The Lass Wore Black (41 page)

The Scottish Companion

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?

Autumn in Scotland

Abandoned by a rogue

Betrothed to an earl she had never met, Charlotte Haversham arrived at Balfurin, hoping to find love at the legendary Scottish castle. Instead she found decaying towers and no husband among the ruins. So Charlotte worked a miracle, transforming the rotting fortress into a prestigious girls’ school. And now, five years later, her life is filled with purpose—until . . .

Seduced by a stranger

A man storms Charlotte’s castle—and he is
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the reprehensible Earl of Marne, the one who stole her dowry and dignity, but rather the absent lord’s handsome, worldly cousin Dixon MacKinnon. Mesmerized by the fiery Charlotte, Dixon is reluctant to correct her mistake. And though she’s determined not to play the fool again, Charlotte finds herself strangely thrilled by the scoundrel’s amorous attentions. But a dangerous intrigue has drawn Dixon to Balfurin. And if his ruse is prematurely revealed, a passionate, blossoming love affair could crumble into ruin.

An Unlikely Governess

She had no recourse but to accept the position . . . and no choice but to fall in love.

Impoverished and untitled, with no marital prospects or so much as a single suitor, Beatrice Sinclair is forced to accept employment as governess to a frightened, lonely child from a noble family—ignoring rumors of dark intrigues to do so. Surely, no future could be as dark as the past she wishes to leave behind. And she admits fascination with the young duke’s adult cousin, Devlen Gordan, a seductive rogue who excites her from the first charged moment they meet.But she dares not trust him—even after he spirits them to isolation and safety when the life of her young charge is threatened.

Devlen is charming, mysterious, powerful—and Beatrice cannot refuse him. He is opening new worlds for her, filling her life with passion . . . and peril. But what are Devlen’s secrets? Is he her lover or her enemy? Will following her heart be foolishness or a path to lasting happiness?

Till Next We Meet

In a departure from her nationally bestselling Highland Lord series, Karen Ranney brings us another emotionally intense and passionate story that will speak to her fans.

When Adam Moncrief, Colonel of the Highland Scots Fusiliers, agrees to write a letter to Catherine Dunnan, one of his officers’ wives, a forbidden correspondence develops and he soon becomes fascinated with her even though Catherine thinks the letters come from her husband, Harry Dunnan. Although Adam stops writing after Harry is killed, a year after his last letter he still can’t forget her. Then when he unexpectedly inherits the title of the Duke of Lymond, Adam decides the timing is perfect to pay a visit to the now single and available Catherine. What he finds, however, is not the charming, spunky woman he knew from her letters, but a woman stricken by grief, drugged by laudanum and in fear for her life. In order to protect her, Adam marries Catherine, hoping that despite her seemingly fragile state, he will once again discover the woman he fell in love with.

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One Man’s Love

She swore to hate him . . . but he knew her heart was his.

He was her enemy, a British colonel in war torn Scotland. But as a youth, Alec Landers, earl of Sherbourne had spent his summers known as Ian, running free on the Scottish Highlands—and falling in love with the tempting Leitis MacRae. With her fiery spirit and vibrant beauty, she is still the woman who holds his heart, but revealing his heritage now would condemn them both. Yet as the mysterious Raven, an outlaw who defies the English and protects the people, Alec could be Leitis’s noble hero again—even as he risks a traitor’s death.

Leistis MacRae thought the English could do nothing more to her clan, but that was before Colonel Alec Landers came to reside where the MacRae’s once ruled. Now, to save the only family she has left, Leitis agrees to be a prisoner in her uncle’s place, willing to face even an English colonel to save his life. But Alec, with his soldier’s strength and strange compassion, is an unwelcome surprise. Soon Leitis cannot help the traitorous feelings she has when he’s near . . . nor the strange sensation that she’s known him once before. And as danger and passion lead them to love, will their bond survive Alec’s unmasking? Or will Leitis decide to scorn her beloved enemy?

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When the Laird Returns

A marriage he never wanted

Though a descendant of pround Scottish lairds, Alisdair MacRae had never seen his ancestral Highland estate—nor imagined that he’d have to marry to reclaim it!  But the unscrupulous neighboring laird Magnus Drummond has assumed control of the property- and he will relinquish it only for a King’s ransom . . . and a groom for his daughter Iseabal!  Alisdair never thought to give up the unfettered life he loves—not even for a bride with the face of an angel and the sensuous grace that would inflame the desire of any male.

A passion they never dreamed

Is Iseabal to be a bride without benefit of a courtship? Though she yearns for a love match, the determined lass will gladly bind herself to Alisdair if he offers her an escape from her father’s cruelty.  This proud, surprisingly tender stranger awakens a new fire inside her, releasing a spirit as brave and adventurous as his own.  Alisdair feels the heat also, but can Iseabal win his trust as well as his passion—ensuring that both their dreams come true . . . now that the laird has returned?

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The Irresistible MacRae

To avoid a scandal that would devastate her family, Riona McKinsey has agreed to marry the wrong man—though the one she yearns for is James MacRae. Had she not been maneuvered into a compromising position by a man of Edinburgh—who covets her family’s wealth more than Riona’s love—the dutiful Highland miss could have followed her heart into MacRae’s strong and loving arms. But alas, it is not to be.

