Scotland Historical

February 13, 1692. Thirty-eight members of the MacDonald clan are killed by soldiers who had previously enjoyed the clan’s hospitality. Many more die from exposure. Forty miles south, brilliant, captivating Corrag—accused witch and orphaned herbalist—is imprisoned in the Scottish highlands for her involvement in the massacre.

This, the first in the splendid series of Jack Aubrey novels, establishes the friendship between Captain Aubrey, Royal Navy, and Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and intelligence agent, against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Details of life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson's navy are faultlessly rendered: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men on the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the road of broadsides as the great ships close in battle.

Maria had been forced to marry at 17, then was left widowed shortly thereafter. Now, five years later, her brother had chosen another husband for her, sight unseen - the boy king of Scotland. Maria, who had never known passion or love, refused to submit, vowing to flee to freedom. But the ship she chose went down in the gathering fog, leaving the dark-haired beauty at the mercy of wind and tide, and headed for a shattering destiny.

Annabel was about to take the veil to become a nun, when her mother suddenly arrived at the abbey to take her home...so that she can marry the Scottish laird who is betrothed to her runaway sister! She knows nothing about being a wife, nothing about how to run a household, and definitely nothing about the marriage bed. From the moment Ross MacKay sets eyes on Annabel, he is taken with his shy, sweet bride...and the fact that she's blessed with lush curves only makes him utter his own prayers of thanks. But when an enemy endangers her life, he'll move the Highlands themselves to save her.

In a childless and unhappy marriage, Clare Royland is rich and beautiful—but lonely. And fueling her feelings of isolation is a strange, growing fascination with an ancestress from the distant past. Troubled by haunting inexplicable dreams that terrify—but also powerfully compel—her, Clare is forced to look back through the centuries for answers. In 1306, Scotland is at war. Isobel, countess of Buchan, faces fear and the prospect of untimely death as the fighting surrounds her.

Running away from her catastrophic life, historical journalist Eva MacKay joins an archaeological dig at the battleground of Loudoun Hill. Unearthing the seal of William Wallace, Eva gains notoriety. But her dreams of Bowie knives, the weapon that murdered her husband, morph into great swords and dirks. Drawn to a ruined monastery, Eva drifts into the worst nightmare of all. Awaking to the sharp point of a madman's sword, she is hurled into the midst of a bloody 13th-century battle.

When Lady Georgette Thorold awoke she saw...her corset hanging from the armoire...a very handsome, very naked Scotsman lying beside her...and a wedding ring on her finger! Before the attractive stranger can tell her his name, Georgette does the only sensible thing - she runs for it. Little does she know, James MacKenzie isn't clear on what happened the night before, either. All he knows is that his money is missing and the stunning woman who just ran from the room is either his wife or a thief...or possibly both.

Athena Trappes thinks she's in love...until she discovers the scoundrel only wanted her as his bit on the side. Enraged, she does what any spirited Englishwoman would do: set fire to his belongings, incur his dangerous wrath, and flee - immediately. With nowhere else to turn, she seeks freedom in the wilds of Scotland. Highland Laird Symon Grant lost his wife years ago, and it's his duty to find another. Athena is not exactly what the clan has in mind for him, but Symon's heart burns with unexpected passion for the woman who would risk everything to be free.

Eighteen-year-old James Douglas can only watch, helpless, as the Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace is hanged, drawn, and quartered. Even under the heel of a brutal English conqueror, James' blood-drenched homeland may still have one hope for freedom, the rightful king of the Scots, Robert the Bruce. James swears fealty to the man he believes can lead the fight against English tyranny. The Bruce is soon a fugitive, king in name and nothing more. Scotland is occupied, the Scottish resistance crushed. Yet James believes their cause is not lost.

Set in the intriguing Scotland of 200 years ago, the third installment in the romantic adventures of Jamie and Claire is as compelling as the first. Now that Claire knows Jamie survived the slaughter at Culloden, she is faced with the most difficult decision of her life. She aches to travel back through time again to find the love of her life, but, in order to do that, she must leave their daughter behind.

An exhaustively researched novel weaves both historical fact and plausible fiction in bringing the story of Mary Queen of Scots to life.

