Aloha to St. Andrews Day ... with giveaway!

Glenfinnan  Monument

November 30 is St. Andrew's Day, the patron saint of Scotland. How about a few Scottish proverbs to celebrate this day?

A good tale never tires in the telling.

A misty morning may become a clear day.

Be slow in choosing a friend but slower in changing him.

Better bend than break.

Choose your wife with her nightcap on!

Danger and delight grow on one stalk.

Egotism is an alphabet of one letter.

Friends are lost by calling often and calling seldom.

From saving comes having.

Learn young, learn fair; learn old, learn more.

Never draw your dirk when a blow will do it.

To marry is to halve your rights and double your duties.

Twelve highlanders and a bagpipe make a rebellion.

I am giving away a box of Scottish historical romances:

Kathleen Harrington's THE MACLEAN GROOM

Stephanie Laurens' A MATCH FOR MARCUS CYNSTER

Margaret Mallory's KNIGHT OF DESIRE

Mia Marlowe's ONCE UPON A PLAID

Cathy Maxwell's THE DEVIL'S HEART

Paula Quinn's THE TAMING OF MALCOLM GRANT

plus a leather bookmark from Edinburgh Castle!

To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about Scotland - what do you love about it?

2. Comments are open through Sunday, December 4, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Monday, December 5.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Urquhart Castle

Aloha to Paula Quinn and THE TAMING OF MALCOLM GRANT

THE TAMING OF MALCOLM GRANT, Book Four in The MacGregors:  Highland Heirs series 

AN ALLURING LASS

Emmaline Grey spends her days with her beloved dog, dreaming of the sea-until a brawling Highlander shatters her quiet life to pieces. Though her blindness prevents her from seeing his face, his voice is a warm blend of velvet and silk, and his rakehell ways unmistakable. Risking the wrath of a rival clan as she nurses him back to health, Emma soon realizes the real danger is the magnetic pull she feels to this half-naked Scot recovering in her bed.

A RECKLESS ROGUE

With his rugged handsomeness and wicked charm, Malcolm Grant wants nothing more out of life than whisky, women, and the occasional war. The only lass he's ever trusted left him with more scars than a battlefield. Yet now at the mercy of this sweet stranger, Malcolm can barely resist the gentle hands that make him feverish with desire-until Emma, the one he will never have, is the only woman he wants.
Amazon
B&N
iTunes
Kobo

New York Times bestselling author Paula Quinn lives in New York with her three beautiful children, three over-protective chihuahuas, and a loud umbrella cockatoo. She loves to read romance and science fiction and has been writing since she was eleven. She loves all things medieval, but it is her love for Scotland that pulls at her heartstrings.

paulaquinn.com

twitter.com/Paula_Quinn
Facebook link

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Forever Romance offers an excerpt from THE TAMING OF MALCOLM GRANT ...

“You’re nothing like your reputation,” she told him.

He laughed softly and then groaned. “I know what ye’ve heard . . .” He paused, rethinking his defense, and then apparently thinking better of it. “I earned m’ reputation. Besides, I canna’ go back and change m’ past.”

She hadn’t asked him to. The idea of him going back and changing his past had never even crossed her mind. Had it crossed his? And why? Why would he care about what she thought of him? Malcolm Grant didn’t trouble himself with those things.

“Would you?” she asked him now that he brought it to her attention. “Would you go back?”

She waited on bated breath for his answer, letting only one thing distract her from his reply.

His kiss. His passionate mouth taking hers over and over. Oh, if he would only do it again she would welcome his tongue.

Or should she have slapped him?

“I dinna’ know if I would go back.”

His answer came but it offered her no comfort. She tried not to look disappointed.

“Mayhap who I was in the past,” he continued, “has shaped me into who I’m supposed to be.”

“You’re supposed to be a heartless rake?” she asked.

It angered her that he believed it and she didn’t bother to hide her fierce scowl.

