Today's Feature- SURRENDER by Sophia Johnson #Highlanders

~Book 4 of the Raptor Castle Series~

In the Taming of the Shrew, Katharine met her match in Petruchio. She was fortunate not to be in Elyne of Raptor's shoes. When Elyne goes head to head with Graemme, he checkmates her
every move!

Elyne of Raptor Castle in Scotland is a reckless young woman who seeks to protect herself when her father nearly kills one of her twin brothers then sends him to Kelso Abbey to die. If he thinks so little of a son, he thinks less of a daughter whose only use is to makes a profitable marriage alliance. Afeared he will marry her off to an old man she believes her only hope is to make her father believe she is as strong and tough as her brothers.

Graemme of Clibrick Castle in the Highlands arrives at Raptor late one night. Graemme
is determined to intercept his brother, Magnus the Ruthless, the most feared man in the Highlands.
He pursues a woman he once loved, Elyne's beloved friend Muriele. He will take her back to the Highlands and to face a dreadful punishment. Graemme must prevent him from making a terrible
mistake, for he has learned Muriele is innocent.

 

All Graemme wanted to do was find Magnus and keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life!

Instead, in the middle of the night, when Chief Broccin of Raptor finds his daughter Elyne in the bailey atop a splendidly naked and wet Graemme of Clibrick, he declares they will wed. If they do not, Graemme will forfeit part of his secret treasures!

Read an EXCERPT

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RUTHLESS by Sophia Johnson #historicalromance

The Morgan and Gunn Clans have feuded for as longer as anyone can remember- UNTIL they strike a bargain. Magnus of Clibrick and Feradoch of Kinbrace will foster with each others family.

They swear a blood oath to uphold the peace. Once grown, swear if either man should be felled by treachery, the other shall seek vengeance for the deed.

After Magnus besieges Muriel of Blackbriar castle, she escapes only to be captured a year later.

When a tormented Magnus must honor his oath, the Gunns insist he find and hang the woman he loves, Muriele of Blackbriar.




DEFIANCE

Slowly, Muriele rose to her feet. Magnus did not move. Just stared at her. His eyes narrowed to cold slits. Promising something. What? The room became deadly quiet. No one moved. The dancer stood still, her eyes studying them.

Muriele took a step, then two. She didn't dare look behind her. When she reached the doorway, the sound of his footsteps matched her own.

When she started up the stairwell, she grabbed her skirts above her knees and ran up the stone steps like all the wolves in the forest nipped at her heels. When she turned a corner, she hesitated. Listened.

Had Sir Magnus returned to the great hall? Nay!

He slowly climbed.

Each booted step rang an ominous warning.


REPRISAL

Muriele burst out onto the landing. She rushed past the torch flickering in its wall bracket, her eye on the doorway, her hand outstretched far ahead of time.

She chanced a quick glance behind her. Oh, Saints! She wished she had not.

He stepped out of the gloom into the light as he stalked her, his steps measured, his lips set in a grim line. His large hands clenched and relaxed as if they longed to wrap themselves around her neck.

The length and tempo of his stride quickened, eating up the distance between them. Her heart thudded. She reached the door. Frantic knowing he was so close, she fumbled with the latch. With all her might, she shoved the door until it was open enough for her to squeeze through. Turning, she pushed with both hands, her feet anchored to the floor. It near closed. With a sharp, loud noise, his boot slammed against the outside edge. She was but a finger's width away from latching it.

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About the Author-

Sophia is an award-winning author for her Blackthorn Trilogy. Her exciting tales won first place in the Laurel Wreath and second place in the More Than Magic and Beacon Awards. They were also finalists in the Golden Quill, the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Holt Medallion and the Maggie Awards.

Though the trilogy has been out for several years, she regularly receives new fan letters each month from women who can't wait to read truly historical romance books. Her heroes are as strong as gladiators and her heroines are more than a match in cleverness and skills for the men who dare to love them.

