The Highland Warlord Series by Tessa Murran

1314 and Scotland is facing a mortal struggle for independence. An English army is poised to invade and take back Stirling Castle, a supreme fortress from which to wage war against the Scots. Cormac Buchanan is uncompromising, wild and brutal - when he has to be. Over six foot of muscle and ferocity, he has spent years fighting for Robert the Bruce, self-proclaimed King of Scotland and leader of its rebel army, as he wrests control of Scotland back from English tyranny... more1314 and Scotland is facing a mortal struggle for independence. An English army is poised to invade and take back Stirling Castle, a supreme fortress from which to wage war against the Scots. Cormac Buchanan is uncompromising, wild and brutal - when he has to be. Over six foot of muscle and ferocity, he has spent years fighting for Robert the Bruce, self-proclaimed King of Scotland and leader of its rebel army, as he wrests control of Scotland back from English tyranny. Cormac is battling not only the English invaders but also his clan’s sworn enemy, the Gowans, who have threatened the Buchanan’s for a generation. Thinking he is beyond the reach of love and tenderness, he is horrified at his king’s command to bury old enmities and unite with Clan Gowan, through marriage. Cormac expects his bride to hate him and he intends to put her aside and forget about her. What he does not expect, is Ravenna Gowan, a bastard, half low-born and with a fierce defiance. At first, he just wants her to obey, in bed and out of it, but with looks that would stir any man’s blood, Ravenna wakes a savage need in him which he cannot ignore. But he can’t trust her. Nor can he ever look favourably on any Gowan after what they took from him. Brought up on the fringes of her clan, the unloved, bastard child of Laird Baodan Gowan, Ravenna is her father’s shame and his pawn in vying for power. Banished to a convent for the sin of forbidden love, her heart hardens against the world which has wronged her. Her life is over until an English army heads north and her father has to sacrifice a daughter to the cause of King Robert the Bruce. Ravenna is about to become the glue that binds two clans together by wedding fearsome warrior Cormac Buchanan. But her father means her to spy on Cormac and bring him down, in exchange for freedom from his iron control. Can she survive her rough, angry husband who resents and mistrusts her? Or will her loyalties be tested and her life threatened, as she tries to deny their growing attraction. The Laird’s Bastard Daughter takes the reader from the moors of the Highlands to castles under siege, and, as Scotland burns, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Scots rebel army in the battle lines at Bannockburn. Loyalties are tested, bloody vengeance is sought, and secrets are spilled, with deadly consequences. The Laird’s Bastard Daughter is the first book in The Highland Warlords Series. Extract When she got to the kirk, Ravenna saw before her a group of men standing with her father and she had to force her legs forward. She could barely look at them. Oh God, which of this pack of hounds was to be her husband? Which of these men, covered in muck from the road, would step forward and claim her, like a prize? Or was she more a burden, for she knew full well that no Buchanan would ever want her? As she walked forward, a handsome man, young but imposing, looked at her with keen interest. He wasn’t so bad, his expression was kind, and there was admiration in his eyes. Then he stepped aside to reveal a man behind him. This other one was taller, darker and wild-looking. ‘Like a beast’, Coira had said. With a heart sinking to her toes, Ravenna realised this must be Cormac Buchanan, not the one with gentle eyes, but this one, who was looking at her with a face like thunder. less

Castles and hearts are under siege. Giselle de Villers is sent to Northumberland to wed, but when a Scots hoard besieges her betrothed’s castle, she falls prey to vicious predator, Banan MacGregor. Salvation, of sorts, comes in the shape of handsome Lyall Buchanan, who wins her as his war prize and takes her for ransom. Carried off into the Highlands, Giselle has to suffer the protection of a savage Scot who is as wild and unpredictable as his moorland home... moreCastles and hearts are under siege. Giselle de Villers is sent to Northumberland to wed, but when a Scots hoard besieges her betrothed’s castle, she falls prey to vicious predator, Banan MacGregor. Salvation, of sorts, comes in the shape of handsome Lyall Buchanan, who wins her as his war prize and takes her for ransom. Carried off into the Highlands, Giselle has to suffer the protection of a savage Scot who is as wild and unpredictable as his moorland home. But he is also a sight to behold and more of a man than anyone she has ever met. Soon, Giselle is in danger of losing not only her freedom, but also her virtue and her heart. As she tries to resist Lyall’s practised seduction, Banan’s urge to possess her grows to murderous proportions. Lyall Buchanan has become two men. Haunted by the rigours of war, he is torn between the ruthless fighter he has to be to survive, and the honourable man he once was. When innocent Giselle de Villers needs protection, he steps in. Telling himself he wants the ransom her rich father will pay, Lyall drags her into Scotland. But feelings that lay buried, start to resurface, and soon, the soft, English lass becomes more than just an enemy and a burden. Giselle is at his mercy, so, if she yields to him, is it through passion, or fear? When evil threatens to tear them apart, how far will he go, how low will he sink, for love? As storm clouds gather around the throne of Scotland, a reckoning approaches, and a fight to the death, in one final, bloody siege - for freedom and for love. The Highlander’s War Prize takes the reader on a journey of temptation, seduction and conquest, through the moors of Scotland, into its deep lochs and soaring glens. This is a high stakes, adult romance, and there may be triggers for some people. Extract ‘Strange, isn’t it, how the world turns? When I attacked this castle, I hoped there would be a great prize hidden inside it. I did not find it. Instead, I am burdened with you, a frightened, English lass who shakes when I look sideways at her.’ ‘If you don’t want me, why fight over me?’ ‘Who says I don’t want you?’ He came up to her and put a filthy hand into her hair, running it through the red waves and twirling a strand between his fingers. Giselle tried to breathe, but she could not seem to get enough air into her lungs. Lyall Buchanan smelled of blood and sweat and iron and seemed more animal than man. ‘Your hair is like copper, so beautiful,’ he said, holding her eyes with his. ‘You are the first pure and honest thing I have seen in a long time. You remind me of my sister. She is about your age, bonnie like you, but not quite so soft in her manners.’ The way this man was looking at her was anything but brotherly. Giselle stared up into his green eyes, and though he smiled down at her, there was some kind of sadness in them. He sighed heavily. ‘I could just reach out and take you now, and it would be my right.’ ‘What right is that?’ ‘You are the spoils of war, a prize, for risking my life for my King. I could ease my loneliness and the ache in my loins.’ For one insane moment, Giselle wondered what it would be like to have this Scot’s full lips pressed to hers, his hands taking hold of her and pulling her close. No man had ever looked on her with such open admiration before, and she so needed comfort, so wanted to feel safe, if just for a moment. But no Scot was safe, nor could they be trusted. ‘You won’t do that,’ she gasped. ‘How do you know? Seems to me you know little of men, or what they turn into when their blood is up.’ less

