Title: Highland Honor
Author: Angela Ashton
Published: November 3rd, 2013Publisher: Champagne Book GroupWord Count: 119,000Genre: Historical RomanceRecommended Age: 17+Synopsis:
Darius MacDuff was at his zenith in the midst of a raging battle. He never expected his home would one day become his most treacherous battlefield…nor would his most lethal opponent come in the form of a shapely siren. Delicious deception, her weapon of choice.Rival Scottish Clans. An ancient relic. One has possession. The other will stop at nothing to obtain it…The honorable Clan MacDuff has protected the coveted relic for centuries. When rival Clan MacAlpin discovers the eldest brother of the MacDuff is to take a wife, their scheming materializes in the form of deceit as they kidnap Alick MacDuff’s betrothed and send their sister in her place.Tegan MacAlpin has no choice but to pretend to want to be bride to her blood enemy. But once inside Castle MacDuff she fears her ability to procure the relic before Darius, Alick’s dangerously handsome and highly suspicious younger brother, discovers her treachery. When all is said and done, will she remain loyal to her clan in hopes of claiming her long-sought freedom, or bend to the bidding of a forbidden nemesis? In the end, it all comes down to a question of honor…Excerpt from Highland Honor by Angela Ashton:
Something unmistakably lethal shadowed his eyes. Something only a fool would ignore. His austere gaze could turn rock to ash. What the hell was he about?
Alick's laugh lacked any signs of humor. His eyes never left Darius as he addressed her, "Forgive my brother, m'lady. Dari has been far too long painting the bonny moors of Scotland with enemy blood and forgets his manners in the presence of a lady."There was no dismissing the subtle warning underlying his tone, though the smirk that flashed across Darius' face told her he planned to do just that.Tegan dare not look directly at Alick for fear he'd read the horrid fascination in her eyes. Surely he couldn't detest it any more than she. As if she could stop gaping starry-eyed at his wayward brother. If such extraordinary power were within her grasp, it lay dormant beneath a heavy cloak of fear-laced awe.
She did, however, make the mistake of looking at the human magnet and flinched at the violent collision. The knowing leer on his face spoke enough volume to stuff a library from floor to rafters with cynical tomes. He'd seen the lust in her eyes as surely as she'd felt the seed take root and fester in her treacherous bosom.
He was T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
About the Author:
As a child award-winning author Angela Ashton pulled anyone that would listen into her world of fantasy. Her love of the written language led to the desire to write her own novel. Her first labor of love, Amulet of Fate, combined her love of Scottish historical, time travel, and paranormal romances. Angela continues to write in an array of genres and has received rave reviews for her works. Happy to teeter between two worlds, she lives in the Midwest with her family and personal petting zoo by day…slipping into the enchanted land of tall, dark and handsome by night!
Title: Dreams in Green
Author: K. D. Fisk
Published: March 2012Publisher: Champagne Book GroupWord Count: 54,000Genre: Historical RomanceContent Warning: PG-13Synopsis:
With the death of her father, Lenna Keith is trapped between a king’s command and a land hungry guardian. Her luck improves none as she flees and winds up at the mercy of the Gunns, the very clan seeking to destroy her family, but, looking into the eyes of their Laird, her heart rebels at the thought that this man is her adversary.Alax Gunn is intrigued by this spirited woman but mostly by the fact that she mirrors someone who has haunted him since youth. Curiosity and mistrust turn to attraction and desire, but swiftly she becomes so much more to him. What all will he sacrifice to keep Lenna safe and in his arms? Will a love between two destined enemies bring an end to a feud or to two ancient clans of Scotland?Excerpt from Dreams in Green by K. D. Fisk:
She let out what may have been meant to be a harsh laugh. “I should have taken you up on your offer of whiskey.”
A tense, tight pain lodged in his chest. “It’s an open offer, lass. Take some now.”
She shook her head. “After. Please. The water.”
He secured the basin in her unsteady hands. She poured slowly over the wound. Old blood washed away and new came in its place. She set the water aside then bent her knee. A sharp cry escaped. He pressed the fresh bandages into her hand, and with eyes tightly shut, she began to wrap. Around and around she wrapped until no new blood showed through.
Finally, she tied it off and collapsed back down on the bed. Eventually, a relieved smile blessed her pale, tense features. Streaks from tears ran down her cheeks. When had they fallen? Alax hadn’t seen her shed a one.
She looked like an exhausted angel, one who’d taken a long tumble. He picked up the basin and knife, setting them aside. He reached to get a spare scrap she’d not used.
Her soft hand stopped atop his. “Thank you.”
He froze, not daring to move. “For what?”
She slowly scooted down more until her head touched the pillow. “For helping me.”
He covered her hand with his other. “Lass, an errand boy could have done what I did. "
She carefully shook her head. “No, only you.”
He watched her eyes begin to close. Her breathing slowed. A worry suddenly shivered through him. He caressed her knuckles then laid that hand on her chest. “Lenna?” Her name rolled off his tongue like song.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Aye?”
Her silky voice was just above a whisper.
