Saturday, May 31, 2014

New Review: Judith E. French’s HIGHLAND MOON – Superb Scottish-American Love Story!

New Cover
This is a great romance to bridge Scottish and Western Historical Romances months on my blog!

The story begins in London in 1723 as Ross Campbell, “half Scot, half Delaware and half wolverine,” abducts Anne, Marchioness of Scarbrough just as she is about to be wed, thinking she is the one he was sent to retrieve for a man he met in Edinburgh. Unfortunately for Ross (and perhaps for Anne), he gets the wrong woman. And so begins an exciting tale of a reluctant bride and an American frontiersman, both of whom have ties to Scotland.

I loved this story. French had me laughing out loud at the proud Scot who kept calling the “sensible, meek and shy” Anne “Hinney” while madly riding from London to Scotland on his huge black stallion. The tale of his capture of her is one for the books.

Here is one of my favorite quotes by Ross to Anne:

"...it's best we get the two of ye safe inside before the dogs take Master Roger for a pheasant and drag him off into the heather to eat."

Ross’ father sent him from America to his ancestral home in Scotland to collect a title and a fortune (which they badly need to clear title on their lands in America). Unfortunately, when he arrived, Ross discovered the castle was in ruins and plagued with debts. So when he discovers Anne has a fortune, he decides to keep her and wed her.

Anne has been badly mistreated by the men in her life and her mother who lived for her own desires. Thus, Anne fears she is unworthy of love. She wears an amulet a gypsy tells her is from “the little dark people who raised the standing stones.” Called the “Eye of Mist,” it was given to her by her natural father, Cameron Stewart, who told her it holds a blessing and a curse: She will be carried from her family to a far-off land (the curse), but will have one wish granted, even to life or death (the blessing). She is definitely carried away and most of the adventure occurs in 18th century America where Ross and Anne join his Shawnee friends.
Original Cover

Rich in detail and vivid pictures of the American frontier, it’s a grand adventure as well as a romance. It is also clearly part of a series and, while you can read it alone, I recommend reading them in order. Moonfeather is a character in this book but has her own story.

The Native American/Scottish (Indian Moon) series:

MOONFEATHER
HIGHLAND MOON
MOON DANCER
SHAWNEE MOON

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Favorite Author of Scottish Historical Romance and my guest today: Carmen Caine!

Like many of us on this planet, bestselling and award-winning author Carmen Caine is from another world. She spends every moment she can scribbling stories on sticky notes that her kids find posted all over the car, house, and barn.

When she is not working as a software engineer, she is busy ferrying her kids to various appointments, writing lyrics for her husband's songs, taking care of the dog Tigger and his heart condition, attempting to tame her three insane cats, scratching her three Nigerian Dwarf Goats behind the horns or coddling her flock of thirty bizarre chickens from around the world.

And she writes great Scottish historical romance! Today she is sharing with us some interesting tidbits about witch trials in Scotland from her research. There’s a great GIVEAWAY so do leave a comment and make sure I have your email.

The Scottish Witch Trials by Carmen Caine

In researching Scottish witch trials for my next set of books, I was surprised to learn there were relatively few witches prosecuted in Scotland until James VI became the King of Scotland. His fascination with witches was so extreme that I couldn’t resist telling his story as a backdrop for my ‘Heather House’ books.

It all began when James decided to wed Anne of Denmark. Her first attempt to sail to England failed when her ship began to leak and severe storms forced her to abandon the journey. The Danish Admiral was quick to blame the bad weather on witchcraft and to protect himself, promptly arrested and burned six women for the crime.

James VI
Anne of Denmark

When James arrived to wed Anne shortly thereafter, he became fascinated with the Danish Witch Trials and the entire concept of how witches were plotting his death. And during the return voyage to Scotland with his new bride, he himself was beset with severe weather and one of the ships carrying the Queen’s wedding gifts sank in the storm.



It didn’t take long for greedy nobles to use the king’s fascination with witches to their own benefit. And in the following year, a deputy bailiff named David Seaton clearly saw an opportunity to improve his lot in life.

He informed the king that witches from North Berwick, a fishing town on the east coast of Scotland, had tried to kill the king during his voyage to wed his bride in Denmark.

This tipped off the North Berwick Witch Trials, Scotland’s first major witch persecution.

The king himself actively participated in the investigations, personally supervising the torture and burning of the suspects. Along the way, he fancied himself such an expert witch hunter, that he even wrote a short book titled ‘Daemonologie’, that stated that all women were more easily entrapped by the devil than men. With this writing, he effectively launched Scotland’s first witch craze.

