Claimed by a Highlander (The Douglas Legacy #2) by Margaret Mallory

Margaret Mallory is one of my go to authors for historical romance. When I discovered that she was taking the indie route I was beside myself with joy. This talented writer crafts tale after tale that leaves me impatiently waiting for the next one.

Book Blurb:
THE DOUGLAS LEGACY 
The Douglas sisters, beauties all, are valuable pawns in their family's bitter struggle to control the Scottish Crown. But when their enemies strike, each Douglas lass will find she’s been left to face them alone. 

CLAIMED BY A HIGHLANDER 
Lady Sybil Douglas’s fall from court favorite to royal enemy is swift after her brothers are charged with treason and flee Scotland. When a huge Highland warrior appears claiming they are bound by a marriage contract, she’s desperate enough to ride off with him. She’ll worry later about how to escape the wedding. 

The last thing Rory MacKenzie needs is a pampered Lowlander wife. He traveled to Edinburgh in the hope of dissolving the ill-begotten marriage contract. But now that the Douglas men have abandoned his would-be bride, he’s honor-bound to protect her.

Sybil and Rory fight scorching passion on their perilous journey to the MacKenzie castle, where murder and intrigue await. When everything is at risk, will they rely on each other and claim their unexpected love before it’s too late?

Review:

CLAIMED BY A HIGHLANDER by Margaret Mallory has it all,murder, intrigue, and sweeping tale and handsome, rugged men in kilts. What else can I say to convince you that this second book in the DOUGLAS LEGACY is a must read, just as the first one is?  Ms. Mallory's carefully crafted tale is one to keep you on the edge of your seats until the final word. i highly recommend this wonderful book! 

~KIMBERLY~

Tempting Prudence (The Bride Train, Book #3) by E.E. Burke

Prudence Walker has been settling in pretty well at the Centralia Settlement in Southeastern Kansas when she is abducted right from the hotel kitchen where she has been working and thrown into a coffin on the back of a wagon. Terrified out of her wits, Prudence has no idea if she will survive. The spinster had high hopes of finding herself a husband when she arrived on the Bride Train but as the other woman before her have found their Happily Ever Afters, Prudence still is searching. 

When Archer Childers misguided brothers show up at his doorstep with an unwilling bride, he must make things right before they all land in prison, but a bungled attempted escape leaves Prudence unconscious and injured, Arch needs to nurse her back to health and convince her to marry him.

The plot thickens when Prudence, although taken in by the handsome bounder whose sly smirk could melt an iceberg, is certain the pair just won't work. When she learns of his profession, Prudence is more determined to run the other way due to her staunch Christian upbringing and ideas.  Before Arch realizes it, he has fallen for Prudence, but breaking through her steel exterior is a harder than he ever thought possible.

I simply love E.E. BURKE'S  Bride Train series. It's well written and exciting with TEMPTING PRUDENCE as no exception. I adore how Arch opens Pru's eyes to look at herself for the woman she is and put behind her the unfeeling words and actions those in her past said and did to affect her so. Arch is a patient and understanding hero. When his brothers essentially break the law and kidnap Prudence, he's left with the aftermath. TEMPTING PRUDENCE is a great addition to E.E. BURKE'S Bride Train series and I look forward to the next one! 

~KIMBERLY~

COVER REVEAL BLISS: **Jacked Up: Birmingham Rebels by Samantha Kane**

YES!!!! THE NEXT BIRMINGHAM REBELS BOOK, 

JACKED UP

BY THE MOST AWESOME, 

SAMANTHA KANE

 IS HEADED YOUR WAY ON JANUARY 31, 2017

ENJOY THE COVER VIEW! 

PRE-ORDER LINK

The Earl's Return by Callie Hutton

Two weeks before his wedding, Darius, the Earl of Redgrave leaves his betrothed bride jilted while he flees to marry another under nefarious circumstances. Now, four years after the incident and his wife's death, Redgrave is back in London to choose a wife. Redgrave has some idea of what he wants in a wife, but no one compares once he sees Lady Mary.

