A very heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful authors posting their works here in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. You have made it the best holiday EVER on The Celtic Rose Blog and we have all enjoyed your posts.
We couldn't have done it without you!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Clan Ross Series by Kristi Ahlers
The Clan Ross Series, book 1
Kristi Ahlers
ISBN: 9781301543809
ASIN: B00AERVDDW
Length: Novel
Genre: Time Travel Romance
Price: $3.99
Buy here - Tirgearr Publishing
What’s a woman to do when faced with the man of her dreams—literally?
Catrìona MacDougall has dreamed of an ancient highland warrior for years and over the course of her life she’s fallen irretrievably in love with a man she can’t have. This won’t do and she vows it’s time to put the dream man on the shelf and find a real man who can make her melt. What should seem like a very uncomplicated plan soon proves to be anything but. Catrìona is about to get way more than she ever bargained on. Maybe dreams really can become reality.
Laird Braden Ross, once a brave warrior for his clan, was to marry Catrìona MacDougall, and what started as a marriage to solidify clan relations turns into a love match. But, when Braden leaves MacDougall land with his bride to be, they are ambushed by banished members of the Comyn clan under the direction of Morgana, a druid priestess, who has long held deep feelings for Braden. When those feelings aren’t returned, she vowed to make him pay. She attacks Catrìona and leaves her to die in Braden’s arms after cursing him into a loveless existence until his soulmate releases him.
Braden is trying to reach out to Catrìona but she's convinced he’s nothing but a dream. He needs to prove to her they are meant to be, before she banishes him to the afterlife.
HER HIGHLAND ROGUE
Kristi Ahlers
ISBN: 9781311795366
ASIN: B00GHUDHZ2
Length: Novel
Genre: Time Travel Romance
Price: $3.99
Buy here - Tirgearr Publishing
Kady, Muse Extraordinaire, has ticked off Cupid, and in order to get back into the good graces of her friend and the rest of the Gods, she has to do the seemingly impossible. She has to match her favorite lady human, Meagan Wentworth, with her one true love.
Kady thinks she’s struck the mother lode of luck when Meagan falls for Alec Ross but there is just one tiny little problem with the hearts and flower ending she envisions. Alec is from the past--Scotland, in the year 1295 to be exact, and his little sojourn in the future is about to come to an end, thanks to the selfish and evil priestess, Morgana. But everything goes wrong when Alec and Meagan get caught up in the a spell Morgana has cast and sends them back in time. Kady doesn’t have enough power to send them back to the twenty-first century so she hopes they can make things work until she can figure a way to get Meagan home where she belongs.
Meagan can’t believe she’s back in time, with no plumbing, no electricity and the hottie she’d been falling for, doesn’t remember her. Meagan is going to do what she can to get back to her time period, she doesn’t need this…and yet, she has never backed down from a challenge. She’s going to remind Alec who she is and what they had together in the future. Hopefully, she’ll be able to survive the late 1200’s and not be accused of witchcraft or die. And of course get the guy and write there happy ending.
• • •
Find Kristi Online
Website - http://www.kristiahlers.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kristi.ahlers1
Blog - http://kristiahlers.blogspot.com
Tirgearr Publishing - http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Ahlers_Kristi
Looking for Charlotte by Jennifer Young
Jennifer Young
ISBN:
ASIN:
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Price: $4.99
Pre-order here - Tirgearr Publishing
Divorced and lonely, Flora Wilson is distraught when she hears news of the death of little Charlotte Anderson. Charlotte’s father killed her and then himself, and although he left a letter with clues to the whereabouts of her grave, his two-year-old daughter still hasn’t been found.
Flora embarks on a quest to find Charlotte’s body to give the child’s mother closure, believing that by doing so she can somehow atone for her own failings as a mother. As she hunts in winter through the remote moors of the Scottish Highlands, her obsession comes to threaten everything that’s important to her — her job, her friendship with her colleague Philip Metcalfe and her relationships with her three grown up children.
• • •
Flora hadn’t thought. If she didn’t come up with something she’d have to go shopping and pass judgement on Grace in a series of beige and mustard-coloured suits. She grabbed inspiration from the headline in The Scotsman. ‘I thought I’d pop into the library.’
‘I’ll chum you.’
