The fact that she's been so single-minded in her career that she's forgotten to have a life has completely passed her by - until disaster strikes. Out of options, she heads to the remote island of Auchenmor to help out her aunt who is in desperate need of an extra pair of scissors at her salon. A native to the island, Finn is thirty-five and reality has just hit him hard. His best friends are about to have a baby and everything is changing. When into his life walks Isla . . .

    A longing to forget compels him. Fate may send them into each other’s arms, but only love can mend their hearts. An Outlander Raised by a tyrannical father, Marion de Lacy yearns for the comfort of belonging to a loving family. So when her father announces her betrothal to an evil knight in exchange for his help to overthrow the king, she concocts a desperate scheme to avoid the marriage: feigning her own death and then fleeing England. But when her plan goes terribly awry and she’s captured by the knight, not even her careful preparations could ready her for the Scottish barbarian who rescues her and then informs her that he’s to marry her by edict of her king. Certain her father will defy the king’s orders and wed her to the knight if she refuses the Highlander’s hand, Marion agrees to marry the strangely compelling but obstinate laird of the MacLeod clan. A Highlander After the death of his beloved wife, Iain MacLeod has no desire to marry ever again. Yet when he finds himself obliged to do so to secure the freedom of his childhood friend and king, he reluctantly travels across England to collect his unwanted bride, expecting to find a cold Englishwoman. Instead, he discovers a fiery, bold beauty who is fiercely loyal, protective of those she loves, and defies him at every turn, challenging his certainty that his heart is dead. Ensnared Following a hasty marriage and perilous journey to Scotland, Marion harbors no illusions that her new husband loves her. Still, her heart cannot resist the noble, brave warrior, and she cannot suppress the hope that she has finally found where she belongs. However, the harder she tries to fit in with the clan and gain Iain’s love, the farther away her dreams drift. Iain is more than willing to give his respect to his courageous wife—her kisses and caresses even ignite his blood and demand his passion—but he refuses to give up his heart. That is, until enemies near and far threaten to take Marion from him. Now the demons that haunt him can only be conquered by surrendering body and soul to Marion, if only it’s not too late…

    Andrews, the Scottish Highlands, Oban, Mull, Iona, Staffa, Glencoe, Fort William, Inverness, Loch Ness, Pitiochry, Balmoral Castle, the Isle of Skye, Wester Ross, the Orkney Islands, and moreMake the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Scotland.Spending two weeks or less exploring the country? Try Rick Steves Best of Scotland.

     Her Protector… Ansel Sutherland is charged with a mission from King Robert the Bruce to protect the illegitimate son of a powerful English Earl. Though Ansel bristles at aiding an Englishman, the nature of the war for Scottish independence is changing, and he is honor-bound to serve as a bodyguard. He arrives in England to fulfill his assignment, only to meet the beautiful but secretive Lady Isolda, who refuses to tell him where his ward is. When a mysterious attacker threatens Isolda’s life, Ansel realizes he is the only thing standing between her and deadly peril. His Lady… Lady Isolda harbors dark secrets—secrets she refuses to reveal to the rugged Highland rogue who arrives at her castle demanding answers. But Ansel’s dark eyes cut through all her defenses, threatening to undo her resolve. To protect her past, she cannot submit to the white-hot desire that burns between them. As the threat to her life spirals out of control, she has no choice but to trust Ansel to whisk her to safety deep in the heart of the Highlands…

    She had never heard of Soay before, let alone visited it, but something inexplicable drew her there. Within ten minutes of stepping off the said fishing boat, she had fallen under the spell of the island, and after a few months she moved there to live. She is still there. When she arrived on the remote west coast island there were only 17 inhabitants, among them the legendary Hebridean sharker Tex Geddes and his family. Today, including Anne and her husband Robert, there are only three. This book describes her extraordinary transition from a hectic urban lifestyle to one of rural isolation and self-sufficiency, without mains electricity, medical services, shops or any of the other modern amenities we take for granted. Anne describes the history of Soay and its unique wildlife, and as well as telling her own personal story introduces along the way some of the off-beat and colourful characters associated with the island, notably Tex's one-time associate, the celebrated writer and naturalist, Gavin Maxwell.

    Soon McKay and his team start to identify a disturbing pattern behind the killings.Why are candles and roses placed around the bodies?What is this twisted murderer trying to achieve?While the police follow their own leads, a young woman who discovered the first victim begins an investigation of her own.As the case unfolds McKay will be forced to face his own demons.To catch the killer McKay must discover the true motive and untangle the web of truth and lies.Candles and Roses is the first book in the explosive new DI McKay Series.

    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 sixteenth 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. Haunted by his failure to save his brother, his vow might be the very thing that keeps them apart. Because he’ll protect her from everyone - even himself. With enemies closing in, Darcy must make a choice. Should she return home or should she risk her heart on her dream of a Highlander?

    Mary’s ascent to the throne was disarmingly easy and she reached adulthood completely unprepared for the plots and betrayals she would be subject to. As the head of a resolutely unstable country, Mary struggled to maintain her grip on the precarious crown on her head and was removed from the throne by an armed rebellion. Inside you will read about... ✓ Early Life ✓ A Fairy Tale in France ✓ A Most Tragic Year ✓ Return to Scotland and Marriage to Darnley ✓ The Murders of Rizzio and Darnley ✓ The Final Rebellion ✓ Elizabeth and the Casket Letters ✓ An Incarcerated Queen ✓ The Execution Held as a prisoner for more than eighteen years, Mary suffered the final betrayal of her life aged 44 when she was executed by her own cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England.

    Lynes.

    Once she has told her story, she throws herself at his mercy.Blair soon realizes that Roselyn is as much a victim of her half-brother as anyone, but his people's demands for justice cannot be ignored entirely, so he strips the young Englishwoman bare and chastises her firmly with a switch applied to her naked backside.The painful, humiliating punishment both assuages Roselyn's guilt and leaves her yearning to be even more thoroughly mastered by the handsome laird. Though Blair makes it clear that she is free to return home, she instead chooses to remain with the him in his castle... and in his bed. Their passion soon blossoms into romance, but can the highlander protect his beautiful Sassenach when the villain who caused them both so much pain tries to tear her away from him?Publisher's Note: The Laird and the Sassenach includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book.