Alax cleared his throat. “No matter what you’re running from, you’re safe with me.”
That soft smile started then she gave a slight nod, her eyelids lowering again. Her mouth began moving and he leaned closer to hear her whispered words.
“…live to see the day, a Gunn could be so kind.”
He felt the corners of his mouth turn up. Cheeky lass, even bone weary and half asleep, she sassed.
His lips flattened and he sat back straight. Could that saucy tongue be why she’d been beaten? He knew women could be killed for less. The thought of how she’d gotten her bruises, the marks on her arm ran his blood cold.
He was drawn to wipe loose strands of hair from her face. “You’re safe here, Hellenna inghean William, but who are you hiding from?”
About the Author:
Dreams in Green is my first published novel. I’ve always loved the written word, stories and history. I live in Missouri with my soulmate, two overgrown puppies, two insane cats, and a small herd of guinea pigs. My writing has only just begun; the adventure of stories is my never ending addiction.
Title: Highland Promise
(Sisters by Choice #2)
Author: Mary McCall
Published: January 2012Publisher: Champagne Book GroupWord Count: 107,000Genre: Historical RomanceRecommended Age: 16+Synopsis:
Ordered by King Alexander to wed an Englishwoman, Laird Brendan Sutherland heads to England to find and wed the sister of his best friend’s wife to settle a debt. He intends to beget a few heirs and forget the lass. He has no use for love, and among his clanswomen, he is known as Stoneheart.After being falsely accused of the Sin of Eve when she was twelve, Lady Faith of Hawkhurst hides her beauty beneath a hideous disguise. Due to a despicable penance given by a zealot priest, she believes she must enter a convent and live a life of penance or suffer perpetual damnation.Learning her brother intends to ambush an approaching Highland party, Faith intercepts Brendan and his men and asks their aid in reaching the convent at Saint Bride. Brendan quickly sees through her disguise. Realizing she’s the woman he promised to wed, he agrees to take her with him when he goes home. After a court scandal, King Henry orders them to wed. Faith fears Brendan will never trust her when he learns of her deception. As they return to the Highlands with a killer on their trail, Brendan discovers he can’t remain aloof from the woman destined to restore his faith in love.
Excerpt from Highland Promise by Mary McCall:
Falsely accused of the Sin of Eve at age twelve, Lady Faith of Hawkhurst hides her beauty beneath a hideous disguise and seeks help from a Highlander passing through her brother’s land. Laird Brendan Sutherland realizes she’s disguised but wants a good look at her, realizing Faith is the woman he promised his best friend’s wife he would marry if he could find her. After a court scandal, King Henry orders them wed, and Faith fears Brendan will never trust her when he learns of her deception; but they have bigger problems with a killer following them home to the Highlands.
About the Author:
Best-selling Historical Romance author Mary McCall has been telling stories all her life. Now she writes humorous and adventurous historical romances set mainly in the medieval Highlands and England. She is a member of Romance Writers of America; Founding President of Hearts Through History Romance Writers; member of Celtic Hearts Romance Writers; member of The Golden Network; member of River City Romance Writer; member of Faith, Hope & Love, Inc.; and member of Savvy Authors and member of Fiction Christian Writers Association. She loves history, has a particular fondness for the Greek through Medieval periods, and is glad research for her books has finally utilized her ability to speak Latin. Weaving Celtic lore with Arthurian legend, Greco-Roman myths and fun characters makes her current project fun and exciting. She resides in Memphis, Tennessee with her Maltese, Regina Catriona, who runs the apartment.
Guest Post from Mary McCall
Wheat, Confetti and Rings, Oh My!
Writers often find bits of research that have absolutely no use for the book we are working on but may have use for in a later manuscript — or no use whatsoever. Some bits of information we just keep for fun. Cleaning out files the other day, I ran across one that is simply labeled bridal customs and I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of today's wedding customs and their actual origins in the history. They're in no particular order and the list is not conclusive. If you have any you'd like to throw out for discussion, please comment because I think this could be a great conversation for the blog.
From time immemorial mankind has had three major approaches to matrimony. First there was marriage by capture, then marriage by purchase, and now marriage through mutual love and respect. Changes in the marriage conventions have usually been to the bride’s advantage. Yet such sentiments surrounds the wedding that mothers still continue to hand down the age old traditions to their daughters. A well-established bridal custom may be modified, but it is rarely abandoned altogether.
One of our modern traditions probably goes right back to the earliest days of mankind. Here marriage was simply a matter of young couples selecting the cave of their own and moving in. This usually occurred in June when the couple had recovered from the rigors of one winter and still had ample time to store up food and furs before the next. And June is and is still the most popular month for weddings.
Later, for protection, men banded together in tribes. Wedding ceremonies came into being when the tribe called upon their gods to bless the bridal pair. And, too, rules of matrimony evolved. One almost universal rule: the man could not marry a woman of the same blood or stock. Since the tribes were small, this meant stealing a wife from another tribe. However, the girls were well aware they could not marry within their tribe and often strayed away from their kinsman, thus inviting capture.