In my upcoming book, “Heather House: Witch of the Moors”, I cover the story of David Seaton, of how he blamed his own serving maid, Gilly Duncan, of witchcraft, along with other women in the village who made his life miserable (women who had knowledge of his illicit affairs, etc.), and of how he and King James tortured these poor souls until they confessed of conjuring up the storm by burning a black cat and throwing it into the sea, along with other unholy rituals.

These poor women were burned. One of them was tortured enough to say that over 70 witches had conspired to kill the king by working with the devil to conjure the storm. And in the end, over 100 people (primarily women) were tortured as a consequence of this trial.

Opportunists used the King’s hysteria over witches against him, of course, and some members of the nobility were also accused during this time as well, such as Francis Stewart, the Earl of Bothewell—who also just happened to be next in line to the Scottish throne.

He was acquitted two years later and after leading a series of rebellions against the king, ended up dying in poverty in Italy.

The North Berwick Trials lasted about two years, and there were other waves of witch trials in the following years. All-in-all, some accounts claim up to 6000 people may have been accused as witches and killed in these trials.

King James VI of Scotland became Queen Elizabeth I of England’s heir, and upon her death, he moved to England to become King James I of England where the playwright, Shakespeare, penned MacBeth to cater to the ego of the new witch-obsessed king.


And while King James went on to accomplish other things in his life, he holds the record for hanging more witches than any other member of England’s monarchy.


For the GIVEAWAY, four lucky winners will receive one of my “Heart” books:
The Kindling Heart

The Bedeviled Heart
The Daring Heart
The Bold Heart



















From Regan:
Thanks so much, Carmen, for joining us and sharing that amazing history! For the readers, you can see my reviews of Carmen's books on this blog (The Bold Heart is below) and on Amazon and Goodreads.

To keep up with Carmen, visit her website and find her on Facebook and Twitter

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

New Review: Carmen Caine’s THE BOLD HEART – A great finish to a wonderful Scottish Medieval Series


Another great story from the Highlands from Caine’s Highland Heather and Hearts series (see list below). This, the last, begins in 1488 in Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye as Scotland is in turmoil with a looming civil war. Ewan McLean, rots in an English jail having been caught trying to free Alec Montgomery. But Merry MacLeod remembers that Ewan saved her from an abusive husband, so she decides to don a lad’s apparel and rescue him.

Both Alec and Ewan fall for the beguiling lass who can ride as well as a man and is handy with a dirk. But once she awakens Ewan’s heart from a long dark passage, he determines no one will possess her but him. There is only one little impediment: he is betrothed to Iona.

Dunvegan Castle

Rich in historical setting and detail with enough of the Scots accent infused into the dialog to make you feel as if you are back in 15th century Scotland, this is a grand finish for a wonderful set of stories. Ewan is a noble, compelling hero and a strong leader. Merry is just the kind of tom boy hero I like. It’s a warm, adventurous romp and a sweet love story all set upon a well-researched foundation. Many of the earlier heroes and heroines return for a cameo appearance, but you can still read it as a “stand alone.”

I loved it!

The Highland Heather and Hearts (Scottish Medieval) Series:

THE KINDLING HEART (Bree & Ruan)
THE BEDEVILED HEART (Cameron & Kate)
THE DARING HEART (Julian & Liselle)
THE BOLD HEART (Merry & Ewan)

Note: Carmen Caine will be a guest on my blog on May 29th so come on back!

Monday, May 26, 2014

Best Scottish Historical Romances List!


As Geddes MacGregor once said, “No one in Scotland can escape from the past. It is everywhere, haunting like a ghost." Scotland’s past is the subject of my list below, romance novels I have come to love that are set in Scotland, some in that magical part of Scotland called the Highlands. Others may just feature a Scots hero. All are rated 5, 4 ½ or 4 stars. Enjoy!

