Spotlight & Giveaway: Luke’s Gift by Kaylie Newell

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Kaylie Newell to HJ!

Hi Kaylie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Luke’s Gift!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Three sexy bachelor brothers find out they’re the guardians of their eleven-year-old half-sister, so they all move back to their small, Montana hometown to raise her.
Luke Harlow is coming home to Marietta from his third tour in Afghanistan when he meets local newspaper reporter Mary Best. Mary’s always looking for a story, and it doesn’t take long to see Luke would make a great one. But when anonymous Christmas gifts start showing up around town and Mary suspects that Luke is behind them, her story turns into a festive mystery that all of Marietta will want solved before Christmas morning. It’s a secret Santa story, with a little Robin Hood twist, and some heat thrown in for good measure!
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Mary Best sat at her desk in the small newsroom, staring at her favorite picture of Peter Jennings. Her idol stared back from the old magazine clipping, his brown eyes not conveying much more than they had yesterday. Or the day before, or the day before that.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Luke’s Gift was inspired by the dozens and dozens of Hallmark Christmas movies that I fill my head (and heart) with every season. I wanted to write something that would leave my readers smiling in their bunny slippers.
• My tween daughters and their friends gave me the idea for Maddie (Luke’s little sister). Girls this age are so tender and awkward. I wanted to write a story about three big, strong men who are completely out of their element as guardians of a middle school girl. And how they all connect with her in the sweetest and most unexpected ways.
• I’m a huge fan of cheesy 80’s television. Murder, She Wrote made a cameo in this book!

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

I actually started out writing Luke as more of a scarred vet. But he refused to stay that way. Instead of being understandably sad about his experiences, he ended up being someone who chose to focus on beauty instead of pain. In the end, I really loved that about him.

For her part, Mary desperately wants to believe in magic, and the inherent goodness in people. But she’s also driven by a deep curiosity and a reporter’s instinct to get at the truth. Even if it means being disappointed in the long run. She has to learn to balance those two things inside her, while still keeping her heart intact. And that’s where Luke comes in. They end up teaching each other so much.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

