Captured
by the Pirate Laird
Highland
Force, Book
One
by Amy
Jarecki
Genre: Scottish Historical
Romance
Date of Publication: 2/17/14
Number of pages: 342
Word Count: 96,600
Cover Artist: Kim Killion
Buy Link:
Book Description:
Wed by proxy to a baron old
enough to be her grandfather, Lady Anne trudges up the gangway of a galleon
that will deliver her into the arms of a tyrant. Crestfallen, she believes her
disastrous life cannot get worse—until she awakes to the blasts of cannon fire.
Facing certain death, Anne
trembles in her stateroom while swords clash and the chilling screams of battle
rage on the deck above. When a rugged Highlander kicks in her door, she prays
for a swift end.
But Laird Calum MacLeod has a
reason for plundering the ship—and it’s not a stunning English lass. With no
other choice, he takes Anne to his crumbling keep on the isle of Raasay and
sends a letter of ransom to her husband. In time, Anne grows to understand
MacLeod’s plight and finds it increasingly difficult to resist Calum’s
unsettling charm—until the baron sends a reply agreeing to terms.
Ripped from passion that will be
forever seared into their souls, will Anne and Calum risk everything for love?
Excerpt:
She turned and
caught him staring. He bowed and his heart melted when she smiled—a smile with
dimples that could light up the horizon. He half expected Anne to turn up her
pert little nose and head the other way.
Before he could
persuade himself otherwise, Calum pattered down the steps and stood beside her.
She watched the sunset and her warmth pulled him close like a magnet.
“’Tis
beautiful,” she said when the sky shone with orange and pink, highlighted
against the strips of clouds that sailed toward the ship.
He inhaled. Her
scent ever so feminine, Calum inclined his head to capture more of it. “Aye,
milady.”
She placed her
hand on the rail. Again his reflexes took over and he rested his palm atop it.
Calum expected her to snatch it away, but she did not. Her fingers were cold
and he held his much warmer hand there as a comfort. They stood in silence as
the sun glowed orange-red on the horizon. He wanted to stand there
forever—touching her. Barely breathing, he watched the sun disappear and held
his hand still, unwilling to move it.
The sun was
replaced by darkness. Lady Anne slipped her hand out from under his and the
dark of the evening took up residence inside him. She was not his to lust after.
“May I walk you to your stateroom?”
“Yes.” Her voice
sounded husky. Had she felt the connection too? Of course not.
Calum offered
his arm and that same small, cold hand grasped it. “We’ll arrive at Raasay in
the morning.”
“Our
destination?”
“Aye.”
“Bran told me.”
Secrets were
impossible to keep on a ship. “I will send a letter of ransom to yer husband
upon our arrival.” He didn’t like how that sounded—ye are my prisoner until
Lord Wharton pays for your release. But that’s how it had to be. If he sailed up
the mouth of the River Aln, he would incite yet another war between Scotland
and England—and this time his countrymen might side with the enemy.
When they
stepped into the corridor, warm air relaxed the tension in his shoulders.
Anne stopped
outside her cabin door, breasts straining against her bodice with every breath.
“I’ve never met him.”
Calum forced
himself to concentrate on her face. “Who?”
“Lord Wharton.”
“What? How?”
“We were wed by
proxy. My uncle made the arrangements.”
Ah Jesus. Calum
understood the way of highborn marriages, arranged for the trade of lands and
riches. “Ye ken he’s old enough to be your father?”
“He’s three
times my age plus one year to be exact. His children are older than I.”
A hundred
questions flooded his mind. “Why?” he clipped with shocked disbelief.
Anne nodded as
if fully understanding his monosyllabic inquiry. “I’m told the Baron fancied me
from across Westminster Abbey during the Queen’s coronation.”
“No.” She
doesn’t even know the bastard. That’s why she wears no ring.
“Yes. My uncle
said he kissed my hand, yet so many lords greeted me on that trip to London,
I’m at a loss to place him.”
The despair in
her lovely eyes twisted around his heart. “Mayhap ye will remember if we
playact it.” With a halfcocked grin, Calum reached for her hand. His mouth went
dry when her silken skin met the rough pads of his fingertips. Though a grown
woman, her fingers were fine and delicate.
When she didn’t
pull away, he moistened his lips and bowed. Hovering above her hand, the soft
scent of honeysuckle mixed with her—the unmistakable scent of woman now more
captivating than it had been on the deck—ignited his insides as if she stood
naked before him. Closing his eyes, he touched his lips to the back of her hand
and kissed. Anne’s sharp inhale made his skin shiver with gooseflesh. She did
not try to pull away but remained so still, her pulse beat a fierce rhythm
beneath.
Calum held his
lips there longer than necessary. He wanted this moment to linger. He wanted a
memory he could cherish long after she was gone. His eyes locked with hers as
he straightened. Her lips parted slightly, almost as if asking him to kiss her
mouth, but he knew she wouldn’t want that.
He stood for a
moment not saying a word. She did too.
“Any
recollection?” His voice rasped.
“No.” Her voice
low, she then blinked as if snapping back to the present. “You mustn’t ever do
that again.”
“Apologies,
milady.” Grinning, he opened her door and bowed, though he did not regret her
lack of recall.
Anne stepped
into her stateroom. Calum could not pull his gaze away until the door closed
and blocked the bewilderment reflected in her sapphire eyes. Calum waited a
moment and stared at the hardwood door—the same one he had kicked in five
nights ago. What the hell was he doing?
He ground his
teeth and headed back to the quarterdeck. He needed to get the lady out of his
life. She was not his to care for. Worst of all, she had wed the enemy.
About
the Author:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About
the Author:
Amy has won multiple writing
awards and lives in Utah with her husband, Bob. She writes contemporary romance
and Scottish historical romance. For fun, she hikes, bikes and plays a mean
game of golf. Born in California, Amy holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University
in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Web site: http://www.amyjarecki.com/
Twitter: @amyjarecki
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyjarecki
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5306959.Amy_Jarecki
Tour Wide giveaway:
10 eBook copies Captured by the Pirate Laird by Amy Jarecki
2 signed print copies open to US Shipping
4 SWAG packets each including a $5 Amazon gift card open to US Shipping
Hi Sue, thank you for hosting me on your lovely blog today!
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