“Something more than that, mayhap.”

The stillness of his voice shook her to her bones. He wasn’t smiling or being glib now.

The sudden touch of his fingertips on her face startled her. When he traced the pad of his thumb along the seam of her frown, she battled herself to keep from going soft all over him. What was he doing? Why had he said what he did? Why was he touching her so intimately—the way she would touch him to know how he looked?

“Ye’re a bonny lass, Emmaline Grey.”

Was this what it was like to be enchanted? She felt mesmerized, paralyzed, giddy with delight. This was Malcolm slaying her heart, being the charming rake he was rumored to be. He’d said Harry was correct about him, but she didn’t care. Not in this moment. Whatever spell he was weaving on her, she allowed it. Helpless to do anything else.

But she did do something else. She lifted her hands to his face.

The MacGregors: Highland Heirs

Aloha to Paula Quinn and THE SCANDALOUS SECRET OF ABIGAIL MACGREGOR

Just in time for the return of Outlander to Starz ... Paula Quinn delights with the THE SCANDALOUS SECRET OF ABIGAIL MACGREGOR!

A LADY'S MISSION . . .
Known for her beauty and boldness, Abigail MacGregor must preserve her clan's dangerous secret: that her mother is the true heir to the English Crown. If the wrong people find out, it will mean war for her beloved Scotland. To keep peace, she embarks for London, unprepared for the treachery that awaits-especially from her wickedly handsome escort. He is the enemy, but his slow, sensuous kisses entice her beyond reason . . . 

A WARRIOR'S TEMPTATION
General Daniel Marlow, loyal knight and the kingdom's most desirable hero, would rather be on the battlefield than transporting a spoiled Highland lass. But Abby MacGregor is unlike any woman he's ever met, in a ballroom or in his bedroom. Captivated by her daring spirit and seduced by her lovely innocence, Daniel must choose between betraying his queen or giving up the woman who would steal his country-and his traitorous heart.

Amazon
BAM
B&N
IndieBound
GooglePlay
iTunes
Kobo 

New York Times bestselling author Paula Quinn lives in New York with her three beautiful children, three over-protective chihuahuas, and a loud umbrella cockatoo. She loves to read romance and science fiction and has been writing since she was eleven. She loves all things medieval, but it is her love for Scotland that pulls at her heartstrings.

paulaquinn.com

Goodreads
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Paula offers an excerpt from THE SCANDALOUS SECRET OF ABIGAIL MACGREGOR:

“Aye, ye did say that,” she murmured. “Well, since we’re both awake, we might as well spend the night together again.”

The innocence in her voice struck him in the guts. She wanted nothing more from him than someone to be with outside in the night.

He, on the other hand, was not innocent at all. Her choice of words sent a little spark of heat to his groin. The way she turned on the pads of her feet and ended up pressed against his side and tucked neatly under his shoulder tilted him on his axis a little.

“I’m cold,” she whispered, her teeth chattering.

He put up no fight when she lifted his arm around her shoulder, then covered them both with her plaid. The desire to protect her overwhelmed him and sent tremors through his muscles. He knew little of her. Was she an innocent daughter of a Jacobite chief, or part of some secret scheme Anne was devising.

Hell. Anne didn’t devise schemes.

“I wasn’t certain if you were ever going to speak to me again,” he said, when what he should have said was, You should go sleep somewhere, lady, and not on me.

“I was verra’ angry with ye. But I’ve forgiven ye.” He heard the smile in her voice and made a mental note of how well it pleased him that she was no longer angry. He would decide what to do about his unwanted concerns for her tomorrow. Right now, he only wanted to sit with her just like this, with her beneath his arm and pressed snuggly into his side. Warmth swept over him like fine wine until he felt drunk on it.

How was it that she fit so neatly into him, now and earlier when she slept in his lap, like she belonged there, close to him?

Close to his heart.

Hell, it scared him, and after fighting for over a decade, not much scared him anymore.

