I am so pleased to announce the release of my first Scottish Highland historical, The Warrior Laird. This is my first real venture into Scotland, although The Bride Hunt, my first book for Avon, had quite a stretch of action that occurred in the Scottish lowlands. But this is the first time I developed Scottish characters with conflicts and issues that are completely Scottish.

The Warrior Laird takes place in 1717, between uprisings to restore James to the Scottish throne. It’s a time of relative peace, although tensions still simmer – between clans, and between the Highlands and the royalists. Dugan MacMillan is the big, brawny guy on the cover to the right. He is laird of his highland clan, and he’s been told by his royalist landlord (the duke of Argyll) that he must come up with an exorbitant amount of money for his rents, or his clan will be evicted.

Dugan has no intention of allowing his clan to become homeless. But he has absolutely no way to raise the kind of money required, not unless he pursues the rumor of a treasure that was hidden by the French during the last uprising. He has one piece of a treasure map that was given to his grandfather during the 1715 uprising, and he knows where to find another piece. He figures (hopes) that will be enough to figure out where the treasure was hidden – if there’s a treasure at all. And if no one else has found it before him.

It’s a huge gamble, but it’s the only chance Dugan has to save his clan, so he goes for it.

In the meantime, Maura Duncanson, 11th child of the royalist earl of Aucharnie, is on the run.  She is the black sheep of the family, banished to live with a cousin in Glasgow. Maura has been waiting two long years for the chance to rescue her youngest sister – a handicapped child her parents sent away to a harsh, out of the way place, due to embarrassment over her physical and mental shortcomings. When the opportunity arises, Maura goes for it, and when she encounters Dugan MacMillan and his two pieces of a treasure map, she realizes that a bit of gold will help her in her search for wee Rosie and …

Hang on. I can’t tell you the whole story! But the back cover blurb is on my website, and you can find a nice, long excerpt here.

I hope you’ll try The Warrior Laird soon!