Tag Archives: DD MacRae

Medieval Monday ~ THE HIGHLANDER’S PIRATE BRIDE

12 Monday Apr 2021

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Welcome back to Medieval Monday! Our “First Kiss” theme continues, and this week, award-winning author Cathy MacRae is here with her recent release, The Highlander’s Pirate Bride.  It’s the swashbuckling seventh book in her Hardy Heroines series. If you like pirates, rags-to-riches, and swoon-worthy Highlanders, you’ll love this romance on the high seas.

For those following my excerpt from Return of the Raven, you can find Snippet #10 on Cathy’s blog. Remember, you’ll find links to all the participating authors’ snippets at Medieval Romance Lovers on Facebook. (#MedMonSpring21)

Now, let’s enjoy Cathy’s tenth snippet:

Pedr closed the final distance, his cheek nesting against the top of her head. “Promise ye’ll always fight for those less fortunate than ye,” he murmured, his breath stirring her hair. “Promise ye will always tell me what ye think.”

A strangled chuckle escaped her. “Ye have naught to fear. I dinnae dissemble well. And, my heart will always be with those in need.”

More about The Highlander’s Pirate Bride:

As the pirate The Black MacNeill, Rona MacNeill has stolen more than one English ship to keep her clan from starving. With Yule only days away, will the theft of the wrong ship land her in a hangman’s noose? Or the arms of a Highlander?

Rona MacNeill has done everything she can to help her small, impoverished clan—except marry for money. Her luck seems to lie in stealing ships, not attracting suitors. Only days before Yule, she seeks one last ship with stores to keep her people fed over the long, harsh winter. Too bad her luck has run out.

Pedr MacLean is happy to be the younger (by three minutes) son of Baron MacLean. His days are filled with running the family’s shipping business and sailing the world. His heart belongs to the sea—or so he thinks, until one of his ships is stolen, and the woman responsible turns his world upside down.

Drawn to Rona’s strength and love of the sea, Pedr will agree to her father’s demand—information on the whereabouts of his ship in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Will Rona find herself caught between a marriage of convenience and a hangman’s noose? Or will she discover something far more compelling?

Buy the book on Amazon!

That’s all for this week. See you next Monday!  🙂

Medieval Monday ~ THE PRINCE’S HIGHLAND BRIDE

08 Monday Jun 2020

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Welcome back to Medieval Monday!  Our nature theme continues, and I’m excited to feature Cathy and DD MacRae’s The Prince’s Highland Bride, the recently released, sixth book in the Hardy Heroines series.  Don’t you love the cover?!  If you’re following my excerpt from Night of the Owl, you can find the sixth snippet on Cathy’s blog today.

Now, let’s enjoy her sixth snippet:

“Please accept my apology, m’lady. I knew this, yet I thought . . ..” He sighed and stepped away, lifting an arm to the abbey’s walls. “We could strengthen the walls, raise the height, also. Replace the roof. Tile would be best, though mayhap a job for next summer.” His voice took on an impersonal tone.

“I would ask ye to inspect the interior, create a plan for the rooms within. New buildings or additions would also need to be addressed next year. There are not enough weeks left before harvest to do more than fortify what is already here.”

Maggie inhaled sharply. She liked Phillipe when he spoke to her as an equal, but not in this aloof tone that built a wall between them.

Join her next week on Kelley Heckart’s blog: https://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

A little more about The Prince’s Highland Bride:

Phillipe de Poitiers, a prince of Antioch, finds himself a breath away from wrongful execution. Risking everything, he leaves behind his crown, his family, his country—and a body sworn to be his by the Bishop, himself.

Free of court intrigue and drawn to Scotland by memories of a woman who once possessed his heart, Phillipe sells his sword to pay for his travels and accepts the task of guarding the daughter of Laird MacLaren.

When Maggie MacLaren’s abusive marriage fails, she wants nothing more than to retire to her childhood home on the banks of Loch Lomond. Trouble follows her, putting her clan in danger, and she travels to the Isle of Hola, placing her safety in the hands of a mysterious mercenary with a haunted smile and a kind heart.

As Maggie and Phillipe struggle with their pasts, love blooms. But when a pirate’s treasure offers a seductive lure, will it free them—or prove the downfall of all they hold dear?

