Excerpt Morning was just starting to dawn as he slipped around the inn and into the side servants' entrance. Though 'twas difficult for a man of his tall size, he moved stealthily up the stone staircase and along the corridor where the guest rooms were. 'Haps he was daft to kidnap his own sister, but if Alec would not return his treasure, he would take Alec's. 'Twas the only leverage he had. Aye, his sister would be angry, but if Alec was truly a whoreson and thief, why would his sister wish to marry him? When a door opened, he hid in the window alcove behind the drapery. "The chief wishes you to hurry, Lady Lindsay," the soft female voice urged. "He sent me to fetch you." Lady Lindsay? Dugald frowned and peered from behind the plaid material and down the corridor. All he could see was a drab-clothed maid waiting before an open door, then she disappeared inside. More maids rushed out of the room, carrying various small trunks. He drew back and watched them trot down the stairwell. Aye, obviously the whole of the Lindsay party was in an unnatural rush, all because Alec and Angus wished to escape with Dugald's dagger. Thieves and cowards, the lot of them. He peered out from behind the curtain again. Though the corridor was dim in the dawn light, he could easily see the short, blond woman, wearing a dark cloak with the cowl over her silk gown. Lady Lindsay, herself. Saints, she would be even better leverage than Mairiana! Of a certainty, the chief would want her back, and he would find the thief with all haste in order to return the dagger. Dugald's muscles tensed as she walked past his hiding place. Now was his chance. Silently approaching Lady Lindsay from behind, Dugald gently but firmly clamped his hand over her mouth, lifted her and carried her quickly down the narrow servants' stairs toward the side exit. Amid muffled screams, she kicked and elbowed him. What a fiery hellion! Though he hated to terrify her and use her for leverage, he had little choice. "Stay calm," he whispered in her ear, anticipation rampaging through him. "I won't hurt you." He glanced behind himself. Thank the saints no one was about. Once outside, he ran with her, along the side of the inn and across the street to the livery stables where his clan's horses were saddled and waiting. She was a wee, light thing but she struggled hard, her elbows jabbing into him. "Come." He motioned some of his men behind the tavern next door. "Chief?" Owen asked, wide-eyed as he took in Dugald's captive. "What the devil?" "Help me with her. Tie a gag in her mouth," Dugald demanded, his heartrate and breathing elevated. "But don't hurt her." "Are you certain this is wise?" "I don't need you acting like Tòmas," he snapped. "This is the only way to get the dagger back."

    Still, she hides from Rory MacLean--the dashing laird whom King James has ordered her to marry--hoping to save her family's honor. For the pretty young lass knows that once she is wed, her trembling passion will be a difficult secret to keep hidden from her determined bridegroom. Bound by Desire For Rory MacLean, this marriage was merely a means to secure his fortune. But when he finally sets eyes upon his heiress bride, Rory is enraptured, and determined to have her, body and soul. But first the rugged Highlands warrior has to make the spirited, innocent beauty desire the man she has been taught all her life to hate. And by slow and sinful seduction, Rory MacLean will show sweet Janna that he is truly the husband her heart is destined for.

    At the same time, three women plot to marry these heroes to insure peace. In SINS OF A HIGHLAND DEVIL, James Cameron is concerned when the King's decree states all three neighboring clans must have a battle to the death in order to lay official claim to the scared Glen of Many Legends. James attempts to make a pact with the heads of the other clans to fight this decree. But he ends up fighting his own fierce desire when coming head-to-head with Lady Catriona of the opposing MacDonald clan, who has her own plan for peace.

    But now that Lord Alexander Mallory has won a Scottish estate in a hand of cards, he is the unlikely laird of the wild, snowy Bonniebroch. Worse yet, the ancient pile of stones comes with a betrothal. To a fiery red-headed virgin. And a curse.Alex will have his hands full honoring the first, seducing the second and breaking the third…all by Twelfth Night.

    . .Though Honora Tannach came of age amid the misty moors of the Scottish highlands, where warring clans battled to the death for the future of their wild land, nothing frightens her so much as a lifetime trapped in the castle of her cruel stepfather. She is thrilled when a marriage is arranged to the son of a Scottish laird . . . until her betrothed is revealed to be Cavan Sinclare. Though the savage warrior once saved her life, Honora knows no one can tame the heart of such a brute, no matter now finely chiseled his features or how enticing his eyes . . . .After escaping his captors, Cavan's only concern is protecting his clan from the menacing invaders who threaten at every turn—and his beautiful wife is a dangerous distraction. But in the face of fiery passion, their reluctance will fade . . . and Cavan will discover that there is no greater strength than the power of true love.

    He mistakenly abducts Sophie—recently returned from a French convent. Quickly wedded, passionately bedded and now captive, Sophie cannot escape—but an ancient faery curse decrees that she must never fall in love. How can she get away before the handsome outlaw steals her heart as well?Sophie's only weapon is her saintly reputation—and soon she makes Connor's life hell by creating heaven around him, gambling that the brigand will let her go just to escape her constant sweetness and womanly influence in his Highland lair. When Connor deliberately employs his reputation as a dark ruffian and a passionate lover, he turns the tables on Sophie's plans. But as his remarkable bride works her natural magic on him, Connor soon realises that he must shield Sophie from those who want her for their own evil ends—while protecting his own heart.