Mary sat at the heavy, wooden bar and looked around at the rest of the patrons. People watching was one of her favorite pastimes. She always found herself trying to figure out everyone’s story. Because everyone absolutely had one.
It was Saturday, so the Graff bar was packed, full of couples and friends, most of them drinking beer or sipping wine, and enjoying the coziness of their surroundings. A Christmas tree glowed in the corner, lit with tiny amber lights and cleverly trimmed in shot glasses. Wreaths with red velvet bows hung in every frosted window, where outside, two new inches of fresh snow lay. The pine trees were dusted with it, the night sky gray and starless above.
She shifted on the barstool, her stomach in a weird knot. He was late. Maybe he wouldn’t show…
Her gaze kept settling on the double doors that led from the hotel into the bar. She told herself it was the story she was after, that she’d already told Leon about it, and she didn’t want it to fall through. But deep down, she knew that wasn’t the reason she was anxious now. Not by a long shot. She’d been anticipating seeing him again, looking forward to it more than she’d care to admit. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the memory of how he’d said her name the other day, or how broad his shoulders had looked underneath his crisp uniform shirt. Or those dimples. Dear Lord, those dimples.
Looking over at her leather-bound notebook, she patted it nervously. If he didn’t show, he didn’t show, but she wasn’t going to be devastated like he’d forgotten to pick her up for the prom.
She pulled in a deep breath. That’s what her brain said. Her heart was beating out a different story.
“Hey.”
She nearly jumped out of her skin at sound of the male voice behind her. Turning, she bit her tongue so she wouldn’t make some kind of sound. Or worse, say how relieved she was that he’d shown up.
But when she saw him, she couldn’t help but smile, slow and wide. He stood over her looking every bit the sexy army vet. He wore a pair of faded jeans that rode low on his narrow hips, and a black North Face jacket zipped to his chin. His jaw was tantalizingly scruffy tonight.
He caught her staring. “Day off,” he said. “I skip shaving on those.”
The light in the bar was dim, making his eyes darker than before. Maybe even a little dangerous. Because, despite the fact that this was just supposed to be an interview, she thought she saw some insinuation there. And it excited her.
“I’m so glad you came,” she said. He really had no idea how glad. “Want to grab a booth so we can talk?”
“Sure.”
She reached for her notebook and started shimmying off the stool, but before she could, he grabbed her hand to help her down.
Her heart immediately tripped over itself. His hand was big and strong, dwarfing hers whole. His skin was rough, warm. Exactly what she would’ve expected.
“Oh,” she said. “Thank you.”
Nodding, he let go. “That one over there?”
It was the booth in the darkest corner of the bar. The one furthest from most of the people in the room who were chatting, laughing and eating, so it’d be quieter. It was perfect for an interview. But she immediately pictured straddling him in it instead.
Taking a calming breath, she scooted onto the chilly wood bench, and leaned forward underneath the overhead lamp.
He sat across from her, looking up at the server who’d come to take their order—a young woman who didn’t seem to mind the view either.
“What can I get you folks?”
“Hungry?” Luke asked, looking back at her. “Want an appetizer?”
“Okay.”
“Their mozzarella sticks are the best in three counties.”
Unbelievably, her mouth watered. Five minutes ago she wouldn’t have been able to eat a thing.
She looked up at the server. “Sure. And a glass of your house chardonnay, please.”
“I’ll have a porter,” Luke said. “Whatever you recommend on tap. Thanks.”
“You got it.”
After gazing at him another second, the server finally turned and sauntered away, hips swinging.
Mary frowned. Her hips never swung, no matter how much effort she put into it.
“So,” Luke said, putting his elbows on the table.
“So.”
His eyes were dark liquid amber at the moment, something that was making it hard to concentrate. She wasn’t exactly sure what had happened between the day he’d shown up at the Courier, and tonight, but it was messing with her head. Significantly.
“Where do we start, Mary Best?”
She watched him, loving the way her name sounded coming from his mouth. “With you, Officer Harlow.”
“My, we are proper, aren’t we?”
“Very.”
“Maybe the mozzarella sticks will loosen us up.”
“They have that effect.”
His gaze dropped to her scarf, sweeping over her beige London Fog raincoat, and came back up to meet hers. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like you could be on Good Morning America?”
Laughing, she shrugged her jacket off. “Is it that obvious?”
“That you want to look professional?”
She nodded.
“Nothing wrong with wanting to be taken seriously. I know it’s hard for a woman. You have to be twice as tough as the guys. Doesn’t matter how talented you are.”
“Yes,” she said. “That. Exactly that.”
They sat there looking at each other for a long moment as the bar hummed around them. She wondered what was going through that gorgeous head of his.
She reached for her notebook and opened it, unhooking her favorite pen from the cover. “Thank you for doing this interview, Officer Harlow.”
He leaned closer, his eyes twinkling. “I think we can drop the Officer part, now. Don’t you?”
She swallowed.
“Just Luke.”
“Luke,” she said, feeling warm all over. “Thank you…for doing this interview.”
“You’re welcome.”

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

I guess the biggest thing is how Luke chooses to see the world, and how he uses that vision to help people. That even the smallest gesture can end up changing someone’s entire day. And in some cases, how they see the world.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I just pitched a book idea to my publisher, so I’m waiting on the green light for that. Another Christmas story! My next release will be the third book in my Harlow Brothers series- Judd’s Vow. That comes out in February and I’m so excited for everyone to meet Luke’s sexy pilot brother. I still have a crush on that guy.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

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Excerpt from Luke’s Gift:

Mary must’ve been staring because Leon elbowed her in the ribs.

“He asked your name,” he said.

She smiled, embarrassed. “Mary. Mary Best.”

The tall police officer with the hazel eyes and sandy-blond hair bent his head and scratched something in his notebook. “And you’re the one who called it in?”

“I am, Officer,” Leon said. “I called when she started getting belligerent.”

“And by belligerent, you mean…”

“She refused to leave,” Mary answered. “Called us a few names, that kind of thing.”

The officer glanced up. He was so good-looking, it was almost ridiculous. Everything from his tanned, corded forearms to his sun-kissed hair, practically screamed surfer. The expression on his face was serious, though. His eyes were kind but guarded, and she guessed he’d probably been on enough of these calls to get fairly sick of them.

