Book picks similar to
Maximus by Jayne Castel


medieval
paranormal
historical-romance
fantasy

The Highlander's Prize


Mary Wine - 2012
    But the brusque Highland laird who kidnaps her is a bit too rough to be considered divine intervention.HE'LL DO ANYTHING TO THWART HIS KINGWith rival lairds determined to steal Clarrisa from him and royal henchmen searching for her all over the Highlands, Laird Broen MacNicols has a mess on his hands. Worse yet, there's a magnetic attraction between them, although he's betrothed to another. But even an independent-minded lady like Clarrisa knows that a Highlander always claims his prize...

Unmasking Miss Appleby


Emily Larkin - 2016
    Penniless and orphaned, she sets off for London to make her fortune as a man. But a position as secretary to Lord Cosgrove proves unexpectedly challenging. Someone is trying to destroy Cosgrove and his life is increasingly in jeopardy.As Charlotte plunges into London’s backstreets and brothels at Cosgrove’s side, hunting his persecutor, she finds herself fighting for her life—and falling in love…

The Red Wolf's Prize


Regan Walker - 2014
    A year after the Conquest, King William rewards his favored knight with Talisand, the lands of an English thegn slain at Hastings, and orders him to wed the heiress that goes with them, Lady Serena.SHE WOULD LOVE HIM AGAINST HER WILLSerena wants nothing to do with the fierce warrior to whom she has been unwillingly given, the knight who may have killed her father. When she learns the Red Wolf is coming to claim her, she dyes her flaxen hair brown and flees, disguised as a servant, determined to one day regain her lands. But her escape goes awry and she is brought back to live among her people, though not unnoticed by the new Norman lord.Deprived of his promised bride, the Red Wolf turns his attention to the comely servant girl hoping to woo her to his bed. But the wench resists, claiming she hates all Normans.As the passion between them rises, Serena wonders, can she deny the Norman her body? Or her heart?

Hemlock and Honey


Elizabeth Preston - 2017
    They are dying from ergot poisoning, from eating infected crops. But this is the year 1244, and almost no one has heard of this condition, a disease later called, St. Anthony’s Fire. Desperate to save his clan, Laird Gus turns to a soothsayer for answers. The mystic tells him to hunt down and capture a special Sassenach woman with God-given healing gifts. Laird Gus tracks down Lady Sybilla and kidnaps her. Only trouble is, she keeps insisting that she has no magical abilities, nor healing skills of any sort. She’s not even clever with herbs. He has captured the wrong lass. English Lady Sybilla might not have the ability to break curses and cure a castle of folk, but she is clever. And cleverness turns out to be exactly what he needs.

A Wish to Build a Dream On


Michelle Willingham - 2011
    But when he meets Mary, he has only three days to save her life . . . or lose her forever.This short story is an extended digital re-release that was originally published in the Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance.

The Magic of Highland Dragons


Kella McKinnon - 2012
    But Bren Mac Coinnach has long refused to take just any wife. He secretly waits for the one woman that legend says will be his and his alone: his perfect other half, and each year of waiting grows longer and more difficult than the last. When a woman is placed under his protection, he makes a vow not to touch her against her own will, and he soon realizes it won't be an easy vow for him to keep, especially since her will seems made of iron. Bren hungers for her with a need stronger than he has ever felt before, but in a world filled with magic and the timeless, endless battle between good and evil, both his honor and her life are soon at stake. Faith McAlpin had never thought she was much different from anyone else… but she is, and always has been. She would soon learn just how different, and the lessons come fast and furious, until she wonders if she will lose herself entirely, especially to the fiery passion and mesmerizing gaze of the Mac Coinnach Chief. Now the struggle has only begun…

Master of Desire


Kinley MacGregor - 2001
    The youngest daughter of an English lord at war, she is shaken by the arrival of a mysterious stranger to her father's castle. Could this breathtaking man be Emily's yearned-for lover? Indeed, Draven de Montague, Earl of Ravenswood, has come for Emily...but romance has nothing to do with it.In the Tender Embrace of an Enemy...Draven would never have entered the home of his most hated adversary had not the King himself ordered him to take in his foe's daughter for a year to forge bonds of peace between their two feuding houses. Worse still, here is a lass whose exquisite loveliness could tempt Draven to betray his sworn vow never to let another close to his heart. Emily knows the searing heat of her passion could burn down the defenses of this proud warrior. But will the surrender of the sweet nectar of his lips and his bold, sensuous caress ignite a blaze so hot it consumes them both?

Highlander's Wicked Game


Fiona Faris - 2019
    By pretending to be an obedient daughter, she was gathering in secret all the knowledge she could, to make her clan proud. All the knowledge her father didn't share. One fateful night, Marra throws away her caution and attends the Spring Gathering in disguise. Little did she know that her life was about to change... The devilishly handsome Duncan MacGregor didn't want to be Laird. His carefree demeanor aroused worries and doubts in his clan. While searching for fun at the Spring Gathering,he meets the lass that steals his heart. Unbeknownst to Duncan however, she is the last woman he should be meddling with. When Marra is violently abducted and the heartbreaking secret of their true identities comes to light, he has to step up and become the leader he was destined to be... Can these two save their clans and their love before all is consumed by chaos? "Highlander's Wicked Game" is a Historical Scottish romance novel of more than 80,000 words (around 440 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Highlander's Desire


