Today I have Madeline Martin  on my blog to give us a little  insight on her newest book,  Highland Ruse, and with great  reasons why she writes about  spies, but isn't one herself.

 You're going to love  this!

 (And isn't this  cover          fabulous?)

 Thanks for joining us today,  Madeline!


                                    **Madeline Martin**

Oftentimes we as writers will write the characters we wish we could be. That is most definitely the case with the Mercenary Maidens series where the heroines are swept into an underground organization of all female spies. These women are tough, skilled and all kinds of awesome. In honor of the release of my second book, Highland Ruse, coming out, I’m going to share how my Mercenary Maidens are awesome spies and how I am so not.
 
The Mercenary Maidens are trained to be stealthy and can walk quietly when needed.
Every joint in my body audibly pops, especially my ankles.
 
The Mercenary Maidens are fluent in English and Gaelic with some of the girls also able to speak several other languages.
I can pass with rusty French and know enough Spanish to get me onto an episode of Dora.
 
The Mercenary Maidens have an expert on medicine, healing and gadget creation.
I swear by Motrin, abhor the odor of Valerian root and manage to break most things I touch.
 
The Mercenary Maidens have mad skills at being covert and smooth, lying when necessary to ensure their survival and success.
When I try to lie, my face goes all red, my arm pits get sweaty, my brain overheats and I can’t remember what gibberish I’m spewing on about.
 
The Mercenary Maidens are graceful and sure of themselves whether fighting, or captivating a room.
I have actually tripped up an entire flight of stairs only to fall once I got to the top. I’ve fallen down quite a few as well, and regularly trip over the sidewalk, my own feet and air.
 
The Mercenary Maidens have amazing fighting moves they execute with grace and skill.
My hip pops when my foot goes higher than my waist.
 
The Mercenary Maidens are exceptional horse riders.
I rode a pony at a Ren Faire once.
 
The Mercenary Maidens are always planning the next move, orchestrating everything like a complicated chess game.
I’m always plotting out my food schedule and fantasizing about my next meal.
The Mercenary Maidens navigate an elegant party seamlessly and beautifully.
I once fell in a fountain while holding a glass of wine.  
 
The Mercenary Maidens know how to use many different weapons and with considerable skill.
I cut myself on a plastic butter knife once and burned my chest when a spent bullet shell fell down my shirt.
 
The Mercenary Maidens can fight in a corset.
I can barely take wearing one more than five hours without feeling stabby.
 
The Mercenary Maidens are able to handle Scottish rain, sleet and snow.
I’m a Florida girl who dons a parka when it hits 60.
 
All that said, I think you can understand why I write about spies instead of trying to be a spy myself. But the concept is so cool, I just can’t get it out of my head! So, all those fun ideas get put into my books for my heroines to navigate to perfection and I get the experience of writing about it. Win, win!
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About Highland Ruse:
Kaid MacLeod couldn’t protect his clan from an unimaginable slaughter that killed his father and many of his people. He knows retaliation will only bring more death to his people, but if he does nothing, the massacres will continue. His clan is growing angry and all seems lost…until Kaid discovers his nemesis’s betrothed will be traveling through Scotland. Abducting her will give him the leverage he desperately needs to end the slaughter and bring peace to his clan.

Delilah Canterbury is not the highborn daughter of a noble, nor is she by any means wealthy, she’s merely pretending to be a Scottish laird’s betrothed as a means of bringing justice to the man rumored to seek vengeance. Beautifully dressed and ready to succeed on her first mission alone, Delilah is more than she seems…she’s a trap.

Matters get complicated as the truth behind their intentions come to light, especially when a sizzling attraction blossoms between them. With so many lives on the line, and loyalties pledged, will Kaid be able to save his people? And can their love survive the lies and ultimate betrayal?
                                             * * *
 
Praise for Highland Ruse:
“Fans of swashbuckling, high-drama adventure and romance are sure to revel in the second entry in the Mercenary Maidens series. With an empowered heroine and tormented hero, a high degree of sensuality and a fast-moving plot, readers are sure to be satisfied from beginning to end. The added mystery and contemporary theme of addiction enhance the story so it truly resonates with readers.” – RT Reviews
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Buy Links:
Free Preview of Ch1: http://www.madelinemartin.com/2017/11/highland-ruse-preview-of-chapter-1/
Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/hramz
Nook: http://hyperurl.co/hrnk
iBooks: http://hyperurl.co/Hrib
Kobo: http://hyperurl.co/Hrkobo
Google Play: http://hyperurl.co/hrgp
Print: http://hyperurl.co/hrprint
BN Paperback: http://hyperurl.co/hrbnpb

Today marks the end of this segment of the Medieval Monday blog hop featuring our hero and heroine's First Encounter.

Here is my final snippet from The Highlander's Viking Bride:

After tonight’s encounter, she vowed to avoid her sire more than ever.
Unsettled by her reaction to the new MacGerry laird, it was best to stay away until they concluded their business. She wasn’t sure she could stomach watching whatever duplicity her father planned, and she didn’t want their visitors to think she played any part in the treachery.
                                             * * *
Don't forget your opportunity to win an ebook from each of our Medieval Monday authors ends with this post! Give it one more shot and comment below to enter!
                                              * * *
In case you missed any of the previous snippets, here is the excerpt in its entirety: 

The Sinclair’s voice boomed from the high table.
“Allow me to express my sympathies on the loss of yer father. I dinnae know him, but all said he was a good man. This feud has been costly for both clans. I welcome the offer to end hostilities between our people. No one here can remember why we are at odds.”
“’Tis the same for us,” Calder replied.
“Then let us toast to new beginnings,” Sinclair offered as he raised his
quaich high. Around the tables, the others followed their laird’s example. So far, their welcome was more than Calder could have hoped for. A prickling sensation down his spine cautioned him something was afoot.

