Diamonds and Toads: A Modern Fairy Tale (22 page)

Highland Vengeance

Book One in the Highlands Trilogy

By

K.E. Saxon

A Family Saga / Adventure Romance

Set in the turn of the thirteenth century
Scottish Highlands, this is the story of Daniel MacLaurin, a
handsome, rugged warrior-laird haunted by his past, and Maryn
Donald, the beautiful, high-spirited lass destined to help him find
his heart's ease.

After his mother and grandfather, the only
family he has ever known, are viciously murdered in a surprise
invasion when he is a lad of 13, Daniel spends years focusing on
training as a warrior and rebuilding his fortress, determined to
control the world around him so that nothing like it will ever
happen again.

Maryn Donald is a wild child; a lass who, as
the only offspring of her widowed father, has been indulged in her
high-spiritedness. So much so, that she takes matters into her own
hands when she sees that the neighboring clan is mistreating their
horses. She impetuously steals them and then, as recompense for her
crime, must wed the powerful, wealthy young laird about whom she's
heard such disturbing rumors: Daniel MacLaurin.

HIGHLAND VENGEANCE is a steamy adventure
romance, but it is also a family saga. It's the story of how a man
overcomes the horror of his past to find love, connection, and
contentment once more.

* * *

Highland Grace

Book Two in the Highlands Trilogy

By

K.E. Saxon

A Family Saga / Adventure Romance

BAO AND JESSLYN’S STORY

The second in the Highlands Trilogy, HIGHLAND
GRACE begins where HIGHLAND VENGEANCE ended, giving you Bao and
Jesslyn’s story.

Set in the turn of the 13th century Scottish
Highlands. When widow and devoted mother to a five-year-old,
Jesslyn MacCreary, discovers her brief encounter with her laird’s
long-lost brother has resulted in an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, she
is thrust into matrimony with its exotically handsome, angry, and
seemingly unwilling, father.

Bao Xiong Maclean, by day, a contracted
warrior for William, King of Scots, and by night, a lover for hire
to the pampered ladies of the king’s court, is fighting his
attraction to the lovely flaxen-haired widow whose family is the
reason he and his mother became slaves to the man who sired him:
Jamison Maclean.

* * *

Highland Magic

Book Three in the Highlands Trilogy

By

K.E. Saxon

A Family Saga / Adventure Romance

CALLUM AND BRANWENN’S STORY

The third in the Highlands Trilogy, HIGHLAND
MAGIC begins where HIGHLAND GRACE ended, giving you Branwenn and
Callum’s story.

Set in the turn of the 13th century Scottish
Highlands. After fleeing her wedding to her Norman betrothed and
being swept into the Irish Sea during a storm, Branwenn Maclean
finds herself once more in the land of the Highland Scots. Little
does she know, however, that the maimed man who drops through the
ceiling of her hiding place is none other than Callum MacGregor,
the man who both vexes and beguiles her.

Callum awakens in a darkened sea cave
believing he’s being nursed by a sea nymph. Little does
he
know, however, that the fey creature is in actuality none other
than his massive warrior Maclean cousins’ foster sister, Branwenn,
the lass that has taunted and haunted him since his first encounter
with her one year past.

* * *

K.E. Saxon is a third-generation Texan and
has been a lover of romance fiction since her first (sneaked) read
of her older sister's copy of "The Flame and the Flower" by
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. She is a member of the West Houston Chapter
of Romance Writer's of America and is a devoted subscriber to the
Romance Divas online forum. She has two cats, a 24-year-old
cockatiel, a funny, supportive husband, and a garden that's been
fried by the recent drought. When she isn't in her writer's cave
writing, you can find her puttering in her organic vegetable garden
or in her kitchen trying out a new recipe. An animal (and bug)
lover since before she could speak, she made pets of all kinds of
critters when she was a kid growing up. Her mother even swears that
she made a pet of a cockroach one time (but K.E. doesn't believe
her). She likes to write funny, sexy romances.

* * * *

Available October 2011

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

From Romantic Times (RT Book Reviews)

~ 4 STARS ~
 
“Saxon's latest is a wild ride, touching and sentimental. Jason
and Julie are two wonderful people battling themselves and the
attraction they feel for each other, surrounded by a colorful cast
of supporting characters that add depth and dimension to a plot
that is just as entertaining.”

BOOK BLURB:

A Texas bad boy meets his match in the shy, virginal
sister of his sworn enemy.

This is the story of Jason Jörgensen, an
excitement-loving bad boy and Julie Del Mar, the quiet, romantic
dreamer who breaches his devil-may-care façade and helps heal the
frightened boy inside.

Conceived during a violent rape, Jason knows
deep down that he’s no good. So, as far as he’s concerned, his plan
to never have children is not only sound, but also the right thing
to do.

Julie, orphaned at twelve, has now lost her
surrogate parent—her older sister—to suicide. Returning to the only
real home she ever had and someday making her own family is her
most profound wish.

Uncontrollable passion brings them together,
but will a pregnancy test tear them apart?

Teaser:

Summer 2009

“That burger I bought you at the airport
doesn’t seem to be sobering you up,” he said. Stopping in the
entryway, he dropped his carry-on to the floor and looked down at
her. “Maybe you should lie down for awhile—take a nap—before we go
down to the casino.”

Julie’s gaze was pretty bleary when she
turned it up to him. She blinked and stuck out her lower lip. “No.
I wanna have some fun! Live on the edge! You promised.” She put her
face closer to his. “Hey, has anyone ever told you how pretty your
eyes are?”

“
Pretty?
No. That’s—”

“Well, they are.”

“—not a description a guy usually wants to
hear about himself, if you know what I mean.” He grinned down at
her. “But thanks. I think.”

“I like your lips, too. Keanu Reeves lips.
Mmm. Sexy.”

“Keanu Reeves? You mean that dude from the
Matrix? You like him?” The flash of jealousy took him by
surprise.

She plopped her other arm over his shoulder
and said, “Yeah. I always wondered what it’d be like to kiss those
lips.” Then she planted one on him. Tongue and all.

And he returned it. In a flash, he had her up
against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist and his hands
on one of his three favorite places: her sexy, hot little ass. And
this time, when he pressed the ridge of his erection against her
center, it answered that pressure with the fire, the answering
motion, that should have been there earlier, but wasn’t.
Thank
you, God.

But. She was three sheets to the wind.
Probably wouldn’t even remember this later. And if she did—he'd be
in the doghouse again, for sure.
Shit!
Jason broke the kiss.
He rested his forehead against hers. They were both struggling for
air. After about the fifth intake of breath, he could finally
speak. “You still want to go down to the casino?” He was weak, he
knew it. But, he swore to God, if she said no, he’d take her to bed
right now. Doghouse, be damned.

Unfortunately—or fortunately, he couldn’t say
which at this moment—the burger must’ve finally kicked in, because
she nodded and said, “Yeah, sounds great.”

“Okay.” Even to his own ears, there was a
distinct lack of enthusiasm in his voice. He stepped back and
slowly dropped her legs until she was standing on her feet
again—this time, with no support. “I’ll take you to one of the
stores, too, so we can get you something to wear to dinner
tonight.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.”

He strode over to the door and opened it.
“Ready?”

“You bet.”

* * *

-End of excerpt-