Highland Guard

Best-selling author Monica McCarty transports listeners to the 14th-century Scottish highlands in this dazzling novel. Warrior Tor MacLeod is picked by Robert the Bruce to lead the fight against English rule. Despite Tor's rigid disposition and devotion to his craft, his new bride is determined to warm his heart.

Best-selling author Monica McCarty captivates millions with swashbuckling Scottish romances like The Hawk. Brilliant seafarer Erik MacSorley has never encountered a gale he couldn't weather or a woman he couldn't win-until he drags a wet, half-clothed "nursemaid" from the Irish Sea. But Ellie's ordinary dress belies the truth that she's the spirited daughter of an Irish nobleman. And her determination to resist Erik's charms is a challenge he can't resist.

USA Today best-selling author Monica McCarty pens sweeping historical romances that listeners adore. Set in early 14th-century Scotland, The Ranger stars Arthur Campbell, a Highland Guard warrior fighting to free Scotland from English rule. Working as a spy for Robert the Bruce, Arthur infiltrates an enemy clan with orders to kill the clan's chieftain. But his sense of duty wavers when he meets the chieftain's daughter, Anna -- a beautiful lass who sets his heart ablaze.

Prized for his snakelike stealth and deadly strikes, Lachlan "Viper" MacRuairi is a warrior to enlist but not to trust. His only loyalty is to his purse, his indifference sealed by bitter betrayal. All that changes when Lachlan is tasked to protect and deliver Bella MacDuff to the king's coronation-and the proud, lushly sensual countess unwittingly challenges him to his greatest battle yet: to love again. Passionate and devoted, Bella has defied Britain's king and her own husband to place the crown on Bruce's head, and for this she pays a terrible price: losing her daughter and her freedom to her husband's vengeance. Imprisoned with barbaric cruelty, she vows to reclaim her child, even if it means selling her soul-and her body-to a dark, lethal warrior whose eyes glint like steel, but who makes her skin tingle and her breath race. Together they embark on a rogue mission with sinister twists and turns that threatens not only Bella's gamble to save her daughter-but also her heart.

Magnus MacKay is the ultimate Highlander: tough, proud, able to master any terrain and to best his enemies. Called "the Saint" for his refusal to discuss women, as well as for his cool and steady leadership, Magnus hides a painful truth. It isn't virtue or piety that keeps him silent, but a wound of love and loss that cuts so deep he cannot bear to speak of it. But when the woman who refused him is betrothed to his friend and fellow Guardsman, Magnus is tested by love's battle cry. A wild and innocent beauty, Helen chose family duty over her desire for Magnus. Now the anger in his eyes mirrors the tormented regret in her heart. But as deadly subterfuge stalks the King and his Guard, Helen vows to right her youthful mistakes with a woman's determined spirit. Still, Magnus harbors secrets and an iron will not to weaken to temptation-or heartache-again. But as danger looms, it's the kiss not of a saint, but of a sinner, that can save them.

Fiery, aggressive, and bold, Kenneth Sutherland is a true champion-skilled with any weapon and driven to win. Now Kenneth is ready for his greatest challenge: joining Robert the Bruce's secret army to fight among the elite. Kenneth's best chance to attain that honor is by winning the Highland Games. Focused and prepared for victory, he is caught off guard by a lovely wisp of a woman-and a stolen moment of wicked seduction. Her innocent arousal and her shameless hunger fire his blood. He will win his place in the guard-and in Mary of Mar's bed. The ruggedly handsome hero-in-the-making stirs a heart that should know better. Mary vows that her surrender will be sport only-no promises, no heartbreak, just one night of incredible passion. Nothing, she swears, will persuade her to give up her hard-wrought independence and put her fate in the hands of another powerful man. But with every gentle touch and heart-pounding kiss, Kenneth makes her want more. Now Mary wants his heart. But is this determined champion willing to surrender everything for love?

Prized for his unbeatable tracking skills, Ewen 'Hunter' Lamont accepts a dangerous assignment: locate a missing undercover courier. But this is no ordinary target. Ewen has met his prey before as 'Sister Genna,' a fiery, forbidden woman forever etched in his memory after one stolen, sinful kiss. Now that he knows her real identity, he's more determined than ever to keep her safe. But without the protection of the veil between them, fighting the allure of the beautiful lass may be the toughest battle this extraordinary warrior has ever faced. After her ill-fated attempt three years ago to rescue her twin sister, Janet of Mar has found salvation acting as a royal messenger-until she surrenders to a darkly handsome warrior whose rough, sensual kisses stir feelings the woman in her can't deny. But when betrayal leads to danger and a crucial communiqué is put in jeopardy, Janet has no choice but to put her faith in the hunter who can find anything-perhaps even her heart.