They parted just beyond the bridge across the Ness, Grace heading up the pedestrian streets and Flora cutting across to the library, fronted by the long line of cars full of Saturday shoppers manoeuvering towards the car parks. She wasn’t a regular library user, but once the idea had taken her she remembered that there was something she wanted to check.
In the reference section, she stood for a moment before selecting the Ordnance Survey map that covered the area south of Ullapool. She knew it quite well. When the children were young they’d gone walking there regularly, able to reach the open spaces without pushing the slowest (usually Amelia, though Beth was the youngest) too hard. They’d graduated to more difficult walks, then stopped walking altogether. Eventually she had developed a fondness for the slightly less bleak terrain to the south of Inverness, where she went occasionally with Philip and his brother, or with a colleague from work. She hadn’t been out all year, not since before Christmas, in fact, and even then they’d been rained off not very far in and driven back to the comfort of a tea shop in Grantown-on-Spey.
A nostalgic yearning for a good long walk swept over her as she unfolded the map and smoothed it out across one of the desks. She and Danny used to look at maps together plotting their routes. His stubby forefinger, with its bitten nails, had traced the most challenging route to start, sliding along the steep and craggy ridges until he remembered the children and reluctantly redrew, shorter, safer.
She thought she knew the place where Alastair Anderson had left his car, and found it easily enough. Under her fingers the map was a flat web of never-parallel lines, of ugly pock-marking that told of steep, loose rocks and inhospitable terrain, just the type of place they used to walk. Somewhere up here, Charlotte Anderson was buried. Carried there, already dead? Or walked there and then killed? Surely neither was realistic; surely they would have found her, with their dogs and their mountain rescue helicopters scouring the ground for new scars, and all the rest of the equipment they had at their disposal.
Looking at the map had been a mistake. It was obvious now. Besides, she couldn’t see it any more; all she could see was the image of Suzanne Beauchamp, that beautiful face with the cold façade, like a wax death mask from Madame Tussauds. More poignant, of course, since it must hide a struggle, a struggle to conceal or to suppress a deadly mixture of grief and guilt.
‘Go away!’ she said softly to this mirage of a grieving woman, a little afraid of its power. ‘Go away!’ And then, in the only defence left to her, she began to fold the map away.
• • •
Jennifer Young is an Edinburgh-based writer, editor and copywriter. She is interested in a wide range of subjects and writing media, perhaps reflecting the fact that she has both arts and science degrees. Jennifer has been writing fiction, including romantic fiction, for a number of years with several short stories already published. Thanks You For The Music, which is set on the Balearic island of Majorca, is her first published novel.Find Jennifer Online
Website - http://http//www.jenniferyoungauthor.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.young.771282
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JYnovelist
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JYoungWriter
Blog - http://jenniferyoungauthor.blogspot.co.uk
Blog - http://novelpointsofview.blogspot.co.uk
Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Young_Jennifer
Dark September by Brendan Gerad O'Brien
Brendan Gerad O'Brien
ISBN: 9781311269966
ASIN: B00OBJIZ6C
Length: Novel
Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction
Price: $4.99
Buy here - Tirgearr Publishing
Germany invades mainland Britain. Irishman Danny O’Shea’s house is bombed and his wife killed. His young son Adam has learning difficulties. Terrified of what the Nazis will do to him, O’Shea decides to take him to neutral Ireland.
Penniless and desperate, they head for Fishguard. But on an isolated Welsh road they witness an attack on a German convoy carrying the blueprints for an awesome new weapon that was discovered in a secret laboratory near Brecon.
German Captain Eric Weiss, responsible for the blueprint’s safe transfer to Berlin, knows his job, even his life, depends on getting it back.
But, following a major disagreement amongst the insurgents, the blueprint disappears. Then O’Shea goes to the aid of a dying woman - and both the Germans and the insurgents believe she’s told him where the blueprints are.
Suddenly O’Shea is separated from his son and catapulted into a world of betrayal and brutal double-cross. Pursued by both the Germans and the insurgents, his only concern is to find Adam and get him to safety.
• • •
‘Did you hear the latest rumour, Danny?’ he asked. His eyes were disturbed, wide and anxious, as they darted from O’Shea to the newspaper and back to O’Shea again.