    She’s opposed in a nasty divorce case by dour, stubborn Scotsman, Dunstan Cromarty. And yet, as the clients’ case grows more complicated, so do Jane’s feelings for Dunstan—and his for her. Crossing personal lines the middle of a case could cost each of them their license to practice law, and in a small, rural jurisdiction, they’ll oppose each other frequently. Neither can afford to give up their livelihood or their professional integrity, but can they give up each other? Dunroamin Holiday As a favor to his cousin, art history professor Liam Cromarty agrees to show American attorney Louise Cameron the Scottish sights. He doesn't expect that his guest will challenge and charm him, until all he can see is the possibility of a shared future with Louise. She's at a professional crossroad, between the courtroom and the creative career she was robbed of as a younger woman. Liam is the perfect partner for exploring all of the wonders of Scotland, and he also inspires Louise to renew her artistic ambitions. When Liam realizes his actions were responsible for cheating Louise out of her dream years ago, he knows that whether he keeps silent about the past or reveals the truth, he could lose Louise forever.

    Terror reigns in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. As British troops obliterate the last traces of the Jacobite cause, Brice Sutherland, the Earl of Dornach, risks everything to arrange a covert escape route to Canada for his fellow Scots. But when he encounters a dying Englishwoman, hauntingly beautiful though scarred by manacles and unable to speak, Brice’s true courage is put to the test. Nothing but ruin could result from helping her, or worse: falling in love. The pampered daughter of a marquess, Eleanor Hirst was the talk of the London season when she wed the Earl of Glendale. Little did she know that his posting as an officer in Scotland would be their undoing. Now her husband is dead and Eleanor is a fugitive in a hostile country. Desperate for help, she throws herself on the mercy of Brice Sutherland, a handsome Scottish warrior who should be her enemy. Instead, he cares for her tenderly, reviving her shattered spirit—and awakening urges unlike any she’s ever known.

    Everyone assumed MacGregor Tulloch's heir to be his grand-nephew David, a local favorite, but when it is discovered that MacGregor left no will, David's grasping cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island's land. And while Hardy doesn't enjoy much popular support, he has the backing of a shadowy group of North Sea oil investors. The courts have frozen the estate's assets while the competing claims are investigated, leaving many of the residents in financial limbo. The future of the island--and its traditional way of life--hangs in the balance.Loni Ford is enjoying her rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, DC. Yet in spite of her outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her paternal grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots. That is until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor. . . .Past and present collide in master storyteller Phillips's dramatic new saga of loss and discovery, of grasping and grace, and of the dreams of men and women everywhere.

    Now, faced with an unwelcome marriage that will chain her to London and the secret slowly killing her, she’s desperate to save herself and the sister she adores. Salvation comes in the form of an American shipping tycoon, and all she must do is seduce him into marrying her. But Gillian’s scheme hits a snag when she makes a bargain with a notorious rake Alexander Trevelle, Lord Lionhurst. He’ll help her win the hand of his American friend, if she’ll assist him with exacting revenge against her unwanted fiancé. But the price of the pact may just be their hearts. My Fair Duchess: A Once Upon a Rogue Novel, Book One After years of playing the rogue to hide a dark family secret, the Duke of Aversley feels tainted beyond redemption and cynical beyond repair. So when he proposes a wager to transform his best friend’s sister into Society’s darling to save his friend, Aversley never expects his heart to be at stake. But the quirky, quick-witted lady determined to win the love of another upends Aversley’s life and makes him long for the thing he fears most―love. When a Laird Loves a Lady: Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts, Book One A need to belong drives her. A longing to forget compels him. Fate may send them into each other’s arms, but only love can mend their hearts. An Outlander Marion de Lacy yearns to belong to a loving family. So when her tyrannical father announces her betrothal to an evil knight, she concocts a desperate scheme to avoid the marriage. When her plan goes terribly awry, she’s captured by a Scottish barbarian who rescues her and then informs her that he’s to marry her by edict of her king. Iain MacLeod, laird of the MacLeod clan, has no desire to marry ever again. Yet to secure the freedom of his king, Iain reluctantly agrees to do so. He expects his unwanted bride to be a cold Englishwoman. Instead, he discovers a fiery, bold beauty who is fiercely loyal, protective of those she loves, and defies him at every turn, challenging his certainty that his heart is dead. Ensnared While Marion cannot resist the noble, brave warrior, nor suppress the hope that she has finally found where she belongs, fitting into Iain’s clan is difficult and softening Iain’s heart seems impossible. Though Iain willingly gives his respect to his courageous wife—her kisses and caresses even ignite his blood and demand his passion—he refuses to give up his heart. That is, until enemies near and far threaten to take Marion from him. Now the demons that haunt him can only be conquered by surrendering body and soul to Marion, if only it’s not too late…

    Sticking to her promises has always been one of them. Then Isabel runs into an old classmate facing marital and financial troubles, who reveals a secret that becomes more and more difficult for Isabel to keep.    Thankfully, Isabel’s devoted husband, Jamie, is there to help our heroine navigate her competing moral obligations. Beautifully perceptive and witty, this original short story by Alexander McCall Smith shows Isabel calling upon all of her intelligence, charm, and tact.     An ebook short.

    From the Middle Ages onwards the island of Britain has been shaped by the unique dynamic between Edinburgh and London, exchanging inhabitants, monarchs, money and ideas, sometimes in a spirit of friendship and at others in a spirit of murderous dislike.Tom Devine's seminal new book explores this extraordinary history in all its ambiguity, from the seventeenth century to the present. When not undermining each other with invading armies, both Scotland and England have broadly benefitted from each other's presence - indeed for long periods of time nobody questioned the union which joined them. But as Devine makes clear, it has for the most part been a relationship based on consent, not force, on mutual advantage, rather than antagonism - and it has always held the possibility of a political parting of the ways.With the United Kingdom under a level of scrutiny unmatched since the eighteenth century Independence or Union is the essential guide.

