Cover Reveal: Promised to the Highlander

PROMISED TO THE HIGHLANDER, the much anticipated follow-up to Kate Robbins' besteselling BOUND TO THE HIGHLANDER, is on the launchpad at Tirgearr Publishing. To whet your appetite, here's the stunning new cover for Book Two in the Highland Chiefs series.

Hungry for a wee bit more? Here are a few more tasty appetizers:

Blurb:

Nessia Stephenson's world was safe until a threat from a neighbouring clan forces her to accept a betrothal to a man whose family can offer her the protection she needs. The real threat lies in her intense attraction to the man who arranged the match—the clan's chief and her intended’s brother, Fergus MacKay.

When powerful warlord Fergus MacKay arranges a marriage for his younger brother, William, he has no idea the price will be his own heart. Fergus is captivated by the wildly beautiful Nessia, a woman he can never have.

 When the feud between the MacKay and Sutherland clans escalates, Nessia, William, and Fergus all must make sacrifices for their future. Longing and loss, honour and duty. How can love triumph under such desperate circumstances?

Excerpt:

“For a man who isn’t eager to meet his future wife, you’ve got quite a set of nerves there lad,” Fergus said to William.

William straightened his linen shirt and smoothed his tunic as he glared at Fergus. Yet, the comment was absorbed and William ceased his pacing to sit on a chair near the fire. Fergus watched his brother adjust his belt again. The young man wore his usual dress but had taken greater pains today to perfect his appearance. Fergus glanced down at his linen shirt and sleeveless leather tunic. William’s long hair was tied at his nape while Fergus’s was left hanging loose. He recalled having to take extra pains upon his betrothal. Thankfully those days had passed and he needn’t worry overly anymore. A young lass would surely find William’s neat, respectable appearance appealing. He hoped so, but before he could dwell on it further, a servant entered and announced the arrival of Thomas Stephenson, his daughter Nessia and several of their clansmen.

William sprang to his feet and crossed the floor in a few quick strides to greet them. He continued to fidget as Fergus sauntered up from behind.

 “Thomas! Welcome. We thought we’d have to send out a search party soon,” Fergus said as the stout man turned the corner leading into the great hall.

“Aye, the road was a bit rough with a wagon in tow,” Thomas said. The man’s brow was streaked with sweat and he looked weary from his travels.

“We’ve had a lot of rains this harvest there’s no doubting that,” Fergus said. In truth he would have gone searching himself had another hour passed. Earlier that day he’d heard more rumours about Ronan Sutherland. Apparently, the lad had agreed to his father’s suggestion and would commence his campaign in the coming days. Fergus sensed William stiffen beside him as Thomas began the introductions.

“Fergus, William, this is my brother Neville and these three are my sons, Colin, Robert, and Camden my youngest. And this is my daughter, Nessia.”

Fergus acknowledged each man in turn. When the introduction came to the girl and his gaze fell on her, his breath caught in his throat. With black hair and bright blue eyes she stood proud before him with her chin lifted and all the regal confidence of a noblewoman. She displayed no fear or reservation at all, something which was unusual in most men he met, but more so in a woman. The gentler sex usually cowered before him—not this lass.

Fergus stared at the girl, his heart drumming. His guts clenched as if he’d been punched. He had to force himself from moving toward her to touch her hair which looked like spun silk, for surely it could not be real. Fergus remembered his brother then and tore his gaze from her to find William eyes wide and his jaw slacked. An unexpected pang ran through him.

When he turned back it was to find her still staring at him, seemingly unabashed for staring openly at a man. A bold one, then. Fergus’s drew his brows together. What did she want?

Kate Robbins, Bio

Kate Robbins

Kate Robbins writes historical romance novels out of pure escapism and a love for all things Scottish, not to mention a life-long enjoyment of reading romance. Her journey into storytelling began with a short screenplay she wrote, directed, and produced which was screened at the 2003 Nickel Film Festival in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She has also written and directed several stage plays for youth.

Kate loves the research process and delving into secondary sources in order to give readers the most authentic historical romance possible. She has travelled to Scotland and has visited the sites described in her Highland Chiefs series.

Promised to the Highlander is the second of three books set during the early fifteenth century during the reign of James Stewart, first of his name.

Kate is the pen name of Debbie Robbins who lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada with her hubby, the man-beast, and her two awesome boys, the man-cubs.

You can find Kate online at the following:

Into the Highland Mist

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

 

Thursday Threads: Jessica Jefferson

This week, the Thursday Threads spotlight shines on Jessica Jefferson, the author of COMPROMISING MISS TISDALE, a sensual historical romance set in the Regency Era.