‘Do you mean about …’ O’Shea felt his throat tighten as he struggled to find the words. He really didn’t want to think about it, but at the same time he desperately wanted to know what was really going on. Leaning over, he rubbed a hole in the condensation on the steamed up window. Outside, the lights from the tram flickered on the curtain of rain that came in waves along the pavement. ‘I heard something on the wireless before I came out about him being …you know?’ he eventually managed to say. ‘But I’m not sure what I believe on the radio anymore.’
‘Well, there’s nothing in the paper about it.’ Elwyn rattled the wet pages as he tried to separate them but they only stuck together more and started to tear. ‘They’d have to put in the papers, wouldn’t they? What d’you think, Danny? Wouldn’t they have to put it in the papers if there was any truth in it? Or do you think it’s just another pack of lies from that lunatic Lord what’s-his-name? D’you think it’s just another one of his tricks to upset us, like? Make us panic?’
O’Shea gave a furtive look around at the other passengers. The tram was full as usual and the steam from their wet clothes misted up the windows.
He recognised most of the men. Practically all of them worked down in the dockyards. The few women on board were heading for the nice warm tax office. It was obvious from the way they held their hands tightly across their bodies that they’d heard the rumour too. So they’d be only too aware of the dreadful consequences if it turned out to be true. But nobody spoke. Today there was no idle chatter, no swapping gossip behind gloved hands. Everyone felt the tension that hung like a fine mist in the air, so they just sat there in silence and looked out of the windows, their faces blank and their mouths drawn into thin, anxious lines.
A deep, desperate sigh rippled up from O’Shea’s chest and he couldn’t swallow it in time so he tried to block it with his hand. What in God’s name was he doing, going to work at a time like this? If the omens were so obviously terrifying, why wasn’t he at home with his wife and child? They’d still be lying in bed, sound asleep and unaware of the drama unfolding around them.
• • •
Brendan Gerad O’Brien was born in Tralee, on the west coast of Ireland and now lives in Wales with his wife Jennifer and daughters Shelly and Sarah.As a child he spent his summer holidays in Listowel, Co Kerry, where his uncle Moss Scanlon had a harness maker’s shop, which, sadly, is long gone now. The shop was a magnet for all sorts of colourful characters. It was there that Brendan’s love of words was kindled by the stories of John B. Keane and Bryan MacMahon, who often wandered in for a chat and bit of jovial banter. Most of the ideas for the stories in the collection Dreamin’ Dreams originated there, and some are based on actual real character - though Brendan would never admit it, simply because he couldn’t afford the ensuing litigation.
Find Brendand Online
Website - http://www.bgobrien.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brendangerad.obrien
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/obgowan
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=62841458
Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/OBrien_BrendanG
Midwinter Masquerade by Romy Gemmell
Romy Gemmell
ISBN: 9781311373328
ASIN: B00G4DNG7G
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Price: $3.99
Buy here - Tirgearr Publishing
Edinburgh 1816: Young widow Lady Lenora Fitzallan receives an invitation that might change her life.
At his Scottish country estate, Edward Montgomery awaits the arrival of the woman he should have married seventeen years before, while his niece Annabelle begins to fall in love. But is it with the right man?
As they all prepare for the Masquerade Ball on the Winter Solstice, new arrivals cause uncertainty and reveal past secrets. But who will win Lenora’s love in the end?
• • •
As the carriage departed from her house in Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square, Lady Lenora Fitzallan settled back in her seat and contemplated the change to her plans since receiving the unexpected correspondence.
“Let me read the letter again, Lenora, if you will.”
Lenora reached across the short distance and handed the well-folded paper to Lady Clarissa Pettigrew.
Lenora’s godmother read the letter twice over, then handed it back. “How mysterious, my dear. And you had no knowledge of this niece, Annabelle, whom he wishes you to meet?”
“Not only have I never heard of the girl, but I’ve had no contact from Edward Montgomery in seventeen years, which makes his invitation to a midwinter solstice house party and masquerade ball all the more intriguing.”
“One wonders how Mr. Montgomery knows you to be a widow. His invitation would not otherwise have been proffered.”
