Lady
Evelyn’s Highland Protector by Tara Kingston
A
Highlander’s vow...Scottish spy Gerard MacMasters never expected to be playing
bodyguard in his mission to catch a killer. Stunning English beauty, Lady
Evelyn Hunt, has witnessed a merciless assassin’s escape—now, she’s in danger,
and it’s up to him to keep her alive. Yet, he is drawn to the tempting woman.
Passion flares, but he knows better than to fall for her. He’s already lost one
woman he loved—never again will he put his heart on the line.
She
shields her heart...After a crushing betrayal at the altar, Lady Evelyn wants
nothing to do with love. Kissing a gorgeous rogue is one thing, but
surrendering her heart is another matter. When she stumbles upon a mysterious
crime, nothing prepares her for the dashing Scot who charges into her life. The
hot-blooded Highlander may be her hero—or her undoing.
Award-winning
author Tara Kingston writes historical romance laced with intrigue, danger, and
adventures of the heart. A Southern-belle-out-of-water in a quaint Pennsylvania
town, she lives her own happily-ever-after in a cozy Victorian with her
real-life hero and a pair of deceptively innocent-looking kitties. The mother
of two sons, Tara’s a former librarian who first discovered her love of the
romance genre when she sneaked more than a peek at her mother’s old-school
romance paperbacks. When she’s not writing, reading, or burning dinner, Tara
enjoys movie nights, traveling, cycling, hiking, DIY projects, quality time
with her family, and cheering on her favorite football team.
Inverness, Scotland
June, 1891
Truth be told,
Lady Evelyn Hunt rather enjoyed being a fallen woman. While others might well
wring their hands over such a dizzying tumble from grace, she’d discovered an
unexpected benefit of scandal—the invisible scarlet letter she wore was the key
to her independence. After all, with no good name to protect, she had nothing
to lose.
As
her traveling companions gushed over the wares in a milliner’s cramped and
cluttered shop, she debated whether to put that freedom to good use and make
her escape. She’d endured the noisy, pungent train ride from London to the
Highlands with nary a whisper of complaint. After all, it wasn’t every day one
embarks on a journey to stand as a bridesmaid while her dearest friend weds a
dashing Scotsman. She would not have missed Sally’s wedding, not for all the
quiet chambers in the world. But now, as the walls closed in and her friends’
voices blurred, she eyed the door with a keen longing.
Fanning
herself with one hand, she pulled in a gulp of air, deep as her corset allowed.
Drat, she should’ve loosened the stays. A fashionable silhouette was desirable,
but then again, so was the ability to inhale.
Her
pulse hammered a defiant beat against her eardrums. What harm would there be in
leaving this little shop, if only for a few minutes? It wasn’t as if she
required a chaperone. With her reputation damaged well beyond repair, she was
free to explore the city without benefit of an escort. On the other hand, her
dignity would suffer a devastating blow if she collapsed in an incoherent heap
on the milliner’s floor.
Edging
past the hatmaker’s dour-faced assistant, Evelyn slipped out the door. Relief
rushed in. Fresh calm filled her. Free of the crush and the relentless chatter,
she could once again focus her thoughts. She could breathe.
A
shadow fell over her.
Strong,
warm hands settled over her shoulders.
She
gasped.
A
stranger towered over her. A handsome man, dark-haired and broad-shouldered.
“Unhand
me, sir.”
His
hands fell away. A hint of a smile danced on his full mouth. “Is the devil
nippin’ at yer heels, lass?”
Good
heavens. In her rush to take her leave of the shop, she’d nearly collided with
the fellow, hadn’t she? So much for avoiding damage to her dignity.
She
was tall, too long-limbed to fit the feminine ideal, but she had to cock her
chin to meet his intent golden-brown eyes. “My apologies.”
“’Tis
no harm done.” A lock of dark hair dipped over his forehead, and he shoved it
away. “Do take care. The next man ye run into might take advantage of the
opportunity to find a lovely lass in his arms.”
