Fleeing the English army that murdered her family before her eyes, Anna Braxton rescues two young women, kidnapped by a barbaric Highland clan only to find herself unjustly imprisoned by the clan she aided. Disgusted by her treatment, she counters their belated offer of friendship with anger and distrust. But she does not count on the unexpected effect the laird’s son has on her heart. Duncan MacGregor does not understand his da’s command to imprison the young woman who saved his sister’s life. He is more than intrigued with Anna’s skill with a bow and sword—in fact, he is fascinated by everything about her, in spite of her lack of feminine wiles. Straightforward and with a deep-seated sense of honor, Anna Braxton disrupts his entire notion of a suitable woman. Trained as a warrior and unwilling to be any man’s chattel, Anna shuns the idea of marriage—until Duncan coaxes her into a world of acceptance and passion she never knew existed. He wants her as his wife. She will agree, but only on her own terms—conditions Duncan is not sure he can accept.

\\alternate cover edition\\ Calder MacGerry, laird of an impoverished clan, has resolved to end the bitter feud between the MacGerrys and Sinclairs. He jumps at Laird Sinclair's offer of marriage to his only daughter, Katja, to seal the agreement between their clans—only to get more than he bargained for. Katja's chance to escape her father's harsh treatment appears to be too good to be true. But becoming Lady of a clan that despises her because she's a Sinclair, doesn't make her life any easier. When the attacks turn deadly, she fights her way out, making a dangerous passage to the Shetland Isles for refuge with her Viking family. Calder and Katja's marriage, built on mistrust, rushes quickly into disaster. As Calder seeks to repair the damage, Katja discovers not another enemy, but a husband who pledges a new beginning. Do you enjoy a colorful bit of history with your romance? Northern Scotland was under heavy Viking influence for hundreds of years, and the people of the Shetland Islands retain their Norse heritage to this day. With her wolfhound at her side, Katja will travel from Scotland to the Shetland Islands to escape a failing marriage, distrust, and three attempts on her life, leaving behind her husband and his spurned mistress, and a clan that does not want her. Encountering miscreants and pick-pockets along the way, this hardy heroine is determined to live life her way. What will she do when she is offered a second chance at love?

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 choses 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. Though 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. Do you enjoy a colorful bit of history with your romance? Many second and third sons—Scots and English alike—took to the Crusades for a chance at glory and riches. Donal MacLean of our story followed Richard Lionheart to the Holy Land where he won the notice of Bohemond IV of Antioch, Count of Tripoli. He joined the prince’s service and was soon made Baron of Batroun, residing at Mseilha Castle where he guarded St. William’s Pass on the road from Tripoli to Beiruit. Donal, now Baron of Batroun, married an Armenian princess and settled down to live his life in the Holy Land. Recalled some thirty years after he first left Scotland, his daughter Arbela, with her exotic eyes, dusky skin, and voluptuous body—heritage of her Armenian mother—will turn heads and engender gossip in Scotland where praises are sung to pale-skinned, bright-haired lasses, and her colorful clothing will raise more than a few eyebrows.

2019 RONE award nomineeCaught between two kings vying for sovereignty of the Isles and Western Scotland, Hanna of H�llstein has lost everything-and vows to repay the Scots for the deaths of her husband and children. Fleeing the smoldering ruins of her village, Hanna crosses the Strait of Mull and chooses the Laird of Clan MacLean as the object of her revenge.Alex MacLean has buried a wife and three children. Ignoring the clamors for him to wed again and produce an heir, he finds himself drawn to a Norse refugee who defies him and tests the limits of his patience-and his power as Laird.Torn between revenge and honor, Hanna fears setting aside her vow of vengeance means she has lost her reason for living. Alex is determined to save her, even if it means defying the king.Do you like a bit of history with your romance? In the 13th century, the king of Scotland had little control in the Western Highlands and in the isles to the north and west. A rich culture of Gaelic and Norn existed here, and power lay in the hands of the chiefs. Much of Western Scotland and the Isles gave their allegiance to the king of Norway.In 1249, King Alexander II prepared to invade the Hebrides and Western Scotland. After 5 years of failed negotiations with Norway to purchase these areas, King Alexander broke his association with King Haakon and set out to take the Isles and Western territories by force.In the years to come, two kings would perish during this battle for sovereignty-along with many people given the choice to change their alliance to the Scottish king . . .Or die.

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 want 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?Phillipe of Antioch, briefly king of Cilicia, would be remembered by the world as an arrogant, presumptuous man, poisoned two years after his marriage to the queen of Cilicia, accused of crimes against his adopted country. This re-imagined telling of Phillipe's life, one of court intrigue, distrust, and the lust for power, shines a different light (and ending) on the tale.

He gave up his crown to escape wrongful execution. She found freedom from an abusive marriage. With pain in their past, can they claim a bright future together?The Holy Land, 1224. Ousted Armenian king Phillipe de Poitiers has been accused of breaking his moral code of honor. Surviving a savage coup, he turns mercenary, selling his sword as he chases fond memories of his foster family to Scotland. But the former prince of Antioch finds a chance of redemption when he meets a beautiful woman who he suspects shares an equally painful history.Maggie MacLaren refuses to be betrayed again. After she‘s discarded by her husband when she doesn’t produce a child, she seizes control of her life. But when she travels to her only remaining home off the bleak western Scottish coast, she’s struck by her handsome guard’s chivalry.Drawn to the rejected woman’s strength and spirit, Phillipe protects her as fiercely as he once did his subjects. But Maggie’s discovery that her remote isle hides a huge pile of pirate treasure could cut apart their growing love with one thrust of a thieving dagger.Can two wounded souls leave their troubles behind and fill their hearts with riches?In this re-imagined tale of Phillipe of Antioch and his Scottish bride, you’ll discover a Scottish Isle paradise, how to brew apple mead, a fabulous treasure, pirates, and a love story you won’t want to put down.The Prince's Highland Bride is the absorbing sixth standalone book in the Hardy Heroines historical romance series. If you like royal stakes, stories inspired by true events, and rugged settings, then you’ll love Cathy & DD MacRae’s heartwarming tale.