A man of the wild, tempest-tossed ocean, James MacRae never dreamed he’d find his greatest temptation on land. Yet from the instant the dashing adventurer first gazed deeply into Riona’s haunting gray eyes, he knew there was no lass in all of Scotland he’d ever want more. The matchless lady is betrothed to another—and unwilling to break off her engagement or share the reason why she will marry her intended. But how can MacRae ignore the passion that burns like fire inside, drawing him relentlessly toward a love that could ruin them both?

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To Love a Scottish Lord

A lord not meant to marry

Hamish MacRae, a changed man, returned to his beloved Scotland intending to turn his back on the world. The proud, brooding lord wants nothing more than to be left alone, but an unwanted visitor to his lonely castle has defied his wishes. While it is true that this healer, Mary Gilly, is a beauty beyond compare, it will take more than her miraculous potions to soothe his wounded spirit. But Mary’s tender heart is slowly melting Hamish’s frozen one . . . awakening a burning need to keep her with him—forever.

A lady who dares not love

Never before has Mary felt such an attraction to a man! The mysterious Hamish MacRae is strong and commanding, with a face and form so handsome it makes Mary tremble with wanting him. Already shadowy forces are coming closer, heartless whispers and cruel rumors abound, and it will take a love more pure and powerful than any other to divine the truth—and promise a future neither had dreamed possible.

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So in Love

Jeanne du Marchand adored her dashing young Scotsman, Douglas MacRae, and every moment in his arms was pure rapture. But when her father, the Comte du Marchand, learned she was carrying Douglas’s child, Jeanne was torn from the proud youth without a word of farewell—and separated not long after from her newborn baby daughter. Jeanne feared her life was over, for all she truly cared about was lost to her. Can the power of love prevail?

Once Douglas believed his lady’s loving words—until her betrayal turned his ardor to contempt. He cannot forget even now, ten years later, when destiny brings her to his native Scotland, broken in spirit but as beautiful as before. His pride will not let him play the fool again, although memories of a past—secret, innocent, and fragile—tempt him. Can passion lead to love and forgiveness?

After the Kiss

The promise of a single kiss . . .

Margaret Esterly is desperate—and desperation can lead to shocking behavior! Beautiful and gently-bred, she was the essence of prim, proper English womanhood—until fate widowed her and thrust her into poverty overnight. Now she finds herself at a dazzling masked ball, determined to sell a volume of scandalous memoirs to the gala’s noble host. But amid the heated fantasy of the evening, Margaret boldly, impetuously shares a moment of passion with a darkly handsome gentleman . . . and then flees into the night.

Who was this exquisite creature who swept into Michael Hawthorne’s arms, and then vanished? The startled yet pleasingly stimulated Earl of Montraine is not about to forget the intoxicating woman of mystery so easily—especially since Michael’s heart soon tells him that he has at last found his perfect bride. But once he locates her again, will he be able to convince the reticent lady that their moment of ecstasy was no mere accident . . . and that just one kiss can lead to paradise?

My True Love

Anne Sinclair has been haunted by visions of a handsome black-haired warrior all her life. His face invades her dreams and fills her nights with passionate longing. So the beautiful laird’s daughter leaves her remote Scottish castle, telling no one, to search for the man called Stephen—a man she does not know but who fights in war-torn England, a place she has never seen. Stephen Harrington, Earl of Langlinais, never expected to rescue this unexplained beauty from the hands of his enemy. And yet, when their eyes first meet, he feels from the depths of his soul that he should know her . . . that he needs to touch her, and keep her by his side forever. For unknown to both of them, they are in the center of a centuries-old love . . . a love that is about to surpass their wildest dreams.

My Beloved

They call her the Langlinais Bride—though she’s seen her husband only one time . . . on their wedding day, twelve years ago.

For years naïve, convent-bred Juliana dreaded being summoned to the side of the man she wed as a child so long ago. Now her husband, Sebastian, Earl of Langlinais, has become ensnared in his villainous brother’s wicked plots—and has no choice but to turn to his virgin bride for help.

Juliana now finds herself face-to-face with a man so virile and so powerful that she’s fascinated by him—just as he asks her to go against everything she holds true. Sebastian never counted on being enchanted by the beauty of this innocent angel he intended to keep as wife in name only—and he dares not reveal to her the secret reason why their love can never be . . .

Upon a Wicked Time

He was her ideal husband, and she should have been his perfect bride . . .

Tessa Astley is everything a duke should want in a wife. A breathtaking beauty with a reputation that is positively above reproach, she desires noting more than the love of her husband, the man she’s long pined for.

Only Jered Mandville doesn’t want a soulmate, just a proper duchess hidden away on his country estate to beget heirs. He certainly doesn’t see a place for his bride in his decadent life in London.

Tessa won’t let her fairytale slip through her fingers. She’d do anything to win Jered’s heart. So Tessa starts a campaign to win her husband’s heart by invading his home, his reckless adventures, and his bed—all to prove to her cynical duke that even a happy ending can be delightfully wicked . . .

My Wicked Fantasy

An explosive encounter

Mary Kate Bennett was married too early, widowed too young, and left to fend for herself without a penny. Her path was never meant to cross with Archer St. John’s, except for a terrible carriage accident with the wickedly handsome Earl of Sanderhurst. Mary Kate awakens in a mysterious lord’s bed to a life more luxurious than she could have ever imagined, facing a man she’s never met before, but instinctively knows . . .