"Made for Each Other" by Gabriella Mahoney (Historical Romance)

Genre:  Historical Romance

Summary: Book 5 of the Heart of the Highlands Series. 

Spring has finally arrived and the enormous task of repairing Castle Carinben has been set squarely on Malcom Grant's shoulders. Being only an apprentice when his teacher died, it is a task he feels woefully under-qualified for. He needs help and the last place he expected to find it was from a beautiful woman hailing from the rival Campbell clan...

This short novelette is approximately 12,400 words.

Excerpt:

“Malcom, wait!” Kailey shouted after his retreating form.

He paused mid-stride at the sound of her voice. He said nothing, waiting for her to speak her peace. Kailey could tell that he was furious. It was no surprise; her father often had that effect on people. Wallace Birse may be a good father to her but he also had a well-earned reputation for being an overbearing tyrant.

“My father… he means well,” she started lamely. “He gets like that when he thinks I might be in danger.”

“Well tell him to direct his anger at someone else. Because all I see is a foolish old man.”

“He’s not a fool! At least, not when it comes to his work. My father was a stonemason and architect back in his prime. To this day his designs are unparalleled. He’s brilliant when it comes to some things. In fact, the only reason why we’re even able to eat is because of the special rabbit traps that he makes.”

“Lass, I’m sure your father is a good man,” he said with a sigh. “But I simply don’t have the time to try and convince him that he and I are on the same side. I have too much to do before I lose half of my workers to the farms for spring planting.”

“Nay… you misunderstand… I’m not trying to make you like him. I’m trying to offer to help.”

This made him raise and incredulous eyebrow. “You, lass?”

“Aye. My father isn’t the only one with ideas. I’ve grown up around him and the other craftsmen he worked with. He used to show me things here and there, thinking it nothing more than a daughter’s adoration. My father is good to me but he has always been set in his ways. He’s loyal to his clan and in his mind a man’s sphere should not cross over into a woman’s. A woman’s place is caring for bairn.”

“So why haven’t you married then?”

“Easier said than done with an ailing father, a war and living in hiding. Besides—“

“Besides what, lass?”

Kailey considered her next words. She wanted this man to understand her but she also didn’t want to appear as if she was throwing herself at his feet. This conversation had played out much more smoothly in her mind when she ran out of the cottage to stop him. “I…I haven’t…that is…I haven’t found the right one.”

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"Clay, Book 1.5 of the Punk Series" by P.J. Post (New Adult Romance)

Genre:  New Adult Romance

Summary:  Clay is the second book of a New Adult Romance Series - Punk, and is a Novella running approximately 50 print pages long.

Why did she get in that truck?

Bethany Warner is graduating from high school and is looking forward to college and the gymnastics team with few regrets, except for maybe Tommy - her possessive ex-boyfriend.

And as the last party of high school is turning into a dangerous and unforgettable nightmare, she meets Connor Clay, a punk and musician with a reputation for violence.

Clay retells the opening chapter of Ache from Bethany’s point of view, showing us not only her perceptions of the events of that fateful evening, but also much more about who she is and most importantly – why.

Note: This Book is intended for 18+ audiences due to pervasive language and adult themes and situations.

Excerpt:

I’m sick to death of all of it.

But now I’m finally getting some independence and no one is going to know me at State. Appearances can go fly a kite. They won’t know who my Mom is or who Daddy is: they won’t constantly remind me about those embarrassing stories from freshman and sophomore year: they won’t care who I was seen with last weekend or even if I wear my pajamas to class — none of it will matter.

I can totally start over, maybe even find a bad boy to date for a change, someone exciting, someone that’s unpredictable and not so preoccupied with what everyone else thinks or especially with what everyone else is doing.

Maybe an art major.