The
man certainly had cheek, didn’t he? A reply sprang to her lips, hovering there
unspoken as his hint of a smile gave way to a ridiculously appealing grin.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Lady Evelyn Hunt is known in London as the tarnished bride. The man she was to marry jilted her at the altar and ruined her reputation at the same time. Now she is prepared to live her life how she wants. Her best friend is getting married in Scotland, so she must behave herself so as not to reflect badly with her friends new family. Unfortunately she finds trouble almost immediately.
Gerard MacMasters is an agent for the Antiquities Guild. They look after the old treasures to make sure they don't fall in to the wrong hands. He has been trailing an assassin who seems to take pleasure from her kills, and never leaves loose ends.
A wonderful adventure in the highlands for our heroine. A mystery that everyone says doesn't exist and a handsome Highlander, sometimes in a kilt to distract her.
Our hero tries his best to protect the beautiful Lady from harm without telling her why he is there.
A lovely mystery for our characters to solve , and a killer to catch.
Great entertaining fun with many characters that I look forward to seeing again in other stories.
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Highland
Redemption by Lori Ann Bailey
While spying for Clan Cameron, Brodie
Cameron rescues a lass, only to realize it’s Skye—the woman who’d broken his
heart. He needs to get her to her uncle as quickly as possible to keep her
safe, but every minute he’s distracted from his mission brings the clans that
much closer to war. And having beautiful Skye anywhere near him is dangerous,
because the price on his head is higher than the one on hers.
Upon being rescued from kidnappers, Skye finds herself staring into the eyes of
the man she once loved—Brodie Cameron. She’s grateful to be freed, but has no
idea how she’ll resist the lad who has become a braw man. Especially because
she’s promised to another, in a political marriage forged to strengthen the
Royalist clans against the Covenanters who plot to turn Scotland upside down.
Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award and Holt
Medallion for Best First Book and Best Historical, Lori Ann Bailey writes hunky
highland heroes and strong-willed independent lasses finding their perfect
matches in the Highlands of 17th century Scotland. Writing about the people and
places playing in her head helps her live out her dreams and delve into her
love of history and romance. When not writing, Lori enjoys time with her real
life hero and four kids or spending time walking or drinking wine with her
friends.
Visit Lori at www.loriannbailey.com. Or, follow
her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lori.Ann.Bailey.author
Skye’s heart had clenched at the all-too-familiar thick
Highland burr of the man who’d jumped into the back of the wagon.
Nae. It couldn’t be—it was the terror of being abducted by
strangers playing tricks on her.
A broad shouldered
man leaned closer and she let go of the breath she held, because she didn’t
recognize the form. These shoulders were much wider and the girth was almost
twice what she remembered from the man of her youth. Hoping to hide, she sank
back into the depths of the cart, her entire body stiffening and her heartbeat
increasing, pounding in her chest.
But then he reached
for her, and a beam of moonlight hit his face. The intruder gave her the smile
that had once brought her to her knees, the one she had spent her whole
childhood trying to put on his face. Now, the sight only brought her pain.
She had spent the
last five years of her life trying to forget that smile, trying to shake the
memory of him, trying to become a whole person again. With that one cocksure
smirk, he had just shredded all of her efforts, and damn him, she wanted to
reach out and feel that he was real, that this was not one of those dreams she
would wake from and he’d be gone, leaving her alone yet again.
Many times, he’d visited
her at night in her fantasies, saving her from imaginary foes and then
professing his undying love, promising to never leave her side again. In the
delirious haze of sleep, she always forgave him, but this didn’t feel like a
dream.
I’m an imbecile.
She had to remind
herself she hated this man. He’d promised her the moon, made her dare to
believe they could have the perfect life together. A home, a family, and love.
Then he had taken it
all away. He had carelessly tossed her aside and left her with a gaping hole, a
void that could never be filled. She had given her heart to him, and he had
trampled all over it.