Buy the book:

Amazon

That’s all for this Medieval Monday.  See you next week!  🙂

Medieval Monday ~ THE HIGHLANDER’S CRUSADER BRIDE

23 Monday Dec 2019

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Welcome back to Medieval Monday!  Our theme of “Celebrations” continues, and today I’m featuring Cathy MacRae’s The Highlander’s Crusader Bride, the third book in the Hardy Heroines series.

If you’re following my excerpt from Night of the Owl, you can find the sixth snippet on Cathy’s blog: https://www.cathymacraeauthor.com/bits-n-bobs-author-blog

Now, let’s enjoy her sixth snippet:

“Ego congelo vos in matrimonium in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen,” Father Sachairi concluded.

Arbela jerked her gaze to the priest and Alex’s shoulders shook. Caelen made to rise, but Arbela did not budge. He sent her a look of surprise.

“’Tis a bit late to balk, my lady,” he murmured.

To read Cathy’s seventh snippet, follow her next week to Laurel O’Donnell’s blog: http://www.laurel-odonnell.com/blog.html

A little more about The Highlander’s Crusader Bride:

Born in the Holy Land only a few years after the Third Crusade, half-Armenian, half-Scot Arbela MacLean is a true daughter of the desert, beautiful and untamed. Trained to be a warrior to avoid her gentle mother’s fate, Arbela has honed her skills with Turkish bow and arrow, sword, and throwing darts—and dreads the day her father chooses a man for her to marry.

After more than thirty years in the Holy Land, Donal MacLean, Baron of Batroun, is recalled to Scotland, the last son available to take up leadership of clan MacLean. He brings with him knights, treasure, trade—and a daughter of marriageable age.

Caelen MacKern, known as the Bull of the Highlands, is cynical about women. His first marriage formed an alliance, and he did not grieve when his spoiled, immature bride passed away. He has agreed to marry again—against his better judgement—for the men, means, and coin to recover from a devastating pestilence that all but wiped out his clan.

More than a little resentful at finding himself forced to remarry, Caelen’s proposal to Donal MacLean’s headstrong daughter nevertheless piques her interest. Each will receive what they want most from life—the ability to live as they please without interference from a meddling spouse. But their marriage of indifference will soon change to one of passion that neither Arbela nor Caelen could have predicted.

Where to buy the book:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

See you next Monday!  🙂

Medieval Monday ~ THE HIGHLANDER’S WELSH BRIDE

29 Monday Jul 2019

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Welcome back to Medieval Monday! I’m excited to have my friend Cathy MacRae here today. We’re featuring her medieval romance, The Highlander’s Welsh Bride, the fifth book in her Hardy Heroines series.

If you’re following my “Bad Guy” excerpt from Shadow of the Swan, you can find the sixth snippet on Cathy’s blog here. Remember to leave a comment there for a chance to win digital copies of the first three books in The Novels of Ravenwood series!

Now, let’s enjoy Cathy’s “Bad Guy” snippet:

A Welsh princess on the run from King Edward’s army, Carys finds herself embroiled with pirates pillaging the western coastline of Scotland. She has escaped their clutches twice before. Has her luck at last run out?

Hanna pointed to the approaching ship. “The langskip is light and fast. See how tall and narrow the bow and stern are? ’Tis also clinker built, and the midsection is quite wide. ’Twill be very fast and stable even in these waters. But they know our ship could withstand any force they tried against her. If they can drive her onto the beach, they can board and fight us on even footing.”

“There is no us . . .. Ye and Carys . . ..” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Shite.”

“Your vocabulary is not improving, sonr min. Pay attention. We must avoid the shoreline at all cost.”

“I know how the Norse fight. Ye dinnae need to tutor me in battle tactics.”

Follow the excerpt next week to Mary Gillgannon’s blog: https://marygillgannon.com/
Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook (kindle) of The Highlander’s Welsh Bride!

A little more about the book:

It was over. Prince Llywelyn was dead, his soldiers fleeing before King Edward’s army. Carys, a distant cousin to the prince, herself a princess of Wales, had picked up arms alongside her husband more than a year ago. Now homeless, her husband buried beneath the good Welsh soil, she seeks shelter in the north, far from the reach of Longshanks’s men. Carys and Wales would never be the same again.

Birk MacLean has been ordered to take a bride and produce an heir. He grows weary of the lasses paraded before him, women of delicate nature and selfish motives. He desires a wife strong enough to help lead one of the most powerful clans in Western Scotland.