    She finds refuge as a Saturday girl for an old jeweller, Saul Abrahams, and her eye for detail, her long fingers and appreciation of beauty persuade Saul to train her as a pearl stringer. This skill will lead her through hardship and pain towards a new life. 1879, Scotland.Jem Baillie knows the immense power of a perfect pearl. His father was a fisher on a tributary of the Tay river in Perthshire, Scotland, and together they found the rarest of pearls, a great white pearl they call Queenie. When this is stolen from them, Eben vows revenge. Spanning generations and continents, tracing the rivers of Scotland and the Mississippi, The Last Pearl is a sweeping novel of desire and revenge, of family and freedom, and of one woman's journey to open the shell she has built around herself to reveal the true beauty within.

    He promised, after she completed her task, she’d be free. He didn’t promise her that he wouldn’t capture her heart before he released her. For Sarah, captive of the Highland laird, that these promises are kept is paramount. Phillip never expected to fall in love with the woman who was supposed to save his brother’s life. He also never expected to break a promise. But some promises are hard to keep, especially when he finds out the secrets she’s keeping.

    With a concentration in Colonial American studies, she knows almost nothing about Scottish history and the sixteenth century island stronghold of the Morrison clan. That changes though when she discovers a medieval dagger embedded in the rubble at the base of a tower house on the island. As the dagger pulls her back in time, she awakens in the arms of a suspicious Highland laird who thinks she is a spy—for the English or for their enemies, the MacLeods. Ann believes that getting the dagger back from its owner, John Morrison, is her way back to the twenty-first century. So does the laird. And he has no intention of letting Ann leave the stronghold...or him. Searching for a Highlander series Book 1 - The Highlander's Stronghold (November 2016) Book 2 - The Highlander's Keep (coming soon) Book 3 - The Highlander's Home (coming soon)

    But when she marries her powerful enemy, Lord Pagan Camelliard, in order to save her sister, she soon finds herself losing the battle over her heart.LOVE BEYOND TIME by BETHANY CLAIREOn an archaeological dig in Scotland, Brielle awakens a spell that sends her tumbling 400 years into the past. There she is married to the laird of Conall Castle, who, according to legend, is about to be murdered. Can she prevent the tragic death of the man she loves or has history already decided his fate?HIGHLAND FIRE by TANYA ANNE CROSBYScotland's King David seeks an alliance with the fierce mountain Scot, Aidan dun Scoti. But only one woman will tempt Aidan--the accursed beauty whose father once betrayed his clan ... she is also the one woman who may bring the fierce chieftain to his knees.RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDER by JULIANNE MACLEANHighland scout, Darach MacDonald volunteers to shepherd an heiress back to her home, but spending countless nights on the open road with a lassie as temptingly beautiful as Larena Campbell is enough to drive any hot-blooded Scot mad with savage desire. But Larena is furious with her captors and determined to escape at any cost...CAPTURED BY A LAIRD by MARGARET MALLORYThe Laird of Wedderburn is haunted by the past and set on vengeance. Wed since thirteen to a man who tried to break her spirit, Lady Alison is looking forward to a long widowhood when the fearsome Beast of Wedderburn storms her castle and informs her of their imminent marriage.FREDERICK'S QUEEN by SUZAN TISDALEWhen the handsome Frederick Mackintosh offers to marry Aggie McLaren she is certain 'tis greed or insanity that motivates him. Besides land and a chance at a chiefdom, she believes she has nothing else to offer. She soon learns nothing could be further from the truth.THE DEVIL OF KILMARTIN by LAURIN WITTIGCan the mad chief of MacLachlan regain his sanity and the heart of the skittish Healer of Lamont in time to keep his clan, and the woman he cannot live without, safe from her brutal pursuer?TARNISHED HONOR by SABRINA YORKAfter the battle of Waterloo, Daniel Sinclair has nothing left but his tarnished honor. As he travels to Dunbeath to collect a dubious inheritance, he meets a vexing boy who makes him question even that. The world is a dangerous place for a woman alone--even when she's masquerading as a boy--so Fia Lennox decides to become his traveling companion. Whether he likes it or not.

    Even worse, Farrell knows the victim: Father Boyd, the man who forced him out of the priesthood eighteen years earlier.With no leads, Farrell must delve into the old priest’s past, one that is inexorably linked with his own. But his attention is diverted when a pair of twin boys go missing. The Dumfries police force recover one in an abandoned church, unharmed. But where is his brother?As Farrell investigates the two cases, he can’t help but feel targeted. Is someone playing a sinister game, or is he seeing patterns that don’t exist? Either way, it’s a game Farrell needs to win before he loses his grip on his sanity, or someone else turns up dead.

    Henderson’s debut is brave and beautiful.’- Elizabeth Wein, author of Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire

    When ruthless gangster James Machie’s accountant, known as the Magician, is found stabbed to death in a multi-storey car park it’s clear all is not well within Machie’s organisation. Meanwhile Daley’s friend and colleague DC Brian Scott has been having some problems of his own. To save his job, Scott is persuaded to revisit his past in an attempt to uncover the identity of a corrupt police officer. But there’s a problem. To do so, he must confront Machie and his cohorts. Brian Scott is soon embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse with his childhood friends. As Daley seeks out his old mentor, Ian Burns, to help save his friend and find out who is telling the truth, it becomes a desperate race against time.

    She decides to take off to Edinburgh, where she meets a man who showers her with kindness. Despite his tenderness, however, Katherine resolves to rescue her marriage. But when this is met by her partner Bill’s indifference... An intelligent and sensitive woman breaks out of her grief by taking a journey into the unknown Stephanie, Katherine’s sister-in-law is forthright and bossy. Will she be a help or a hindrance to Katherine, when news about Bill’s extra martial affairs becomes too obvious to hide? Will the bond between women prove stronger than family ties?

    The pictures will wait in the photographer's boxes until the exhibition Un moment si doux (Such a sweet moment) at the Grand Palais (14th November 2013 - 10th February 2014), where the audience discovers a sample of the Glasgow series and goes into raptures about it. Depardon grasps the light of Scotland as never before and sublimes the end of a working world. Glasgow's cloudy skies and soaked ground give an extraordinary beauty to the wanderings of working people, hanging around in front of the shops, walking towards the factories' walls and even playing about ruined houses. William Boyd, who is of Scottish descent and was educated in Glasgow, writes the preface of the book, which is bilingual (English-French). Here we publish the complete reportage: 72 colour photographs. The pictures will appear without captions, and only a short bilingual text by Depardon will introduce the reportage, behind Boyd's foreword.

    Daley novels, comes up with a cunning plan to bring the laws of nature back into balance. But as the wily crew go about their work, little do they know that they face the forces of law and order in the shape of a vindictive Fishery Officer, an Exciseman who suspects Hoynes of smuggling illicit whisky, and the local police sergeant who is about to become Hoynes' new son-in-law.Meyrick takes us back to the halcyon days of light-hearted Scottish fiction, following in the footsteps of Compton Mackenzie and Neil Munro, with hilarious encounters involving ghostly pipers, the US Navy and even some Russian trawlerman.

    Her poems focus on the lives and experiences of women - particularly the socially or economically marginalised - at pains both to empathise and to recognise the limits of this empathy. They embody a need to acknowledge and challenge the poet's privileged position as documenter and outsider, a responsibility to the poem's political message and to that message's human subject. This changes things draws much of its strength from this exploration of inbetweenness. Claire Askew's purposeful deployment of objects, lighting effects and liminal spaces implicates her reader in the poem's argument, holds up a mirror and asks us to pay attention. The book's romantic relationships, depictions of frustrated travel or social mobility, are bound up in its awareness of the systems of power that permit no true state of innocence. Even the final poem, 'Hydra' - with its celebration of the body and its senses - cannot ultimately allow us off the hook.

    A quick-witted and vastly entertaining novel that takes Douglas Skelton into the crime fiction big league.” Alex Gray“If you like your humour black and your detective novels hard boiled, The Dead Don’t Boogie is a cut above the rest.” Theresa Talbot“A white-knuckle, wisecracking thriller.” Caro Ramsay A missing teenage girl should be an easy job for Dominic Queste – after all, finding lost souls is what he does best. But sometimes it’s better if those souls stay lost. Jenny Deavers is trouble, especially for an ex-cokehead like Queste. Some truly nasty characters are very keen indeed to get to Jenny, and will stop at nothing... including murder. 
As the bodies pile up, Queste has to use all his street smarts both to protect Jenny and to find out just who wants her dead. The trail leads him to a vicious world of brutal gangsters, merciless hitmen, dark family secrets and an insatiable lust for power in the highest echelons of politics.

    He has no idea who he is or how he got there. The only clue to his identity is a map tracing a track called the Coffin Road. He does not know where it will lead him, but filled with dread, fear and uncertainty he knows he must follow it.A detective crosses rough Atlantic seas to a remote rock twenty miles west of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. With a sense of foreboding he steps ashore where three lighthouse keepers disappeared more than a century before - a mystery that remains unsolved. But now there is a new mystery - a man found bludgeoned to death on that same rock, and DS George Gunn must find out who did it and why.A teenage girl lies in her Edinburgh bedroom, desperate to discover the truth about her father's death. Two years after the discovery of the pioneering scientist's suicide note, Karen Fleming still cannot accept that he would willfully abandon her. And the more she discovers about the nature of his research, the more she suspects that others were behind his disappearance.Coffin Road follows three perilous journeys towards one shocking truth - and the realisation that ignorance can kill us.

    She was wrong. The Norse thought they could conquer Scotland. They were wrong. After her homeland of Alba comes under attack by an invading horde, Melcorka abandons her life of luxury and chooses the path of a warrior, and sets off to free the land from the scourge of the Norsemen. Along with a ragtag band of companions, she heads south to unite the clans against a fearsome foe, and claim her destiny. Welcome to the Dark Age of Scotland that never was.

    

    Her characterizations were vivid and the story well told with much detail." REGAN'S ROMANCE REVIEW of THE DEEPENING NIGHT.Follow the stories of four incredible women--Raedwyn, Freya, Saewara, and Cynewyn--and their search for love and freedom in a world dominated by the warrior and the sword. THE KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES is a series of historical romance novels set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon East Anglia--Dark Ages Britain.Two of the novels in this series--DARK UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT and NIGHTFALL TILL DAYBREAK--reached the quarter finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards in 2013 and 2014. All the books in this series are stand-alone novels set around the lives of actual East Anglian Kings: Raedwald, Sigeberht and Annan, and spanning eight years, from 624-631 A.D - at a time when the East Anglian kingdom's power was beginning to wane under the threat of Mercia. DARK UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT, the first story in the series, begins in 624 A.D. The novel takes place at the end of King Raedwald reign (the king thought to be buried in the Sutton Hoo longship), and is the story of Raedwyn and Caelin: lovers who are kept apart by feuding fathers. NIGHTFALL TILL DAYBREAK, takes place five years after the first story. This novel is centered around King Raedwald's stepson, Sigeberht, who returns to Britannia from exile in Gaul to take back the East Anglia throne for the Wuffinga family. This is the tale of Freya and Aidan, a slave and a warrior, and of the king who rules their fates. THE DEEPENING NIGHT is the final story in this series. This tale begins in the spring of 630 A.D., and is the story of Annan - the proud East Anglian king who must 'bend the knee' to Mercia - and Saewara, the sister of Annan's enemy. FREE BONUS! Night Shadows (a novella) The prequel to the Kingdom of the East Angles series. This novella begins in 609 A.D. Cynewyn, an ealdorman's daughter, spurns Wildfrid, one of her father's spearmen. Ten years later, they meet again - only now both their circumstances are very different. Wilfred no longer believes in love. Cynewyn no longer believes in happy endings.

    There is sadness, truth, hope and optimism throughout the five sections in this collection, and each is varied in scope but are woven together as part of a life. This stunning new collection marks the end of Liz Lochhead’s term as Makar (Poet Laureate, 2011–2016) and features never before published work alongside poems written during her time as Makar. Throughout her career Liz Lochhead has been described as a poet, playwright, translator and broadcaster; she maintains that ‘whensomebody asks me what I do I usually say writer. The most precious thing to me is to be a poet. As a playwright, I’d like to be known as a poet in the theatre.’ Fugitive Colours is a brilliant, masterful collection.

