Spotlight & Giveaway: The PI’S DEADLY CHARADE by Anna J Stewart

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Anna J Stewart to HJ!

Hi Anna and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The PI’S DEADLY CHARADE!

 
Hi there and hello! And Happy New Year to everyone!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

This is one of my favorite kind of romances to write–when the hero and heroine both know they shouldn’t fall for one another, but they just can’t help it. Kyla Bertrand is an up and coming prosecutor in Sacramento. Jason is an ex-con determined to redeem himself after some questionable choices in his youth. When her investigation into a friend’s death intersect with Jason’s search for a missing teen, the sparks fly… and the danger begins!
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Part of Jason’s emotional growth is coming to terms with his past. It’s one reason he takes on the case of missing teen Bess Carmody. He wants to help her avoid mistakes he’s made himself. This line in particular exemplifies that, even though it’s early in the book:

The more Jason learned about Bess Carmody, the more convinced he became she eventually would be. The girl wasn’t just a troublemaker. She was in trouble. The kind of trouble Jason himself was all too familiar with.

Kyla’s loyalty, even to a friend she hasn’t seen in years is instant and unrelenting: “I’m going to find out who murdered my friend.” She’ll jeopardize everything to find out the truth–because as far as she’s concerned, that’s what everyone deserves.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I have been waiting to write Kyla’s Honor Bound story for years. Seriously, from the second she walked on the page in REUNITED WITH THE PI (book 2). The second I put her and Jason on the same page together they instantly clicked in my head, but it was a long wait to get to them, LOL.
• I’ve set this (and the other Honor Bound books) in my town of Sacramento. I love bringing in areas I’ve been living around for most of my life.
• Research is one of my favorite aspect of writing suspense and with this book I really got to do some in depth investigation into hacking and surveillance equipment. Makes me both nervous and amused to think of what’s really out there!

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Jason was pretty much bowled over by Kyla from the first time they met. It’s a crush at first sight for sure (that got to slowly burn for a few books). She’s just a burst of color into his very dark life. He’s never had anyone make him smile as much as she does.

Kyla was more of a “convince me I’m feeling this” kind of woman. While she knew Jason probably wasn’t the best match for her where her career is concerned, his determination to turn his life around and his devotion to his brother and working toward just outcomes with his investigations, she simply can’t resist him.

They’re both idealists in a lot of ways and that view point really helps them both overcome whatever obstacles are standing between them.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I LOVED writing the nightclub scene. The idea of Kyla, completely inexperienced in undercover work, heads to the nightclub where her friend was last seen alive. Finding Jason there working another case, under an assumed identity himself just opened the door to a ton of fun and games.

Kyla looked back over her shoulder and watched the suffocating crowd gyrating to the deep, undulating beat of the music. She lost count of the number of bicep tattoos she saw on various young women. “It does seem like there’s already enough of them on the floor.”

“Boss likes to keep at least a dozen in rotation.” Lola’s trepidation seemed to vanish. “It’s a job people like to hang on to, if they can deal with the consequences the next morning. Not sure that’s you, considering your beverage of choice.” Lola inclined her chin toward the cranberry juice. “Just consider what you might be getting into.”

“Appreciate the warning.” Kyla’s mind raced.

“You want anything else, you flag me down, okay?”

Kyla nodded, immediately missing the comfort and protection of having someone to talk to as Lola moved off. The man behind her elbowed her as he turned on his stool. No way was that an accident.

“Look.” Irritation surged through her as she spun on her stool and glared at him. “If you can’t stay in your own space…” She’d suddenly recognized the all-too familiar blue eyes glaring back at her. “Jason!”

“Announce it to the world why don’t you.” Jason Sutton picked up his glass and downed the amber liquid that was left. “What are you doing here, Kyla?”

“Darlene. And I could ask you the same question.” He was the last person she expected to run into at Night Crawler. “Did Vince send you?”

“If Vince knew I was here, he’d probably read me the riot act,” he turned his head and she couldn’t hear the rest of his thought. “I’m working. That girl I’ve been looking for?” His gaze flickered to Lola, then back to Kyla. “Last place her phone pinged was here. Not only that—” he picked up his drink and took a healthy swallow “—something told me you were going to show up.”