• A Dangerous Love, The Border Lord's Bride, The Captive Heart, The Border Lord And The Lady, The Border Vixen and Bond Of Passion (from The Border Chronicles) by Bertrice Small
• A Gentle Feuding by Johanna Lindsey
• A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
• A Year and a Day by Virginia Henley
• Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught
• Beloved Rogue by Penelope Williamson
• Bound to the Highlander by Kate Robbins
• Bride of the MacHugh by Jan Cox Speas
• Charming the Shrew and Daring the Highlander (MacLeod duology) by Laurin Wittig
• Come The Morning, Conquer the Night, Seize the Dawn, Knight Triumphant, The Lion in Glory, When We Touch and The Queen’s Lady (the Graham series) by Heather Graham Pozzessere
• Desiring the Highlander by Michele Sinclair
• Devil of Kilmartin by Laurin Wittig
• Devil’s Mistress by Heather Graham
• Emerald Embrace by Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)
• Forever My Love by Rebecca Brandewyne
• Heartstorm by Elizabeth Stuart
• Highland Moon by Judith E. French
• Highland Rebel by Judith James
• Highland Warrior, Highland Outlaw and Highland Scoundrel (the Campbell trilogy) by Monica McCarty
• Highlander’s Hope (Regency based in Scotland) by Collette Cameron
• If You Dare, If You Desire and If You Deceive (the MacCarrick Brothers trilogy) by Kresley Cole
• Kilgannon and The Wild Rose of Kilgannon by Kathleen Givens
• Knight of Fire by Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)
• Laird of the Mist by Paula Quinn (and all six in her MacGregor/Children of the Mist Series)
• Lord of Fire by Emma Merritt
• Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain
• My Lord Monleigh by Jan Cox Speas
• My Wicked Enchantress by Meagan McKinney
• On a Highland Shore and Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens
• Silk and Steel by Cordia Byers
• Sound of the Heart by Genevieve Graham
• Snow Raven by Patricia McAllister
• Tempted and The Border Hostage, duology by Virginia Henley
• The Bedeviled Heart, The Daring Heart and The Bold Heart by Carmen Caine
• The Border Lord by Jan Westcott
• The Chieftain’s Curse by Francis Housden
• The Guardian by Margaret Mallory
• The Lady and the Laird, Nicola Cornick
• The Legend and The Destiny by Kathleen Givens
• The Magnificent Rogue by Iris Johansen
• The Passionate One, The Reckless One and The Ravishing One (the McClairen’s Isle trilogy) by Connie Brockway
• The Pride of Lions, The Blood of Roses and Midnight Honor by Marsha Canham
• The Renegade (first released as The Renegade and The Rose) by Christine Dorsey
• The Queen’s Lady by Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)
• The Scotsman by Juliana Garnett (aka Virginia Brown)
• To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt (one of the Four Soldiers series)
• To Conquer a Highlander, Highland Hellcat and Highland Heat by Mary Wine
• White Knight by Jaclyn Reding
• Without Honor by Elizabeth Stuart


And a few outside my usual reading:

• Outlander (the only time travel on the list; not all in the series take place in Scotland , though the hero is a Highlander) by Diana Gabaldon
• Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband (and others in the Daughters of the Glen series, the only fantasy on the list) by Melissa Mayhue
• A Hunger Like No Other (the only paranormal on the list, but it’s a superb story and features a Highland hunk to die for) by Kresley Cole



Friday, May 23, 2014

My Favorite Classic Historical Romance Novel Covers!


I know some of you miss the old covers because you've told me as much. They had so much emotion in them. And they gave us a real sense of the hero and heroine. Amazingly, many featured heroes wearing clothes!

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites from my best lists. And you must tell me yours!

[Click on the title below the cover to see the book on Amazon]

A Gentle Feuding
Beloved Rogue
Bitterleaf
Bride of the MacHugh
Capture the Sun
Comanche Heart
Fire and Steel
Glynda
Golden Lady
Lady Vixen
Love Unwilling
Master of Desire
Midnight Masquerade
My Lord Monleigh
My Love, My Enemy
Passion's Ransom
Pirate in my Arms
Rose in Splendor
Silver Storm
Star of the West
Surrender in Moonlight
The Black Lyon
The Black Swan
The Dragon and the Jewel
The Falcon and the Flower
The Pirate and the Pagan
The Silver Devil
The Taming
The Border Lord
Dark Before the Rising Sun
Wild Bells to the Wild Sky
Irish Linen

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

My Guest Today is Historical Romance author Collette Cameron

Award winning, Amazon best-selling, and multi-published historical romance author, Collette Cameron, has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. A Pacific Northwest Native, Collette is married, has three amazing adult children, and five dachshunds. Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list.

Today Collette joins me to talk about castles. I think you'll enjoy the post and do comment as Collette is giving away to one lucky commenter a copy of the eBook of Highlander's Hope.

The Allure of Castles by Collette Cameron

I’ve always been fascinated with castles, so it should come as no surprise that I chose a mythical castle, Craiglocky, as part of the setting for Highlander’s Hope. What is it about castles that are so appealing? I asked this question on Facebook and here are a few of the responses:

“Because they make us dream.” ~A. Barbin

“...the untold stories they hold.” ~T. Morrison

“They get my imagination all worked up.” ~T. Patton

“Because you were a princess in a past life?”~ S. Owens

I think it’s all of the first three, and maybe a bit of me wanting to have been a princess or at least a member of the gentry or nobility so I’d have access to a castle or two. I confess, my obsession extends to palaces and manor houses too. (Take a peek at my Castle, Palaces and Manor Houses Pinterest Board.)