    

    Filled with adventure, danger, magic, sieges, treachery, spies, revenge and much more besides - all in the classic Horrible Histories style! It's a seriously horrible read.

    His life has spiralled out of control and nothing has gone his way. There seems to be only one option open to him, one last thing he can do to take control of his fate. All hope is lost.But far away on the mysterious island of Moristoun, Buchan is charged with the task of dissuading McSorely from this drastic course of action. Moristoun is where people like McSorely might end up, having exchanged one kind of hopelessness for another.A glimpse of the ‘life' he might be heading for might change McSorely's opinion of his own existence, but a glimpse of the entrancing Gail behind the bar in the pub and a hint about Moristoun's true nature could render all of Buchan's efforts to rehabilitate the despairing McSorely equally hopeless.

    Many people want a tattoo with a Gaelic word or phrase to tell a story about their Scottish or Celtic roots. But most people can't find the accurate information about Gaelic that is needed to get a good tattoo. They try to do their own translations instead and end up with embarassing mistakes. With this book, Gaelic specialist in Nova Scotia provides a guide to how to choose an appropriate word or phrase for a tattoo in the Scottish Gaelic language. The book contains a glossary of nearly 400 authentic Gaelic words and phrases, history and description of the Gaelic language, examples of real-life Gaelic tattoos that went wrong, advice on how to avoid common mistakes, and insights on how to incorporate Gaelic words into a tattoo design that honors and supports the culture. The book focuses on language and does not contain artwork. This book is for tattoo enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in Celtic, Scottish, and Gaelic language and culture.

    

    Fiona can’t help but be charmed by the laird’s handsome son – until he starts to tell her some hard truths about her past. A city girl at heart, Fiona tries to resist his charms and his offer of a life together on the tiny island. But healing a rift with her father and accepting a job as the island’s vet are frightening enough without Brodie’s offer to make their fling into a permanent arrangement. When someone from her past makes an unwelcome appearance, Fiona doesn't think Brodie can accept the mistakes she made when she was young. Will she walk out on the one man she truly loves or allow her fears to rule her?

    Visitors from North America increased 28% in 2014, to over 500,000. St. Andrews is a pilgrimage for golfers; castles dot the country; and whisky distilleries are gaining popularity. Scotland's customs and products--from tartans to tweeds--are known worldwide, but there's nothing like experiencing them firsthand.

    And every loch in Scotland has its kelpie. But it's easy to forget those dangers on a sunny afternoon..." Flora is playing with her brothers and sisters by the loch when she notices a stunning white horse. While her siblings clamour for a chance to ride the beautiful animal, Flora is worried. Where has this strange horse come from? Why are its hoof prints wet? Too late Flora realises this is no horse! It's a kelpie: a shape-shifting water horse from Scottish folklore known to steal children. Can Flora reveal the secret of the kelpie in time to save her family? The kelpie, once a lesser-known creature of Scottish mythology, is now enjoying legendary status as Andy Scott's magnificent Kelpies statues have become a world-famous tourist attraction. The classic tale of the kelpie is wonderfully retold for 4-7 year olds in this gripping adaptation by renowned Scottish children's author and storyteller Lari Don, with breathtaking illustrations by artist Philip Longson.

    Until the threats begin. Can she trust her heart and allow herself to fall in love again? When Ross McKinley reluctantly welcomes Christy back to the village, he has hardened his heart against love, until they begin to renew their childhood friendship. But someone is determined Christy should go back to London. Will they find the culprit in time?

    But on their first walk along the beach, Mike discovers a sinking boat…and a murder victim.Mike left Egan Firewalker Quartz and his bossy teen daughter Flame behind in the Nevada desert when she flew to Scotland to marry her “traditional minister” in a “traditional Scottish wedding” and live the “traditionally happy-ever-after” life. But once in Scotland, Mike fears she made a mistake. She loves Flame as if the child were her own. Worse yet, she may still be in love with Flame’s father.Danger stalks Miz Mike as she hunts down a serial killer. So do laughs. Mike’s rescue of a baby seagull on the way to church leads to an embarrassing fall over a church rail along the front row and introduces the congregation to her underwear.Mike and new friend Samantha Collins take a trip to Loch Ness to look for the elusive Loch Ness monster. Sam claims to see “Nessie.” When Mike attempts to turn their rented boat, the motor mount breaks on one side and the boat sinks. The Water Bailiff threatens to arrest them for fishing without a permit. Mike explains, “We weren’t fishing! We were drowning!”Mike likes to boast that as a Texan, she never backs down from anyone. Yet Mike finds reason enough to flee from Prudence Grunfel after the church organist insists that Mike must change her name to Allison and quit writing detective books.And where else but in Scotland would it be possible to rent ghosts? The idea intrigues Mike. She is equally intrigued by the claim that “God” and “Jesus” showed up in person for a rescue at the beach. Mike is shocked by the report that Jesus said “ain’t.” It’s okay that He said “y’all.” Mike has always suspected God was a Texan!Meanwhile, true to the cliché that the course of true love never runs smoothly, Mike realizes how much she misses Flame and Egan at just about the same time that Prudence Grunfel produces a pink wedding gown instead of the yellow one that was ordered. Who would stomp an expensive wedding gown? Perhaps one mad Texan who has had just about all she can take of tradition.

    Jean, a beautiful young woman with the voice of a nightingale, has been inexplicably neglected by biographers and historians. At first, her stonemason father tried to protect the young Jean from the advances of the mercurial ploughman-poet, whose roving eye and even delusions of grandeur were notorious. Nevertheless, she fell for him and accepted his proposal. Their extraordinary marriage was passionate, tempestuous, and enduring against all odds, and its rocky course reveals Jean’s indomitable strength and character. How she lived with, and frequently without, Scotland’s most famous son tells us much about the life and times of Burns himself, and is a compelling story in itself.

