Above painting: Louis Jean Francois - Mars and Venus an Allegory of Peace

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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Watch Out for Those Scots!


Watch Out for Those Scots!


Throughout history, the Scots were thought of by the English as barbarians, and the Scots didn’t think too highly of the English either. I love using this conflict in my books, and in THE HIGHLANDER’S REWARD, I decided to make it a running joke for the reader. Our heroine, Arbella de Mowbray, has grown up hearing awful things about the Scots, especially Highlanders, from her maid Glenda.

By the end, she’s learned that these rumors were not true, but they sure were a lot of fun for us! And they drove Magnus to his wit’s end.

Want to hear some?

·       The men ate their young.
·       The warriors kept the bones of their victims tied to their beards.
·       The horses were trained to sniff out an English lady and trample her to death.
·       The women were witches.
·       The children ran naked, even in the dead of winter.
·       No person of truly English blood could survive one.
·       And so many more :-)

Imagine her terror when a fearsome Highlander whisks her from her horse? Never fear, Magnus is one hot, hunky hero and the only thing she needs to watch out for is the sultry pull of his kiss. Then again, why watch out? Why not just enjoy?

I hope you enjoy the fun of playing these characters off of each other like I did. I’ll leave you with a fun sneak peak.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

She belonged to another… But was destined to be his…

Lady Arbella de Mowbray abhors the idea of marrying an English noble occupying Scotland. When she arrives in Stirling, she is thrown into the midst of a full battle between the Scots and the English. Besieged by rebels, she is whisked from her horse by a Highland warrior who promises her safety. But when he kisses her she fears she's more in danger of losing herself.

The last thing Magnus Sutherland wants is to marry the beautiful English lass he saved. As the laird of his clan, he has a responsibility to his clan and allies. But when Arbella is attacked by one of his own men, he determines the only way to keep her safe is to make her his. A decision that promises to be extremely satisfying.

Magnus brings Arbella to his home of Dunrobin Castle in the Highlands. And that’s where the trouble begins… Their countries are at war and they should be each other’s enemy. Neither one considered their mock marriage would grow into a deeply passionate love. What’s more, they were both unhappily betrothed and those who've been scorned are out for revenge. Can their new found love keep them together or will their enemies tear them apart?

AN EXCERPT – Arbella starts off this conversation… Taken from the middle of chapter eight…

“Do you have many attacks at Dunrobin?”
“Attacks?”
“Aye. Glenda said that the Scots fight nonstop.”
Magnus growled low in his throat. If he ever got his hands on this Glenda…
“I willna say we are never attacked, but ’tis rare. Our last attack was over five years ago.”
He heard her loud intake of breath, and rolled his eyes. “Dinna be so shocked. We are not all the heathens the English make us out to be.”
“I never said that.”
“Ye dinna need too. Your gasps and expressions and mutterings of the foolish Glenda are enough.”
“Glenda is right about a lot of things.”
“I challenge ye to name one.” He couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say.
“Well, she was right about Highland warriors.”
“And what did she say about us?”
“That they were gigantic. That if I ever encountered one, he would frighten the breath from my body. Perhaps I might even die upon seeing one.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eliza Knight is the multi-published 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, and enjoys cold winter nights when she can curl up in front of a roaring fire with her own knight in shining armor. Visit Eliza at www.elizaknight.com or her historical blog History Undressed: www.historyundressed.com Twitter:@ElizaKnight and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizaknightauthor

*This post was first published at MuseTracks

2 comments:

LilMissMolly said...

What an awesome cover! I totally loved the false rumors. I had a few chuckles while watching the Olympics!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the MuseTracks shout-out. And just FYI - you've been nominated for the illuminating blogger award. Probably not your first time, as awesome as this blog is.

Jenn!