Here's the blurb:

Ambrosia Tisdale is the very picture of propriety and the epitome of what a respectable young lady should be.  Haunted by a memory and compelled by her family, she pursues perfection to a fault.

The Earl of Bristol, Duncan Maddox, has returned to London after years of familial imposed exile.  As the second son, he has led a life filled with frivolity, leisure, and a healthy dose of debauchery.  Now his older brother has died, leaving the family’s flailing legacy in Duncan’s unwilling arms.

At the behest of his uncle, Duncan is advised to do the one thing that could provide instant fortune and respectability—he must marry.  But there is only one prospect who meets the unique requirements to solve all the Earl’s problems—the lovely Miss Ambrosia Tisdale.  But securing the prudent daughter of a Viscount’s hand proves to be more challenging than this scandal-ridden second son of an Earl has bargained for.

With scandal, extortion, treachery, and even love itself threatening to keep him from his goal, will Duncan succeed or find himself compromised by Miss Tisdale?

Here's a wee excerpt:
 

She had stumbled upon the library.  A fire in the hearth threw a faint glow over leather lined volumes that filled floor to ceiling book shelves.   Lavishly upholstered plush arm chairs sat upon Aubusson rugs scattered throughout the room.  A settee was positioned across from a giant stone faced fireplace where a shirtless man sat warming his hands.

Shirtless man?

Ambrosia blinked.

 Certainly, her eyes were playing tricks on her. 

Then the shirtless man turned his head, his eyes meeting hers.  

It wasn’t a hallucination-he was real.   She hadn’t been expecting to find a partially dressed man, and he obviously wasn’t expecting to be found.   It was but a moment before the man’s expression began to soften and a wicked smile slowly crept across his lips. 

 A smile that stole the breath right from out of her. 

 Every gently bred fiber in her body screamed to turn around and run straight out the door.  Hundreds of years of proper English rearing had produced a base instinct to flee when in the presence of an unknown male (especially one with so little clothing).  But then he stood up, cautiously, the way one does as if not to startle a deer.  Standing, he was clad in nothing but buckskin breeches, the dim light from the flames playing over the sculpted muscles and sinew of his shoulders and chest. 

Breeding be damned, her feet simply refused to budge.

 

Here are Jessica's bio and links:

Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it – almost Chicago. Jess is heavily inspired by classic sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy.  She invites you to visit her at jessicajefferson.com and read more of her random romance musings. 

Fall in love with romance again . . .

Author website

Introducing Romance Weekly

 

 . . .

"Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask questions in the comment box."

. . .

Here are my answers to this week's questions:

1. What made you start writing romance as opposed to any other genre of literature? 

There's a fine line between paranormal romance and urban fantasy and I believe my books toe that line. I've always been partial to love stories, but didn't start to read genre romance until after I realized that might be what I was writing. Since that dawning moment, I've attended two romance writer conferences, read dozens of books in multiple romance sub-genres, and signed contracts for two PNRs, at least one of which will launch a series.

2. Why do you think romance continues to be a market leading genre?

What can I say in reply that won't sound misandrical? Suffice it to say that as long as men are men and women are women, romance novels will satisfy a hungry market.

3. In what way do you see romance today reflecting the way women's roles in society have changed? 

I believe it reflects how, despite our changing roles, we still like a good love story. Romance novels are an escape, more than anything else, and fantasies aren't necessarily unfulfilled wishes. I, for example, really enjoyed FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, but I would never want a man in real life as controlling and screwed up as Christian Grey. Still, the book opened doors for both writers and readers, by expanding and mainstreaming the subgenres of erotica and erotic romance.  

Thanks for listening. Now, to see how my friend and fellow author Jo Richardson answered the same questions, click here to proceed to the next stop in the circle. 

 

Calling All Book Bloggers

If you're a book blogger and would like to sign up for my Book Launch Blog Tour for The Queen of Swords, please fill out and submit the form below. I will get back to you with date confirmations and requested materials in a couple of weeks.

Happy Birthday, Rabby Burns

Welcome to my stop on the Burns Night Blog Hop. You might have guessed that I'm a total Scotophile, but did you know I have a rare painted metal Victorian-era statuette of Robert Burns in my living room? Well, I do. (And he looks just like the lad in the picture at right).

My debut novel is The Queen of Swords, a paranormal tale of undying love. It will be published on March 22 by Vamptasy in Kindle and soft-cover formats (you can buy it on Amazon). The book, set in the present day but with historical references and flashbacks, tells the story of a bookish white witch who returns every hundred years to reunite with her soul mate--a Scottish nobleman turned Celtic vampire by a dark wizard's curse. As an avid fan of Scottish romances, I was sure to include a long-haired hero with a sexy brogue who takes pride in his national heritage and costume. There's even a reference to Robert Burns (see the excerpt below)!

