Scotland November 1512:
A heavy frost
sat on the frozen earth, and a full moon shone clearly between the heavy clouds
dotting the sky. Lady Callie Whitcomb looked over her shoulder as she raced
through the deepening gloom toward the lighted tavern ahead. Every shadow,
every mournful sigh of the wind sweeping through the trees, every chilling
animal sound filled her with terror. Fear for her life drove her to put all
thoughts of danger aside. He would follow her, find her, and drag her home.
Home.
"Don't think of that now,"
she reminded herself fiercely, even while tears stung in the back of her throat
and fear made her limbs tremble. "Don't ye dare think of home. It no
longer exists." Nothing and no one could coax her back or make her believe
there was naught but terror in the home where she'd been born.
"I will never marry Lord
Huntington. Never!" she whispered fiercely, the chill night air solemnly
echoing her words.
Her stepbrother, Archibald Covington
III, made sure she could never return.
"There ye be, lass! I've been
waiting for you."
The voice rose from nowhere and
surprised her. Her heart froze, lurched, then began an erratic beat, while raw
nerves snapped, sending a myriad of sensations racing down her spine.
"Archibald--" she
whispered, panic sweeping through her. "He's found me." All she could
hear was the pounding of blood in her ears.
Before she could reach her
destination, before she could find safe refuge from him, his men had found her.
No! Not now. Not when she thought she had eluded them all.
A wave of fear sweeping through her
reminded her, that if caught, she would be taken back to Archibald and forced
to marry Lord Huntington.
"I'll help you down,
lass."
"No."
Before she could react and spur her
horse forward, callous, rough hands centered on her waist then pulled her from
her mount.
"No!" She cried out to no
avail. Regaining her wits, she beat fiercely upon the man's broad chest,
tearing at his face and his thick beard with her fingers.
"Ach, lass! Hold still! I mean
ye no harm. Stop this--" His voice was gruff and impatient.
Fear for her life had spurred her
haste. Terror she might see Huntington or Archibald with each turn of the road
haunted every hour of her journey. Archibald had retainers everywhere. Messages
would have been sent. A highlander could be bought.
"Ruffian! Unhand me! Ye
barbarous Scotsman."
If Archibald had guessed what path
she followed...
"Verra well, ne'er let it be
said that I dinna do a lass' bidding." Just as suddenly as he'd grabbed
her, his hold upon her vanished. She stumbled backward.
Instantly, she found herself sitting
on the frozen earth. The man towering above her watched her with concerned dark
eyes. Despite the scar stretching from forehead to chin, his mouth quirked
upward in a humorous slant.
"Ye be a handful, lass."
Mary of A Romance Review says, "Overall I liked the story and can
recommend it as a worthwhile read. The author has a lot of talent and the plot
and tension of the story are well handled."
REVIEW:
4.0 out of 5 stars
February 24, 2013
By
|
I have enjoyed this series.
Strong alpha highlanders....what more could a girl want. The heroin is strong
but sometimes just doesn't think....but that makes for the drama. Off to the
third book.
BLURB:
Throughout the
Highlands she is known as Keely, the witch woman. She is a great healer-a woman
whose dreams come true. Ian MacPherson is a man who puts honor, loyalty and
duty above everything. Their
lives are entwined when Ian is sent by the Scottish King to bring Keely to
trial for witchcraft. He is attacked and left for dead, but Keely rescues him.
When he wakes, he discovers he has no memory. As he remembers his lost past,
Ian finds that his need to protect the woman who has saved his life eclipses his
duty to his king and country. He is a man torn between honor and duty to his
country and the woman he loves.
BLURB:
With her white-gold hair and
azure eyes, Lainie MacPherson is as wild and untamed as the rugged Scottish
Highlands where she was raised. Lainie vowed to avenge a crime against her.
Recklessly, she defies English laws and the man who raped her puts a bounty on
her head. The man who is sent to bring her to Edinburgh sets a dangerous trap.
With nothing left to live for the beautiful Scottish spy steals the sealed
documents the English soldier has tempted her with.
When the exquisite temptress
takes the bait and runs off with not only the forged documents but the purses of
the men in the tavern, Aaron Slade vows to hunt her down and bring her to
justice, never dreaming she will tame his jaded soul. When Aaron discovers the
truth about the tempestuous woman who stirs his passion to the point of
madness, he dares not love her, but desires her with all his soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment