The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

 Author Carrie McClelland finds a humble cottage to rent in Scotland where she plans to write an historical fiction novel of the nearby Slains Castle.  

The owner of the cottage has two sons, one kind and helpful, the other both kind and helpful and a university history professor.  Not to mention, the second, Graham, the mutual attraction building through walks around the castle and horse rides.

In the 1700's, Carrie's focus for her novel, the French and Scottish attempted to reclaim the exiled James Stewart crown.  She created in her mind the setting of the castle and the people involved.  Yet, it became apparent that her memory matched the history and she may be dealing with ancestral memory.  

As Graham shows up at her cottage frequently, her connection to her character begins to cause problems in the current day.  She knows what really happened between the invasion and mysteries surrounding Slains Castle and the relation to her character and Graham's family.

The atmosphere of The Winter Sea is richly produced giving the reader a feeling of being in the present and the past along with Carrie.  The intensity between Carrie and Graham is spine tingling while you read to find out if the past will remain a problem with the present. 

Happy reading,

Dawn Kunda

 

 

A Scot Mess by Caroline Lee

 A mess of doubles is what you'll find as Finn Oliphant and his brothers, half of them twins (Haha), looking for brides by order of their father.

Finn's father insists that the first son to sire a son will inherit the kingdom.  Great to have the kingdom, but Finn already has his mind on a beautiful lass regardless.

Fiona MacIan is the deal maker for her family, sister of a laird, where she bargains for materials and meats.  She and Finn encountered each other over an ale after an afternoon of bargaining, with laughs and blushes, and a kiss.

After a long wait over many miles, Finn calls on Fiona.  He wants to wed her and bring her to his land.

Fiona is ecstatic and nervous all at the same time.  What if he's not what she remembers?  What if he doesn't feel the same about her anymore?  Fiona's identical twin sister accompanies her.

How can a multitude of identical twins figure out who they're talking with, or who they're kissing?  Let's leave it at that.

Mixed hearts or mixed twins, the blunders and misconceptions mount.  Read this delightful story to find out who knows who their match is.

Happy reading,

Dawn

  

 

The Iron Earl - A Valor of Vinehill Novel- by K.J. Jackson

 Many daughters of an earl of England are happy to be placed in a marriage, but Evalyn is quite the opposite 

The man her step-father attached her to is evil, physically and mentally.  Her only chance to survive a brutal marriage is to escape.

Lachlan, with hatred for the earl of Lincolnshire, travels from Stirlingshire, Scotland to take revenge on the earl.  Lachlan will inherit his father's land, but loves the life of a soldier.

Evalyn takes the chance and convinces Lachlan to allow her to hide amongst his soldiers when they leave.  Step one-check!

Granted, the men she's traveling with have little use for an addition to their load, especially a female.

Tension prevailed during the journey, Lachlan pretending to pay little attention to his burden.  Although, he does notice she has a lot of strength and she doesn't give up over the roughest of terrain.

Evalyn trusts no men.  Lachlan has no intentions of disrespecting her.  The more he sees of her, the more he decides it's imperative to prove this to her.  

When he realizes he wants to save her, he takes some huge steps in order to keep her hidden and safe.

Evalyn wonders why Lachlan cares about her, yet knows her step-father will eventually come looking for her.  

It can't be that bad to pick an eligible upcoming earl as her savior, so Evalyn takes his lead.  Through the pages, I urged her to trust him and not make stupid choices!

Happy reading,

Dawn

 

Highland Victory

I'm thrilled to introduce a guest blog from Eliza Knight. Not only is she a USA Today bestseller, but she is one of my favorite authors. Her newest book Highland Victory just hit stores on Friday! I'll let her tell you about it because I will be too busy reading the entire trilogy!

Eliza Knight:

 

I’m super excited to share a few fun excerpts from my new release, HIGHLAND VICTORY! A little about the book…

HIGHLAND VICTORY, is the 3^rd and final book in the Highland Wars Trilogy (Book 1: Highland Hunger / Book 2: Highland Sacrifice).

The epic battle continues! 

After battling for their lives in the Highland War Games, Ceana MacRae and Macrath Mor were married and named Prince and Princess of Sìtheil. But even after accepting their crowns, they are not out of the woods. Danger lurks at every turn. They've vowed to take down the mighty and treacherous council only to unearth an even deadlier secret: The Corridor of the Ancients, where their enemy Lady Beatrice has kept a mysterious prisoner and tortured countless victims. 

Four armies have converged upon their castle and it would seem that they not only have to fight the royal council but hordes more. They must prove their worth to their king, thwart the many plots set up against them and see their enemies destroyed. 

With their past demons still chasing them and their adversaries stopping at nothing to see them crushed, the final battle for Sìtheil will prove to be a challenge not only for their reign, but also for their love. 

Will Ceana and Macrath win the war?

Can their love survive what destiny has in store for them?

 

Now, for the excerpts! I created these memes myself to help convey the moods for each scene! Enjoy!

 



Ceana is a feisty heroine who knows what she wants. Extremely in love with her husband, and confident in his capabilities as a warrior, she doesn’t hesitate to remind him what his duty is and what’s important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sigh… Their love is true. It is resilient. Nothing and no one can tear them apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ceana is a willing and able warrior. She’s fought through the war games, and defeated many of her enemies. She’ll stop at nothing to keep her people and her castle safe.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Oh, Macrath… He is one my favorite characters. He's fierce, cunning, loyal, resilient, sexy as hell and I love that Ceana has cracked his shell and exposed the soft-hearted hero he is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

I loved this short excerpt because I think it conveys a lot about the story. Macrath is confident he will capture their enemies, but like so many of those who’ve gone against them, often times our adversaries lurk in the shadows and we must peel away the darkness to see who stands ready to do battle with us.

 

 

 

 

Hey, just because they’re married and fighting bad people doesn’t mean they can’t have a hot moment or two *winks*

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to read more?

Check out HIGHLAND VICTORY!

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W63XYQ6

If you haven’t yet read Book One and Book Two, I do suggest reading them in order.

HIGHLAND HUNGER: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MV9RZM4

HIGHLAND SACRIFICE: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QKX31O8

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eliza Knight is a USA Today bestselling indie author of sizzling historical romance and erotic romance. While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain with her own knight in shining armor, three princesses and one very naughty puppy. Visit Eliza at http://www.elizaknight.comor her historical blog History Undressed:

www.historyundressed.com

 

A Romance Author's Vacation...Part III

As is tradition here on HEAT, an author speaks on Sundays with a giveaway!  Leave me a comment or a curious question and you’ll be in the running for an e-book of Inked (From the CIA 1)!

On with the journey of the United Kingdom!

After we traversed the lowlands and skirted the highlands of Scotland, a ferry scooted us across the North Channel between the Irish Sea and North Atlantic Ocean.  Sounds cold and frigid talking about deep waters and when I leaned over the edge of the ferry – had to do it – the churning waters below were mesmerizing.  I might have to kill someone in the waters in the next book!

Our next stop was Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Expecting to see destructed areas from the war with the IRA during the Troubles, instead we crossed a maintained and recreated city. 

We stopped at the Titanic Museum.  Really?  A museum built to honor the failure of what was supposed to be THE unsinkable ship of the times.  Okay, the story behind the museum is when the love story “The Titanic” was filmed and made oodles of money, Belfast, where the ship was built, wanted in on the cash. 

Let’s get back to the brilliant green pastures where we encountered a horse ranch, a very special ranch, The Irish National Stud.   This ranch is home of highly bred racing horses that have run the Kentucky Derby, English Derby, and other well-known races.  Owners pay some hefty fees to mate their mares with the handsome, sleek, and fast studs.

The ranch uses “Tommy the Teaser,” a tempting stud, to assure the mares are ready to mate with the paid for stud.  Prices range from 6,000 euros to a million euros for mating.  A euro is approximately $1.48 (when I was there) and constantly is in flux.

Attached to the ranch is a Japanese garden.  The garden is full of orchids, maples, streams, sculptures, and words of wisdom.  One of my Aussie friends decided to grab a piece of a statue, right between the legs…maybe she needs to read a romance

Time for a sip of Irish Scotch and a few hours of sleep before we continue.

Create an adventure and do something different!

Dawn 

A Romance Author's Vacation...Part II

Continuing up the road…We saw a lot of historical and fascinating scenes in London including Westminster, the Tower of London, Big Ben, and The Eye.  I also got a big thrill passing the MI5 and MI6 fortresses.  This is similar to the FBI and CIA of the US.  The US and England work closely together.  I’ll keep that in mind for my next book-that’s a hint!

Going north in England we stopped at Anne Hathaway’s home, complete with Old English roses everywhere.  The stop at William Shakespeare’s home was enchanting.  His home was anything but grand compared to today’s formula for an exquisite home, yet the small and simple style of life did hold its own charm.

Headed to Glasgow, Scotland brought a whole new meaning to witchcraft.  A book store represented itself with a devil sitting at a desk.  Hundreds of years ago, those who could read and write were considered possessed or having bad magic, so they were represented by the devil as so few people knew this great art.

A visit to Edinburgh Castle was mystical.  The cobbles and stones covering the ground between castle rooms and buildings were if varying styles, bricks, cobbles, and large stones.  The type of footing depicted the year they were laid. 

 A final item for viewing pleasure before I let you go was the bagpiper.  Leading our group from a castle, down the cobblestone to the restaurant for dinner was an authentic bagpiper.  I couldn’t get a picture of the “authenticity” of his garment, but I assure you he said it was real!

I tried a sip of Scotch (smooth!) and a bit of haggis.  Who cares, right?  Haggis is a traditional dish literally made inside the skin of a sheep stomach.  The piper and a volunteer brought it on a platter to show the group.  Fortunately, when it was served the presentation overrode my distaste for the mixture of dark gut-meat and barley with wonderful seasoning.

The food got better the further from London and storylines brewed strong!

 

Every place can be an adventure, so go with it!

Dawn

 

A Romance Author's Vacation...Part One

You may wonder what kind of vacation a romance author takes…the main difference from your vacation and mine is that I’m still constantly thinking of a plot for the next great American romance!

I just returned from a tour of the United Kingdom…England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Wales.  I’m not a historical writer, just reader, so I think about how I can turn this tranquil kingdom into a suspenseful arena. 

Yes, I saw beautiful castles, cathedrals, landscape, and ate English food.  I’m sure you’ve all seen documentaries and magazines depicting all of the above, so I’m going to relate a few personal adventures.

After an eventful flight from O’Hare to Heathrow, yes I got sick on the plane probably from too many “relaxers”, my husband and I exited the spacecraft.  The atmosphere of Heathrow was, to say the least, a bit spooky.  The two story walls were glass and stark.  We were directed through a series of turns, stairs, and escalators with only the light from fluorescents. 

Not too bad until I noticed not a single shop or kiosk, only the people from arriving planes, and police everywhere.  It was quiet.  The bathrooms had one toilet.  England’s terrorist alert had raised a level the day before.

Led to a long line of travelers, almost two hours later we handed our travel documents, passport and card explaining who we were and our reason for arriving, to one of a dozen officers.  

I can’t help but add a little controversy.  My card read…JOB:  Govt.  I do work for the govt. (USA), but I didn’t expand.  The officer looked me up and down-no I looked a wreck at this hour.  He rummaged through my carry-on, looked me up and down again, then said, “You work for the government?”

I said, “Yes.”  Could I be more obtuse, or what?  I felt the thrill of a challenge brewing already.  With the bobbies of England!  I was messing with the police!  My heart thumped and thudded as I waited for his dark eyes and thin lips to respond.  I have a former Marine at my side and wasn’t afraid to use him.

It ended well as he chuckled, stamped my card, and moved the long line forward.  I think I was a bit relieved.

Now I am in London!  Our hotel was two blocks from the Thames and we had legs ready to go with no sleep for twenty-seven hours. 

One more story about the infamously bad English food…

That first day our stomachs drove us to find a café for breakfast.  We eagerly tried an “English breakfast.”  I thought I over reacted, but my husband didn’t like it either.  Imagine, a poached egg, tiny hash brown (not too bad yet), a mushy tasteless sausage, and flavorless baked beans.  Don’t forget that a cup of coffee comes in halfsies and no refills.  Tea is abundant, but I couldn’t solely rely on it.

Sorry, but I won’t be gaining weight in England.

So much more to tell…Our hostess, Alexis, will need to give me more time to relate the interesting parts of the tripJ

Always travel with a mission and get the most out of it!

Dawn