Katja reluctantly heeded her father’s summons to the great hall. She much preferred taking meals in her chamber as constant criticism and scorn from her father made for poor company. Her only regret was not spending the time with her brothers. She remembered the days before her amma died when mealtimes were pleasant, even enjoyable. She did not remember the days when her ma was alive.

Everyone in the keep knew guests had arrived—rumored to be the hated MacGerrys. Her father would likely use the opportunity to dangle her as bait again for some sort of alliance, her hand in marriage as part of the bargain. She grimaced. The MacGerry laird was as old as her sire—as were all the men her da had presented as prospective husbands.
“I willnae marry a man thrice my age. Why does he keep bringing such old relics about, Freki? Has the man not made the acquaintance of anyone younger than two score?”
Her companion did not answer.

Katja hurried to the great hall with Freki at her side. If she allowed her sire to wait too long, he would add to her humiliation by displaying her like a freshly caught trout in front of his guests. Much as she disliked appeasing him, flaunting her disdain was far worse.

When they reached the door to the hall, she raised a hand, whispering a command for her companion to wait outside the door as she perused the people seated in the great hall. Pale auras of color surrounded each man, giving the room a festive look were it not for the unsettling tale each told her. The reds of anger and lust, the brown of dishonesty, gray and sulphur of dark thoughts and pain. From long practice, she ignored the pale green of pity she knew were aimed at her.

Skirting the red auras, Katja moved silently into the room, attracting no
attention. Years of avoiding her father gave her the skill to move about the castle like a ghost, finding tremendous value in being invisible when the need called for it. It wasn’t until she stood near the foot of the lower tables that anyone noticed her. Laird Sinclair’s eyes gleamed.
“Ah, here is my daughter. Katja, meet the new MacGerry Laird.”

Calder glanced at the young woman who’d entered the room as silent as a ghost. Though the Sinclair men did not stand in respect at her introduction, Calder, Finn and the rest of the MacGerry men rose immediately from their seats. She offered a small curtsy, her gaze dropping to the floor, seeming uncomfortable with
the attention.

Calder stood stricken as if struck by a smithy’s hammer. He could do
nothing but stare at the lass in front of him who’d haunted his thoughts and dreamsfor so long. To his amazement, she appeared even more beautiful than he remembered. Grey. Her eyes were grey, not the dark blue he imagined. If he’d been told she was an angel come to earth he would not have doubted the claim for a moment.
Finn tugged on his sleeve and inclined his head toward the girl. Calder
retrieved enough of his wits to speak. “’Tis a pleasure to meet you, Lady Katja.”

The sight of a young man instead of the old laird she expected startled Katja. Tall, lean of muscle with dark brown hair and fair skin, his deep blue eyes were the color of sapphires or perhaps the ocean on a calm day. A high forehead, strong jaw and full lips made for a very handsome face. Lips which curved into a kind smile at her.

His eager blue eyes stared at her, as if caught in a pleasant dream. Katja’s stomach twisted in a way she’d not experienced before. Heat scorched its way from her head to her shoulders, tingling along her breasts and descending lower. She didn’t recognize or understand the strange awareness. Her breathing picked up its pace as her heart beat tripled. How could one look from a man inspire such a reaction?

She averted her gaze in an effort to wrestle her body and emotions under control. Inhaling deeply, she raised her eyes again only to find the same sensations slamming into her anew. She needed a distraction.

Use the sight. It doesnae lie.
Looking past her normal ability to see, she glanced first at her father. The darkening gray aura surrounding him reflected his greed, his nature growing more corrupt with time. A band of deep brown layered on top of the gray was new today. She knew it as a sign of deceit and wondered what he was up to. Scanning the rest of the table, the light blue surrounding her brothers Bjorn, Christer and Patrik reflected confusion. Whatever her father contrived with the MacGerry, they knew
nothing of it.

Katja exited the room quickly, daring her sire to rebuke her abruptness. As she crossed the doorway, Freki rose, following close behind. She made the necessary arrangements with the housekeeper, then headed for the respite of her bedchamber.
She slammed the door and threw the bolt as soon as she and Freki entered the room. Her father was clearly up to some deception. No matter his generous words, his brown aura said everything she needed to know, guaranteeing he would try to trick the MacGerry in some manner despite his seemingly warm hospitality.
Though the MacGerrys and Sinclairs had been bitter enemies longer than she could remember, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for them. Even the MacGerrys deserved better than betrayal at the hands of her father.

After tonight’s encounter, she vowed to avoid her sire more than ever.
Unsettled by her reaction to the new MacGerry laird, it was best to stay away until they concluded their business. She wasn’t sure she could stomach watching whatever duplicity her father planned, and she didn’t want their visitors to think she played any part in the treachery.

Blurb:
Calder MacGerry, laird of an impoverished clan, has resolved to end the
bitter feud between the MacGerrys and Sinclairs. He jumps at Laird Sinclair’s offer of marriage to his only daughter, Katja, to seal the agreement between their clans—only to get more than he bargained for.
Katja’s chance to escape her father’s harsh treatment appears to be too good to be true. But becoming Lady of a clan that despises her because she’s a Sinclair, doesn’t make her life any easier. When the attacks turn deadly, she fights her way out, making a dangerous passage to the Shetland Isles for refuge with her Viking family.
Calder and Katja’s marriage, built on mistrust, rushes quickly into disaster. As Calder seeks to repair the damage, Katja discovers not another enemy, but a husband who pledges a new beginning.
Buy link:
Amazon: https://www.amzn.com/dp/B0728HWJRY