But time in Gunnar’s keep stirs an unwanted passion in Raina, and something far more perilous, when she finds herself falling in love with the one man she should never desire.For Gunnar, vengeance is all that matters. He seeks the ultimate price from his enemy’s beautiful young daughter, claiming Raina as his hostage. But the proud beauty defies him at every turn, tempting him like no other. Setting out to break Raina’s glorious spirit, Gunnar instead finds himself bewitched by her goodness, her strength. Can he seize the justice he is due without losing Raina forever?

    One night, she unexpectedly comes into possession of a golden medallion. But when the man who left it with her is immediately murdered by soldiers of the Royal Navy, she’s afraid to admit she has it. Unsure who to trust, she’s caught up in crossfire between navy officers and a pirate captain, who, realizing she possesses the object he’s been paid to find, whisks her away to his ship during the fight. Privateer Captain Zane Fox is not interested in the mystical healing powers the medallion is said to hold, even though the legends claim it can bring a dying man back to life. He only plans to procure the medallion, drop the chit off at the next port where she’ll be safe, and collect the money he was promised. However, as they fend off storms at sea and attempt to outrun the Royal Navy, the two are also fighting the attraction they feel for one another. But when they are captured, Zane must choose between recovering the medallion and saving Lianna from the noose. And soon it becomes clear to him that the medallion is not the only treasure worth risking his life for.

    Battling the French in a no-holds-barred combat, they forged a new brand of honor, became a new breed of men...MacKinnon's RangersIain MacKinnon had been forced to serve the British crown, but compassion urged him to save the lovely lass facing certain death at the hands of the Abenaki. He'd defied his orders, endangered his brothers, his men and his mission, all for a woman. But when he held Annie's sweet body in his arms, he could feel no regret. Though he sensed she was hiding something from him, it was too late to hold back his heart. In love and war, there are times when the only course of action is...Surrender.

    It's been years since they've seen each other, but Clara's love for Brendon hasn't diminished. Will Brendon recognize Clara and admit his feelings for the woman before Lord Desmond comes calling, claiming Clara for his own?Meant For MeFor years Cynthia Shaw has replied to Gabriel Baston's letters, pretending to be his fiancé, Cynthia's wretched cousin Helen. When Gabriel appears at a masked ball and mistakes Cynthia for Helen, she can't help herself and gives her innocence to the man she has loved for years. Will Lord Kennwick realize Cynthia was meant for him before it's too late? This anthology is approximately 30,000 words and is appropriate only for adults! If you enjoy these short stories, you might also enjoy Lori's other historical romances: Wild Heart, Wild Desire and A Night of Secrets. To find out more about Lori, go to www.LoriBrighton.com

    Who will protect her from herself? Shoney's lightning speed with a bow captures Ronan by surprise, and their chance meeting ends with him lying unconscious at the bottom of a ravine. When he awakens, he cannot rid his mind of her startling beauty, her valor, or the secret fear he glimpsed in her steel eyes. He vows to find her, but as the mysteries of her identity unfold, his courage and heart are tested as never before.

    – As the premier commander for Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, when he commandeered the throne from a young Edward III, Sir Mathias de Reyne is the type of knight that all men aspire to be; fair, powerful, intelligent, and bold. Men on both sides of the Mortimer/Edward lines respect and admire de Reyne for his outstanding character, including Dragonblade himself, Tate de Lara. Before the war separated men into two groups – those that supported Mortimer and those that supported the rightful king – Mathias, Tate, Kenneth St. Hever and Stephen of Pembury were inseparable friends. But then, sides were chose and lines were drawn. When Roger Mortimer lost his head, Mathias de Reyne was spared because of his great and fair reputation. Stripped of his lands and titles, however, he was forced into obscurity. He became known in legend as The Fallen One.More than a year after being stripped of his knighthood, Mathias now makes his living as a blacksmith in the north Cumbrian town of Brampton. One morning, he hears cries for help and, being an innately brave and helpful man, follows the cries and comes upon a terrible scene. Rescuing a young woman from a fiend, he very quickly realizes that the young woman is the most beautiful he has ever lain eyes upon. The Lady Cathlina de Lara is a lush beauty with dark hair and flashing dark eyes, and the attraction between the pair is immediate. But she is also a de Lara, related to the man who took Mathias’ titles from him… his former best friend.Still, he cannot forget the dark-eyed beauty and soon finds himself swept up in a wildly passionate love affair, breaking his promise to never bear arms again by resuming his knighthood without the permission of the king and fleeing to Scotland. From the brutal Scots borderlands to the fields of Dupplin Moor and a historic battle, join Mathias and Cathlina as their journey in life takes them on a passionate adventure of love, life, learning, and the redemption of the man once known as The Fallen One.

    It is said the Targe can shield the heart of the Highlands from invaders and now, as part of his plan to crush the Scottish rebellion, the English king wants the Targe for himself...Rowan MacGregor, orphaned niece to the chief of the MacAlpins and the rock her family depends upon, is worried. With the dwindling health of her aunt, the Guardian of the Targe, the protections that have kept the clan safe and prosperous are fading, and the new Guardian, one of her cousins, has yet to be chosen. Rowan wants nothing more than to see the clan protected again, but when it seems that will never happen, she despairs—even when a handsome and charming stranger comes to her aid. Nicholas fitz Hugh is not what he seems. Half-English, half-Scottish, he turned his back on his Scottish heritage early in his life, giving his loyalty to England instead. Now he is a talented and cunning spy charged with finding and stealing the Highland Targe for his king. But when Nicholas finds himself falling for the bonny Rowan and wanting to protect the family she holds so dear, he is forced to choose between his king’s will and his own: Will he betray his king and his mission? Or will he turn his back on the woman he has come to love?