A novella set in the world of New York Times bestselling author Monica McCarty's Highland Guard series. The year is 1311, and the battle for Scotland's independence rages on . . . Stripped of his lands by the English king who killed his father, James Douglas will do whatever it takes to see his clan's honor and fortune restored. The ambitious young knight, whose dark visage, powerful stature, and ferocity in battle has earned him the epithet "the Black," knows he must use fear, force, and intimidation to defeat the English, put Robert the Bruce on Scotland's throne, and restore the honor of the Douglas name. Nothing and no one will get in his way. Not even the lass who captured his heart in childhood and still holds it in her delicate hands. Joanna Dicson has loved James Douglas for as long as she can remember. That she is "only" the daughter of the marshal of Douglas Castle has never concerned her. Yet even as James's ruthless reputation grows, and despite the warnings of others to guard her heart-and her virtue-against him, Joanna never dreams he will turn on her. He loves her and would never hurt her. But when James returns to Douglas to force the English garrison from his castle, Joanna learns that their love is nothing against his ambition. His marriage-like everything else-will be a means of bettering his clan. Heartbroken and humiliated, Joanna is left alone with a secret that may destroy them both. Contains mature themes.

Of all Bruce's elite warriors, Robert 'Raider' Boyd is the most formidable. A true patriot whose bare hands are a deadly weapon, Robbie is the fierce enforcer of the Guard, and his hatred of the English has been honed to a razor-sharp edge. But vengeance proves bittersweet when his enemy's beautiful sister falls into his hands and he finds himself fighting temptation-a battle he badly wants to lose. Lady Rosalin Clifford barely recognizes the rebel prisoner she saved from execution six years ago. Though her girlish ideals for fairness have matured into a passion for justice, Rosalin believes she betrayed her brother when she helped this dangerous man escape. Now her traitorous act has come back to haunt her. But she can't deny the longing this tormented warrior ignites in her, or deny the passion that turns sworn enemies into lovers. Is the gentle love of a true English rose enough to free Scotland's most brutal warrior from a path of vengeance-before it's too late?

The talents of marksman Gregor 'Arrow' MacGregor are crucial now, as Bruce moves to reclaim his Scottish holdings. Gregor is considered the most handsome man in Scotland, and his fame as an archer is rivaled only by his reputation with the lasses. But when his infamous face is exposed during a covert mission, Gregor is forced to lay low. He returns home only to find a new battle waiting: a daring game of seduction involving his now very grown-up and very desirable ward, Cate of Lochmaben.

Six years ago, Eoin "Striker" MacLean endured the greatest betrayal of his life, a disaster that led Robert the Bruce to a crushing defeat and left Eoin without the spirited woman who ruled his heart. Eoin knew that falling in love with Margaret MacDowell-his sworn enemy's daughter-was risky. He promised Bruce that he would keep his fiery bride in the dark about the elite Highland Guard, but he could not predict the dire consequences his secret would have on his young marriage. Nor could he foresee how surrendering to temptation would cripple Bruce's cause, forcing Eoin to blame his wife, and himself for trusting her. Now, as Bruce prepares to challenge the resistance's remaining strongholds, Eoin finally has his chance for revenge against the woman he once loved so fiercely and her entire clan. But when ferociously independent Margaret reveals a surprise that unites her with Eoin, neither of them will let their love go down without a fight. Contains mature themes.

The first time Thomas MacGowan saw Elizabeth Douglas, he thought that she was a princess. To the son of the castle blacksmith, the daughter of the powerful Lord of Douglas might as well be. Despite their differences in rank, they become inseparable-until Thom confesses his love, and the humiliation of realizing that Elizabeth has never considered him a potential suitor drives him to battle. Elizabeth is devastated. She never meant to hurt Thom, but her only hope for security is to marry for the betterment of her clan. When the English capture her younger brother, she turns to the quiet, steady former protector who can climb anything. But the merciless, muscled warrior is not the companion she remembers. Though Thom has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with Elizabeth, can he truly refuse the alluring woman who makes his heart race? Contains mature themes.

A novella set in the world of New York Times bestselling author Monica McCarty's Highland Guard series What's not to love? Not only is Sir Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, one of the most important and wealthiest men in the kingdom, he's charming, devastatingly handsome, and the favored nephew of King Robert the Bruce. Even so, when Isabel "Izzie" Stewart meets the vaunted knight, she's glad he's her cousin's soon-to-be betrothed and not hers. He takes himself far too seriously, to her mind, and seems to be acting out the role of the "perfect" knight. In her experience, men who are too good to be true usually are. But when Izzie starts to wonder whether her first impressions might have been wrong, she discovers a complex, compelling man who is far from perfect and more seductive than she ever imagined. Contains mature themes.

Joan Comyn swore allegiance to Robert the Bruce the day she witnessed England's barbarous king torturing her famous mother, Scot patriot Bella MacDuff. Now the mysterious beauty slips into men's hearts like a specter and entices England's most illustrious barons to unwittingly divulge their secrets, then shares them with her king. Known only as the Ghost even among her Highland Guard brethren, Joan has become the most wanted traitor in England. The man determined to uncover her identity poses her biggest threat yet. Alex Seton once stood with Bruce but now fights for the enemy. Though Joan knows she must avoid the handsome warrior or risk discovery, his knightly chivalry touches a place in her long since buried. When his suspicions grow apparent, Joan realizes she must do everything in her power to stop Alex from revealing her mission and convince the powerful fighter to join forces with the Highland Guard once more. But as the ultimate battle in the great war approaches, will Alex choose love or honor?