    The love of her life was out of reach, so she walked away and never looked back. Now, visiting the beautiful, snowy village of Glen Avich for Christmas, Viola is shocked to find him here, staying only metres away. Can she risk heartbreak again?Inary Monteith's life is at a turning point - a surprise baby has come to upset her plans and open the door to a whole new world. But as her bump grows, fear trumps over love and Inary feels completely inadequate to her new role. As she and her cousins, Eilidh and Viola, gather for Christmas lunch, no one could expect what lies ahead, least of all the arrival of a mysterious visitor who delivers a gift for them all...

    It depicts a year in the life of Oronsay, a remote island that is farmed by the RSPB for the benefit of wildlife, and follows artist Jane Smith, as she attempts to portray the interactions of wildlife, farm animals and human inhabitants. A humorous, first-hand, personal view of island life, both human and otherwise, and is illustrated with Jane Smith’s vibrant and acutely observed sketches, paintings and prints. Themes include: • The trials of a wildlife artist – what does it feel like to sit in a bog all day? What is screen printing? Where are a bird’s knees? Why does Jane always get covered in acrylic paint? • Natural history – from otters to oil beetles, this book is full of wild encounters. • Conservation management – sounds boring? Think of it more as ‘how to grow a peregrine’. Once you start to understand the intricate connections and links involved, it becomes like a fascinating 3D puzzle. • Getting to the island – the interplay of tides, wind, ferries and a strand-crossing mean that travelling to Oronsay is never dull. • West coast living – the ridiculous things that happen when living on a remote island, cut off from the rest of the world.

    But when she is summoned back to the Bonnybrae to see her dying grandfather just before her eighteenth birthday, he reveals to her family secrets which turn her world upside down. In love with a man she can't have, and facing marriage to a man she has never met, Rina must draw on all her reserves of strength and female guile to escape a fate to which her dissolute parents would condemn her. And what dark secret is it that her father harbours, and which threatens the estate itself? Set in the wilds of a Scotland looking to recover from the most terrible war in human history, this is a gripping tale of one woman's attempt to give her life meaning, and to be a force for good against terrible odds. Can Rina chart a course in a world torn asunder, and can she protect the Estate from the awful consequences of her parents' actions? And can she find love, and find a way for happiness to return to Bonnybrae?

    She forges a bond with an immigrant Scottish couple who, ten years earlier, escaped a life of hopelessness in the service of the aristocracy and journeyed to the American West to build a ranch. She risks her life to help them overcome a brutal winter that threatens not only the couple’s livelihood but their lives as well. Later, they join forces after the young woman makes an extraordinary discovery at Rock Creek on an abandoned property near the frontier town of Ryegrass.

    Come on a journey. We begin at Blackness Castle, Edinburgh Airport, the Bridges in the far west, then on to Dean Village and the National Gallery of Modern Art in the West End, via Murrayfield, Tynecastle and the Diggers pub. Next to the Cafe Royal, South Bridge, Nicolson Square in the centre, taking in the Scott Monument and Princes Street on the way. The Royal Mile and Cowgate make way for Morningside and the Royal Observatory on Blackford Hill. These are just some of the unforgettable locations that inspire the poetry and occasional prose in Umbrellas of Edinburgh.Scotland’s capital has always excited the literary mind; the narrow cobbled streets and ornate turrets a contradiction crying out to be explored and fashioned into metaphor. This is a landmark anthology containing the work of seventy writers including Ryan Van Winkle, JL Williams, Aonghas Macneacail, Gerda Stevenson, Pippa Goldschmidt, Hamish Whyte, Jane Goldman, Theresa Muñoz, Rob A Mackenzie, Colin Will, Richie McCaffrey, Sophie Cooke, Forward Prize-shortlisted Harry Giles and Edinburgh Makar Christine De Luca; a selection that perfectly demonstrates the vitality of the Scottish literary scene.Taken as a guide book, giving a poets-eye-view of the capital and opening it up in ways not seen before, Umbrellas of Edinburgh is the perfect gift for visitors and long-time residents alike.

    Written in Lynne Rickards' signature rhyme, this charming coming-of-age story features dynamic watercolour illustrations of Scottish sealife and a very cute puffling! The adorable sequel to the best-selling Harris the Hero is set in Scotland around the Firth of Forth, the Isle of May, North Berwick and the Bass Rock.

    From firesides to books, these tales have been passed from generation to generation. Some are well known, such as the Irish legend of Diarmaid and Gráinne, while those less frequently told, including The Magic Pail from Cornwall, deserve their place in this unique collection. Tales from all celtic lands, including Brittany, The Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales, meet here. Skillfully retold by author and poet Una Leavy and brought to life by Fergal O’Connor’s lively illustrations. Read of giants and dragons, of fairies and princesses: all beautifully illustrated and told for a new generation of children.

    NO STRAIGHT ROAD. NO ONE PATH.Alex is stuck. Stuck in Essex. Stuck in his childhood home. Stuck in a job he hates. The relationship he’d been counting on all these years has finally fallen apart. He’s run out of things to hope for.Anxious, uncertain and totally sober, Alex is dragged to the Outer Hebrides by his long-suffering friend, James. Somewhere between the mountains and the sea, Alex is desperate to find something to ignite a spark of life in him again. Through castles, ceilidhs, bothies, lochs, vast beaches and tiny boats, chance meetings and old friends, Alex has to learn that maybe taking responsibility doesn’t mean the end of feeling free.

    Seventeen-year-old John Wallace, son of a prominent cattle dealer, kills a British officer in self-defence. He is captured by Captain Frederick Scott, the officer’s uncle, and narrowly escapes death. Furious at the death of his nephew, Captain Scott takes brutal revenge on John’s family. John is swept up in the Highland clearances and exiled to the American colonies. He is cast up on Ile Royale (Cape Breton) and imprisoned by the British, until he escapes into the wilderness and seeks a new beginning in Canada. Blamed for the death of his nephew, Captain Scott faces a career in ruins. He is ordered to Boston in disgrace and posted to Annapolis Royal, a remote outpost recently captured from the French. Bitter at the injustices perpetrated on him by his superiors, and estranged from his fellow officers, he vents his frustrations on the native population. John Wallace and Captain Scott will meet again and the blood feud that began in the hills of Scotland will play out its final act in the heart of the Canadian wilderness.