You'll find The Blackthorn Trilogy on the Books Page. Always Mine begins the trilogy, followed by Midnight's Bride and ends with Risk Everything. Kensington Zebra e-Published the tales for those who want both book editions and e-Reader format.

The author has finished an exciting four volumes called The Raptor Castle Series. The first three, Forbidden, Seduced and Ruthless are available now and can be read on an Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, iPad, Pandigital, Sony, Nintendo and every other major e-Reader out there.

An e-Reader stocked with a shelf of intriguing new books makes an exciting present for your favorite reader, even if it's to yourself! Every time Sophia gets on a book site, she puts another two or three on her Kindle Fire bookshelves. She has quite a library, but doesn't get much time to read. Perhaps if they outlawed email she'd get to enjoy some down time!

 

Want to be SEDUCED?

Letia de Burgh is as beautiful as she is capable. Famed for her warrior skills, she can command Seton Castle’s defenses as skillfully as any man can.

When Maud and Stephen’s battles throw England into anarchy, she must protect her home and people. She sacrifices all when her husband devises a plan to save Seton Castle from ruin when he dies.

‘Twas a simple plan with few steps to follow: Capture her enemy, seduce him, bear his child and save her people. Falling in love was not in the plan.

Raik of Raptor Castle must never know who had seduced him.

EXCERPT

Seton Castle, Northumbria, August 1144

The agony of Hell's fires could torture me no more than what I now suffer. My dear husband asks that I do an unthinkable, sinful thing...

Letia de Burgh forced her thoughts to a dark corner of her mind. She must deal with more pressing worries now.

An army swarmed outside the walls of Seton Castle.

The faint light heralding the sun's rise revealed their leader, who kept well beyond the range of Seton's archers. Julian of Chatton was there as he had been every morning for a sennight. The gold and purple trappings on the massive destrier were so impressive it made the rider appear thin and insignificant.

"Why won't this Hell hound leave us at peace?"

Letia scowled and pounded her fist against her thigh. From the great height of the barbican guarding the castle's entrance, she signaled her archers to release a volley over the merlons. As Julian's warriors raised their shields, the high-flying arrows sang as if swarms of giant bees rained down on them. Amidst the heavy thumps of arrows striking shields, the cries of warriors split the air as arrowheads found soft flesh. She nodded, satisfied with her archers' aims.

"De Burgh! Raise the portcullis," Julian's gravelly voice bellowed. "I will enter. Seton belongs to me."

Before anyone could detect it was a woman who commanded such deadly arrows into their ranks, Warin's most trusted advisor Leofwan grasped Letia's shoulder to urge her back out of sight. "His greed knows no bounds. He hopes the strain of constant sieges will speed Baron de Burgh from this world," he muttered in disgust.

"My husband may be into his fiftieth year, but he still has the body of a strong warrior."

"Aye, Lady. But does he have the sound heart of one?" His face filled with sadness.

She ignored the question.

He knew the answer.

"This, this witless ass has no right to Seton!" She spluttered and thrust a finger toward the man below.

"Before his death, King Henry denied he was a royal bastard." She stopped pacing and snorted,

"Henry should know. He was quick enough to claim his true bastards. All twenty-four of them."

He grunted. "Aye. ' Tis what angered Julian the most."

Letia picked up her bow, drew an arrow from her quiver and stood behind a merlon. Peering out the embrasure to her left, she waited for a perfect shot. Impatient, her left hand flexed on her bow's grip, her right tapped the arrow against her leg.

Attired as a young warrior, she normally had no need to hide. But Julian's instincts were much like a lean wolf long deprived of a mate. Whenever she showed herself, his eyes narrowed and his nose twitched as if he sniffed the air.

"How I would love to send an arrow into his black heart!"

"Ah, Beloved. You are a fierce warrior on my behalf."

Hearing her husband's deep voice, Letia propped her bow and arrow against the stone merlon. As she turned, she tried to mask her fear for him with a cheerful expression.