She arched her brow at him and lifted a shoulder. “So? I’m working, too.”

“Not officially, you aren’t.” He reached out and took hold of her hand, entwined their fingers as he drew her closer. The air froze in her chest. Every bit of skin where he touched her suddenly felt
warm. “Relax, Darlene. We’re just two people at a bar testing the waters.”

“I, um.” Why couldn’t she think? Because this wasn’t the Jason Sutton she was used to: affable, fun, solicitous, polite Jason who tended to stay in the corners unnoticed rather than demand
attention. Safe Jason. This Jason was cooler, edgier and just a little bit scary. An excited thrill shot through her as reason struggled to retain control. Safe didn’t live in the same zip code as this guy. “Stop that.”

“Can’t.” His grip eased, but he kept hold of her. “That would defeat your purpose.”

“This is Vince’s doing, isn’t it?” Kyla tried not to focus on how perfect their fingers twined around one another. “He told you to babysit me after you told him about Julia.”

“Vince doesn’t need me telling him anything.” That tell of his didn’t appear, not even in the dim light of the club. “I said I wouldn’t tell him and I didn’t.”

“Yeah, well, he knows.”

“He might suspect, but trust me, if he knew you were at a nightclub stalking the owners who are rumored to have serious underworld connections, he’d be here himself to haul you home. Care to wager what Simone would do to you?”

Guilt had her squirming. “Then how did you—”

“Because you’re a terrible liar. And because I saw the website on your computer screen. Plus—” he drew a finger down her forehead to her nose and over her lips “—I can tell when you’re keeping a secret. Relax,” he said again and moved closer. “Touching is one of the many things people do here.”

She tried to do as he suggested and relax but dealing with Jason touching her wasn’t exactly easy. He was waking up parts of her that had been happily asleep for months.

Readers should read this book….

THE PI’S DEADLY CHARADE is a trope loaded romance for sure. Close proximity, opposites attract, a bad boy hero, and a heroine so determined to find out the truth about her friend’s death she puts everything on the line. I think it’s great escapism with some definite thrills.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m currently writing book 2 in my Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series for ARC Manor. VANISHED will be out July 18th (currently up for pre-order!). Later this year I’ll be releasing the next Honor Bound book, DEADLY VEGAS ESCAPADE which is a book that took my editor completely by surprise, LOL. She didn’t see a lot of the twists coming so I’m hoping readers won’t either.

In June my new sweet small town series with Heartwarming begins. HER ISLAND HOMECOMING is the first in my Hawaiian Reunions. Hawai’i is one of my favorite places on the planet and I’m having a blast creating this new small town filled with quirky characters and of course a ton of romantic fun and games.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: 1 $15 Amazon Gift Card for one winner
2 winners will receive digital copies of REUNITED WITH THE PI

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: I mentioned some of the fun and games Kyla and Jason get up to in this caper of a book. What are some of the most memorable moments in some of your favorite books? Yes, this is me getting ideas for books to add to my TBR pile. Fun and games romances. Let’s hear about them!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from The PI’s Deadly Charade:

Jason did another quick walk around and ended up standing in front of the bookshelves displaying the photographs. Lots of people. Lots of places. But only one animal. A bulldog. Jason bent down and searched the picture. And saw the ID tag around the dog’s neck. “It
couldn’t be that simple.”

Jason keyed in the dog’s ID number. “My brother’s right again,” Jason told the empty room when the lock clicked open. “Not very bright people definitely make our job easier.”

Inside the safe he found stacks of cash, passports, foreign currency. Various baggies filled with colorful pills—not enough to sell, but plenty for personal use. A box filled with DVDs with dates on them, a solitary flash drive and a beaten up cell phone.

Jason’s heart skipped a beat.

The screen was cracked and the edges looked as if they’d been filed with sandpaper. The make, model and description fit the one Bess’s parents had told him about.

“But I thought we were going to dance some more!”

Jason swore.

He pocketed the cell along with one of the flash drives and closed the safe, replaced the painting and searched for somewhere, anywhere to hide. He raced back to the desk and ducked under it
just as the door opened.

“I need to check something.” Colin’s tense voice echoed through the room. “My computer has an alert on it when it’s been accessed.”

Jason gritted his teeth.

