Darnleys & Kirallens Series by Elizabeth English

No one can remember a time when the Darnleys and Kirallens were not at each other's throats. The marriage of Maude Darnley to Jemmy Kirallen promises to end an age-old conflict - but Darnley has no intention of keeping his sworn word. Instead, he blackmails his baseborn daughter, Alyson, forcing her to masquerade as Maude while he prepares for a devastating surprise attack... moreNo one can remember a time when the Darnleys and Kirallens were not at each other's throats. The marriage of Maude Darnley to Jemmy Kirallen promises to end an age-old conflict - but Darnley has no intention of keeping his sworn word. Instead, he blackmails his baseborn daughter, Alyson, forcing her to masquerade as Maude while he prepares for a devastating surprise attack. Alyson is determined to survive and rescue her young brother from Darnley's clutches, but she never counted on falling in love. Now Alyson is faced with a terrible choice: Reveal the truth, and her brother's life is forfeit - stay silent, and condemn Jemmy and his clan to certain death. less

DREAM LOVERS Banished from his clan, Alistair Kirallen is a sword for hire and a man with a dream: to avenge his brother's death. 'Til a very different dream fires his imagination. She is his heart's desire, his one true destiny--but she is only a fleeting vision.... Deirdre Maxwell has also seen a vision--a wild dream of a man who cannot possibly be real. 'Til she meets her husband's new swordsman... moreDREAM LOVERS Banished from his clan, Alistair Kirallen is a sword for hire and a man with a dream: to avenge his brother's death. 'Til a very different dream fires his imagination. She is his heart's desire, his one true destiny--but she is only a fleeting vision.... Deirdre Maxwell has also seen a vision--a wild dream of a man who cannot possibly be real. 'Til she meets her husband's new swordsman. Brave and brooding, Alistair Kirallen is haunted by demons only he can fight--demons that will lead to his destruction--and Deirdre may be his only salvation. But the power that pulls them together is not a dream at all. It is desire.... less

Everyone within miles of Aylsford Keep knows the notorious reputation of Lady Maude Darnley, only twenty-one yet inflamed with a temper so sharp it can draw blood. But few know the terror and anguish her temper conceals, and no one dares to breach the wall of ice that seems to encase her. Only the Irishman Ronan Fitzgerald sees beneath her haughty and cruel manner to another Maude--one who exists in spite of the hatred that taints every Darnley and Kirallen caught in the feud... moreEveryone within miles of Aylsford Keep knows the notorious reputation of Lady Maude Darnley, only twenty-one yet inflamed with a temper so sharp it can draw blood. But few know the terror and anguish her temper conceals, and no one dares to breach the wall of ice that seems to encase her. Only the Irishman Ronan Fitzgerald sees beneath her haughty and cruel manner to another Maude--one who exists in spite of the hatred that taints every Darnley and Kirallen caught in the feud. Stranger in a strange land, Ronan is at Aylsford as both minstrel and healer. Bound by oath to look after Maude, Ronan's growing fascination--and attraction--compels him to seek out her secrets, her innermost desires. Neither expects the passion that springs between them or a love so powerful and true it promises to break the endless cycle of hatred, and to triumph over violence... less