    ‘The first queerbasher McGillivray ever met was in the mirror.’From the revivalist churches of Orkney in the 1970s, to the gay bars of London and Northern England in the 90s, via the divinity school at Aberdeen, this is the story of McGillivray, a selfcentred, promiscuous hypocrite, failed Church of Scotland minister, and his own worst enemy.Determined to live life on his own terms, McGillivray’s grasp on reality slides into psychosis and a sense of his own invulnerability, resulting in a brutal attack ending life as he knows it.Raw and uncompromising, this is a viciously funny but ultimately moving account of one man’s desire to come to terms with himself and live his life as he sees fit.

    The skeleton muses on Burke's motivation during their serial killing spree of 1828 to provide the Doctors with subjects for anatomy lessons. The second half of the book is the research that under pins the telling of the story in this way. The most thoroughly researched book on Burke. The research uncovers many previously unknown facts about Burke.

     With their power base the rugged grandeur of Argyll, this proud and powerful Scottish clan was stalwart in its support for the great warrior king Robert the Bruce, victor of the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, while in later centuries they gained high honours and distinction that include an earldom In more peaceful times, and in the twentieth century, Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald broke both land and water speed records. The high drama and romance that is the tale of the Campbells is presented here.

    The independence referendum is about to be won when the Westminster Government decides to prevent it by declaring a State of Emergency and imposing Direct Rule. The plot centres around how Scotland reacts and how the UK government deals with the reaction. It is an action packed thriller that examines themes such as the use and abuse of power, the surveillance state, loyalty and betrayal and relationships at a time of deep national crisis. It is set in London, Edinburgh, Fife and Skye. The book sets out to provoke debate and thought about issues central to Scotland's future.

    Already a keen climber, he signed up on the promise of excitement and adventure and was posted to the remote RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team in the north of Scotland. It was the beginning of a journey which would see him involved in some of the most legendary call-outs in Scottish mountain rescue history, including the 1963 New Year tragedy on the Isle of Skye. In the Shadow of Ben Nevis tells Spike’s story from growing up in Leeds in the aftermath of the Second World War, to his time with the RAF during the cold war. After leaving the RAF, he remained an active member of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and was involved in the first lower down the north face of Ben Nevis - an epic 1,500-foot descent to rescue stricken climbers in the middle of winter. Following a two-and-a-half-year stint on Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey, he returned to the Highlands and opened the first Nevisport shop with his close friend Ian ‘Suds’ Sutherland. Together, they brought Sunday trading to Fort William and were one of a small number of shops to revolutionise outdoor retail in the UK. Later, he was a key player in the development of the Nevis Range ski area. Over many years, and against all odds, the project became a reality and a great success. Recounted within these pages are a great many lively tales of adventures and mishaps, told with immediacy and charm. With a foreword by legendary Scottish mountaineer Hamish MacInnes, a close friend of Spike’s, In the Shadow of Ben Nevis is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Scottish mountaineering and mountain rescue.

    An airman goes missing, and old bones are revealed. Marian is sure she could solve the mystery if only the villagers would stop telling her useless stories – but then the crisis comes and Marian finds the stories may have a use after all.

    The Waves Burn Bright is a deeply affecting, sensitive portrait of its devastating aftermath on one family. Carrie Fraser is 16 when the disaster occurs, her father Marcus, one of the survivors. As the narrative moves between past and present we learn that the trauma blows open existing fractures, tearing the family apart. In adulthood, Carrie, now a respected volcanologist, is returning to Aberdeen, having spent many years abroad, to deliver an academic paper. She and her father are estranged, partly due to his post-traumatic stress and related alcoholism, a legacy of Piper Alpha. Will a reconciliation be possible or will the aftershocks of a tragedy that occurred 25 years before continue to drive father and daughter apart?"This novel deserves a wide readership. It will resonate with anyone who remembers the night of Piper Alpha; with anyone suffering PTSD, for any reason; with those trying to love them and live with them; with those trying to treat them; and with those more generally interested in understanding this area of human experience. It is also simply a compelling and highly engaging story, told with insight and compassion." Alison Miller, author of Demo"A cauldron of a book, bubbling with anger and magma which might at any moment spill over and bring further devastation. It is both particular to this tragedy in 1988, but also universal; a compelling story exploring how a father’s trauma sends shock waves through a family, changes the pattern of lives – particularly his daughter’s – and makes love risky. However, as well as being about damage and running away, it is also about healing."Linda Cracknell, author of Call of the Undertow and Doubling Back

    It uses untapped legal evidence to set out a new narrative of governmental development. Between 1124 and 1290, the way in which kings of Scots ruled their kingdom transformed. By 1290 accountable officials, a system of royal courts, and complex common law procedures had all been introduced, none of which could have been envisaged in 1124.The Shape of the State in Medieval Scotland, 1124 - 1290 argues that governmental development was a dynamic phenomenon, taking place over the long term. For the first half of the twelfth century, kings ruled primarily through personal relationships and patronage, only ruling through administrative andjudicial officers in the south of their kingdom. In the second half of the twelfth century, these officers spread north but it was only in the late twelfth century that kings routinely ruled through institutions. Throughout this period of profound change, kings relied on aristocratic power as an increasingly formal part of royal government. In putting forward this narrative, Alice Taylor refines or overturns previous understandings in Scottish historiography of subjects as diverse as the development of the Scottish common law, feuding and compensation, Anglo-Norman 'feudalism', theimportance of the reign of David I, recordkeeping, and the kingdom's military organisation. In addition, she argues that Scottish royal government was not a miniature version of English government; there were profound differences between the two polities arising from the different role and functionaristocratic power played in each kingdom.The volume also has wider significance. The formalisation of aristocratic power within and alongside the institutions of royal government in Scotland forces us to question whether the rise of royal power necessarily means the consequent decline of aristocratic power in medieval polities. The book thus not only explains an important period in the history of Scotland, it places the experience of Scotland at the heart of the process of European state formation as a whole.