Some dark guy with mysterious eyes who caresses his beatnik beard with experienced fingers while he smokes clove cigarettes and quotes Dostoyevsky and Shelley, alluding to the greater beauty and purity of our impending transgressions. And all the while, he’ll be mesmerized, unable to avoid staring at me, beguiled by my enchanting full, inviting and impatient lips, and I shall offer him up nothing but the most modest hint of interest — but he’ll see the longing and passion in my eyes, emotions that I can’t hide from him and he’ll know we were meant to be together.

Wishful thinking, perhaps.

Hell, I’d take a guitarist from some local cover band as long as he can string two sentences together; just please, God, no more jocks or mindless morons.

I mean, I’ll miss it here, but college is going to be so cool, with or without my fantasy bad boy.
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"Safe with Me" by Gabriella Mahoney (HIstorical Romance)

Genre:  Historical Romance, Scottish Romance

Summary:  Book 4 of the Heart of the Highlands Series. 

The time for battle is at hand. Doug MacKinloch's near-legendary sword skills give his enemies a reason to fear him. With women clamoring for his bed he is a man used to winning. But he finds himself completely unprepared for his encounter with Melanie Keir. He thought to have forgotten his long-ago childhood playmate and yet his heart seems to feel otherwise...

This short novelette is approximately 10,100 words.

Excerpt:

Melanie Keir hissed with pain as her body slammed into a stone wall with brutal force. The power of the blow was enough to momentarily daze her. She shook her vision clear and looked at her assailant dead in the eye as he let out a drunken, maniacal laugh. Things had not been going well for her this week.

“Oh ho! The lass has some spirit to her!” the man said as he took another swig from his bottle, sloshing the liquid everywhere in the process.

“If you think for one second that this is going to win me over, you can thing again you arrogant pig!”

He moved with surprising speed for someone so drunk. He grabbed her throat with his free hand and pressed her back against the wall. His breath smelled stale and his hair clung in greasy clumps around his face. “I think I can do whatever I want with you whenever I want. Whore.”

His grip was strong enough to cut off her air circulation but Melanie didn’t dare move a muscle. She could feel his raging erection and knew that he was in no mood to debate right now. All she could do was glare at him with cold, green eyes, neither asking nor begging for mercy.

He tossed her aside in a fit of disgust. “You are not worthy of my attentions just yet,” he slurred out. “I will not be with a woman who thinks herself above me. No one is above me. I’ll teach you to respect your betters.”

Melanie squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for whatever pain her “lesson” might entail. But after several seconds nothing came. She peeped one eyelid open and saw that her assailant was distracted with chugged the remaining contents of his bottle. He burped loudly and teetered off to another area of the caves, lesson apparently forgotten… for now.

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"Forged with Trust" by Gabriella Mahoney (Historical Romance)

Genre:  Historical Romance, Scottish Romance

Summary:  Book 3 of the Heart of the Highlands Series. 

Betrayed by his mother and left by his betrothed, Payton Reid has no reason to trust women. Especially the woman that broke into his forge to steal his tools... twice. He has every reason to turn the spirited lass in yet the information that she knows could stop the violent attacks on the broken MacKinloch clan. But will his clan be the only thing Payton ends up saving?

This short novelette is approximately 11,300 words.

Excerpt:

Beatrice Duff blew into her hands in a futile effort to warm them. A few hours ago the split second of hot breath seemed to make a slight difference, now it made none. She wasn’t sure if it was because her hands were utterly frozen or if her breath had dropped in temperature. Perhaps both. Having dry boots was a distant memory at this point. The only thing that kept her from freezing to death was the fact that her spying spot by the stables provided a buffer from the wind.

If only that damned smithy didn’t take so long! How many hours did it take to craft a sword? Beatrice was sure at this point that he had exceeded the average. She had thought that it wouldn’t be long before his muscles would tire, making him turn in for the night. She was wrong. The man seemed to be an endless font of energy. Cooling the blade, reheating it, hammering, cooling, reheating… it was acute torture to watch as her every limb froze and he became more and more sweaty.