Warin de Burgh leaned heavily on his squire's arm as he stepped through the upper doorway of the barbican tower. Straightening, he squared his shoulders. Despite his pale face, he looked as sturdy and vital as the massive oak tree on the knoll behind the army.

"My lord, surely you have not rested long enough." As she caressed his handsome cheek, liking the rough feel of his unshaven jaw, she noted the flash of pain in his blue eyes that he tried to hide with a wink.

"Long enough," he said with a reassuring smile. "Now, that nithing Julian must see me else he will grow overbold."

He turned to his squire waiting at his elbow, his master's helmet cradled in the crook of his arm. Taking it, Warin settled it over his long, dark-brown hair.

"The helmet will make me more readily visible. ' Tis a shame I have never favored a beard." He arched a dark brow at Letia. "Do you think it would have made my appearance more threatening?"

"You are fearful enough, my lord. The fool's knees would collapse if he had to meet you in open combat."

Letia smiled and studied her husband. Thankfully, the helmet hid the silver streaks that had grown wider at his temples this past fortnight. His blue eyes were sharp and alert, his nose straight - all but for that slight mark halfway down its length. His lips were firm and unyielding. Not like when he was alone with her. Then they were soft and tilted a bit at the corners.

Warin flashed a grin and nodded. "Let us send this whelp on his way."

At spaced intervals along the wall, slingers stood behind the archers at the same merlons. Beside them, piles of stones stood close to baskets of arrows. At Warin's signal, the archers released their arrows. While they speeded their way to their targets, the slingers sidestepped to the low embrasure to fire their slings. Using an underhand release, they fired their stones into the mass of warriors.

As the sun raced across the sky, Warin's face grew drawn and pinched, his movements slowed. Even so, he remained quick to take the measure of the enemy and direct his men to squelch any attempts to break into the castle.

Letia thanked the good Lord that Julian's men were inept at handling siege engines. For that matter, they were no more experienced at scaling ladders. Able warriors were scarce and Julian was far too stingy with his coins to hire experienced knights.

Her left arm and shoulder quivered with the strain of firing so many arrows. Though Julian ventured closer, she thought to resort to her sling instead. He thrust his fur-trimmed, green cloak back over his shoulders and removed his helmet as he waited in the midst of his favored men. A stiff breeze blew long, black hair from his face and snapped the cloak behind him.

Letia pictured the expression on his thin face. It would not be pleasant, for he had been surprised at Seton's skillful resistance. His brown eyes would be squinted in anger, his nostrils pinched and his lips pressed together.

She grinned, anticipating the special greeting she would lob toward that hated presence below. She signaled the two slingers to her left and to her right to load their sling with their special missile.

"It is time the sweet-smelling peacock prancing below has a bath!"

She swung her empty sling back and forth, accustoming the muscles of her right arm to their new position. She nodded to the lad waiting beside her. The squire had more mischief in one lone fingertip than most boys had in their whole body. It was he who suggested a fitting tribute for their enemy.

The clever squire positioned a missile in her sling's leather cradle, then stepped away giving her ample room. She nodded to the two grinning men on either side of her, rocking their own readied slings. She swung her own in short arcs then stepped up to the embrasure.

"A present, lout! Wear it in good health," she hollered.

With one quick swing of her arm backward, she slammed it forward. Her finger and thumb holding the knot of the release cord opened at the right moment, and her gift to Julian flew through the air.
She ducked behind the merlon, thwarting an arrow flying past her. After releasing their slings, the two men beside her also jumped back to safety. Letia peeked around the merlon and noted horses near bumping into each other and men shouting curses while they swiped their hands over their faces, their clothing.

She grinned. Never had she seen such a lovely sight. Only God could have guided their aims.

The curling hair Julian was so proud of, no longer floated in the breeze.

It dripped. Plastered to his head.

The young men in the barracks had happily contributed toward the squire's special weapon-three sheep bladders filled with piss and sewn closed.