Just for giggles, here's my Rabby Burns.

Follow the links at the bottom of this post to meet the other great authors of Scottish romance on the tour and be sure to enter the Rafflecoptor Giveaway. First prize is your own Burns Night Supper prepared by this man, complete with a recitation of Rabby Burns' Address to a Haggis (bagpiper available for an additional fee).



Only joking. The real prizes are a $50 and five $10 Amazon gift cards, so be sure to enter.   

So, here's the cover of my book and that wee excerpt I promised. Stirling Castle, a hot guy in a kilt, single-malt whisky, mentions of Sir William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and a recitation of Rabby Burns, to boot. What more can you ask for on Burns Night?

It was now the next day and Graham was standing at the perimeter wall of Stirling Castle, gazing out at what the tour guide had described as “one of the finest views in Scotland.” The Asian-American beside him evidently disagreed. Sweeping his arm dismissively across the landscape, the blovious yank said, “If you ask me, it’s highly overrated. I’ve seen way better back in L.A.”

With a disgruntled snort, Graham returned his eyes to the panoramic view: the slate rooftops and green fields of Stirling, the rock bridge where William Wallace divided and conquered the invading English army, the boggy carse where Robert the Bruce finally broke the chains of English bondage, the flat bank of hills fortifying Fife, and, finally, the first purple hills of the Highlands.

Home.

Here's the referenced view from Stirling Castle.

Clouds streaked the blue-gray sky. The day was dry, though a wee bit too breezy to qualify as perfect. Still, it was excellent weather for sightseeing, a blessing given how it would be his only chance to show her around. After the tour, she’d gone to browse for souvenirs while he ducked into the whisky shop, a snug hole-in-the-wall whose tartan-festooned shelves offered an excellent selection of single malts. He’d sampled several before finally making his choice: Wallace Whisky Liqueur, a quirky blend of single malt, Scottish berries, and French herbs. He enjoyed a dram now and again when he felt nostalgic and it was hard to come by south of the border.

Taste buds still humming, he waited at the wall where they’d agreed to rendezvous. He’d sported his kilt at her request and a cold wind now whipped around his bollocks. He moved his free hand around back to anchor the pleats. One good gust and those bloody yanks would get a view they’d not soon forget.

A grin sprouted when he saw Cat coming toward him across the courtyard. She was a vision even in her dungarees and bulky sweater. The trousers hugged her arse in a way that made it challenging to keep his mind on history. She carried a bag. What had she purchased? Let it not be another of those silly books with a half-naked Scot on the cover.

“What have ye got there?” he asked.

“A book.”

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Oh, aye? What kind?”

“A novelized biography. Of Robert the Bruce. By someone named Nigel Tranter.”

He let the grin bloom. Tranter’s biography of Bruce was par excellence. As she came alongside, he put his arm around her shoulder and turned toward the view. “Do ye see over yon—the first hill with all the trees? That’s called Abbey Craig. And the tower rising out of the crest is the Wallace Monument.”

“I had no idea all this meant so much to you.” She nestled against him.

“Aye, well. It does.”

As he bent to kiss her hair, a chilly gust lifted the back of his kilt, opening the pleats like a fan. The hand gripping the bagged bottle shot around just in time to deprive any onlookers of an unadvertised attraction. Though it would answer the age-old question about his native costume.

Cat, with a smile as bright as the sun, kissed his shoulder.

“My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer,

Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe,

My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.”

Her unexpected recitation of Robert Burns both surprised and delighted him. Pulling her closer, he nuzzled her hair. “My heart’s wherever you are, lass. And always will be.”

Here's the book trailer for The Queen of Swords:



Now, here are the links for the rest of the tour. Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway before you stagger off to the next stop.