    Premonitions of imminent danger warn her of foul play and she is certain she is cursed when it comes to marriage.The king orders the Highlander Laird Malcolm MacNeill, seeking an English bride, to provide the lass safe escort and learn what has become of her staff. Escorting her home safely proves a dangerous trial in and of itself and keeping his heart out of the matter, when the king wishes her wed to one of his loyal barons instead, complicates issues further. Losing his heart to the lass means Malcolm could very well lose his head.

    But when Ian Broderick shows up in a London ballroom, Sophia realizes her past is about to catch up with her, and the scandal could cost her everything.

    . . barbarianEnter a world of breathtaking romance and rugged adventure. Enter the world of Kilgannon--an unforgettable story of love and treachery in a great Scottish clan. Kathleen Givens's magnificent novel sweeps from Queen Anne's London to the Highland wilderness . . . and into the hearts of one proud, passionate family: the MacGannons of . . . Kilgannon.Mary Lowell wasn't interested in marriage despite her aunt's determination to find her a husband by the end of the London Season. Then Alex MacGannon, Earl of Kilgannon, strode into the ballroom and commanded her heart. They called him a barbarian, a rough-hewn Scot--chieftain of clan MacGannon. They said no woman could hold him, as he set sail on the high seas. But Alex returned to claim Mary Lowell as his own, to carry her off to Scotland, to his magnificent ancestral castle, Kilgannon. And as the Highlands are torn by rebellion, Mary will find passion--and danger--in the rugged land she would now call home.Watch for the next book in the magnificent Kilgannon saga: The Wild Rose of Kilgannon, coming in November 1999 from Dell.

    Lady Jane, a battered woman and accused murderess—Laird Alexander, fleeing his keep after blaming himself for the accidental death of his wife.Both souls must heal their wounds. Both souls have reason to keep their identities hidden. This misshapen pair discovers each needs the other—though neither is willing to admit dependence.Alexander must return to his kin and resume his laird’s mantle. Lady Jane must clear her name and find forgiveness. But before healing can begin, it is essential they learn to trust…and love.

    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...

    But it is another woman who sets his heart aflame.Haunted by the mysterious deaths of his two brothers, Grant Roberson, 10th Earl of Straithern, fears for his life. Determined to produce an heir before it's too late, Grant has promised to wed a woman he has never met. But instead of being enticed by his bride-to-be, Grant can't fight his attraction to the understated beauty and wit of her paid companion.Gillian Cameron long ago learned the danger of falling in love. Now, as the companion to a spoiled bluestocking, she has learned to keep a firm hold on her emotions. But, from the moment she meets him, she is powerless to resist the alluring and handsome earl.Fighting their attraction, Gillian and Grant must band together to stop an unknown enemy from striking. Will the threat of danger be enough to make them realize their true feelings?

    In this enthralling novel, Rory Maclean risks it all by letting the enemy into his heart...Felicia Campbell can't believe her bad luck. In a fortnight, she's expected to wed a brutal man more than three times her age. She has no choice but to flee...but Felicia's fortune goes from bad to worse when, during her escape, she's abducted by her clan's enemy. She must now continue the masquerade or ignite a clan war that could destroy them all.A seaman at heart, Rory Maclean longs to cut the ties that have bound him to a legacy of hatred and bloodshed. Still, with his clan in peril, he's returned home, hoping to broker peace between the Macleans and Campbells. But his men, believing he needs an heir, have stolen him a bride—a beautiful, spirited lass who ignites his passion and reawakens every fiber in his being. And tempts him to do the one thing he swore he'd never do: challenge again a century-old curse that had already claimed two brides and hardened his heart.

    Her unscrupulous guardian is squandering away her inheritance, and now wants to gain complete control over her dwindling wealth by forcing her to wed his aged crony. But Caroline has found a solution to her woes. Though it means surrendering her long-cherished dream of marrying for love, she agrees to a preemptive temporary union with a devilishly handsome stranger - a brave and noble Scotsman who believes that love is an illusion. A Thorny Romance... Major Hugh MacColme has every reason to hate the British - since the Crown stole his ancestral castle and sent his father and brother into exile. And he never imagined he would end up marrying one of the enemy. But a year spent in the intimate company of an exquisite English rose seems a small price to pay for recovering his birthright. For tender-hearted Caroline, however, the difficult part will be coping with her unexpected desire for this proud and distant man - and harder still, convincing Hugh that the wife he has no use for is the warm and healing love that he truly needs.

    But she never recognized the stranger...not until the moment she found herself surrounded by arms of warm steel--and drowning in smoldering green eyes that had once held cool disdain but now shimmered with passion. Morgan MacDonnell, the boy, had been her tormentor. Now it looked as if Morgan, the man, would prove infinitely more dangerous... Though hatred divided their clans, Morgan MacDonnell had come to Cameron Glen hoping for a truce...only to find that by evening's end the only way to avert bloodshed between the two families was for him to marry his enemy's daughter. But even as Morgan spirited Sabrina away to his rugged fortress, his battle would not be won. For this delicate rose of a girl would put up a bold fight...and the spoils of victory would be nothing less than a heathen MacDonell's heart.