Conan McTiernay will leave the joys of wedlock to his happily married brothers. He's too busy mapping out Scotland to protect her borders from English invasion...until he's dispatched to escort a cloistered Highland lass safely back to his family's castle. Mhàiri Mayboill has embarked on her journey facing an impossible choice: Marry or take the vows of a nun. But she cherishes her freedom too much to be tied to any man. Yet this arrogant Highlander with his spirited ways and piercing eyes awakens more than desire.

Brave Lachlan Blair stands ready to become his clan's chieftain - until a revelation shows he is not a Blair son, but the bastard offspring of a notorious criminal. Faced with banishment to the Highland wilderness, Lachlan agrees to wed the daughter of an enemy clan....Since she was a wee lass, Finley Carson has heard tales of legendary Lachlan Blair. But nothing prepares her for marriage to the rugged highlander. Yet as they partner to pursue the truth of Lachlan's birthright, their deepening bond turns to passion.

Ironcross Castle was called cursed by the Highlanders. Its most recent lairds had perished in accidents, falls, or fires. The newest owner, Gavin Kerr, did not fear death. It was feeling that he dreaded - the pain of betrayal and loss. Now, he arrived at the castle to hear of hauntings and cults and to be drawn to the portrait of beautiful Joanna MacInnes, who died here amid a furnace of flame. And looking at her, Gavin desired her, feeling an impossible longing to take her in his arms.

Wrongfully imprisoned and tortured by an unseen enemy, Broderick MacPherson lives for one purpose - punishing the villain who targeted him. But when a wayward English lass interrupts his revenge, he loses his enemy in the dark. Now, her compelled testimony could send Broderick back to the prison that nearly killed him. Unless they find a loophole - an inconvenient, shockingly tempting loophole.

Everyone wants handsome adventurer John Huxley to settle down - family, friends, London society. Everyone except John. He's evaded too many scheming title huntresses to trust in happily ever after. Now, a vow made to a dying friend has him locked in a land dispute with a stubborn Scot who offers one way out: Win the Highland Games. John likes a challenge, but this one's impossible. Still, with training from the Scot's stepdaughter, victory might be within reach.

Darcy Greenway has no time for love. As a dedicated veterinarian her career and her patients come first. But since the death of her parents she's been running, searching. She just doesn't know what for. On a much-needed vacation to Scotland, she walks under a natural archway on the shore of a loch and finds herself catapulted into the 16th century...and right into the middle of a clan war. Stranded in a world of danger and passion, Darcy finds herself drawn to Quinn MacFarlane, the brave Scottish warrior who swears to protect her. But Quinn has secrets of his own.

Edinburgh merchant Tavish Cameron has no choice but to pay outrageous tolls to the nobility, until fate gives him an unexpected opportunity for advancement. To claim Tower Roscraig, all he has to do is admit that he is the bastard son of a murdering baron...and evict the proud, impoverished Lady Glenna Douglas from her crumbling castle. With her father ailing and her village devastated by illness, Glenna has lost everything except her home. Now a handsome stranger intends to take that, too. Until the king arrives to determine the rightful laird, Glenna and Tavish must share her castle.

Ronan Sutherland is a fierce warrior. Swearing off all else, he thrives on his powerful position within William Wallace's army. Freedom for the Scots is his mission - until he meets fair Julianna. She captivates him, intoxicates him...makes him want more out of life than the harsh dangers he's accustomed to. Lady Julianna is no meek maiden. She's trained in the art of war, sister to one of Scotland's most powerful men, and tasked with keeping the future king safe. Until she's kidnapped by a rivaling clan. Now her only hope is for the one man she trusts - and desires - to save her.

As wild as the rugged north country where she was raised, Saxan Honey Todd has sworn to avenge the murder of her twin brother. Recklessly, she gallops across the English countryside in pursuit of the man she believes to be his murderer: Botolf, Earl of Regenford. As hard and unyielding as the armor he wears in battle, Botolf is irresistibly drawn to the impetuous beauty who has come to wage war with him. Saxan stirs his passion to the point of madness, but to love her would be madness indeed.