1.	Love, Lust and Lipstick Stains	9.	Inner Goddess	17.	Nina Mason
2.	Samantha Holt	10.	Hunter S. Jones	18.	Kate Robbins
3.	A Dirty Book Affair	11.	Christina Phillips	19.	Scenes from a Chaotic Mind
4.	Anne Conley	12.	Andrea Bellmont	20.	Sarah Bella
5.	Em Taylor	13.	Isobelle Cate	21.	Joanne Wadsworth
6.	Kirsten S. Blacketer	14.	Storm Chase	22.	Anne Stenhouse
7.	Willa Blair	15.	Ceci Giltenan	23.	BJ Scott
8.	Nicole Hurley- Moore	16.	Tarah Scott

And here's the Rafflecopter thingeo for a shot at those fabulous Amazon gift cards so you can buy a bunch of great Scottish romances, including mine when it comes out on March 22!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tomorrow: Burns Night Blog Hop for Scottish Romance Authors

Tomorrow is Burns Night, the night we celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns, national poet of Scotland (no, I'm not Scottish, just a big ole American Scotophile, I'm afraid). There are one or two Scots in my family tree (a few Scots-Irish, too) and my husband's roots go back to Ayrshire, the home of Robert Burns among others. If I could get my family to eat haggis, I'd attempt one, but alas, they still cringe at the mention. To celebrate, I will be dusting the statuette of Robert Burns in my library/living room, perhaps reading a few verses by the man of the hour, playing my favorite bagpipe recordings, and participating in the Burns Night Blog Hop with a few other writers of Scottish Romance. You'll find it on my blog first thing tomorrow, along with a few nods to Rabby Burns. There's a rafflecoptor giveaway for Amazon gift cards and lots of the participating authors are giving stuff away, so don't miss the fun, poetry, and prizes.

Thursday Thread: Son of Thunder by S. C. Mitchell

Today, I'm launching a new feature--or, rather, joining an existing weekly blog circle known as the Thursday Thread. Each week, I'll be featuring someone from the Soul Mate Publishing stable of authors. This week, it's Steve Mitchell, author of  SON OF THUNDER, a sizzling-hot paranormal romance starring the son of Thor, the hammer-wielding thunder god of Norse mythology.

Here's the blurb:

The man looked like a god. Then again, he was one. . .

Jord Thorson was a god–the son of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. In his search to find his missing father, Jord seeks out the mortal, Meghan Larson, who is in possession of his only clue–Megingjörð, Thor’s magical belt of power.

But when the belt decides to take matters into its own hands, locking itself around Meghan’s waist, Jord and Meghan are plunged into the middle of a massive conflict that rages across the heavens.

Giants, magical artifacts, and a golden city in the clouds weren’t exactly what Meghan Larson expected when that amazing belt arrived at her museum. Now Megingjörð is stuck around her waist and talking to her in her head. She’s got to be dreaming, but with the wonders around her and hunky Jord Thorson at her side, Meghan’s not sure she wants to wake up.

Here's an excerpt:

The rainbow ended on a street that appeared to be paved with silver stones. Jord pulled up to the first building, a tall tower of a structure. As he turned off the cycle Meghan jumped from the seat and swatted his shoulder. “You might have warned me a bit, about what to expect.”

Her heart was still racing, but now that her feet appeared to be on solid ground again she felt herself calming down.

“Be honest.” He smiled at her. “Would you have believed me if I’d told you?”

Had anything that had happened to her lately been believable? “No,” she admitted.

“Jord!” A husky voice called from the doorway of the building. “Welcome home.”

A large man in blue jeans and a black t-shirt with an ornate sword belt strapped around his waist leaned on the doorpost of the tower entrance. He had short blond hair and a very full beard. The sword at his side had to be almost four feet long. He was smiling and waving.

“Heimie.” Jord went to take his outstretched hand. “Any news of my father?”

“None that I’ve heard,” Heimie replied. “Your grandfather has been looking for you though. Maybe he has some news I haven’t heard.”

“There isn’t anything you haven’t heard, Heimie.” He patted the man on the shoulder.

The man then looked a Meghan, raising one of his eyebrows. “And what do we have here?”

Jord turned to her. “Heimie, meet Meghan Larson. Meghan this is Heimdall, guardian of Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. He’s kind of like the TSA at airports.”

“Welcome, Meghan Larson,” Heimdall said. “Welcome to Asgaard.”

Links:

Buy Son of Thunder.
Read Steve's Blog
Find Steve on Facebook
Follow Steve on Twitter
Check out Steve's Amazon Author's Page

Blog Tour: That Scoundrel Emile Dubois by Lucinda Elliott

 

TITLE – That Scoundrel Émile Dubois
AUTHOR – Lucinda Elliot
GENRE– COD Paranormal Historical Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – August 2012
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 385 Pages/130,000 words
PUBLISHER – Lucinda Elliot

SYNOPSIS –

When Sophie de Courcy, the often foolishly romantic and bored but patient companion to the Dowager Countess of Ruthin, marries her long-time hero, the dashing but rascally French émigré Émile Dubois, she has more excitement than she ever wanted as she is catapulted into Gothic adventure with man vampires and time warps.