He saved her life - now she belongs to him. William Bain has clawed his way out of the wreckage of his past, leaving his outlawed family name behind. He now rules a ruthless clan on the Isle of Skye. Quick-tempered, impetuous and with a certain rugged charm, Will loves warring and women in equal measure. He has no need for love and loyalty until Morna Buchanan falls under his power and turns his world upside down... moreHe saved her life - now she belongs to him. William Bain has clawed his way out of the wreckage of his past, leaving his outlawed family name behind. He now rules a ruthless clan on the Isle of Skye. Quick-tempered, impetuous and with a certain rugged charm, Will loves warring and women in equal measure. He has no need for love and loyalty until Morna Buchanan falls under his power and turns his world upside down. She once saved him from execution as a traitor and, now that he has rescued her from dire peril, he would repay that debt. Will pledges to keep Morna safe from those who would destroy her, but is she safe from him, and from the desire that stirs in him when he looks upon her? Will is not a man to ignore his worst impulses, especially not those driving him towards a girl as bonnie as she is wild, and he will not be denied for long. Morna Buchanan is on the brink of marriage when she is betrayed and sent to her doom. When Will Bain rescues her, she thinks he is her saviour. His wounded soul calls to hers, and she goes weak at the knees with every look from his piercing, blue eyes, never having forgotten their meeting years before. Will was just out of boyhood then, but now he is a man and a dangerous one at that. The longer Morna stays at his grim castle on the cliffs of Skye, the more she suspects she is not a guest but a prisoner. As Scotland braces for another English invasion, Morna must form an alliance to keep her family safe. If that means a union with William Bain, who is everything she should not want, traitor, outlaw, pirate, then so be it. She has to have him in the name of peace and family loyalty, doesn’t she? The only problem is that Will is not giving her a choice in the matter. The Pirate Laird’s Hostage takes the reader from the hills of Skye, across storm-tossed oceans and onward, to a terrible massacre on the meadows of Yorkshire. Get ready for a battle of hearts, as Will and Morna learn the difference between possession and love, self-interest and honour. The Pirate Laird’s Hostage is the third and final book of The Highland Warlords Series but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone book. Extract Morna squinted into the wind. A long way off, a soaring cliff was visible through the rain and, clinging to its edge, as if it grew out of the rock beneath it, was the gloomy hulk of a castle. She could feel Will’s eyes on her, penetrating, watchful. ‘What is that place?’ she ventured. ‘Fitheach Castle, stronghold of Clan Bain. It is my home and, for miles around, this is my land. It all belongs to me now, as does everything on it.’ Did he mean her as well? Morna risked a glance at him. ‘I thank you for saving me if indeed that is what you have done?’ She should not voice her thoughts aloud to him, but she was alone and miles from home with a cold stranger, and she needed some reassurance so that her thumping heart would be still. ‘Do not be fearful. Your ordeal is over. You are safe now, with me, as my guest. This is my land, my clan and I hold sway here. Nothing can touch you,’ he said, taking hold of her arm to steady her as the ship swung around towards the shoreline. ‘You’ve no reason to fear me, unless you give me one, that is.’ There was something about his words which made her heart jump in her breast. Morna shook his arm away. ‘I never thought I’d see you again, William O’Neill.’ His dark brows drew together, and he narrowed his eyes. ‘William O’Neill is dead,’ he said, in a voice like ice. ‘Forget him, for he died a long time ago. I am a Bain now, to the marrow of my bones.’ ‘I don’t understand. less