Although bride-capture was the order of the day, the bride's family apparently never became reconciled to the situation. So the newlyweds went into hiding, the forerunner of the honeymoon. If the bride’s kinsmen identified the groom, tribal warfare could result. Later to avoid bloodshed, it became customary for the grooms family to offer compensation — and from this there was only a short step to bride-purchase.
Taking the long view of history — in all ages, among all races — it is likely that more marriages have been contracted by purchase of the bride than by any other means. The very word wedding comes from this practice — the Anglo-Saxon word for bride-price was wed — and so do some of our present-day customs. For instance, the father giving the bride away is a carryover from the days when the father actually gave the bride, as a chattel, to the groom.
With marriage by purchase firmly established, it became evident that the groom and his family were at a disadvantage. Thus the tradition of dowry came into being — and the modern miss still packs linens into a hope chest and later gathers her trousseau which means, literally, a little bundle of clothing.
In many societies where bride-purchase flourished, the groom was forbidden to see the bride between the day of the betrothal and the day of the wedding; for if the couple eloped, the bride-price was forfeited, although the dowry was not. Today the rule is much less rigorous: the groom may not see the bride before the ceremony on the day of the wedding.
Christianity, which recognized women as people rather than chattels and created the sacrament of marriage, dealt a death blow to marriage by purchase. Yet, for centuries, the fathers of daughters were understandably reluctant to forgo the bride price. So by the Middle Ages — in the days of knighthood and chivalry — marriage by capture was again commonplace. Now, though, the bride was usually a party to the conspiracy. As the knight prepared to carry off his truelove, he would choose a band of heavily armored friends to cover his retreat and, if necessary, delay the bride's pursuing kinsmen. The staunchest and most valiant friend of the groom was known either as the bride knight or the best man. And once more the honeymoon in hiding became a real necessity. (The word honeymoon itself, however, refers to an old Scandinavian custom of the bride and groom pledging their love with honey wine every day for a month after the wedding).
When the knight’s kidnapping of his bride passed from fashion, girls still pretended to resist the wedding ceremony. It was the modest and maidenly thing to do. And, to help her in her struggle at the church, the bride would ask a few close friends to accompany her — the forerunners of today's bridesmaids.
Certainly, in Egypt's earliest recorded history, unmarried woman wore no other ornaments than a bracelet on each wrist. Then the cumbersome bracelet gave way to a ring; and, since the circle represented eternity, the idea appealed to other people in the Middle East. The ancient Greeks, who adopted the practice from the Persians, were the first to place the ring on the fourth finger, left hand: for they believed a special vein led directly from this finger to the heart.
The engagement ring seems to have a twofold origin. From earliest times, betrothed couples have exchanged gifts, in the primitive belief that a part of oneself is presented within the gift. In ancient Greece couples plighted their troth with flowers – and carved their names on a tree. The Franks closed the bargain by breaking a coin and the broken coin became the token of constancy. In Anglo-Saxon England, betrothals were sealed by breaking a piece of gold or silver. Then, no doubt, it occurred to somebody that a ring had always been used as a pledge; for instance, when Pharaoh set Joseph over the land of Egypt, he gave him his ring. So, by the end of the Middle Ages, betrothal rings were being exchanged everywhere. And about this time the engagement diamond was popularized in Italy, for legend told how the sparkle of the diamond originated in the fires of love.
The bride traditionally wears white as a symbol of purity. Her veil is a carryover from the large yellow veil in which Greek and Roman brides completely enveloped themselves to show both modesty and submission to their husbands. The bride's wreath recalls the gilt coronet of the Hebrew bride. And orange blossoms, an age old symbol of happiness among the Saracens, were introduced into Europe by the Crusaders.
In ancient times, notably among the Hebrews, a bride carried a few stalks of wheat to express her hope for a fruitful and prosperous marriage. When, during the Middle Ages, the bride began carrying a bouquet of flowers, little girls (the original flower girls) would still carry garlands of wheat in the bridal procession.
Confetti has a similar connotation. For many centuries, the guest at a wedding threw wheat or oats or rice — or even flour! — over the bridal couple, and at ancient Hebrew weddings the guest would actually call out: "increase and multiply!" as they tossed their kernels of wheat.
There may have been a similar idea in the old English custom of each guest bringing a small spiced bun to the wedding. As the bride entered the reception hall, the buns were rained on her and those that touch tour were extra special — and unmarried person would tuck one under his/her pillow and dream of his future wife/husband. Of those buns that did not touch the bride, half were given to the poor and the other half piled on the table in front of the newlyweds. Then, during the reign of King Charles II, a French chef covered the pile of buns with almond paste and our modern wedding cake was born.
So we can see, though a bride today may be totally modern in her outlook and attitudes, many of the traditions surrounding her wedding are as old as mankind – and perhaps started in the cave.Share your fun wedding info… or fun research!
Take care and happy reading and writing!
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:Three lucky winners will each receive one eBook from Champagne Book Group, publisher’s choice.
Giveaway is International.
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