That title is a mouthful! Let's just say 'WOW'! Here's an opportunity to win 40+ books from some of your very favorite authors, as well as a new EReader!
Contest runs Feb. 12 - 19, 2018.

Enter the contest by clicking here: http://bit.ly/romraiders-feb2018
 
When you're finished, leave a comment to let me know you’ve entered!

Welcome to the Valentine's Day hop!

From Feb 11 to Feb 14, you are invited to visit each author's site, grab the name of the hero from their sponsored book, and then enter your info in the rafflecopter drawing set up on Elizabeth Rose's site. Your chance to win some fabulous prizes is just a 'hop' away!

My featured book is the newest in the Hardy Heroines series,
​The Highlander's Crusader Bride.
​
Heroine, Arbela, meets her hero, Caelen, when she challenges him to an archery contest.

​Will it be love? Or a contest of wills?

My prize for the hop is a signed copy of the first book in the Hardy Heroines series, Highland Escape, in it's original cover, a bag of Walker's Shortbread Scottie dogs, and a lovely notepad entitled, Follow Your Heart.

Be sure to follow the links to each author's site. Check out the prizes, discover their featured hero, and head over to Elizabeth Rose's site to enter the rafflecopter.

​Below is a list of the authors' sites. Click on each one for the next step in the hop. (Don't worry--there is a list on every site)
Good luck, and Happy Valentine's Day!
​
Valentine hop links
 
1) Elizabeth Rose
2) Victoria Vane
3) Lily Baldwin
4) Vonda Sinclair
5) Cathy MacRae
6) Amy Jarecki
7) Meara Platt
8) Lana Williams

There's a giveaway contest going on on my facebook page! 
Click here:
​https://www.facebook.com/cathymacraeauthor/

You'll find the instructions on the pinned post.

Good luck! Happy Valentines Day!
​
(Must have a US address)

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

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.”
                                                   * * *
You can find my snippet from The Highlander's Viking Bride for this week on Ashley's blog: https://www.ashleyyorkauthor.com/blog

                                               * * *
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

Jenna Jaxon is with me today to share snippet #7 from her book, Betrothal, Book 1 in the Time Enough to Love series.

Excerpt:
“What say you then, Sir Geoffrey? Does the lady not speak fair? I vow she will make you a proper wife and a dutiful one as well.”
Alyse turned, until that moment unaware that Geoffrey Longford stood beside her. Chills coursed down her body as the king’s words echoed in her mind. The sensation of falling backward assailed her, as though she rushed away from the tall man at her side even as his figure loomed larger and larger in her sight.
Not Lord Braeton.
Her numbed brain repeated the phrase, trying to comprehend that instead he would be her husband. Geoffrey Longford.
God have mercy on me, for by the look of him, this man will not. 
                                             * * *
You can follow my week 7 snippet on Jenna's blog: http://jennajaxon.wordpress.com
                                             * * *
Blurb:
BETROTHAL
 
The heart can choose, but can it also change?
Lady Alyse de Courcy has fallen in love with Lord Braeton, a nobleman in King Edward III’s court and a man to whom she has barely spoken. Fate, however, has decreed her betrothal to his best friend, Sir Geoffrey Longford—a handsome and imposing knight, yet hardly the man she wants to wed.
When Sir Geoffrey is bound in betrothal by his father, he could not have expected the beautiful stranger to win his heart the moment they meet. But Alyse’s infatuation with his friend casts doubt on whether she can ever return his regard and their wedding day is fast approaching…  Will he have time enough to win her love?

LINKS:
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CF6UZFW
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betrothal-jenna-jaxon/1115182506?ean=2940044481251
SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/307838
 

It's week 6 of our blog hop, and time to welcome Laurel O'Donnell to the blog as she shares her next snippet of her hero and heroine's first encounter from her book, The Angel and the Prince.

Excerpt:
She recovered with a nervous laugh.  “Do you take me for a fool?  Shall I release your bonds so you can snap my neck with your bare hands?”
He turned his unscathed cheek toward her.  “Perhaps you’d like to cut this side.”
Ryen stood, appalled.  However, his goading made the idea attractive, and she raised the sharp blade to press it against his skin.  Her knuckles brushed his cheek and a tremor ran down her spine.  She stared for a long moment at his profile, realizing how close she was to him, and that the shiver was neither coldness nor repulsion.  She enjoyed touching his skin.  Angry with the knowledge and with herself, she narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth.  Her hand trembled as she pulled the blade away.  “You’d like it too much.”
“Bitch,” he snarled.
                                              * * *
Follow along next week for Laurel's 7th snippet at Ruth A Casie’s website – http://RuthACasie.blogspot.com
Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a signed copy of The Angel and the Prince!
 
You can find my 6th snippet at Laurel's blog: http://www.laurel-odonnell.com/blog.html Remember to comment for another chance at winning an ebook from each of our Medieval Monday authors!
                                                * * *
Blurb:
In this exciting medieval romance, the French lady knight known as the Angel of Death wages a battle of wills and desires against her dreaded enemy -- the English warrior known as the Prince of Darkness. 

Ryen De Bouriez is a French warrior, dedicated to protecting her country against the hated English. In place of glittering ball gowns, she wears shining armor. Instead of practicing the gentler arts, she wields a sword. Those who whisper her name in fear and awe call her the Angel of Death. 

Bryce Princeton is the Prince of Darkness, an English knight sent by his king to find and destroy their most hated adversary -- the Angel of Death. Little does he know that his enemy is no man at all, but a beautiful woman who will challenge his heart and honor at every turn.

