Today marks week 3
of our fall
Medieval Monday posts.

You'll find me on
Ashley York's blog here: 
https://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com
Follow me next week to Barb Bettis' blog : http://barbarabettis.blogspot.co.uk

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Ashley's excerpt today is from her book, Daughter of the King.

EXCERPT THREE:
It was suddenly very hot. Brighit dropped down again, collecting the dandelions from the ground. “No good wife gets into mischief.”
She smiled at her choice of words.
“So ye wish to not be a good wife?”
Her gaze flew to Darragh to find him grinning at her. She sensed no anger, so he must not have heard any more than what he’d repeated.
She stood.
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Excerpt four will be at Ruth A. Casie’s blog.   http://ruthacasie.blogspot.co.uk
Come on by and say hello!
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     Daughter of the King – book three in The Derbfine Series
A mistaken identity. A gruesome murder. The uniting of two powerful clans.
 
Trained as a warrior…
Brighit of Clonascra is the only daughter of the fearsome overking, Sean, but despises the trappings and demands of womanhood. She’s far more comfortable training for battle than preparing a meal. Long held alliances require she set aside selfish dreams and take Darragh as
her husband. The union intended to promote peace between the clans is interrupted by the shocking murder of a neighboring king and she quickly discovers there are far worse things than being wed.
 
Trained to be king…
Darragh of Drogheda has no wish to follow in the path of his father, Tadhg, but he is an obedient son and supports his father’s plans. His marriage to Brighit, however, will be no hardship at all since he finds her most intriguing especially when she fights him at every turn. A she-warrior indeed. Her persistent dismissal of him merely blows the fire aflame and sets him down the path to discovery of all her most tightly held secrets.
When she stands accused of the murder, can they finally come to an agreement that will give them each what they truly desire?

Buy all my books here:  www.ashleyyorkauthor.com/books

​Help me welcome Ashley York to the hop today! She's sharing an excerpt from her book, Eyes of the Seer.

You'll find my excerpt from The Highlander's Crusader Bride on her blog: https://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com

Excerpt:

Marcán sipped at his mead, the lass’s eyes on Astrid alone now, her backside to him. A fine arse, but when he glanced at Astrid, he found his gaze returned. His chest tightened. That was the face he wanted to see looking up at him as he sought his release. Those were the eyes he wanted to see closing in passion as he rode her. That was where he’d prefer to see his needs met. Raw desire slammed into him. Desperation. It wasn’t possible to take a full breath.
“Ye can sit with the others and eat,” Astrid said to Merewyn, “but remain there until I come for ye.”

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Follow Ashley's excerpt next week on Ruth A. Casie's blog: ​http://ruthacasie.blogspot.co.uk

Look for my next excerpt from The Highlander's Crusader Bride on Mary Morgan’s blog http://www.marymorganauthor.com

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Book Blurb:
In ancient Ireland, men and women take to the legends for answers. Different-colored eyes are the mark of a Seer, it is said, and those who can see the future are in league with the devil. They cannot be suffered to live.
He wishes to prove himself…
Marcán of Clonascara bears the bloodline of Brian Boru, the legendary high king, and his prowess as a warrior has earned him great respect. But he was born with different-colored eyes, and there are some who would have him suffer a Seer’s fate. His fiercest adversary is Beibhinn, mother to Diarmuid, his close friend and king, and Astrid, the woman who holds his heart. If Astrid ever showed him any interest, he would fight Beibhinn and any army to wed her.
She is desperate to escape…
Astrid is sick of her mother’s belittling, but her brother is in no hurry to see her married, so she decides to see to her own match-making. The man she approaches quickly reveals his lack of honor, but her
overbearing mother pushes her to wed him anyway. When Astrid discovers Marcán’s love for her, she realizes that what she wants has been in front of her all along. True happiness awaits them, but only if
they can put a stop to her mother’s plans.


Buy Links:
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iTunes
KOBO
Barnes & Noble

This week's Medieval Monday blog hop features Ashley York's novel, Curse of the Healer!