    He also could not have anticipated how difficult it would be to convince her to give in to love. But now that he has her, he’s never letting go. He’s got it all planned—the passionate proposal, the dream wedding, the sexy Hawaiian honeymoon—even the perfect family they’ll start.After trying to flee from her painful past, Joss is finally allowing herself to embrace the future. But when things start moving faster than she anticipated, she finds herself panicking over something Braden can’t understand. After everything they’ve been through, Joss is sure that their love can survive even her worst fears. But, this time, she may push Braden too far—and risk losing everything all over again…

    When her dying Grandmother worries about Fiona’s future, Fiona stammers that she’s secretly engaged. Soon she finds herself promising that she will introduce her husband-to-be by Christmas. One dutiful duke… Percival Carmichael, new Duke of Alfriston, is in a hurry. He’s off to propose to London’s most eligible debutante. After nearly dying at Waterloo, he’s vowed to spend the rest of his life living up to the ton’s expectations. One fallen tree… When Fiona tries to warn a passing coach about a tree in the road, the driver mistakes her for a highwaywoman. Evidently he’s not used to seeing women attired in clothes only suitable for archaeology waving knives. After the driver flees, Fiona decides she may as well borrow the handsome passenger…

    One man has claimed her dowry; the other has claimed her virginity. One man is dying of a battle wound and the other has scars that can’t be seen by the naked eye. Both brothers need her healing touch. Both brothers need her.And she needs them.Jisella always knew that one day her Ever Knight would arrive—the soul she’s loved since time began. Yet he’s taken a long time to find her in this life and now she’s not sure which of these handsome Knights is the one for whom she’s waited. The brothers are all too happy to compete for their lady’s favors. Perhaps there is only one fair decision. Perhaps she can have both, if they might be persuaded to share.

    He has also sworn to love her forever…secretly, of course. A relationship between a hulking, lowly palace guard and the queen is impossible. Still, when he hears Britta crying one night, he can’t help but offer his king-sized embrace as comfort. Rex is shocked when Britta is not repelled by him in the least. Miracle of miracles, she is eager for much more than solace. The penalty for putting his filthy hands on the virgin queen is dead, but what a way to go...

    A most wicked plan for redemption.Venice, 1740.Desperate, starving, Kathleen Strong makes her way to a job interview that promises a chance at proper employment...and maybe a bite to eat. Accused of "gross immorality," she's adrift after being dismissed from her governess position, despite being entirely innocent.That innocence is precisely what a mysterious group of debauched aristocrats finds so alluring about Miss Strong. When they propose a scandalous offer that she can't refuse...she can't refuse. But if the darkly gallant Alistair Rohan, a gentleman involved in all manner of wicked deeds himself, has anything to say about it, Kathleen can escape her disrepute in another way.Of course, the escape route looks very similar to the group's illicit proposition itself...

     ...Oops. If I had it my way, I’d never get married. But then, it’s not up to me at all. Because the gruff, muscled, gorgeous and powerful Highlander Lord Hamish Ballentyne has decided to claim me as his bride. I’m determined to resist him. He may be beautiful, and dangerously brooding, and carrying around the shadows of the wars he’s fought in. But I will not be some lord’s property, and I refuse to be “his”. Except one look into those dark, piercing eyes? One forbidden, pulse-quickening, toe-curling touch from his rough, strong hands? I can refuse to belong to him all I want, but the thing is... …I might already be his. He speaks to me like no man ever has. He touches me in ways I’ve only dreamed feverishly of. And he promises to take what can only be taken once. And God help me, I’m ready to give it to him. ALL the trope clichés. Lots of plaid. Wildly historically inaccurate. More alpha than you can shake a thistle at. Warning: not responsible for lost or ripped bodices. Reader beware ;). As with all my books, this one is safe, with no cheating, and a HEA guaranteed.

    A man she's never even met. A man who, by reputation, is one of Scotland's cruelest lairds in over a century. But what choice does she have, with her father dead and her uncle now married to his brother's widow, putting him in charge of not only the Blackthorne fortune, but Sibyl's future as well? Then her betrothed turns out to actually be far worse than his reputation, so headstrong Sibyl decides life as a peasant, or even death, would be preferable to a future with such a despicable man, and makes plans to run away. On an organized hunt for wolves--or, as the Scots call them, wulvers--Sybil escapes her fiancé's clutches, only to find she's run into something far more untamed and dangerous in the middle of the woods. When a big, brawny, long-haired man, who only speaks to her in Gaelic and calls himself Raife, simply picks her up and carries her off with him into the Scottish wild, Sibyl knows she's in trouble. When he takes her to a place no human has ever been, she knows she's gone over the edge. And when he, at last, marks her as his own, she discovers that only one wild heart can claim another.Note To Readers: This is the extended version with over 10K words of new material and a BONUS epilogue and preview of the SEQUEL.

    When the frizzy-headed crone took thirty-nine-year-old Lizzie Johnston's hands and wrapped them around the sword, she felt a little weird. That's nothing compared to what she feels when she wakes up in the body of eighteen-year-old Saxon, Lady Elizabeth of Aedelmaer in the year 1067, wedded to the infamous Norman knight, Kieran the Black. Kieran's six and a half feet tall, black-haired, with the bluest eyes Lizzie's ever seen and built like a brick you know what. Lizzie's head over heels and determined to get tall, dark and dangerous into bed and win his heart, despite the old Elizabeth's avowed distaste for him. But first she has to save his life.