Bastards of Cawdor Series by Avery Maitland

The Thane of Cawdor was a busy man, and his bastards grew as wild (and as numerous) as the thistles on the hills.Nathan Ros, Thane of the windswept isles in the northern sea, has been eager to find any reason not to return to the cold stones of his keep. Five years ago he lost his beloved wife in childbirth. His young children need the warmth of a mother’s love, but he cannot bring himself to remarry, even if it is only in name alone... moreThe Thane of Cawdor was a busy man, and his bastards grew as wild (and as numerous) as the thistles on the hills.Nathan Ros, Thane of the windswept isles in the northern sea, has been eager to find any reason not to return to the cold stones of his keep. Five years ago he lost his beloved wife in childbirth. His young children need the warmth of a mother’s love, but he cannot bring himself to remarry, even if it is only in name alone.“Some secrets are meant to be kept… Even from the likes of you.”The Thane of Cawdor’s half-sister, Liona Duncan has been content in the knowledge that she would never be the mistress of her own keep. There was enough excitement in Cawdor to keep her busy without the distraction of the Thane of Orkney’s cold presence.But when her brother commands that she leave Cawdor to accompany Nathan Ros north to Birsay, everything Liona thought she knew about him, and herself, will be thrown out of balance.Cawdor is not Orkney, and the demands of her new position as nursemaid to the laird’s children consumes every waking hour of her life—and every secret corner of her heart. But there are secrets to be found behind the salt-crusted walls of Birsay, and Liona is determined to discover the truth behind the whispers in the stone corridors, even if the discovery of it puts her very life in danger.Reader beware — “A Highland Secret” features lots of plaid, possible historical inaccuracies, a curious, high-spirited heroine, and a cold-hearted Highlander to sweep her away. There is no cheating to be found here, NO cliffhanger, and a Highland HEA is guaranteed.Inside every history book is a heartthrob waiting to be discovered… less

The Thane of Cawdor was a busy man, and his bastards grew as wild (and as numerous) as the thistles on the hills.Isobel Sutherland always knew she would marry a laird. But her mother died when she was just a girl, and her father had no interest in raising her properly. She had been left to her own devices for so long that Isobel had never considered the fact that she might be used as a political bargaining tool... moreThe Thane of Cawdor was a busy man, and his bastards grew as wild (and as numerous) as the thistles on the hills.Isobel Sutherland always knew she would marry a laird. But her mother died when she was just a girl, and her father had no interest in raising her properly. She had been left to her own devices for so long that Isobel had never considered the fact that she might be used as a political bargaining tool. Romance and marriage were never in her plans—but when the Thane of Cawdor summons her to Nairn, his orders must be obeyed.“Sometimes it takes a bastard to get the job done.” As the eldest bastard of the Thane of Cawdor, Arran Duncan has been all over his father’s lands as his representative, bearing the thane’s seal and carrying his authority. But playing escort to a spoiled daughter of one of his father’s lairds on the dangerous southern road was not a task he ever expected to be saddled with. He has a duty to protect her, but leaving her on the side of the dirt road wouldn’t be a bad option, either. Reader beware — “A Highland Escort” features lots of plaid, possible historical inaccuracies, a frustratingly stubborn heroine, and a gruff Highlander to sweep her away. There is no cheating to be found here, NO cliffhanger, and a Highland HEA is guaranteed.Inside every history book is a heartthrob waiting to be discovered… less

The Thane of Cawdor was a busy man, and his bastards grew as wild (and as numerous) as the thistles on the hills.Lennox Duncan was allergic to following good advice. That was why he was caught in the middle of a torrential rain storm with the wife of a laird draped across his saddle, riding hard for the forests to lose the men chasing after them.It should have been easy... moreThe Thane of Cawdor was a busy man, and his bastards grew as wild (and as numerous) as the thistles on the hills.Lennox Duncan was allergic to following good advice. That was why he was caught in the middle of a torrential rain storm with the wife of a laird draped across his saddle, riding hard for the forests to lose the men chasing after them.It should have been easy. A quick kidnapping, a hefty ransom, and then he wouldn’t need to worry about who would be paying his gambling debts or keeping the eye of his elder brother from following him across the countryside.“I’d expect nothing less of a bastard.” Being a chambermaid wasn’t exactly how Charlotte Harper had imagined her life would turn out, but it was a living, and it kept food in the mouths of her younger siblings. But nothing could have prepared her for being kidnapped on a rainy night and thrown over the back of a horse—especially by the likes of Lennox Duncan.Charlotte just wants to return to her boring life, but that means making an uneasy truce with a scoundrel who should be in the stocks, not in her bed.Reader beware — “A Highland Contract” features lots of plaid, possible historical inaccuracies, a case of mistaken identity, an independent heroine, and a troubled, and troublesome, Highlander to sweep her away. There is no cheating to be found here, NO cliffhanger, and a Highland HEA is guaranteed.Inside every history book is a heartthrob waiting to be discovered… less