Her belly did a weird flip-flop thing when his gaze settled on hers.

“I’m sorry about that, ma’am. We’ll try and get this sorted out quickly so you folks can get back to work.”

Mary didn’t think she’d ever been called ma’am before. But decided she liked it. A lot.

He looked at her a second longer, then smiled. Dear Lord.The man had dimples that cut deep into each cheek. He was clean shaven, but there was a shadow on his jaw that promised a great beard if he skipped shaving for a day or two.

She let her gaze drop to his black, glossy jacket where a gold badge glinted underneath the fluorescent lights of the office. Then looked at his matching nametag, which read Officer L. Harlow.

Harlow… Harlow…She knew that name from somewhere.

Leon glanced over, and she realized he’d said something.

“Hmm?”

“I said, I can take it from here if you want. Since you’re on deadline?”

Crap.She’d almost forgotten. She was working on an article about a bond measure that had passed. Not nearly as exciting as staring at Officer Hottie all morning long. This wasn’t like her. She’d grown up around cops. She’d never been as swayed by the sexy authority thing as her friends. But this guy… This guy was different. There was something about him, or maybe about the way he looked at her, that was different.Could be just her libido talking, but she didn’t think so.

“Harlow…”

He looked up again. “Yes?”

“Sorry. I just recognize your name, but I’m not sure from where.”

He clicked his pen and tucked it back in his chest pocket. “I’ve been gone a while, but I grew up here. Maybe that’s it.”

“Do you have family in Marietta?”

She really needed to shut it. But she had a reporter’s brain, and those tended to be inconveniently nosey.

“I do. A brother and a younger sister.”

He obviously wasn’t going to volunteer names, so she bit her tongue, forcing herself to show some restraint. But he nagged at her just the same.

“Okay, well…thanks for coming by, Officer,” she said lamely.

“No problem. I’m sure Mrs. Franklin’s cooled off by now. You’ll probably get an apology tomorrow.”

Mary didn’t think so. She’d seen the way Betsy Franklin had looked ten minutes before, like she wanted to rip Mary’s blouse off and strangle her with it. But it was a nice thought.

She gazed up at him. She had no idea how old he was, but judging from the sexy crinkles radiating from the corners of his eyes, she guessed he was older than her. Old enough that she felt like she was in high school again, lusting after one of her brother’s friends on the wrestling team.

“Okay,” she said. “Thank you. And merry Christmas, Officer.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too.”

And there were those dimples again.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

After serving in the Army, Luke Harlow returns home in time for the holidays to help his brothers raise their twelve-year-old half-sister. With his new job as Marietta’s police officer, Luke finds himself in the middle of a festive mystery that the entire town will want solved before Christmas morning.

Mary Best is Marietta Courier’s most promising young reporter. When she starts spending time with sexy Luke Harlow to write an article about his heroic military service, she begins to suspect there’s more to this new police recruit than meets the eye. He’s kind, generous, and very mysterious. When anonymous gifts start appearing around town for people in need, Mary knows there’s a story there. A magical one. It doesn’t take long for the breadcrumbs to lead right back to Luke.

As the gifts pile up, so does everyone’s urge to unmask Marietta’s secret Santa. Luke is deeply private, and Mary is deeply curious- opposites who’ll find themselves tumbling toward each other amidst the snowy backdrop of a town fully embraced in the spirit of Christmas. But when Mary uncovers Luke’s secret, will she be able to bury her reporter’s instincts for the sake of love? And will Luke finally be able to trust someone with his heart?

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Meet the Author:

For Kaylie Newell, storytelling is in the blood. Growing up the daughter of two writers, she knew eventually she’d want to follow in their footsteps. While she’s written short stories her whole life, it wasn’t until after her kids were born that she decided to shoot for the moon and write her first romance novel. She’s now the proud author of over a dozen books, including the RITA® finalist, Christmas at The Graff.

Kaylie lives in Southern Oregon with her husband, two daughters, an elderly Chihuahua mix, a blind Doberman, and two indifferent cats.
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