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• • • • A Note from Kimmie Sue • • • •
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This for some reason did not get posted on
November 15th so I am reposting now
Temptation in Tartan
She has to marry a monster. Rumors have followed the chieftains of Clan Kilborn for centuries. Said to be descended from the Viking berserkers, they are ferocious in battle, known for tearing off the heads of their enemies and drinking their blood.
But English noblewoman Lydia Swann-Williston will marry Kieran, Laird Kilborn, to bring peace to the Kilborn lands after the horror of Culloden and the brutal pacification. A widow, she also brings needed wealth to the clan. For her part, eighteen-year-old Lydia wants children. With her husband killed at Culloden, she will make a new life in the Highlands.
The old chieftain of Clan Kilborn also died in battle, and Lydia hopes the new young laird will lack his ancestors' ferocity.
She was wrong.
Man do I love a
good historical romance. But I also love the
Paranormal Romances too. But what
Suz has done her is
truly something magical. She combined the two and made a
truly phenomenal romance book. This book is not only well
written but charming
to.
This story follows
lady Lydia and her Scottish husband
Kieran. When they meet it is instant attraction.
You know that
it is almost love at first sight. He knows who she is, but she
does
not know him. And then he tries to seduce her. She is
one feisty woman too. Which
only makes things so much
better for him. But he has a dark secret, one that he
fears
letting her know. But there is one who is quite alright with
telling her
as she wants Kieran for he own. And when she
gets traps Lydia in a place with a
danger that is unknown to
her. It is only a matter of time before all hell
breaks loose
and they may lose each other. That is if they do not figure
out
how to deal with all the mysterious things that keep
happening and why a
favorite of the clan is murdered.
Now before I ruin
this for you I will leave off here. I hope you
enjoy this book as much as
I did. If you do like this book,
please consider leaving a review. The Authors
really like it
when you do; they value your opinions too.
Chapter One
“The Kilborns are
great warriors, rumored to be descended from Viking berserkers.”
Colonel Swann paced the drawing room, his boots soundless on the thick
rugs.
Lydia’s
belly clenched and she drew a frightened breath. “Berserkers! The
savages who raided our shores, murdering monks and, er…attacking
women?”
The
colonel stared at her as though a potted plant had decided to speak.
Not surprising, since Lydia had always been known in their family as
the quiet one.
“The
same,” he said. “And the Kilborn clansmen have intermarried for
generations. Animals.” He tugged at his tight cravat. Out of uniform,
dressed as a town gentleman, Lydia thought her cousin lost some of his
edge. Scowling, he continued, “By this marriage we seek to dilute
the Kilborn blood and weaken the line.”
“Weaken
the line, sir?” Lydia’s mother, Henrietta, raised a brow. “Do you
suggest that my daughter’s lineage is flawed? Ours is one of the
noblest families in the kingdom.”
“True,” he said. “By adding Lady Lydia’s noble blood to the Kilborn line, we will civilize the wild Highlanders.”
Lydia
tried to look civilized and noble, but couldn’t stop twisting the
handkerchief in her lap. She rubbed its black edging, a reminder of her
status as a widow. “You want me to marry an animal. A barely civilized
wild man.”
“The Crown would take your selflessness as a particular favor,” her cousin said.
She lifted her brows. “Indeed.” As a general’s daughter, duty pulled at her blood.
“‘Tis a
perfect solution. ‘Tis easier to pacify by marriage than by the sword.
All parties will benefit.” His glance strayed to the bodice of Lydia’s
gown. In half-mourning, she wore gray muslin trimmed with black
piping. “You must desire children. The Highlander is doubtless, uh,
lusty.”
She
pursed her lips. She’d loved William, but hadn’t grasped why others
made such a fuss about marital relations. But she did want children and
had planned to have several. “You want me to marry a warrior who may
have killed my husband at Culloden Moor,” she said. “I can’t do that.”
Colonel Swann remained silent but looked uneasy as Lydia’s mother crossed the room. “Your late husband,” Henrietta said and sat on an ottoman next to Lydia.
When her mother took Lydia’s hand, she couldn’t control the trembling. At eighteen, she knew she simply wasn’t brave.
Unlike
her mother, who now peered into Lydia’s eyes. “Child, what else will
you do? Of course, as a widow, you can refuse. But another marriage may
make you happy.”
“Do I have to marry a wild Scotsman? Leave my country and everything I know?”
“Of course not. But you are already acquainted with all the other eligible males of our class, and chose William over all.”
“That’s so.” Lydia remembered her days of attending parties and balls in London a scant three years ago. She sighed.
“You’ll
bring great wealth,” the colonel said. “And by your
marriage, Kilborn will be spared the pacification efforts that other
clans and chieftains suffer. You’ll be valued and honored.”