--Brodie Cameron is the Royalist spy known as the Raven. He has been following an old friend, hoping he is not guilty of the raids that he has been blamed for. When he sees him kidnapping a woman Brodie has a choice to make.
Skye Cameron has just been told by her uncle that she is to marry. She hopes she can, at least be friends with the man she will never love. There is only one man she will ever love and he abandoned her.
Our hero threw himself into his chosen profession when the woman he loved left him. Now it's not safe for anyone to get too close to him.
Someone is causing a lot of trouble between the highland clans and there have been more than a few deaths.
An exciting action packed highland romance filled with danger and misunderstandings.
I loved the characters and the story line . This is not an era of Scottish history that I am familiar with so I was surprised at the problems.
Very interesting and very romantic.
***********************************************
The
Maiden’s Defender by E. Elizabeth Watson
Training men to be ruthless soldiers is a
skill at which Highlander Teàrlach MacGregor excels. He can kill three men with
nothing but a sword and a couple of daggers. After he rescues a ward of the
king, the beautiful Lady Madeline Crawford, the fierce warrior begins to yearn
for a cottage of his own in the Highlands, with the sweet, delicate Madeline as
the mother of his bairns.
Madeline begins to see a side of Teàrlach
that nobody else has witnessed. The strong silent Highlander takes her to her
first fair, teaches her to read, and bestows upon her a passionate kiss—her
very first. But Madeline is informed that she is betrothed to another with the
blessing of the king, making her and Teàrlach’s love forbidden.
Teàrlach, the famed fighter, vows to make
Madeline his even if that means bringing down her corrupt warden, and Madeline
knows that she must defy the king if she hopes to claim her Highlander.
KOBO
I write medieval
Scottish and English romance. I'm excited to announce my first two books with
Entangled Publishing will be published in July and November, 2017, entitled An
Earl for the Archeress, and Maiden's Defender. In 2016, my book, Prince of
Lions, was a top 100 download on Amazon in the categories of Scottish and
Medieval historical romance. In 2014, my unpublished manuscript entitled Two
Brides for Ewan de Buchan received a Second Prize as a quarter-finalist in the
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, and currently the book is being pushed
towards publication.
I have four sons. Yes. Four. We have a sweet
yellow lab, a bobtail cat, a parakeet, and two Californian rabbits, and my
family and I enjoy traveling whenever the opportunity and resources allow it.
Though explorers at heart, we live on a wooded mountainside in West Virginia
and hike whenever possible. We have moved about the United States and even the
United Kingdom, where my love of historical romance was born. How could it not?
Anno Domini 1192. April
The spring
insects buzzed peaceably, and the evening sun promised a glowing sunset.
Madeline Crawford had watched many sunsets, hoping that the warm rays would
heal her broken heart. Aye, her heart was finally healing, because in this
moment, she could breathe in and out and appreciate the beauty without the
sadness that had plagued her for so long, threatening to kill her simple joy.
In this moment, she felt content. The first time she had felt so in many
months. She looked down, smiled, and adjusted a blanket, then picked up her
book of Aesop’s Fables again and continued reading.
“And
so, the wise astrologer walked, gazing upward at the heavens”—how she also
enjoyed looking at the night sky and contemplating the patterns of stars—“only
to then fall into a well. The townsfolk gathered around him, hearing his calls
of distress, only then to scold him. ‘Wise astrologer,’ they said. ‘Whilst you
were staring upward at the sky, trying to divinate the meaning of the stars,
you failed to see the very things here on earth that surround you…’”
The
very earth beneath her began to rumble as she finished the sentence. Madeline
paused. The guardsmen on the wall were clattering down the walk, their arms
clanking and chain mail jingling. She looked out through the open gates, down
the meandering path that led along the valley between the hills.