Excerpt:
 Staring in the face of his obvious vitality  and strength, she hesitated. A finer  specimen of a well-honed man she’d  not  seen. “I do not really believe—”
 “NO?” A sheer wall of exasperation now,  he waited. His square jaw tensed  beneath  the shadow of dark stubble.  “Mayhap the  next time ye’ll find his  young body  impaled on a rock at the  bottom of the cliff.”
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You can find my snippet from The Highlander's Viking Bride for this week on Ashley's blog: https://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com/blog

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Blurb:
After the death of Brian Boru in 1014, a legend arose of a healer so great she could raise a man from the dead, with a power so strong it could make any warrior the next high king of Éire...and to steal it away from her, he need only possess her. 
Fated to be a healer…
Aednat has spent her entire life training to be the great healer, knowing she must remain alone. When she meets Diarmuid, the intense attraction she feels toward him shakes her resolve to believe in such a legend. If she gives in to the passion he ignites in her, can she settle for being less?
Destined to be his…
Diarmuid of Clonascra is renowned for his bravery in battle. Only one thing daunts him: the prospect of taking a wife. The safest course would be to keep his distance from Aednat, the bold, headstrong healer who's far too tempting for his peace of mind. But his overking orders him to protect her from a group of craven warriors intent on kidnapping her to steal her power.
What starts as duty for Diarmuid quickly transforms into something more. Aednat's power might be at risk, but so is his closed-off heart.

BUY LINKS: Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Healer-Derbfine-Book-1-ebook/dp/B06XC1J99P

Why I Love Writing Medieval:
​
Where History takes a passionate turn says it all! My medieval stories take place in the 11th and 12th century, the High Middle Ages. I love the fact that survival was not guaranteed and life was not easy. Babies died, food was fought over, and enemies were everywhere. This lends itself to creating complex characters that live life to the fullest, seeking satisfaction in all their pursuits whether it be in warfare or love, while knowing how brief there time may be. That equals passion! The fact that they live in a Christian society adds restraint to their decisions while they struggle with the many things, seen and unseen, and their pagan past hovers over them like a storm cloud.
This is an amazing time period where universities were just coming into prominence, empires were being established, and human ingenuity was on the upswing. I write my characters without an eye toward the outcome of history. Just because we know William of Normandy will conquer the Kingdoms of England in 1066 doesn't mean we have to act like the Saxons were ripe for an invasion. Just the opposite! Let's extol their strength and unity and their proud, though diverse, heritage. Let's not give the ending away!
 
BIO: Aside from two years spent in the wilds of the Colorado mountains, Ashley York is a proud life-long New Englander and a hardcore romantic. She has an MA in History which brings with it, through many years of research, a love for primary documents and the smell of musty old libraries. With her author's imagination, she likes to write about people who could have lived alongside those well-known giants from the past.
 
Find all my books at: https://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com/books
 

Ashley York is with us this week to share the continuing excerpt from The Gentle Knight.

What must Brighit face on the long journey to her life at the priory?

Excerpt #9:
The bald man did as ordered, placing them upon the tables. He sat beside Cole who had already chosen the other table for himself. Ivan stood by the door, shuffling his feet and skulking like a child who'd lost the cat he'd been torturing.
Peter wanted him out of his sight.
"Ivan, sit with your men or be gone from the room."
The innkeeper reappeared with a well-browned pheasant, speared with a knife, on a wooden platter. This time he was followed by a gray-haired woman, probably his wife. She carried a tray of dark bread and offered the upper crust to Peter. Her head bowed slightly.
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Follow along with excerpt #10 next week on Laurel O'Donnell's blog
http://www.laurel-odonnell.com/blog.html

BLURB: Brighit MacNaughton is an obedient daughter following her father's death bed decree that she take her vows and become the virginal bride of Christ. The hired men seeing her to the Priory at Tanshelf are more interested in the building resentment against the English king than her safety. But when the handsome Norman knight offers his protection against the lecherous mercenaries, he sparks her passion with his gentle touch and smoldering looks of desire, reminding her of dreams best forgotten. Can one night with him quench the intense need in her or will it cause the fire to burn out of control?
Peter of Normandy is a trusted knight of King William, sent north to subdue the unrest and rumblings of revolt at York. Giving aid to an Irish princess more noble than many knights, he is quickly overcome with the need to possess her. With a body meant for a man's pleasure and an unrelenting stubbornness to follow her father's wishes, he struggles against giving her what she wants if it can only be for one night. Will one night of passion prove to be enough or will it unleash an insatiable need that makes him never want to let her go?
 
BUY LINKS:   Amazon