Susan here, sharing news about Laird of Secrets, my most recent release, new in e-book this month. Book Two of the Whisky Lairds series, Laird of Secrets is the story of a Highland laird and whisky distiller, and the Lowland schoolteacher who comes to his glen only to stumble on a bit of smuggling in the moonlight …
The story is an edited and updated version of The Highland Groom, which I wrote as Sarah Gabriel, a nom-de-plume for Avon -- and it's now revised and retitled for a new series -- The Whisky Lairds -- with a beautiful new cover. And I promise that the novel, if you read it years ago, is new, improved, and reads like a new story! I love having the chance to revisit, revise, and edit my previous novels for new e-book editions, and this novel is one of my personal favorites. So I happily jumped in to freshen it up for a new edition, tightening text, clarifying parts of the story. Coming to it several years later, I’m a better writer and a better editor, and the book and the author, too, benefited from the experience. I hope the reader will reap the benefit of a fun historical romance as well!
When a schoolteacher encounters Highland smugglers, a touch of fairy magic brings romance. . .
Her grandmother’s eccentric will poses unique conditions for Fiona MacCarran and her brothers. In order for her brothers to claim their inheritance, Fiona must marry a wealthy Highlander--and soon. But first she must fulfill her agreement to teach at a poor glen school in the misty Highlands, a remote place where she does not expect to find a groom acceptable to her family--that must wait. Besides, rumor says that Dougal MacGregor, laird of Glen Kinloch, is just a whisky smuggler and should be avoided. Yet when she encounters the handsome rogue in the hills, and soon stumbles upon the Highland secret he would protect with his life--and once he pulls her into his arms--she forgets about obligations and promises, and finding that perfect Highland laird . . .
Moving a very special whisky, and fast, is the only way Dougal MacGregor can protect his glen and its people as threats gather. The plan seems simple enough, yet nothing proves easy with Fiona MacCarran around. Dougal cannot allow himself to be distracted by a schoolteacher who is as intelligent as she is enticing. A Highland rebel, even one who would rather be a scholar, and a law-abiding Lowland lady could never have a future together--or could they? But when Dougal and Fiona are caught between honor and desire, and as magical and surprising secrets are revealed, the laird finds that he needs the schoolteacher's help, and her love, more than he is willing to admit…
I’m so happy with the new cover design by Kim Killion, which reflects in its earthy and golden tones the inspiration of a dram of Highland whisky. Whisky production is very much part of the story--not just the illicit whisky distilled in the Highland hills and smuggled out of the country in those days, but a unique whisky that Dougal MacGregor makes according to an old clan recipe gifted long ago by the fairies. And the Laird of Kinloch cannot risk offending the fairy ilk who bless the luck of his glen.
Laird of Secrets follows Laird of Twilight as part of a series featuring the MacCarran siblings—twins James and Fiona and their brothers--who must meet the requirements of some odd clauses in their grandmother’s will. Before they can inherit, each one must carry out a task and meet a peculiar condition involving fairies--and true love. I'm working on the third book in the series, a brand-new Susan King novel, to be released later this year--Laird of Rogues. And I hope you'll love all three as much as I do!
“A lovely tale mixed with a bit of fairy magic…(King) lifts spirits and warms as a tenderhearted Highland laird and a sassy lady discover that love is worth any risk and doing good is far better than gaining material riches." – Romantic Times
“Engaging...new and exciting…delightful dialogue and breathtaking beauty…well worth the read.” -- Coffee Time Romance
"The romance that simmers between Fiona and Dougal sparkles and (King) makes it fun to be swept away into the beautiful Highlands, where legends fill the countryside." -- Fresh Fiction
"Susan King is a consummate storyteller." - Publishers Weekly
I'd love to give away an e-copy of Laird of Secrets! Please leave a comment to be entered to win!