The
beating of horse hooves was growing stronger, as if the army of England were
descending upon her simple stone tower to raze her home. She saw two horsemen
barreling down the road toward her, both dark haired. The one in the back, as
wild as the Highlands from which he had come, wore his MacGregor great kilt
proudly. The horseman in front wore a dirty Irish leine, the white of it
having seen brighter days, with boots lacing up his legs. His hair was shaggy,
longer, his beard unmanaged. Over his shoulder was a haphazardly pleated plaid,
the same color as the other man’s tartan.
Madeline
snatched up her bundle of blankets, allowing the book to tumble from her hands
and splay open in the dirt. Two of her servants, Fingal and the young lass
Joselyn, raced for the door of the tower to hustle Madeline within.
Yet
a wary tingling was coursing through her blood. She knew the man propelling
toward her gate. It didn’t seem real, didn’t seem possible. It couldn’t be him.
After all this time. After so many months, after she had finally resigned
herself to accept Rabbie MacGregor’s marriage offer. After she had given up
hope that this man would ever return. It had to be a marauder, intent on
rape and pillage.
It
couldn’t be him.
“Madeline!”
the man called in a voice with a rich timbre, galloping through the wooden
gates and pulling back on the reins of his mount. “Madeline, stop!”
She
whirled around in the doorway and finally saw him as he threw himself from the
saddle. The sight was a shock. She froze. It was him. It was Teàrlach
MacGregor, in the flesh, in an Irish leine and boots, as if he were the
fabled Fionn incarnated. His hair had always been shaggy, but he could tie it
back now, if he wanted. She remembered so vividly the feel of his curls as her
fingers laced through them, combing them in gentle pets as he lay upon her
breast by the nighttime campfire surrounded by insect cadences and silence. Her
heart ached anew.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
--Since her father's imprisonment Madeline Crawford has been under the guardianship of the King until he finds her a suitable husband. He sends money to High Sheriff Moreville to look after her. The Sheriff has his own agenda and is slowly putting things in place as he wants them.
Tearlach MacGregor once worked for Madeline's father. Now he is on his way to work for her temporary guardian. What he discovers when he finds her, angers him on her behalf. He will do his best to improve her lot until her marriage.
Our heroine has hidden her true personality for years through fear. It's time to face up to the world.
Our humble hero is a fearsome warrior who suffers with an excess of honour. It could cost him everything.
A very enjoyable and emotional read.
***********************************************
The
Lady and Mr. Jones by Alyssa Alexander
Born in the rookeries,
the hard life is something Jones is all too familiar with. Saved as a young
boy, he was trained to be a spy, one of the best--elite, in fact. He now spends
his days serving His Majesty in espionage, hunting rogue spies. His latest
assignment, though, has him tracking a fellow spy…
Cat Ashdown is a baroness. Nothing is more
important than protecting five hundred years of heritage. She knows every
detail of every estate that commands the largest income in Britain— yet her
father placed her inheritance in trust to her uncle who is forcing her to marry
a man she has no desire for. The baroness’s battle against law and convention
leads her to Jones and results that are surprising … and possibly unwanted.
Alyssa Alexander is an
award-winning author who survives the cold Michigan winters by penning romance
novels that always include a bit of adventure. Her debut release received 4.5
Stars & Top Pick by Romantic Times, was nominated for the RT 2014 Best
First Historical and the 2015 Best First Book RITA. She’s been called a
“talented newcomer” and “a rising star you won’t want to miss.” Alyssa lives
with her own set of heroes, aka an ever-patient husband and a small boy who
wears a knight in a shining armor costume for such tasks as scrubbing potatoes.
Spring
1819
Jones rubbed a
thumb along the faint line running the length of the pistol’s barrel. He
couldn’t remember now the origin of the scratch, but he had never been able to
polish it out to his satisfaction.
Nevertheless,
he tried. A man took care of his weapons.
There
was very little light in the hidden nook of his commander’s office. Curtains
blocked the candlelight from the main room, so it fell just shy of the
flintlock pistol. But Jones needed no light for this work, as he knew the feel
and shape of the weapon, every ridge in the wood, every curve of the iron.