Shocked and dismayed that the Earl of Redgrave would have the gall to show himself in town after his ruination of her sister, Lady Mary is perplexed when she can't get him out of her head. The cad left her sister two weeks before the wedding. Granted, out of that scandal, her sister found her one true love, but the journey there was a bitter one that the family is scarce to forget. 

Avoiding Redgrave is impossible since he has taken on the the charitable task of helping out in the orphanage where Lady Mary also works. Those evening delights of ton balls and gatherings don't help much in the avoidance realm either.

Once Mary begins to see the man inside the handsome exterior, she wonders if what happened those fateful four years ago was entirely William's fault. Secrets between them keep one another at arms length but when those secrets begin to come to light William's protective side take over and he will risk it all to make sure that Mary isn't hurt again, even if he must take himself out of the equation.

Mary is wary of giving her trust to another man after an incident with another man left her skittish of men in general, so while she begins to open her heart to William, that incident years before comes to the forefront, when the bounder from her past reappears making her rethink her relationship with William.

THE EARL'S RETURN is the final book in the Marriage Mart and Mayhem series by Callie Hutton, but can be read as a stand alone. This book is an enjoyable and well written read that will make you run the gamut of emotions whilst watching William and Mary reach for their HEA.

~KIMBERLY~

A Changed Agent by Tracey J. Lyons

Returning from a little vacation, schoolteacher Elsie Mitchell finds herself in a bit of a bind when her luggage opens up before her train ride home and hr belongings end up strewn all over the ground. Her only recourse is a gruff looking stranger, who to her embarrassment, helps her gather her unmentionables so she can catch her train home.

While on her train ride to her small town in the Adirondack Mountains, Elsie notices that two children accompany the man who helped her and she is curious as to the circumstances as the children appear to be heartbroken. Once back in her hometown, she finds herself in charge of those two lovely children and in close quarters with the gruff stranger, who happens to be their uncle, William Benton.  William is an undercover Pinkerton agent working at the lumber company as foreman to investigate a theft.

Keeping the secret of who he is and what he is doing is a difficult task with the very observant Elsie. It becomes so much more difficult when he begins to yearn for the ragtag family to be a real family. William had no idea how he was going to keep it together with his dangerous job and caring for his twin niece and nephew, who because of the sudden loss of their parents and being shifted around to relatives have their own issues to overcome. 

Elsie is a Godsend when it comes to keeping it all together and she quickly becomes the glue between the children, William and even the community. Could they both open up their hearts to one another as they have for those around them? Read A CHANGED AGENT  to find out.

I hope that author Tracey J. Lyons continues to write stories like this one, because I am now hooked.  This well written historical set in the Northeast opens a whole new realm for this reader and I crave more. This pair from different backgrounds and circumstances come together with two seven-year old children as the catalyst for a bright future and their journey there is an intriguing one. 

~KIMBERLY~

Janet's Review of ** Trouble Walks In (The McGuire Brothers) by Sara Humphreys **

Someone is killing high end realtors.

Ronan McGuire and his bloodhound Bowser are members of the NYPD’s K-9 unit. It is their job to find the missing. Ronan loves his job and his dog.

Maddy Morgan is a high end real estate broker who moved to Manhattan to forget the tragic death of Rick, a fireman and her boyfriend for a decade.

Ronan has had a “thing” for Maddy since elementary school when she punched a bully in the face for harassing her. Unfortunately for Ronan, it was never the right time to ask her out. Now Maddy lives in the same city he does, but she was still grieving for Rick. The best he could do was just be a friend, this included jogging in Central Park and going for coffee, no dates. Maddy is going to be the maid of honor at her best friend Jordan’s wedding to Ronan’s brother Gavin, while he will be the best man and agree to be each other’s date. They are soon thrown together because someone is killing high end realtors in the city. Ronan is concerned for Maddy’s safety and soon they begin to spend more time together. As a result, they begin to develop stronger feelings for each other. Unfortunately for Ronan, Maddy feels guilty about her feelings for him, feels that she is betraying Rick’s memory. Ronan asks his brother and future sister in law for advice. They tell him to take is slow and that if he does, Maddy should eventually come around. Soon they begin to date. Maddy is happy, but the murders continue. They return for the wedding and realize their feeling for each other. Maddy spends Christmas with the McGuires and realizes this is what she wants, a family and all the love that comes with it. She returns to Manhattan because she is hosting a New Years Eve party for her clients and asks Ronan to attend. He is antsy because he intends to ask her to marry him that night. They end up having an argument and Ronan leaves. After the guests all leave, Maddy lays down. Someone enters her apartment. She thinks it is Ronan, unfortunately, it is the killer who has been murdering the female realtors and he takes Maddy next. The clock is now ticking for Ronan and Bowser to find Maddy before it is too late.

