Title: A Big Easy Christmas: A Holiday Duet
Author: Sue Ward Drake
Genre: Christmas - romantic suspense
Book Blurb:
A Guidry Brothers Family and Friends Holiday Duet
THE GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS
Christmas is only days away and Cath Guidry, French Quarter ghost tour guide, wants to find a special gift for her husband, Mitch, for their first Christmas together. When his elderly aunt suggests refurbishing an abandoned, but sentimental, old watch of his, she’s on board.
Mitch also needs a special gift for Cath. When her good luck charm chain breaks in a tussle with a purse snatcher, he has a designer create a new necklace. But when Mitch vows to stick to her side through Christmas, how can they keep their special gifts a secret?
NEW YEAR, NEW LOVE
When her ex-boyfriend proves impossible to shake, French Quarter cocktail waitress, Rhonda Owens, calls on the handsome New Orleans police detective she met at a friend’s Christmas dinner. Widower Tony LeNoux never expects to find love again, but Rhonda sparkles like a diamond and makes him believe again in a happy ever after.
Can they put their pasts behind them to find romance for New Year’s Eve?
Excerpt from The Gifts of Christmas:
Something fishy’s going on here.
Mitch expected to intercept a little barking dog when he opened the door. He hung his jacket in the closet and searched the apartment for the puppy his wife had brought home last night.
The mutt wasn’t in the bedroom. Nor in the closet. Mitch checked the bathtub on the off chance the dachshund had somehow managed to get in there. The puppy wasn’t here. Neither was his darling wife, Cath.
He shot a hand through his hair. He didn’t like this, but he’d live. In the meantime, he should make himself useful. She’d still been here when he’d left this morning, and sometimes she set food to thaw in the refrigerator.
He popped the fridge seal and studied the contents. Orange juice, 2% milk, eggs and cheese, bottles of Abita beer but nothing that remotely looked like supper.
When she was delayed, she usually let him know the SITREP. The last he’d heard from her was a text an hour and a half ago saying she expected to be home before dark.
Night already cloaked the tall balcony windows, and a bad feeling shifted through him. Anything could have happened to her. He pulled his phone and called her number only to be shuttled to voice mail. He called her office. She didn’t answer there, either.
He set his cell on the breakfast bar and braced his hands on the cool granite, listening for her footsteps on the stairs.
Their orange tabby, Tiger, jumped up and pressed her wet nose against his arm.
“Where is your mistress, baby?” He scratched the kitty between her ears.
He should cut Cath some slack. She owned one of the most popular ghost tours in the city, and she’d been super busy this holiday season. He grabbed up his phone and hit speed dial.
“Hey, bro,” his brother Kurt answered. “You got something new to report?”
That was Kurt. All business, all the time. But his oldest brother did keep their bail recovery business humming. “Nothing since we talked an hour ago. Hal’s watching the location.”
And Hal had eagle eyes. No worries there.
The creak of a desk chair came over the connection. “Are you nervous your skip will be a no-show?”
“Not really.” Mitch wasn’t sure at this point. He could be indulging in wishful thinking. “But I’m ready to move on him. This will be our last job until after New Year’s, correct?”
“Right. Courts are all adjourned now for ten days.” Kurt fell silent, then asked, “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Mitch stuffed a hand into his pocket. After he’d separated from the army, he had come home, seeking sanctuary with Aunt Edi and his brothers. He had begun to get to know his family again then he’d met Cath on his first job. And she’d saved his soul, the one he hadn’t even realized he’d lost. “By any chance, was Cath at the house today?”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FJSwdC
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?_bbid=24387639&_bbreg=us&_bbtype=blog&id=DAVSEAAAQBAJ
BookBub:
Share a holiday family tradition:
I like to go see Christmas decorations, be they in the neighborhood or in the city. Over the many years I lived in New Orleans, I always made time to visit City Park to see the lights strung in the oaks (like in the story New Year, New Love in this book) and in the Botanical Garden. December is so dark, it’s wonderful to see bright lights shining and giving us all hope that the New Year will bring joy and peace.
Why is your featured book perfect to get readers in the holiday mood?
What better way to celebrate the holidays then to take a virtual trip to the Big Easy and explore New Orleans’s special Christmas traditions?
This is a quick read to enjoy with a cup of hot cocoa or cafe au lait. Enjoy!
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card
Open internationally.
Runs December 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on January 2, 2024.
Author Biography:
Award-winning romantic suspense author, Sue Ward Drake, uses her experiences living in a farmhouse in Greece and her years in the French Quarter as fuel for her stories as often as possible. To be notified of her next thrilling romance, sign up for her newsletter and get a free story: https://suewarddrake.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/
Social Media Links:
Her website: https://www.SueWardDrake.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@SueWardDrake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SueWardDrake/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/suedrakeauthor/