Still, bringing out the small, soft linen square he kept in his pocket, he
began the meticulous process of rubbing the iron and wood.
And
he listened to the conversation occurring beyond the secret alcove he had been
assigned to.
“The
Flower is no longer yours to command, Lord Wycomb. Nor has she been this last
half year.” Sir Charles Flint spoke carefully to the man standing on the other
side of his desk. The light was bright near the two of them, from the fire and
the windows and the candles. It shone on the broad, barrel chest of Sir Charles
and the lean, elegantly clothed agent challenging him. “The Flower is now under
my direct command.”
Ah.
They were discussing Vivienne La Fleur, the opera dancer who had captivated
London between visits to France and breaking into the homes of the ton at
Wycomb’s direction. She excelled at thievery, with her quick fingers and
elegant grace. She was also damned good at lock-picking, as her new husband,
Maximilian Westwood, had become aware.
But
Henry Taylor, Lord Wycomb—the bastard—had mistreated her and lost Sir Charles’s
good will.
And
Jones’s respect.
“I
trained her.” Lord Wycomb’s voice was as cool and careful as the spymaster’s
behind the desk. “I found her in the rookeries as a child, trained her for
espionage, and commanded her assignments for a decade. She is my agent.”
From
his hiding place, Jones glanced at Wycomb’s back, at the set of his shoulders and
angle of his head. Jones couldn’t see his face from this vantage point, but
there did not seem to be any sign of untoward anger.
Jones
refolded the linen square and began to polish his pistol anew, focusing on that
single scratch he could not smooth out.
“The
Flower was your agent. I have reassigned her. Again, I now control her
missions,” Sir Charles answered. There was no hint of his anger at Wycomb’s
treatment of the Flower—but Jones knew, if Wycomb did not. Jones had seen Sir
Charles months ago in this very office, had witnessed the mingled fury and
pity. “Why is it that you require her expertise?”
“An
assignment that is not under your command, Sir Charles.” Haughtiness.
Presumption. Precedence. All echoed in the room.
From
his hiding place, Jones narrowed his eyes. A man didn’t disrespect his superior
officer, regardless of social titles. Tempted to stand and reveal his presence,
Jones flattened his hand over the pistol to steady himself. He had his own
assignment, and allowing his irritation free rein was not it.
--Jones is a spy for the Crown. His assignment this time is to watch one of their own who has come under suspicion. To investigate a fellow spy without him knowing is a major problem.
Mary Elizabeth Ashdown, Baroness Worthington is one of the wealthiest people in England. Unfortunately because she is still underage she doesn't have control if it. Her uncle is one if the trustees of her estate and he is being very difficult to deal with.
This is an intrigue filled story loaded with danger. Our characters have people relying on them to do the right thing. Our hero had a very rough start in life and still sees himself as unworthy of better . His work for England is vital to him as much as to the Crown. Our heroine knows she could do a better job of administering her estates that the trustees, but a Lady in her position must do as she is told. Or must she?
This is part of a series but each book can be read on it´s own.
I loved it.
*************************************************
Tying
the Scot by Jennifer Trethewey
At age eleven, Alex
Sinclair pledges an oath to the Duke of Chatham promising to serve and protect
his illegitimate daughter, Lucy FitzHarris. Nine years later, the duke
unexpectedly takes Alex up on his vow, offering the future Laird of Balforss
his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Now a man, hotheaded Alex has difficulty
convincing Lucy—who would rather starve to death than marry a vulgar Scot—to go
through with the arranged marriage. Once Lucy arrives in Scotland, she cannot
resist the magic of Balforss or the allure of her handsome Highland warrior.
But when Alex seemingly betrays Lucy right before their wedding, she is tricked
into running away. Alex must rein in his temper to rescue his lady from
unforeseen danger and Lucy must swallow her pride if she hopes to wed the
Highlander she has come to love.
