Title: Highland Promise
Author: Alyson McLayne
Pub
Date: October 3, 2017
ISBN: 9781492654506
Five boys destined to become Highland
lairds are fostered together as brothers. Darach, Lachlan, Callum, Gavin and
Kerr fight for their clans, for each other, and for their own true loves.
When forced to choose between duty and
honor…
Darach MacKenzie vowed never again to
let a woman near his heart after his betrothed betrayed him. It sparked an
intense feud between his clan and the Frasers. With all-out war on the wind,
Darach can’t be distracted—not even by a sweet and charming lass who
desperately needs his help.
This Highland Laird will find a way to
have both
When Darach rescued Caitlin MacInnes
from the clutches of vile Laird Fraser, she vowed to never let men or misery
rule her life again. With Darach and the MacKenzie clan, Caitlin finally feels
safe. But when Laird Fraser shows up to claim what’s rightfully his, or go to
war, Darach will have to use all his brawn and brains to protect Caitlin—even
if it means losing his heart.
A
stay-at-home mom of twins and award-winning writer, Alyson McLayne is a dog lover and cat servant with a serious stash
of dark chocolate. After getting her degree in theater at the University of
Alberta, she promptly moved to the west coast where she worked in film for
several years and met her Prop Master husband. Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy Links:
EXCERPT #1
“I’ll not be
marrying the lass, Oslow, but if I did, she’d more than likely give me
daughters. All of them looking like her, causing trouble. I’d be an old man in
my grave before I was forty.”
“Nay. She’d
give you sons. Braw lads as strong-minded and fearless as her. But if you’re
not interested in the lass, I’ll introduce her to my Angus. He needs a wife,
and I’m sure he’d be as smitten with her as Gare and Brodie.”
The blood
heated in Darach’s veins, flushing his face. He looked toward the field, trying
to make out what Caitlin and the two younger men were doing. Naught of
consequence. Just playing with the kittens.
Playing with
the kittens—like hell. Brodie was a right rogue with the lasses, and Gare was such a pitiful
lad, caught betwixt man and boy, she’d want to save him just like she’d saved
the baby bird. Most likely he’d try to make himself look as pathetic as
possible with the hopes of ensnaring her, the devil.
Darach stood
abruptly and made his way across the rocky shore to the field. Lachlan’s snort
followed him. Sure enough, Gare and Brodie sat beside her, hanging on to every
word. Scoundrels, both of them. He frowned, and they jumped to their feet. Let
Caitlin see who was master and laird here—the most
dominant MacKenzie male.
After sending
them to Oslow, he sat on the grass beside her. She looked pleased to see him.
Maybe now would be the time to tell her the kittens were going to the miller’s.
He willed himself to begin, but one of the cats tumbled into his lap and mewed
up at him. Bloody fiend.
“Och, would
you look at that. He loves you, Darach. Maybe he will be called Justice, for he
is drawn to you and you are the most just man I know.”
He puffed up
and deflated at the same time. ’Twas a good decision to send the cats to the
miller. Not only did it show Justice, but also Prudence, Fortitude, and
Temperance. Surely she would see the right of it.
The kit ran up
his body and batted his hair. Darach started in surprise. Grabbing it, he held
the wee thing in front of him. The cat reached out and swatted his chin.
Caitlin fell
sideways onto the grass, laughing. “You’ve ne’er had a cat before, have you?”
Darach grunted
and brought the kitten closer. He had to admit it was sweet—big eyes and downy,
soft fur. It suckled the stubble of his beard, and his heart turned over.
“They’re
starved, poor babies,” she said. “He’s trying to nurse. All we had was water.
It helped, but their bellies are empty.”
There would be
lots of milk at the miller’s.
“Caitlin, I
doona think…”
She gazed at
him, her eyes wide, trusting. A happy glow surrounded her, and the words stuck
in his throat. Maybe she could keep the kits ’til they were old enough to be on
their own. House them in the kitchens and out of his sight and the sight of his
dogs for a week or two. Then they could go to the miller.
“Aye, Darach?”
“’Tis naught,
lass. We’ll be home soon and they can have their meal.”
Picking up a
kitten, she held it close. “I think this little lass will be Temperance, for
she’s the only female and needs to have much restraint to live with three
brothers. It must be a trial, doona you think?”
“I lived with
four brothers, and aye, ’twas a trial.”
A wistful look
crossed her face. “I did so wish for a brother. Or a sister. But my parents
were not blessed with bairns after me. Instead, I had lots of pets—cats, dogs,
horses, and pigs.”
“Pigs?”
“Aye, pigs are
wonderful pets. Although I caused such a fankle when my father wanted to
butcher the dear thing, I was ne’er allowed to bond with a pig again.”
“And what
happened to it?”
“I doona know.
I lost more than just my parents the night of the fire. Verily, ’twas a
torment. I longed for pets after that, but I feared to show favor to any
creature, lest my uncle hurt the animal. I was verra careful when I fed Cloud
apples. The guards who followed me knew, I’m sure, but one older guard in
particular didn’t mind.” She turned to smile at the stallion tethered with the
other horses. “I’m thankful you saved him too.”
His stomach
soured at the insight into her life after her parents’ death, at how afraid,
alone and sad she must have been. Yet she’d shown none of that to him or his
men. And he knew she must have felt it—her heart was as big as the loch.
“I want you to
have, Cloud,” he said suddenly. It was the least he could do.
Her eyes grew
round. “Truly?”
“Aye. But wait
to ride him until we return to the keep. I doona want him to spook and throw
you out here. Let him get used to you in the stables first, aye?” Where he
could have a healer on hand and spread out some hay to soften her fall.
With an
excited holler, she threw her arms around his neck and almost knocked him
backward. One arm settled around her waist, the other hovered just above her
hair. The devil take him, he wanted to touch her, to hold her still for his
kiss.
Letter to the Reader
Hello Lovely Readers!!
My name is Alyson McLayne, and I can’t
tell you how excited I am to introduce you to my book, HIGHLAND PROMISE, a
Scottish Highlander Romantic Adventure!
It’s the first book in my historical
romance series, THE SONS OF GREGOR MACLEOD, starring five Highland Lairds, who
were fostered together as lads to become brothers. Darach, Lachlan, Callum,
Gavin, and Kerr fight for their clans, for each other, and for their own true
love.
These Highland Lairds are a band of
brothers, who will defend each other to the death—if they don’t kill each other
first with their sharp wit and hilarious banter. They take their oaths
seriously, whether it’s to bring peace to the Highlands and defend one another
as friends and allies, or to razz each other so hard, only one brother is left
standing—and then they’ll take him down too.
And the women they love? They have
spirit, and tenacity, and they take care of others before they take care of
themselves. They’re all different—their backgrounds, their struggles, their
interests and talents—but at the core of each woman is a strength, compassion,
and a capacity to love that brings their man to his knees.
Totally. Slayed.
Before I tell you about HIGHLAND PROMISE,
here’s a little about me. J I live on the west coast of Canada with my
adorable (aka annoying) 5 year old boy/girl twins; my sweet yet sarcastic
husband (who just said he’s not sarcastic at all, he’s ironic!); my
counter-surfing puppy, Jasper, who turns one year old the same day HIGHLAND
PROMISE debuts (Happy Birthday, baby!!); and my 86 year old dad who gets a look
on his face every time it’s mentioned there are—gasp—sex scenes in my books…but
then goes on to tell me young people (meaning me) did not invent sex.
Ears…burning…must pour…hot oil…inside…
Speaking of ears, as I’m writing this, I
have ear plugs in because my son is beside me in my office (aka my bedroom)
building a fort under the covers on the bed, while my Slytherin-declaring
daughter waits to knock it down, which results in WW3; Jasper hovers at the
edge, barking, until he can’t stand it anymore and jumps onto the bed with the
monsters, er, I mean children; my husband comes in and says something “ironic”
about the chaos; and I stare fiercely at my computer screen determined to
ignore it ALL—and thanking God my dad can turn his hearing aids OFF.
Just grist for the mill…grist for the
mill…said all writer-moms everywhere.
Okay.
Onto the important part: HIGHLAND PROMISE! I started writing HIGHLAND PROMISE
almost 10 years ago after reading ALL of Julie Garwood’s medieval-set
historicals, most of which were set in the Highlands. I LOVED them. I don’t
read a lot of books over and over, but I did hers. I found them completely
captivating.
I
think HIGHLAND PROMISE captures that same tone and spirit: Caitlin MacInnes is
the archetypal Waif/Free Spirit who turns the archetypal Chieftain, Laird
Darach MacKenzie’s life upside down—and then spins it around and dribbles with
it for a while. As Lachlan MacKay, Darach’s foster-brother, says of Darach’s
and Caitlin’s courtship:
“I doona know when I’ve laughed so much as
watching Darach trying to control [Caitlin] over the past few weeks. Her
intentions are good, but she’s trouble. It follows her around like a faithful
hound.”
Darach is undone by her. His heart, which
he swore he’d NEVER give to another woman, is torn from his body and becomes
putty in her hands. Of course, he doesn’t know that at first, and even when he
finally figures it out, he doesn’t tell her—he’s a warrior, a leader of his
people, not a poet. And Caitlin, who is determined to make Darach happy whether
he wants her to or not, doesn’t believe there’s any possible way she can stay
with him. She needs to leave the Highlands immediately and find her mother’s
family in France.
’Cause there’s a whole lotta trouble on
her tail (some might call it a shite storm—haha!) heading straight for Darach.
But what Caitlin fails to realize is that Darach, along with his brothers and
their clans, is strong enough to handle it.
War is coming. Caitlin didn’t start the
blood feud between the Frasers and the MacKenzies, nay, Laird Fraser and his
sister, Darach’s former betrothed, did that, but she will be the catalyst that
ends it—pinning the good men of the Highlands against a monster.
And hopefully winning.
(Well of course they win, and of course
Darach and Caitlin live happily ever after—it’s a romance, after all!!)
Now go—before I start rambling and give
too much away. Read the words and feel the feels. Fall in love with both Darach
and Caitlin…and prepare yourself for Lachlan’s story next.
Smooches,
Alyson McLayne
GIVEAWAY: 5 copies of
Highland Promise
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