Castles are inherently romantic...well, if you ignore the whole dungeon/torture aspect, that is. In my story, Adaira, the sister of the hero, Ewan, locks the Earl of Clarendon in Craiglocky’s dungeon, and the heroine, Yvette has several uncomfortable moments in the keep’s bowels, too.

In The Earl’s Enticement, Adaira and Roark will get their own story, (coming at the end of this month) and the intricacies of castles will be explored.

One of my friends commented that castles were cold and drafty. True, especially if you’re talking about a medieval castle. They weren’t built for luxurious comfort, but rather protection from invaders. Yvette finds Craiglocky charming, but a bit outdated. The great hall’s display of ancient weaponry and hunting trophies aren’t really to her taste, though she quite likes the library.

Eilean Donan Castle


But still, castles captivate. If I could time travel, I’d love to go back, invisible of course, and wander some castle corridors, hang out in a few great halls and watch a ball or two. I’ve been privileged to visit several castles while visiting England, France and Spain and touring as many as I can drag my hubby to when we go to Scotland in 2015 is at the top of my list.

The London Tower


Although I enjoyed the opulence and extraordinary lavishness displayed, I find myself drawn to the more rustic castles. That’s how I picture Craiglocky Castle in my mind. And don’t even get me started on Scottish castle ruins. Oh, the stories they could tell.



Balveni Castle

Common castle features include a mote, the raised flattened surface a castle was often constructed on. Sometimes there were natural features the builders used (think castles on cliffs) and other times, they constructed the mote from surrounding dirt, which left a ditch called a moat. Craiglocky is situated on a man-made mote atop a hill.

The bailey was a fortified enclosure surrounded by a high, thick curtain wall that typically sported battlements. The barracks, stables, blacksmith, and living quarters of those not privileged enough to live in the keep were within the bailey. The keep is the actual building the nobles lived in and the part of the castle that most fascinates me. The main access to the castle was generally only available through the gatehouse, a structure built with multiple defenses, including more battlements to keep unwanted visitors out.

If you’ve read Highlander’s Hope, you’ll remember there are also some secret entrances, which were not uncommon. Another defense was the moat, which could be either wet or dry. It was more typical to see a moat filled with water in low-lying areas.

Caernarfon Castle


Though I’d love to visit more castles and daydream about the former occupants, I don’t think I’d want to live in one. Of course, I wouldn’t say no to a nice long stay in a comfortably appointed chamber, as long as there was a bathroom nearby.



Have you ever visited any castle? Where? What fascinated you the most about them?






Read an Excerpt of Highlander's Hope (reviewed by Regan just below this post):

     Yvette stepped back as Ewan pushed his way into the room, leaving the door ajar. His hair was damp, no doubt from bathing, and the stubble darkening his face earlier was gone. Feet bare, wearing only buckskin breeches and a shirt unbuttoned to the waist, he resembled a pirate—a dangerous, rakish, sinfully handsome pirate.
     She sucked in her breath. He oughtn’t to be here, but he’d said he wanted to talk to her, and he had promised to behave.
     Yvette’s gaze traveled the path of silky hair from his chest until it disappeared into his waistband. Her stomach flip-flopped. Sweet Lord above. She pressed her hands to her frolicking middle. Why doesn’t he say something?
     A distraction, that’s what she needed.
     She escaped to the lumpy bed where she’d flung her clothing before bathing. She folded, then packed the garments into her valise and set it on the floor beside her trunk. Bending to retrieve her towel, she peeked sideways at him from the corner of her eye. He hasn’t moved an inch. What’s he about?
     Grabbing the towel, she glanced down and froze. The candles to her left bathed her in a stream of light. She could clearly see the outline of her legs. Her nightwear was almost translucent in the candlelight and gave him a shadowy view of— dear God—nearly everything.
     No wonder he hadn’t moved, the lout.
     Standing upright, she held the towel before her and faced him. “Enjoying the view, your lordship?” she snapped.
     Ewan lounged against the doorframe, watching her. A slow smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “Immeasurably.”

Stay in touch with Collette on her Website, her blog, Blue Rose Romance, Twitter and Facebook, and/or subscribe to her newsletter. You can buy her book on Amazon here and Barnes& Noble here.