Jennifer Trethewey is
an actor-turned-writer who has moved her performances from the stage to the
page. In 2013 she traveled to Scotland for the first time, where she instantly
fell for the language, humor, intense sense of pride, and breathtaking
landscape. Her love for Scotland was translated into her first series of
historical romance novels, the Highlanders of Balforss. The sexy, adventurous
first book of the series, TYING THE SCOT, is set to be released in November
2017. Trethewey’s primary experience in bringing the imaginary to life was
working for one of the oldest women’s theaters in the nation, where she was the
co-founder and co-artistic director. Today she continues to act, but writes
contemporary and historical fiction full-time. Her other loves include dogs,
movies, music and good wine. She lives in Milwaukee with her husband.
Without warning, Hercules hopped onto the cook’s lap, causing her to
let out a whoop. He tickled her chin with dog kisses. Alex had never heard Mrs.
Swenson giggle before.
“Do you want someone to feed you, my wee mannie?” she said, talking
to him like he was a baby. She picked up the bowl and hand-fed the bits of meat
to Hercules. He chewed and swallowed, all the while gazing adoringly at the
cook.
“Looks like you have a new friend,” Alex said.
Mrs. Swenson feigned irritation with him. “Och, take a cake and be
gone with you.”
He plucked a small raisin cake from a mound of baked goods, kissed
her again, and crammed the entire thing into his mouth. On the way back to the
house, he encountered Lucy. She had removed her bonnet and jacket as well as
the lacy piece of clothing that covered her shoulders and chest. Some of her
curly black locks of hair had come unpinned and bounced around on the swells of
her breasts, leaving him spellbound.
“Where's Hercules?” she asked, as though accusing him of losing her
dog. “I have been looking all over for him.”
Mouth still filled with cake, he struggled to swallow, but only
succeeded in choking. Pointing at the kitchen door, Alex watched Lucy march off
in a huff. At last, he swallowed a mass of cake the size of a crabapple, and
wiped his mouth. He remained in the middle of the yard, waiting, half expecting
to hear Mrs. Swenson and Lucy break into an argument over the dog. To his
relief, Lucy exited the kitchen with Hercules and the cook, both women
laughing. Mrs. Swenson pointed to the sky and Lucy nodded. Warning Lucy about
the hawk?
She crossed the yard, smiling. The smile disappeared, however, when
she met his eyes. She swept past him without a word, nose in the air. Some
inexplicable force compelled him to follow her.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Lady Lucy FitzHarris has her heart set on marrying a certain man. When her father calls her into his office to give her some news she is really pleased.
Unfortunately for our heroine ( and everybody around her) it's not the news she wanted.
Our heroine is a spoiled brat with a tendency toward tantrums. She will find out the results of that behavior.
Alex Sinclair is heir apparent to his clan, and worrying that he will never be as good as his father. He can be a bit quick to act rather than think things through. To help the clan he must marry the daughter if his father's friend. He met her once years ago but doesn't know what she is like as a woman. He has a plan to find out.
Both of them have a lot of growing up to do. The highlands can be a dangerous place.
There are so many times in this book that I wanted to smack our heroine and tell her to grow up. Our hero really tries his best.
A lovely highland adventure, with laughs and danger. I loved it.
Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award and Holt Medallion for Best First Book and Best Historical, Lori Ann Bailey has a romantic soul and believes the best in everyone. Sappy commercials and proud mommy moments make her cry. She sobs uncontrollably and feels emotionally drained when reading sad books, so she started reading romance for the Happily Ever Afters. She was hooked. Then, the characters and scenes that ran around in her head as she attempted to sleep at night begged to be let out. Looking back now, her favorite class in high school was the one where a professor pulled a desk to the center of the room and told her to write two paragraphs about it and the college English class taught by a red-headed Birkenstock wearing girl, not much older than she, who introduced her to Jack Kerouac. After working in business and years as a stay-at-home mom she has found something in addition to her family to be passionate about, her books. She lives in Northern Virginia with her real life hero, four kids that keep her on her toes, two dogs determined to destroy her house and two cats secretly plotting the demise of those dogs. 
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