With the help of her dauntless maid Agnes – who combines Tarot reading with a no-nonsense attitude - and whose own love interest is Émile’s swaggering valet and former accomplice, Georges – Sophie must come to terms with Émile’s criminal past and help free him from the machinations of their evil neighbours the Kenrick’s.

Set during the French Revolution in North Wales and in war torn France, this story is full of lively humour and combines believable characters and over-the-top Gothic adventure as a pair of down to earth eighteenth century villains become incongruously caught up in occult happenings. This darkly funny, sometimes sad and often romantic tale will captivate readers who enjoy a well written spoof of the Gothic tradition.

BUY LINKS

Amazon Kindle Link | Goodreads Link

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CHARACTER BIOS

Émile Gilles Gaston Dubois, born in Avignon in Southern France in 1770, is the first of four children born to th4e ill matched Armand and Anne Dubois. When the revolution breaks out in 1789 the family chateau is razed, his two youngest siblings accidentally killed and he has to live undercover as he and his valet and later partner in crime, Georges, smuggle his surviving sister Charlotte out of the country. After that, he stays in France trying to rescue his parents, who having conspired against the new state, are imprisoned and awaiting execution.

Meanwhile, he is the robber Gilles Long Legs who along with a couple of fellow rogues, runs an eighteenth century equivalent of a protection racket, while ‘Southern Georges’ runs a rival one.

In this guise he meets and falls in love with a respectable English girl, Sophie de Courcy, who has been robbed and cannot explain how she comes to be in Paris; she suddenly vanishes as strangely as she appeared (she has arrived there through a time warp).

After his parents execution, he and Georges leave the country for the UK, where Émile finds more disaster; his sister Charlotte succumbs to a decline.

Émile, now completely reckless of his life and finding his finances temporarily tied up, decides along with Georges – who is always game for adventure - to take up a career as a ‘Gentleman of the Road’ until in danger of capture, they take a brief break at his cousin Lord Ynyr’s mansion on the Famau Mountain in North Wales.

Here he is astounded to find the girl he met in Paris, Sophie de Courcy, working as his aunt’s companion. She has no memory of their meeting and is astounded at his passionate advances. He is enraged, and assuming that she has something to hide, accuses her of having been In Paris on a ‘disreputable adventure’ and offers her money to become his mistress. She is outraged in turn…

Meanwhile, Émile meets too a nearby neighbor, his old associate Goronwy Kenrick, who at the outbreak of the war with France returned from extensive travels in Eastern Europe - including Transylvania, of course - during which he lost his beloved wife. Kenrick has now become obsessed by the idea that time travel is possible through refining the use of thought forms by the addition of mathematics, and is eager to recruit Émile into his researches. Both Émile and Lord Ynyr laugh at him, and then Émile further affronts him by taking from his household the waif Katarina, who has been ill treated there.

Unable to get over his passion for the virtuous Sophie, Émile tries to distract himself by pursuing Kenrick’s lovely wife Ceridwen, despite Katarina’s warnings that both of the Kenricks are half vampires…

Sophie de Courcy, born in Chester 1773, comes from a déclassé branch of the same family as Émile and Lord Ynyr. Her brother having remarried has packed her off to be companion to their grand relatives in their manor on the Famau Mountain in North Wales, finding her upkeep a burden. He regularly writes advising her to try and make a good match through the Count and old Countesses’ influence.

Lord Ynyr and his mother treat Sophie very kindly, but having a romantic streak, she longs for adventure; meanwhile she tries to attract the good natured Lord Ynyr.

When the dashing, witty and wicked Émile Dubois comes to stay with the Count and Countess, Sophie is soon won over, and wishes that she hadn’t been too stunned to accept the passionate proposal he made her on the first night of his stay; still, she has no memory of meeting him as Gilles Long Legs in Paris, as he insists, and knows that she has never been to Paris at all. But whether or not her rascally admirer is deluded, she falls for him anyway.

Meanwhile, Sophie’s Tarot reading maid Agnes is finding it hard to resist her own admirer in Georges, while her cards predict black magic and danger to them all. Sophie has always been scared of the Kenricks ; she dreads their influence on Émile.

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AUTHOR BIO

Lucinda Elliot loves writing Gothic, which isn’t surprising, when she spent her childhood living in isolated, rambling old houses ideal for the settings of Gothic stories – her parents worked at renovating old houses before it became fashionable.

She lived and worked in London for many years and now lives in Mid Wales UK with her family where she strives to improve her Welsh. She loves a laugh above everything, was once a Sportsfighter, and is an environmental geek.  

STALKER LINKS

Amazon Author Page | Website/Blog | Goodreads

 

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