“D’ye have a wife, General Marlow?” Came her sweet voice against his chest.

“No, lady.”

“Are ye betrothed?”

“I am not.”

“Is there a lass somewhere who has yer heart?”

“No.”

“Well,” she laughed softly, “are all the ladies in England fools?”

“They’re the opposite,” he told her. “They’re wise to set their interests in another direction.”

She shook her head then tilted her face up to his. In the filtered light of the moon, he could make her out enough to fall victim to the alluring curves of her mouth, her soft, sweet breath against his chin. “Nae, they are fools not to try to win yer affections.”

He knew every reason there was to stop what he was thinking, what he was feeling, and what he was about to do. But reason was a puny opponent compared to desire.

Slipping one hand behind her nape and the other to her throat, he tilted her chin another half-inch then covered her mouth with his. The instant after he did it, he regretted it, but then she coiled her arms around his neck and drew him closer, and he couldn’t stop. He never wanted to. She didn’t resist him, in fact, she melted in his arms. She groaned softly when he drew his tongue across the seam of her mouth. She bit his lip and ignited his blood to liquid fire. He swept his tongue in and out of her, holding her close to him while they kissed, wanting nothing more from her than what she gave him now. Making love to her could be dangerous if Charlotte found out. He’d have to make sure she didn’t find out, at least until he had proof of other crimes and could arrest her. If she hurt Abigail before that he’d hang her himself.

He wondered, as he held her in his arms and kissed her long into the night, how he could be so content with one he was supposed to hate.

Glenfinnan Memorial to Bonnie Prince Charlie

Aloha to THE GREAT SCOT BLOG TOUR with Paula Quinn and Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Six hundred and ninety four years ago, on April 6, 1320, Scottish Lords gathered at Arbroath Abbey to sign a declaration of independence: 

...for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

Let's kick off the celebration of Scottish Independence with Forever's THE GREAT SCOUT BLOG TOUR with Paula Quinn and Sue-Ellen Welfonder.    Both are celebrating new releases set in Alba.   Sue-Ellen joins us for a cozy chat about that which symbolizes Scottish independence - castles!

Kim, thank you so much for being a tour host. It’s always a pleasure to be here. I’d like to add a caveat about Scottish castles. There are so many and I love them all! Choosing just five is so difficult. Also, my personal taste runs to wild places and ruins rather than the mega-popular ‘tourist attraction’ castles. But for the sake of today’s appearance and assuming some readers have yet to visit Scotland, I am naming the better-known, must-see castles that I believe every first-time visitor to Scotland should explore 

1) Eilean Donan Castle near Skye. Scotland’s most photographed castle is every bit as romantic as its many pictures indicate. This one should top everyone’s must-visit list. Eilean Donan inspired my popular MacKenzie series which began with DEVIL IN A KILT. That book’s hero, Duncan MacKenzie ‘appeared’ to me there and told me his tale, the entire story coming to me in one great rush. The castle is called Eilean Creag in my MacKenzie series, but anyone visiting the castle will easily recognize the setting. 

2) Edinburgh Castle. The granddaddy of Scottish castles. No trip to Scotland is complete unless you’ve been there. It’s crowded and busy, but the grandeur and history is worth the crush. 

3) Stirling Castle. Another proud edifice that simply must been seen. Like Edinburgh Castle, it’s crammed with tourists and always will be. But for good reason. If you love Scottish history, you can’t miss spending a day here. Stirling is also the setting of TO LOVE A HIGHLANDER. As an aside, if you go, keep an eye out for the pink lady ghost mentioned in TO LOVE A HIGHLANDER. She really exists! 

4) Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. A beautiful and atmospheric ruin, Urquhart is also overrun by tourists, but so special that it should be on every visitor’s itinerary. It is also easily accessible and on one of Scotland’s most scenic tourist routes. Bonus: you might catch a glimpse of Nessie! 