Still, it was a pleasant view. She may be turning into an icicle but she would have to be a corpse not to appreciate the way the smithy’s thick, brown hair fell across his face as the muscles in his back rippled in the glinting firelight. Beatrice also didn’t miss the look of intense focus on his face, like nothing else in the world mattered but the task at hand. She wondered what it would be like to have a man look at her like that while he leaned in for a kiss. The thought made her shiver in pleasure.

It was well past midnight by the time the smithy seemed to reach a stopping point. After inspecting it carefully he set the newly formed blade on a table and went through a back door that must have lead to living quarters. Beatrice wanted nothing more than to leap on the now-cooling embers in an effort to thaw but she forced herself to be patient. She had already made it this far. She couldn’t afford to get caught. Not now.

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"Love Heals All" by Gabriella Mahoney (Historical Romance)

Genre:  Historical Romance, Scottish Romance

Summary:  Book 2 of the Heart of the Highlands Series. 

Cora Rosach is the daughter of a condemned witch and protégée of the MacKinloch clan's old midwife. Her exceptional healing abilities are put to the test when the man she loves is dropped at her front door after being attacked by a raiding party. She is able to bandage his external wounds but, to her horror, discovers that he doesn't remember her at all. Will her love be strong enough for the both of them?

Excerpt:

Cora snuggled closer to Evan’s warm body. The sun had set and the fall breeze was making her shiver. But all the snow in Scotland couldn’t make her move from this spot. “Some say the red is the mark of a bad omen.”

He chuckled. “Do you really believe that?”

Cora’s eyes grew serious. “It was one of the reasons used to convict my mother of witchcraft.”

Evan shifted their positions so he was above her, cradling her face between his large hands. “Never think that, lassie. Laird Campbell was an evil man. You said yourself your mother spurned his advances."

Cora turned so he couldn’t see the tears welling in her eyes. “Aye, she did.”

“Besides, your hair is darker with hints of red. That seems to me an omen that you’re a spirited troublemaker,” he teased.

She laughed. Evan could always bring her out of her darkest moods. It was one of the things she loved best about him. The insistent pressure of his now firm manhood against her thigh was another thing.

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"The Romance Section" by Viola Solaro (Contemporary Romance)

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Summary:  I'm an introverted, gamer-geek librarian. Which is pretty much the perfect recipe for modern-day spinsterhood. And now the dreaded trifecta of holidays is approaching: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. They used to be my favorites growing up until somewhere along the way I crossed that hazy line where I was supposed to be “dating” someone and my relatives seem to have fewer and fewer qualms about setting me up. It's not like I want to be alone forever. I just want to find a guy that is willing to sometimes talk about things other than gaming. Someone who has dreamy brown eyes and reads science fiction. Someone like that man who just walked into my library...

This SHORT novelette is approximately 8,500 words long.

Excerpt:

Working in a library also makes me feel like I’m putting my double majors in literature and business management to good use. My true passion is literature but my parents refused to help pay for college unless I studied something “useful.” It’s an opinion but unless you’re really one of those go-getter types I think that business management has to be the most useless major. For one thing, who doesn’t have one? Makes it a tough sell to any potential employer. Plus, I’m not a go-getter.

Anyway, so here I am. Working at the city library in a suburb outside of Seattle no one has ever heard of. I’m twenty-eight. And to top it all off the dreaded trifecta of holidays is fast approaching: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. To be fair, I have nothing against these holidays and what they represent. They used to be my favorites growing up until somewhere along the way I crossed that hazy line where I was supposed to be “dating” someone.

It was subtle at first, most inquisitions are. Only the last two years or so have things bordered on intolerable. I know my family loves me but getting set up on a blind date with my aunt’s hairdresser’s son is going a little too far. I swear I can practically hear the alarm on my mother’s grandbaby biological clock going off.

It’s not like I’m some sort of man-hating, anti-marriage woman. I’m just picky. Blame my introverted tendencies if you will but there are only a handful of friends I can tolerate being around for an extended period of time. Why would dating be any different? If I already know the guy is going to be a complete idiot then I would much rather spend my evening reading a book or grinding out levels in Guild Wars 2. At least then I can destroy any annoying people with a well-placed mace to the face… in the computer game, of course.