Lenora turned the letter over in her hand as if the answer to her godmother’s astute question could be found there. “I do not know, Godmother. It is exceedingly curious.” She fingered the firm, sloping signature before returning the missive to her reticule. She knew it by heart, especially the part concerning the unknown niece. A sudden vague remembrance surfaced of rumours about the birth of a child, and she recalled Edward had a younger brother but knew nothing of his life. But why should the girl be in Edward’s care, as the letter inferred?
“Annabelle is becoming even more unruly now she is almost of marriageable age. She appears to be forming an unsuitable attachment to Mr. Frederick Shaw. My purpose in writing is to ask if you might consent to joining a small house party we are to have at Marlings around the winter solstice as part of the festive period. Several of the large houses nearby will be celebrating midwinter with dances and concerts and I am concerned that Annabelle should be in good company.”
Lenora pushed aside her questions, and a niggling little doubt that refused be given substance. She would meet the girl herself soon enough when all questions would be answered.
As the carriage lurched over the cobblestones on its way through the New Town, Lenora had to admit to curiosity about Edward. She tried to picture how Edward Montgomery might now appear and could imagine only a more mature version of the handsome young man who had stolen her heart so many years ago. Now she was no longer a young girl in her first season with hope of an advantageous marriage, but a wealthy widow with several admirers. And yet, a deep part of her longed to fulfil the passion of which she was capable and that had been denied for too long.
As though hearing her thoughts, Lady Pettigrew spoke again. “I dare say Sir Charles Osborne will be nonplussed to find you gone over the festive period, my dear.”
Lenora sighed. “He must surely understand by now that I am not contemplating a future with him. I endured quite enough boredom in my marriage and will never marry again unless for love, for I have no need of security.”
She paused, then decided to keep her other thoughts to herself. There was one more reason for marrying again: to bear a child before she was beyond such a possibility. If she were honest, Edward’s description of a lively, wayward niece sparked more interest in her than the dull, gray streets of Edinburgh in late November.
• • •
A freelance writer for many years, Romy Gemmell’s short stories and articles are published in UK magazines, in the US, and Online and she has won a few short story prizes over the years. Her first historical novel, Dangerous Deceit, was published by Champagne Books in Canada in May 2011 (as Romy), and Victorian novella, Mischief at Mulberry Manor, was published on kindle in December 2012. First tween novel, Summer of the Eagles, was published by MuseItUp Publishing in Canada in March 2012 (as Ros) and The Jigsaw Puzzle is now released in April 2013. She describes herself as a butterfly writer, as she writes in so many different genres and different styles. Rosemary is a member of the Society of Authors, the Scottish Association of Writers and the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She indulged her love of literature and history by achieving a BA hons followed by a Masters in Humanities degree as a mature student. Happily married with two grown-up children, she loves to dance!Find Romy Online
Website - http://www.rosemarygemmell.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rosemary.gemmell.3
Twitter - https://twitter.com/RosemaryGemmell
Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Gemmell_Romy
Hidden Guides by Christy Nicholas
Stunning, Strange, and Secret: A Guide to Hidden Scotland
Hidden Gems Guides
Christy Nicholas
ISBN: 9781311036391
ASIN: B00P5BH4YY
Length: Full Length
Genre: Travel Guide
Price: $9.99
Buy here - Tirgearr Publishing
Introduction, History and Myth, Superstitions and Beliefs, Gods and Saints, Highland Hospitality, Ceilidhs and Flings, Stunning Shots, Haggis and Cullenskink, Plans and Mechanics, Discounts and Deals, Hidden Gems, Conclusion, Maps and Resources
• • •
Scotland – the name conjures visions of tartan covering every surface, hairy Highland cows, the deep glowing gold of a dram of whisky, perhaps even Mel Gibson in blue war paint and a kilt. But beyond the tourist tat and the tacky gift shops, what is the real Scotland? What is the soul of the country, the hidden spirit that draws people back?
In this book, I will explore many aspects of Scotland. I will delve into the history and myths that shaped the culture, as well as the superstitions and beliefs that still hold sway today. Parts of that are, of course, the ecclesiastic traditions, the Highland culture, and the various invasions from Ireland, Scandinavia, and England. I shall talk about the food, the music, the people, and, of course, the drinks. Some practical aspects to planning your trip, and your photography, are next, as well as some discounts and tricks to save some money. And, of course, a nice big section on hidden gems, places off the beaten track, to get away from the busloads of tourists and find your own special places.