Joanne Wadsworth - 2015
     In the twelfth century, a man named Gilleoin was gifted with the ability to shift into a bear. His clan was called Matheson, and when he mated with a woman carrying faerie blood, they created a line shrouded in secrecy, yet still, far into the future, whispers would abound... For five long years, Isla Matheson has run from the one man her fae ancestor prophesized would be hers, but now her time for running is done. Her shifter mate is closing in and when he captures her and takes her home to his clan, she can no longer deny either of them. She chooses to merge with him in all ways, and in doing so sets a twelfth century prophecy in motion, one that sends her hurtling back through time to when their clan first began. Highland warrior shifter Iain Matheson has fallen under his mate’s spell. She’s the one woman he would die to protect, and when a portal opens and takes her from him, he dives in after her. He’ll never allow her to escape him, not even when he becomes embroiled in one of the greatest feuds raging at that time. Now they have a mission, to save their future line from extinction, to give hope to their people, both in the future and the past. THE MATHESON BROTHERS SERIES Highlander's Desire, #1 Highlander's Passion, #2, (Finlay's story) Highlander's Seduction, #3 (Kirk's story)

Highlander Betrayed


Laurin Wittig - 2013
    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?

Firefly Hollow


T.L. Haddix - 2014
    In 1960, a tragic death in the family calls young Sarah Browning back from college to her Appalachian homestead. Unable to return to school and finish her degree, she finds herself facing a future that isn’t what she’d planned. Lost and grieving, she wanders onto her reclusive neighbor’s property where she stumbles across the all-too-attractive Owen Campbell, a man hiding secrets she’d only ever thought were legend. Owen Campbell was raised on the folklore of Eastern Kentucky, tales of men and women with magical abilities from shape-shifting to healing powers. Rejected by those he loves because of his own abilities, he isolates himself from the world. When he meets Sarah, he’s faced with the tough decision of whether to let her in or stay hidden away to keep his heart safe.Please note - this book is NOT a typical paranormal romance. No rage-beast shifters or alpha dogs here. It is, however, at its heart a romance, with a few intimate scenes between the hero and heroine, as well as adult situations dealing with tragedy. "Firefly Hollow" is the first book in the Firefly Hollow series. Other titles include "Butterfly Lane," "Dragonfly Creek," "Cattail Ridge," "Cricket Cove," "Stormking Road," "Fern Valley," and "Snapdragon Way."

Marked by Fire


Mia West - 2016
    The last person he wants to see is the cub who ignited his disastrous instinct to protect.Especially when he arrives with Bedwyr's armor and a dangerously hopeful scheme to restore him to his rightful place.+MARKED BY FIRE is the 1st novel of the SONS OF BRITAIN series.Tropes: forced proximity - hurt/comfort - older brother's best friend - virgin heroCW: violence, graphic injury/treatment, death (battle context)2nd Edition Note: This title was originally published in 2016 as a novella. The author has significantly expanded the story for republication.SONS OF BRITAIN seriesThey're a long way from legendary. Amid the volatility of 6th-century Britain, Arthur and Bedwyr are just two young men, born to fight and bound to their warlord by blood and oath. But when fierce hearts collide, loyalties can shift, creating bonds far stronger—and ideas far riskier—than their world may be ready for.

Hour of the Rose


Christina Skye - 1994
    Dashing ex-Royal Marine Michael Burke has come to Draycott to unmask a treacherous conspiracy. Kelly Hamilton, a beautiful archaeologist gifted with second sight, is searching for a priceless historical relic. But soon both are caught up in the magic of the moon-drenched abbey-unexpectedly united in desire and sensuous need...as they are drawn deeper and deeper into a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal. For only Michael and Kelly hold the key to the future and the past. And only their bold new passion can lay the abbey' s ghosts to rest...by fulfilling the ancient promise of a rapturous love reborn.

Last Dance in London


Sydney Jane Baily - 2021
    Too bad for him, clever and impossibly desirable Julia Sudbury shows up in his bedroom.Like a shadow, Julia slips from Mayfair's ballrooms into the nobility's private chambers where nothing is more appealing than a spare piece of jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, and cravat pins, oh my!With Julia's bad behavior tarnishing his reputation in ways he'd never imagined, Jasper goes on the run to escape the brutal gossips shredding his family name.It's enough to make a cocky rake wish he were safely married! Who will tame whom?

Grace


Beverley Watts - 2021
    A tall order, given the fact that in the Reverend’s opinion they didn’t possess a single ladylike bone in the eight bodies they had between them. Quite where he would find a wealthy titled gentleman bottle headed enough to take any of them on remained a mystery and indeed was likely to test even his legendary resourcefulness.....Grievously wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar, Nicholas Sinclair was only recently returned to Blackmore after receiving news of his estranged father’s unexpected death. After an absence of twenty years, the new Duke was well aware it was his duty to marry and produce an heir as quickly as possible. However, tormented by recurring nightmares after his horrific experiences during the battle, Nicholas had no taste to brave the ton’s marriage mart in search of a docile obedient wife.…..Never in his wildest dreams did Reverend Shackleford envisage receiving an offer for his eldest daughter from the newly appointed Duke of Blackmore. Of course, the Reverend was well aware he was fudging it a bit in describing Grace as respectful, meek or dutiful, nevertheless, he could never have imagined that his eldest daughter’s unruliness might end up ruining them all….