“Wow.” Kyla followed him inside. “That sounds fancy. You sure you didn’t just leave it on? Mine does that sometimes. Just wakes up for no reason.” She snapped her fingers.

Jason wasn’t sure what was going to pop first. His knees or his spine. In the past two years he’d put on more than twenty pounds of muscle and right now he could feel every ounce of them. He
squished himself back as Colin’s feet appeared in front of him.

“It’s never done that before,” Colin said. “Hang on. I’m going to check the security feed.”

“This is boring.” Kyla sighed so dramatically Jason could have given her an acting award. He heard a dull thunk on top of the desk as if she’d set down her purse. “Let’s go back out and dance.”

“We will in a minute.” Colin sounded completely distracted as he moved away.

Carefully, slowly, Jason reached out and tapped the side of Kyla’s ankle. She jumped and nearly kicked him when her foot shot back.

“Colin?” she called before she hopped up to sit on the desk. Her feet swung back and forth, those glittery skyscraper shoes of hers sending all kinds of thoughts through his head. Her fingers curling over the edge of the desktop.

“What?”

“I think you’re just using this computer thing as an excuse to be alone with me.”

Jason rolled his eyes. No one was going to fall for that.

“Huh?” Colin said. Jason watched Colin’s feet shift. Then again…

“It’s okay if you are,” Kyla said. “I think it’s cute. Like computers just turn on all by themselves.” She giggled. Jason bit back a snort.

Kyla was not the giggling sort.

“Computers don’t turn on by themselves,” Colin said slowly. “That’s the point. What’s going on with the monitors?”

“Now you’re just being silly,” Kyla said. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry—”

Careful not to make a sound, Jason twisted so he could pull out his phone then tapped the app to restore the feed to the monitors. He could hear the screens buzz to life and the computer began to hum.

“See?” Kyla announced. “They’re all fixed. Maybe it was a power glitch.”

“Hmm.” Colin didn’t sound convinced. “Maybe.”

“So maybe we go back to dancing now?” Kyla asked and Jason could all but see the pout on her pretty, full lips. Lips that he might have begged to kiss not so long before. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Not for you. She is so far out of your league you’re not even playing the same game. She’s not for you.

“Or maybe we do what you said and have some alone time.”

Colin’s feet moved back into view, right in front of Kyla, whose knuckles went white.

A knock sounded on the door.

“What?” Colin yelled.

“Sorry.” Lola, the bartender’s voice called through the door. “Boss, you need to come out. I think we’re being raided. Clyde called from the front door. We’ve got police cars all over the place.”

“You’ve got to be—” The rest of Colin’s statement was lost amidst the flood of cries and screams echoing above the blaring music.

Kyla ducked down, the hem of her dress inching up to barely there status. Jason couldn’t pull his gaze away from those amazing legs of hers.

“He’s gone,” she whispered. “Did you get what you needed?”

“Along with a few spinal fractures.” Jason unfolded himself from under the desk and followed her to the door. The second she opened it they were nearly trampled by the dozen or so patrons streaming down the back hall toward the emergency alley exit. He reached back for Kyla’s hand, murmured “stay close,” then, deciding to take the chance, merged them into the crowd.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Proving himself means saving her life.

An ex-con, PI Jason Sutton has ignored his attraction to Kyla Bertrand for years, not wanting his past to drag down the up-and-coming attorney. But his missing person’s case and her investigation into a friend’s murder have connections that require joining forces. As they’re lured deep into a shadowy underworld, proving himself means not only unraveling dangerous mysteries, but keeping Kyla alive.
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Meet the Author:

Anna J Stewart is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty sweet to spicy romances. Primarily writing for Harlequin’s Heartwarming (sweet romance) and Romantic Suspense (spicy) lines, she also writes for Arc Manor’s Caezik Romance. In addition to being a Holt Medallion winner (Bride on the Run), she’s finaled in both the Daphne duMaurier, and the National Readers’ Choice. In 2019 one of her books was optioned for television. No matter the story, Anna’s books are always about family—the ones we’re born to and the ones we create. Anna lives in Northern California where she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually cooking, baking, binge-watching her newest TV addiction, or re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural. She also spends a frustrating amount of time wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock.
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