Forced to choose between love and honor, the Angel and the Prince wage a battle of wills that challenges everything they have ever believed in.
                                                * * *
 
Buy Link for The Angel and the Prince by Laurel O’Donnell –
 
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Prince-Laurel-ODonnell-ebook/dp/B004LGTR1M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
 

 Today I'm welcoming Ceci  Giltenan to the Medieval  Monday blog hop.

Follow along with her 5th snippet of her hero and heroine's first encounter from her book, Highland Redemption.

Week 5:
​ Tomas laughed, “I never thought  about that. I just really liked the  name when I was a wee lad.”  His grin broadened as another  memory came to him.
 “What amuses you so?”
“I was just remembering that I liked the name so much, I wanted my parents to name my baby sister Mab.” 
She laughed and Tomas delighted in the sound. It enveloped him in a sweet warmth.
“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
Damn. Tomas had inadvertently revealed more than he wished anyone at Cotharach to know. He’d have to tread carefully. “I have two brothers and a sister.”
“Older or younger?”
“All younger.”
                                            * * *
Follow along next week on Ruth A. Casie’s website: http://ruthacasie.blogspot.com/. Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win an e-copy of Highland Redemption or another e-book of your choice by Ceci Giltenan.

You can also find my 5th week snippet on Ceci's blog at www,https://cecigiltenan.com. (You can comment there, too, for an extra chance to win!!)
                                             * * *
Blurb:
Tomas's life changed forever when at the age of seven he was adopted by Laird and Lady Maclan ending the abuse he'd suffered at Ambrose Ruthven's hand. He'd never looked back and never intended to
But fate had other plans...
Now, nineteen years later, he runs headlong into his past. The Ruthvens are in trouble and Tomas is in a position to help them. But can he set aside his hatred for Laird Ruthven for the good of the clan into which he was born?
Fate always adds a twist...
Laird Ruthven's daughter is not what Tomas expected. Vida Ruthven is sweet, smart, and utterly irresistible.
Now, Tomas must choose between being the savior or taking the ultimate revenge.
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Redemption-Duncurra-Legacy-Novel-ebook/dp/B071NL216N

Welcome to week #4 in our Medieval Monday blog hop! Today I'm sharing my snippet with Nicole Locke on her blog here.

Let a bit of Christmas cheer chase those end-of-August blues with a snippet from Nicole Locke's book, Her Christmas Knight.

Remember to comment below (and on all our wonderful blogs) for a chance to win this and other ebooks from the Medieval Monday authors!

Snippet:
Laughter. High-pitched and suddenly snuffed out.
Where had it come from? It had burst out and disappeared too quickly for her to tell. Was it the other seal seekers or someone hiding in the shadows?
She pushed away from the wall and walked to the left. She might be going in circles, but she had to move. The riddle had hinted at additional seals. The others might be ahead of her.
Not daring to run any more, she quickened her steps. If the other seekers were close and she slipped and the seal fell she would never find it again. But she couldn’t be too cautious. If she was quick enough she’d have the prize—she’d be out of the dark.
Another step and another—until the floor dropped.

Book Blurb:
A knight to protect her—this Yuletide 
By order of the English king, Alice of Swaffham searches London nobility for the traitor dealing information to the Scots. Little does she know that the mysterious spy she seeks is the man she once loved and thought she'd lost forever… 
If Hugh of Shoebury felt unworthy of Alice before, as the Half-Thistle spy he can never claim her heart. Now he must fight to keep not only his dark secrets--and Alice—safe from a vengeful king…but also his burning longing for her at bay!
 
Amazon: myBook.to/Lovers-n-Legends6
Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/authors/24841_nicole-locke.html

Next Monday, Nicole will be at Ruth A. Casie’s blog. http://ruthacasie.blogspot.co.uk

And you can find me exchanging snippets with Ceci Giltenan on her blog, here.

This week, Barbara Bettis and I are exchanging snippets from our hero and heroine's first encounters. You can find mine here.

Her snippet is from her book, The Lady of the Forest, a book I think has a bit of a Robin Hood flair :-) 

I hope you enjoy following along! Commenting on the posts enters you in a drawing for an ecopy of each book presented in this section of Medieval Monday!

Excerpt for week #2:

“But you’ll turn him in, won’t you?” His voice hitched.
Her glance took in the prisoner’s face that seemed so familiar. She had no choice. “We must.”
Still looking troubled, Jamie darted out. Young or no, the boy understood the danger they courted. While soldiers combed the area for a stranger, none of her people were safe. But once Sir Mortimer had his hands on the man he wanted, he’d call off his mongrels.
Kate had to believe that.

Book blurb:
BLURB:
He must pursue his enemy; she must protect her people. Can their love survive the duties that drive them apart?
When her elderly husband dies, Lady Katherine fakes her own death and disappears into the forest with others escaping the brutish new lord. Determined to protect her people, she knocks the wrong man senseless. But Lord Henry isn’t an enemy, he’s the brother of her childhood friend. Although his tender confidence tempts her, she’s bound by duty.
Henry of Chauvere has found the one lady he wants for his own, never mind she’s tied him hand and foot. When he learns the king has ordered her to wed Stonehill’s ruthless new master, he insists Kate seek haven with his sister. But she won’t desert her friends. Henry vows to solve her problem, provided he catches a traitor before the threat from Kate's past catches her.
 
When a daring rescue compels Henry and Kate to join forces, their attraction grows into love. If only duty didn’t drive them apart.
 
AMAZON  TWRP
 
Follow along next week for Barbara's next snippet at Nicole Locke’s http://www.nicolelocke.com/     Don’t forget to comment for a chance to win an e-copy of The Lady of the Forest!

And follow me to Elisabeth Hobbes' blog for my next snippet!
Don't forget to enter as often as you like by commenting on all the posts.