Julian shook his sword at the barbican and took a deep breath to yell in a hoarse, precise voice, "When I find the lout who thought of this, I will lock him in a cage to swing from a hook on my barbican wall. He will be left to the elements and raptors till there is naught but gleaming bones!"

Truly, she could hardly blame him. He screeched again and all but foamed at the mouth, so agitated he could barely keep to his saddle.

His mount shied then bolted. The great stead galloped through the warriors, scattering them. It headed straight for the gap between his army and the castle walls bristling with warriors.

Letia watched in amazement as the horse reared, twisted its massive body and raced back over the uneven ground normally covered by the drawbridge. Seton's archers laughed so hard their aim was not as it should be. Fortunately, for the castle, unhappily for Julian, his body bristled with arrows enough to take him from the field.

She looked over her shoulder to grin at Warin. Instead, she caught her breath. Her wide smile fled as she clamped her lower lip between her teeth. Leofwan and the squire supported Warin as his knees buckled.




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Ring in the NEW YEAR with these AMAZING E-books!

Happy New Year Chicks Fans!!

We are ringing in  the New Year, by opening up the blog to any of our writer friends who would like to post a tag line/blurb/ and buy link to their story!!!! Please leave this information in the comments section. 

For an Author to play, you must have your own blog, with the same POST title so each author can hop over and post their books information on your site. 

'You scratch my back - I'll scratch yours'!

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Ok, we will start off with a RECOMMENDED READ from one of my FAVORITE AUTHORS, Sophia Johnson. Use my post  as an example.

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SEDUCED By Sophia Johnson
Book 2 of the RAPTOR CASTLE SERIES

Letia of Seton Castle is as beautiful as she is capable. Famed for her skill at training archers and slingers, she is used to commanding the castles defenses when needful. Married to elderly Baron de Burgh, she has never birthed an heir.

She must protect her castle and people when Maud and Stephen's battles throw England into anarchy. She sacrifices all when her husband devises a plan to save Seton Castle from ruin when he dies.

Twas a simple plan with very few steps to follow but nigh impossible to complete.

Raik of Raptor Castle has scorned the capable Letia for years, saying she is more an accomplished squire, a woman who needs no man. She doesn't know which man she fears most: Late King Henry's unclaimed illegitimate son or Raik of Raptor Castle. Raik must never know who seduced him for his pride would never allow him to forgive her.

Raik of Raptor Castle must never know who had seduced him.

SEDUCED can be purchased for $2.99 - Amazon Kindle

Authors/Don't forget to leave the link to your blog in the COMMENTS section with your book information!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

RECOMMENDED READ - Forbidden~ Book 1 of the Raptor Castle Series

Let your imagination soar with sensual tales of love through the ages!


HIS GREATEST FEAR

Brother Ranald of Raptor Castle is a scarred monk in Scotland’s Kelso Abbey. When angered, he causes objects to fly about, turns still waters stormy and causes candles to light with but a look. In the peace of the abbey, he controls his rage and fights his forbidden desires. But what would he become if forced to return to the secular world?

His identical twin dies the day before he is to wed Catalin of Hunter Castle. Refusing to lose the bride’s fortune, the Chief of Raptor Castle arrives at the Abbey with an army and a special dispensation from the Pope. He demands that Ranald will marry Catalin. If he refuses, the Chief will destroy the Abbey and all within.


HER TERRIBLE SIN


Catalin is a stong-willed, passionate lass. The eve before she must wed the long-lost Ranald, she approaches a monk hidden beneath his cowl and cloaked in the darkness of a stormy night. When she seeks to confess her sins, he gently stops her.

The next day as she approaches the altar, she sees Ranald’s tonsure. Catalin is terrified of what this monk, forced to become as other men, will do when he learns of her terrible sin.

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Book Review-"Midnights Bride" by Sophia Johnson

For peek at my review of Sophia Johnson's "Midnight's Bride,"
go to www.highlandlassiesreviews.blogspot.com