    Who was Merlin? Is the famous wizard of Arthurian legend based on a real person? In this book, Merlin's origins are traced back to the story of Lailoken, a mysterious 'wild man' who is said to have lived in southern Scotland in the sixth century AD.

    As she reconnects with her past, old flames are rekindled, and as Christmas fast approaches, Stella begins to wonder if her most heartfelt wish can come true? Uprooted from her life in London and back in her childhood home of the Scottish borders, Stella is soon faced with relationships which have lain dormant for years. New opportunities present themselves, but will Stella dare to take them...Fans of Christie Barlow, Jenny Hale, Holly Martin and the festive glow of Christmas lights will fall in love with this romantic Christmas treat. What readers have been saying about Stella's Christmas Wish: "A delightful, warm-hearted Christmas read which I thoroughly enjoyed."– Portobello Book Blog"This book feels like you should be snowed in somewhere, preferably in the country, with a nice armchair, warm blanket, hot chocolate and a sleeping cat ... a sweet story about family and friends."– Bookaholic Swede"Finally we discover what the Christmas Wish of the title is based on and sigh contentedly. Curl up and enjoy..."– Anne Stenhouse"A festive family drama with a liberal fairy-dust sprinkling of romance ... Kate Blackadder has created characters which are a delight to spend time with. Warm a glass of mulled wine, forget the Christmas to-do list... and enjoy!"– Rae Cowie

    With a poetic style influenced by Gertrude Stein and William Burroughs, this collection is woven with surrealistic imagery that is both unflinching and dislocating. Fagan's poetry is raw and tough yet beautiful and tender and with themes of loss and recovery, hope and defiance, represents a clarion call from a self-taught poet who started writing at the age of seven and so far has not stopped. The Dead Queen of Bohemia documents the progression of a voice and a life written over the last twenty years. It opens with Jenni's most recent work and includes her previous two collections, both now out of print.

    But his maimed right hand, inflicted by the same cruel factor responsible for his parents’ deaths, means he’s one of few men available when the beautiful woman makes her surprising announcement: she’s looking not for a hand but a husband, not just for the season but forever.Annie MacCallum is under threat from a brutal factor also, back at her home farm—one who preys on unmarried women. If she’s to protect all those who rely on her, including her beloved animals, she must have a husband, if only in name. Secretly glad when the attractive Tam takes up her proposition, she doesn’t realize she’s dragging him into a situation that will trigger old demons. Nor does she expect to give him her heart.

    Bird-Woman is a delicious collection, a book to be savoured in the fullest sense." --John Burnside"Em Strang's poems are shamanic, in that they restore to us abandoned mythologies. Nothing is stable in this very real world, where houses can become birds, where the animal lies shallowly below the surface of the human, where poems are haunted with what is unsaid. An 'old throat from the other side', full of bewilderment, concern, passion and beauty." --Jen Hadfield

    The poems portray a multitude of relationships including familial, romantic, sexual, educational, professional, and friendships; the overall sense is of an emotional life laid bare. The collection features Speactram (Spectrum), a heartfelt response to the recent Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, and the Gun Ainm (Unnamed) cycle of eight imagined letters to a Highland soldier at the front from his lover, inspired by a BBC commission for a Gaelic radio series commemorating World War I. The bilingual collection features 56 Scottish Gaelic poems with facing English translations by the poet, and a foreword by Dr. Emily McEwan-Fujita.

    As a historian, his natural home was the era between the Romans and the twelfth century when the Scottish kingdom first began to take shape, but he also wrote extensively on the MacDonald Lordship of the Isles in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, while his work on the Beatons, the notable Gaelic medical kindred, reached into the early eighteenth century. Across this long millennium, Bannerman ranged and wrote with authority and insight on what he termed the ‘kin-based society’, with special emphasis upon its church and culture, and its relationship with Ireland. The book will be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about the Gaelic dimension to Scotland’s past and present.

    The region has played a key part in the history of Scotland since prehistoric times. From the Irish settlers who established the kingdom of Dál Riata, bringing with them the Gaelic language and the tales of Finn MacCool, to the Lords of the Isles, and the warring clans, their folk tales and legends are gathered together in this richly entertaining book by Highland-based storyteller Bob Pegg.

    For Robert Burns, Scotland's iconic poet, the culture of his native country was a fertile ground for his imagination. Sir Walter Scott drew on the nation's past, and on the stirring mountains and lochs of the Highlands, as he pioneered the historical novel. Some of the most famous early literary tourists, including James Boswell, Samuel Johnson, and Dorothy and William Wordsworth, wrote captivating accounts of their travels in Scotland. This enthralling guide gets under the skin of the country through the writers who lived in or visited Scotland, as well as those who simply imagined it in their work--from Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and the Scots 'Makars' of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, to Keats, Coleridge and Robert Louis Stevenson; from Gaelic bards and anonymous balladeers to the cosmopolitan Hugh MacDiarmid, Jackie Kay, Ian Rankin and Kathleen Jamie. Famous figures sit alongside writers sometimes overlooked by literary travellers, and through their lives and words we experience the rich, fractious, and passionate story of Scottish culture and discover how Scotland's history, landscape and society are brought to life in literature. Organized by different areas of the country, the book is filled with excerpts from the writer's works and letters, as well as extensive text features, including several photographs of notable sites, a map with key sites higlighted, an extensive author profiles section with short bios of the writers and their works, a chronology of Scotland's cultural and political history, a bibliography for further reading, and an index for handy reference.

    Reverend Alexander Ferguson, naïve and newly ordained, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the Hebridean island of Harris. His time on the island will irrevocably change the course of his life, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after Alexander departs. Secrets of the Sea House is an epic, sweeping tale of loss and love, hope and redemption, and how we heal ourselves with the stories we tell.Return to FourwindsAt Fourwinds they gather: Alice and Ralph, Patricia and Peter, to celebrate the marriage of their children. But the bride is nowhere to be seen. What could have caused Sarah to vanish? As both families search for the answer, the past floods through the corridors of the old house. Return to Fourwinds is a sweeping, lyrical story of the things we choose to tell and the secrets that we keep.