This pretty much sums up my (lack of) dating experience. And I’m sure you can understand now why I’ve been torn between faking a horrible disease and biting the bullet for the sake of eating turkey. The arguments for both sides are rather compelling. Which is a good thing since today was a slow day at the library. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t rain constantly in Washington. It rains in bursts. It’s pretty rare to have days of non-stop downpours.

Washington natives aren’t easily daunted by weather but after three days of driving rain your motivation to go outside is low. I didn’t even want to go in to work today but reconsidered when I realized I had nothing else to do except mope around my apartment and watch BBC dramas. A decision I was beginning to regret. I had run out of things to do hours ago. Every bookshelf was immaculately organized (I checked). All the returns had been put away. I even dusted the archives. The only think I hadn’t done was vacuum the carpet but that was next if no one showed up in the next hour (you have to pace your time-killing projects).

Fortunately I heard the glorious jingle of bells on the front door. I tried not to appear too obvious as I peered over the counter to see who it was. We librarians get a bad enough rap as it is. No need to add “creepy” to the list.

In walked a guy in his early thirties. He was cute in a geeky sort of way with scraggly brown hair, a rumpled jacket and the shadow of a beard from forgetting to shave. My heart did a mild flip. If I ever had a “type,” this guy would be it. Call me weird but I don’t like men looking more groomed than me. Most days I sport a vintage looking shirt, jeans and Converse. I do just enough to my curly hair to keep me from turning into a frizz monster. Makeup is only applied on very special occasions that don’t involve my mother (can’t have her getting any ideas).

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, I believe you can.” He pulled a rumpled piece of paper out of his raincoat and handed it to me. “I’m wondering if you have any of the books on that list?”

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"Rules of the Heart" by Gabriella Mahoney (Historical Romance)

Genre:  Historical Romance, Scottish Romance

Summary:  Book 1 of the Heart of the Highlands Series.

Years of war and occupation have left the MacKinloch clan in ruins. The old laird is dead and Alec is left to inherit little more than a broken down castle and a marriage contract to a woman he has never seen. So long as his wife knew her place and didn't fuss when he claimed his husbandly rights Alec would consider it a good arrangement. Little does he realize that that his new bride has some ideas of her own...

Excerpt:

Lara didn’t even so much as flinch when two screaming boys tore through her room in the midst of a wooden sword fight. Frankly, she was glad of the distraction as it kept her from thinking too hard about the fact that she was going to be married to a complete stranger in just a few hours.

As she put the finishing touches on her hair she could hear her father outside hooking up the cart that would take her to the chapel. Her mother bustled about with the energy of someone half as young and not eight months pregnant. Lara had no idea how her mother managed but she supposed that after four miscarriages and eight living children the woman was more used to be being pregnant than not.

Even though Lara was terrified over the prospect of leaving home she kept these fears to herself since she knew her family, especially her mother, was absolutely thrilled over the match. More than once she had overheard an uncle or a cousin bragging to any random merchant that would listen that the Thompsons would be forming an alliance with the MacKinlochs. They would be related by marriage to a laird.

It was all well and good for them to brag. They didn’t have to share a bed with man that could be twice her age for all she knew. Lara tucked and plaited the MachKinloch plaid that was to be her wedding dress. The dark reds and blues flattered her fair complexion and seemed to make her eyes appear even more intensely green. At least something had worked in her favor that day.

Her mother came over and helped her to straighten the plaits. “Oh, my dear, you are truly a bonnie lass. The laird is a lucky man to be marrying you.”

Lara gave a thin smile. She loved her family and she knew her mother would miss her. But she also knew it would be a great relief to have one less mouth to feed, especially with a new little one on the way. Her brothers stopped fighting for a split second to express their admiration. “You look like a fairy princess!” the youngest one exclaimed.

Lara genuinely grinned at that. “A fairy princess that can still beat your arse in a wrestling match!”

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