Kim's picture of Urquhart Castle

5) Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven. Another ruin, this time on Scotland’s east coast. Truly magnificent, this ruin is so steeped in dramatic historical events that the very air crackles here. Dunnottar is also not quite as crowded and busy as Urquhart, so it’s a sure-pleaser for those preferring less tourist-jammed sites. If you’re lucky, you might even find less than a handful of other castle explorers when you go. Dunnottar is also very haunted, so watch and listen carefully as you move about its crumbling, cliff-top walls. As a bonus, if you love Sir M from my MacKenzie series, Dunnottar was the setting of his book, BRIDE OF THE BEAST. (I called the castle Dunlaidir in the story) 

Kim's picture of Dunnottar Castle

Thanks again, Kim! And thanks to all readers looking in today. Enjoy Scotland’s many castles (and ruins) if/when you go. My tip is to first see the biggies (those named above are just a few) and then rent a car and take off for the wild places. It is there that Scotland’s past can best be felt.

Kim's picture of Glen Coe

Mahalo, Sue-Ellen, for sharing the top Five Must See Castles in Scotland.  I agree with you ... crumbling ruins inspire my imagination).   

THE SEDUCTION OF MISS AMELIA BELL

Edmund MacGregor will do anything to save Scotland from English rule-even kidnap Lady Amelia Bell for ransom. As the daughter of a duke and the chancellor's betrothed, she's the perfect pawn in this game. But from the moment he first lays eyes on his spirited captive, he can't resist stealing a kiss.

Lady Amelia's duty is to marry well, but that hasn't stopped her from fantasizing about true love. So when a sexy Scot appears in her home, she's beguiled. When he kidnaps her, she's furious. Yet as Edmund introduces her to a world of passion beyond her wildest dreams, can she leave her family behind for this handsome Highlander? And will Edmund risk the only true home he's ever known to capture the heart of this lovely lass?

Amazon
B&N
iTunes
Goodreads

About Paula Quinn

New York Times bestselling author Paula Quinn lives in New York with her three beautiful children, three over-protective chihuahuas, and a loud umbrella cockatoo. She loves to read romance and science fiction and has been writing since she was eleven. She loves all things medieval, but it is her love for Scotland that pulls at her heartstrings.

Website
Twitter
Facebook

TO LOVE A HIGHLANDER

As one of the bastards born to the Stirling court, Sorley the Hawk has never known his mother or father. It's a burning quest he has devoted himself to uncovering at any cost. But as a roguish warrior who serves at the pleasure of the King, his prowess-both on the battlefield and in his bedchamber-is legendary. So when a flame-haired Highland lass sneaks into his quarters with a tantalizing proposition, he can't resist taking her up on her offer .

Lady Mirabelle MacLaren will do anything to keep from marrying her odious suitor, even sully her own good name. And who better to despoil her than his sworn enemy, the one they call "Hawk?" As they set about the enjoyable task of ruining her reputation, Hawk and Mirabelle soon learn that rebellion never tasted so sweet.

Amazon
B&N
iTunes
Goodreads

About Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Sue-Ellen Welfonder is a Scotophile whose burning wish to make frequent trips to the land of her dreams led her to a twenty-year career with the airlines.

Now a full-time writer, she's quick to admit that she much prefers wielding a pen to pushing tea and coffee. She makes annual visits to Scotland, insisting they are a necessity, as each trip gives her inspiration for new books.

Proud of her own Hebridean ancestry, she belongs to two clan societies: the MacFie Clan Society and the Clan MacAlpine Society. In addition to Scotland, her greatest passions are medieval history, the paranormal, and dogs. She never watches television, loves haggis, and writes at a 450-year-old desk that once stood in a Bavarian castle.

Sue-Ellen is married and currently resides with her husband and Jack Russell terrier in Florida.

Website
Twitter
Facebook

Forever is sponsoring a special giveaway ...

a Rafflecopter giveaway