One like the Welsh woman sitting in his dungeon, arrested for poaching MacLean deer.

Can Birk convince Carys marriage to him is preferable to a hangman’s noose? And will the heard-headed Scot be worthy of a Princess of Wales?

From the towering Welsh mountains to the storm-swept Scottish coast comes a tale of betrayal and loss, deceit and passion. An epic tale of honor and the redeeming power of love.

Buy the book:

Amazon

See you next Monday!  🙂

 

Medieval Monday ~ THE HIGHLANDER’S WELSH BRIDE

25 Monday Mar 2019

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Welcome back to Medieval Monday! And welcome back, Cathy and DD MacRae!  Once again, we’re featuring The Highlander’s Welsh Bride, the fifth book in the Hardy Heroines series.

If you’re following my excerpt from Shadow of the Swan, you can find the eighth snippet of Robert and Constance’s first encounter on Cathy’s blog. Remember to leave a comment there for a chance to win a signed print copy of the book! Here’s the link: https://www.cathymacraeauthor.com/bits-n-bobs-author-blog

Now, let’s enjoy Cathy’s eighth snippet:

Carys matched his stance, not bothering to hide her disgust. “Feeding the hungry should not be a crime.”

“’Tis the fact ye poached on land that doesnae belong to ye.” He tilted his head. “Ye are a stranger to our shores. Why did ye not present yerself to the laird’s man when ye arrived?”

A myriad of emotions flushed through Carys, diluting her anger. Loss. Homesickness. Grief. Loneliness. She quickly tamped them down, shoving the sentiments into the deep space inside where she hid them away. She set her jaw stubbornly. What kind of honor did the MacLean laird have if he punished those who fed his people? He sounded no better than Edward and the cursed English.

Catch last week’s snippet on Lane McFarland’s blog: http://lanemcfarland.com/blog/

Follow her to next week’s snippet on Rue Allyn’s blog: https://www.rueallyn.com/blog/

A little more about the book:

It was over. Prince Llywelyn was dead, his soldiers fleeing before King Edward’s army. Carys, a distant cousin to the prince, herself a princess of Wales, had picked up arms alongside her husband more than a year ago. Now homeless, her husband buried beneath the good Welsh soil, she seeks shelter in the north, far from the reach of Longshanks’s men. Carys and Wales would never be the same again.

It was time. Birk MacLean has been ordered to take a bride and produce an heir. He grows weary of the lasses paraded before him, women of delicate nature and selfish motives. He desires a wife strong enough to help lead one of the most powerful clans in Western Scotland.

One like the Welsh woman sitting in his dungeon, arrested for poaching MacLean deer.

Can Birk convince Carys marriage to him is preferable to a hangman’s noose? And will the heard-headed Scot be worthy of a Princess of Wales?

From the towering Welsh mountains to the storm-swept Scottish coast comes a tale of betrayal and loss, deceit and passion. An epic tale of honor and the redeeming power of love.

Buy the book:

Amazon: https://www.amzn.com/dp/B07KNYTMPK

See you next Monday!

Cathy and DD MacRae’s New Release: THE HIGHLANDER’S WELSH BRIDE

08 Tuesday Jan 2019

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I’m excited to have bestselling author Cathy MacRae here! She’s part of our Medieval Mondays group, and today we’re talking about her new release, The Highlander’s Welsh Bride, the latest in the Hardy Heroines series. Scotland and Wales are two of my favorite places, so I’m eager to ask some questions. Pull up a chair and let’s hear what Cathy has to say!

What inspired you to write this book/series? Of course, following the other books in the series was the initial nudge, but this particular book arose from the finality of the Welsh Wars of Independence. What would a young woman do to escape the loss of her family and remain out of reach of King Edward Longshanks? Flee to Scotland, of course.

Of course! Have you encountered any of the characters in a dream? No, I don’t believe I have, though I occasionally have brilliant insights into characters (why they act a certain way) or a scene that’s been eluding me either right as I fall asleep or as I’m waking in the morning.

I get that too! There’s something magical about those moments just before and after sleep, opening doors to a whole world of perceptions. If you could give your hero, Birk MacLean, a word of advice, what would it be? Lighten up. He’s convinced he isn’t loveable and often manipulates people to keep them from seeing his true motives. 

Any advice for your heroine, Carys? Be patient. Birk isn’t who he seems to be. There is a good heart in him.