Once again, Sara Humphreys has written a story that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go until the end. Throughout this story we see Maddy coping with her isolation after Rick’s death to realizing how empty her life really will be if she doesn’t give Ronan a chance. Ronan, the ladies’ man, must figure out a way to change his approach with Maddy by using patience and not pressure to get her to date him. Maddy soon works through her fear and realizes that she is in love with Ronan and takes a chance. Ronan realizes that it is Maddy he wants forever. We also get a glimpse in the relationship between dog and man as Ronan searches for the killer. I love this series about the McGuire brothers. We see how family plays an important role in each story. There is suspense, and a second chance at love for Ronan and Maddy. I look forward to the next book in this series. I highly recommend this book.

~JANET~ 

The Highlander (Victorian Rebels #3) by Kerrigan Byrne

" Sometimes, when in a predicament like yours, the safest place to be is at the side of a violent man"

Kerrigan Byrne is one of my favorite Historical Romance writers, hands down. This exceptionally talented author dares to go where many would not and I love her all the more for it. Her story is gritty and exciting with such depth and emotion that it's hard to put the book down or power down the eReader. In THE HIGHLANDER, the third book in the Victorian Rebels series, Kerrigan Byrne turns darkness into light with a tenacious heroine and the Demon Highlander.

When Lady Philomena St. Vincent, the Viscountess Benchley was extricated from the asylum her husband and his family had her fraudulently committed to, her saviors are two very dangerous gentlemen. Luckily for Mena, former assassin, Christopher Argent and crime lord Dorian Blackwell arrive just in time to free her from the asylum's wicked employees. With the help of their wives, Mena is given a new identity and a position as a governess for a Scottish Laird in the Highlands. Fearing for her safety, Mena agrees that leaving London is her only option until she can be free of her malicious husband and his complicit family.

Meeting Miss Philomena Lockhart causes all sort of confusion and stir of emotion for Laird Liam MacKenzie. The former Lieutenant Colonel has survived every sort of mishap in his life so far, but Miss Lockhart's presence threatens to overturn the new life he has planned since leaving the military. The Demon Highlander sees a wariness in the English woman's demeanor and knows that she has been hurt both physically and emotionally as he has suffered through a similar situation growing up as Laird Hamish MacKenzie's offspring.

Mena takes to the MacKenzie keep with ease, showing Liam's children comportment and educating them to be successful out in public, but the more time she spends in the Laird's company the more the sparks begin to fly between the "governess" and the Laird. His lack of trust and her deep secrets promise to make their precarious yet interesting relationship ignite when not only her secrets, but Liam's past begins to catch up with the present.

THE HIGHLANDER by Kerrigan Bryne is not for the faint of heart. Liam MacKenzie has only known violence his entire life but the moment he sees Mena and listens to her philosophies about life, he wants to be more than the Demon Highlander. His protective instincts for his children and Mena are paramount and when push comes to shove those on his bad side best stay out of his way. Philomena's life has been a sad one after the death of her father. Her marriage to Viscount Benchley causes not only heartache but fear for her life. The fortitude this woman possesses makes her one of my favorite heroines to date. Liam MacKenzie is the height of alpha and therefore at the top of my list. THE HIGHLANDER is a brilliant addition to the Victorian Rebels series and Kerrigan Byrne is at the top of her game with this one. 

~KIMBERLY~