I LOVE weddings, they
are joyous, and filled with the excitement of the what is yet to be. Let’s wish
the Arbela and Caelen well on their new life together. Can someone please pass
the wine!!
THE HIGHLANDER’S CRUSADER BRIDE
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.
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.
Buy
links:
Kobo: http://bit.ly/THCB_Kobo
Excerpt:
As
they stepped inside the chapel, Arbela fingered the ring Caelen had placed on
the third finger of her right hand. The red and gold cabochon jasper was smooth
beneath her thumb as she twisted the beaten gold band on her finger. Though she
had jewels aplenty—and of much greater worth than the semi-precious jasper—this
one would never leave her hand. The idea drew her thoughts away from the
nuptial mass.
She
moved through the responses with little awareness. She stood, sat, and knelt as
prescribed. With effort, she pulled her attention to the priest’s words. Her
father, Zora, Rory, and a second representative from Dunfaileas stepped forward
and held a shimmering veil over Arbela and Caelen’s heads as the priest spoke a
blessing over them. His hand rested lightly on her head and she peered at
Caelen from the corner of her eye.
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