In general, which do you enjoy writing more: description or dialogue? Oh, gosh. I love writing both. Dialogue often runs away by itself, but description pulls me deeper into the story.

I understand completely! What do you love most about being an author? I love creating my worlds and the characters in them. Even better, I get to share them with readers! It truly brightens my day to get a note from a reader who wants to chat about a story, or to encounter someone who believes in my characters as much as I do.

Yes, those are wonderful experiences! Thanks so much, Cathy.  You, DD, and your characters are always welcome here.  Best of luck with the new release!



A bit more about The Highlander’s Welsh Bride:

It was over. Prince Llywelyn was dead, his soldiers fleeing before King Edward’s army. Carys, a distant cousin to the prince, herself a princess of Wales, had picked up arms alongside her husband more than a year ago. Now homeless, her husband buried beneath the good Welsh soil, she seeks shelter in the north, far from the reach of Longshanks’s men. Carys and Wales would never be the same again.

It was time. Birk MacLean has been ordered to take a bride and produce an heir. He grows weary of the lasses paraded before him, women of delicate nature and selfish motives. He desires a wife strong enough to help lead one of the most powerful clans in Western Scotland.

One like the Welsh woman sitting in his dungeon, arrested for poaching MacLean deer.

Can Birk convince Carys marriage to him is preferable to a hangman’s noose? And will the heard-headed Scot be worthy of a Princess of Wales?

A peek inside the pages:

Birk grabbed the decanter of wine and poured the blood-red liquid into two heavily embellished silver goblets, offering one to Carys.

“Slàinte mhath.” He tipped the goblet to his lips and drank.

Carys ran her fingers over the intricate chasing near the rim and dipped a fingertip in the liquid. “Drunk? And in front of all our guests. ’Tis a fine way to begin a marriage. This was your idea, if you’ll recall.”

Birk set his goblet down with a thump of metal against the cloth-covered wood.

“I dinnae wish to remarry at all. ’Tis not about ye.”

Carys pushed her drink away, furious with his lack of courtesy. “Well, a drunkard rarely has a stiff cock,” she observed caustically. “Mayhap one of us will get a good night’s sleep. At least no one will be expecting bloody sheets on the morrow.”

“I am nae so hung over as that,” he growled.

“Oh, I’m certain I’m relieved to hear it,” Carys purred, heedless of the warning gleam in his eyes. Brody was likely right. Her husband’s bad mood was probably more about his sore head than his marriage—though she rather doubted he’d have gotten roaringly drunk the night before if he hadn’t been marrying her on the morrow.

She had to admit the thought irked. A lot.

“A woman has expectations, you know.”

Birk’s eyes narrowed. “Expectations?”

Carys folded her hands on the table and leaned forward, resting her breasts on the arc of her wrists, deepening the valley between them as they swelled above the gown’s modest neckline. Birk’s gaze dropped. An ironic smile twitched Carys’s lips. Men were so predictable.

“Expectations of her wedding night,” she said, drawing her words out, voice husky. Birk’s attention wavered. Carys rose, abandoning her moderate display, and, placing the fingers of one hand on a heavily muscled shoulder, paced slowly to his other side. She drew her fingertips lightly across his back to the other shoulder and feathered them down his arm.

He twitched.

“I’ve been there before, as have you,” she murmured, sending an appraising look up and down his body, deliberately baiting him, not knowing how to tame the wildness rising unexpectedly inside. “Terwyn was kind and considerate.” She lifted a limpid gaze to Birk’s. “Are you?”

Buy the book on Amazon: https://www.amzn.com/dp/B07KNYTMPK

A little more about Cathy:

Amazon best-selling author Cathy MacRae lives on the sunny side of the Arbuckle Mountains where she and her husband read, write, and tend the garden—with the help of the dogs, of course.

Award-winning and Amazon best-selling author DD MacRae enjoys bringing history to life and considers research one of the best things about writing a story! With more than 35 years of martial arts training, DD also brings breath-taking action to the tales.

You can visit with Cathy & DD at www.cathymacraeauthor.com and sign up for their newsletter!

Other ways to connect with Cathy:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathy.macrae.58
Twitter: @CMacRaeAuthor
Instagram: cathymacrae_author
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cathy-MacRae/e/B00BNOHXJS/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorcathymacrae/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cathy-macrae