lot of people just don’t get it. Or they assume Bitcoin is just for tech-savvy millennial guys or rich investors like Elon Musk.
As for women, many of us didn’t get a great financial education. Some of us shy away from conversations about money and investing especially if it has to do with the crazy world of cryptocurrencies.
What to do? Start with this brand new short, fun, and easy read,”Smart Bitches Buy Bitcoin: A Simple Guide for Women Who Want to Learn the Truth About Bitcoin and Control Their Financial Future.”
The book is designed to help women understand the current financial situation, why Bitcoin could be the life raft they need, and how to get started investing in it. Don’t leave your economic future to chance just because it seems scary or confusing and this is the perfect book to get you started.
Read an Excerpt
Recently, at the annual gathering of the world’s elite in Davos, Switzerland (attendees included 119 billionaires, 53 heads of state, plus Shakira and Matt Damon), hedge fund manager Ray Dalio told the group, “Cash is trash. Get out of cash.” He went on to say that people who got stuck holding cash were going to feel stupid.
No one blinked. They’re the global elite, they already knew this was the case.
So where should you put your cash? Well, we know where not to put it, and that’s in the stock market.
The stock market isn’t a bubble that’s going to pop, it’s a super-bubble that’s going to eventually explode.
So, where do we think you should put your money? Anywhere that isn’t in cash, and anywhere that isn’t in stocks, that’s for sure.
What does that leave?
Well, there’s commodities. Like oil. And soybeans. Natural gas. Corn. Wheat. Cattle. Hogs. Lucky Charms. Whatever. And precious metals, of course: gold, silver, platinum, copper, etc.
All these things have a chance at growth, while the experts say cash is certain to drop in value. But do you know what is way better than all of them?
Yeah, you guessed it. Bitcoin.
About the Author:
Branden LaNette doesn’t look like a typical author but she has long ignored what she “should” do, say and look like. On her own at a very young age, Branden eventually found herself with the wrong guy, the wrong job, and a bleak future. The fairytale she was promised as a child never materialized.
Finally, Branden decided that she wanted something different for her life, and realized no one was going to do it for her. Prince charming wasn’t coming to save her—she’d have to save herself.
Step by step, decision by decision, through major trials and tribulations that would stop most people in their tracks, Branden learned how to turn heartbreak into happiness and self-judgement into inner joy.
Today, Branden LaNette is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker, wife, and stay-at-home Mom to six C-section babies (ages 1-16) and way too many f-ing pets. Somehow, however, she manages to juggle all of this effortlessly (a blatant lie) while pushing her way through the kinds of fear and self-doubts that whisper within all of us (totally true) to achieve her goals. Her most recent dream come true is this book, one that is destined to have a major impact on millions of women across the globe (or at least nine people in Michigan.)
Through it all, she has found her happiness, her joy, and more importantly, her voice.