“I have my portion and William’s, but I am not particularly wealthy,” Lydia said.
“Not by London standards, but for an impoverished Highland chieftain, you are a rich prize.”
“Lovely.” Lydia stood and walked to the window, her voluminous skirts rustling.
Below
in the garden, she could see her brother playing with one of his sons.
She watched George pick up Andrew, toss the giggling child into the
air and catch him before they collapsed in a laughing heap together on
the sunlit lawn.
Her
heart tripped. She might never see George and Andrew again. But she
might become that happy parent, could have babies of her own to enjoy.
She turned to face her mother. “I’ll do it.”
Kieran,
Laird Kilborn, strode along the upper wall-walk of his castle, his
mood as dark as the midnight sky above. Below him, the sea crashed with
the threat of a storm. His retainers scattered at the sight of their
new laird’s frown, for Kieran was known to show his temper. His own
father had borne a scar on his forehead from a tankard a young Kieran
had thrown when the princeling had been but four.
Kieran
pinched the bridge of his nose, staring out over Clan Kilborn’s crofts
and lands, lit only by moonlight. His lands, now, following the deaths
of his father and older brother at Culloden. An unexpected burden—his
lands and his responsibility.
“Ye
could look forever, but nothing will change.” Euan’s soft voice
intruded upon Kieran’s dangerous mood. “That is, nothing will change
unless ye marry the Sassenach lassie.”
Kieran
turned, remembering to soften his frown. No one else would dare to
disturb his thoughts, but Euan was different. The castle’s steward,
he’d been old when Kier was born.
“Aye, the reprisals are cruel.” Kieran rubbed his hand over the sturdy stone battlement.
“They
will only get worse. The Sassenachs are determined to break all of the
Highlands and to destroy the clans who supported the bonny
prince. ‘Tis a stroke of luck that the Swan wants you to wed the
lassie.”
“Why, though? What’s the benefit to the Sassenach colonel?”
The smaller man shrugged. “We are a remote holding. ‘Tis easier to pacify us by marriage than by war, and far less costly.”
“I’ll
never give up tartan or sword.” A thin, chilly breeze lifted Kieran’s
dark hair off his shoulders. He drew his plaid, vividly patterned in
red, yellow and two shades of blue, more tightly around him.
“Wed the Swan’s cousin and ye willnae have to.”
“I had not thought to wed yet, with everything so…unsettled.”
“Truly? There’s a certain lassie who’s set her cap for ye.”
“Grizel?”
“Er, I was thinking of Moira.”
“Oh,
that one.” Kieran dismissed Moira with a wave of his hand. “She must
know that Culloden changed everything, including her expectations.”
“Ye
must secure the succession.” Euan’s dark, haunted eyes searched
Kieran’s face. “I promised your father that I would see to it.”
“And
would he have wanted me to marry outside our blood?” Kieran asked. His
grand-uncle Euan knew more of the secrets of his family than did
Kieran himself.
“Possibly not.” Euan looked troubled. “But marriage to the Sassenach lady will provide money, safety and heirs.”
“And what shall I do when the dark thirst takes me? Succor myself at my lady’s throat?”
“There are other ways.” Euan’s eyes were hooded and unreadable in the moonlight. “Other women—”
“No! ‘Tis like unfaithfulness. What of my honor?”
“There is no honor when the dark curse seizes us.”
“I must find a way, for the clan.”
“Then ye’ll marry the Sassenach wench?”
“‘Tisn’t so simple. The laird’s consort isnae merely a juicy quim or a fertile ewe. She must be more.”
Euan shrugged. “She’s a widow, managed her own household.”
“Hmm.”
Kieran took a deep breath of the midnight air, scented with the tang
of the nearby sea and the crofters’ hay. “Aye then, I’ll do it.” 
·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•٠· Suz DeMello ·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•٠·
Best-selling, award-winning author Suz DeMello, a.k.a Sue
Swift, has written seventeen romance novels in several
subgenres, including erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal,
mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and
non-fiction articles on writing. A freelance editor, she’s held
the positions of managing editor and senior editor, working
for such firms as Totally Bound and Ai Press. She also takes
private clients. Her books have been favorably reviewed in
Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or
two, attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller
lists. A former trial attorney, her passion is world travel.
She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints
working overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and
planning her next trip.
Swift, has written seventeen romance novels in several
subgenres, including erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal,
mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and
non-fiction articles on writing. A freelance editor, she’s held
the positions of managing editor and senior editor, working
for such firms as Totally Bound and Ai Press. She also takes
private clients. Her books have been favorably reviewed in
Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or
two, attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller
lists. A former trial attorney, her passion is world travel.
She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints
working overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and
planning her next trip.
--Find her books at http://www.suzdemello.com
--For editing services, email her at suzdemello@gmail.com
--Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/
--Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SuzATGoodreads
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