• • •
Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she's a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were. She loves to draw and to create things. She says it's more of an obsession than a hobby. She likes looking up into the sky and seeing a beautiful sunset, or seeing a fragrant blossom or a dramatic seaside. She takes a picture or creates a piece of jewelry as her way of sharing this serenity, this joy, this beauty with others. Sometimes this sharing requires explanation – and thus she writes. Combine this love of beauty with a bit of financial sense and you get an art business. She does local art and craft shows, as well as sending her art to various science fiction conventions throughout the country and abroad.Find Christy Online
Website - http://www.greendragonartist.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/greendragon9
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/greendragonauthor
Facebook GreenDragonArtist - http://www.facebook.com/greendragonartist
LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/greendragon9
Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Christy-Nicholas/e/B00E3ENH7C
Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Nicholas_Christy
What the Future Holds by Joan Fleming
Joan Fleming
ISBN: 9781310866395
ASIN: B00LEWCJO8
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Price: $3.99
Buy here - Tirgearr Publishing
Amy Wilson was left the family cottage on Mull. It's a place near to her heart, as she spent her summers on Mull, a place where many of her dearest memories were made. She takes every opportunity she can to return for retreat. Unfortunately, her partner Matt doesn't feel the same about Mull. As the story opens, Amy has arrived at Mull on her own, as usual, while Matt is away on a business trip to New York. Just what she needs -- time away from real life, a break from work, a break from Matt, if she's honest with herself. Two weeks to unwind, walking the sandy strand, vising the isle of Iona across the sound (a place she can see from her cottage and relishes), and visiting with old friends. Bliss!
That is until she reads the contents of a packet that had been delivered to the cottage just prior to her arrival. Oceanview Holiday Homes was in the proposal stage, a development to be built on a parcel of land between her beloved cottage and her view of the abbey on Iona across the sound. Worse, the person behind the proposal is none other than the boy she fell in love with during her summer holidays, her cousin, Sandy McFarlane.
Sandy's older brother, Angus, has recently passed away and made Sandy the executor of his estate. Part of that estate includes building a holiday resort on Mull, using a strip of family land along the seafront. Locals won't dispute the added income will help support the community, but everyone knows about the land dispute between the McFarlanes and Amy's family. No one knows who owns the land, but they do know Amy won't allow the development to go through until the disputed ownership of the land can be solved.
Sandy has always been an enigma. Cousin to Amy from a side of the family which had been avoided by her people, there was always something *different* about the boy he once was. It still did't stop her from feeling soft toward him as children and falling in love with him. Now, ten years later, the proposed development has thrown them together. Unbeknownst to Amy, family secrets are about to be let out of the closet, and they could change Amy's life forever.
• • •
It was early evening by the time Amy Wilson opened the bulky envelope. Sitting by the fire, with a glass of red wine in her hand, she drew a deep breath of sheer contentment. This was what relaxation was all about—the scent of burning peat, silence except for the faint whisper of the waves lapping over the rocks in the bay, and the view of the island of Iona no picture postcard image could ever reproduce.
Pure heaven. That was until she saw the contents of the envelope.
Flicking her dark brown hair behind her ears, she straightened in her armchair.
At first, she stared at the papers, trying to work out what they meant. Log cabins? Holiday homes? Leisure facility? What had all this to do with her? She looked again at the envelope.
Miss A. Wilson
Columb Cottage
Isle of Mull
Argyll
There was no doubt it was meant for her. But why was it delivered here at the cottage in Mull when she had arranged to forward her mail to her Glasgow address? Then she realised there was no stamp on the envelope and in a corner were the words “Hand Delivered”.
Closer examination revealed the paperwork had been prepared by a firm of solicitors. The covering letter explained the purpose of the communication—a proposal had been submitted to build twelve log cabins—a ‘holiday village’ to be named Oceanview—on a piece of ground by the sea shore on the edge of Amy’s land. Enclosed was a plan of the holiday facility.
The more she read, the faster Amy’s heart beat. Build on the shoreline! What a preposterous idea! There was no way anyone could be allowed to ruin the natural beauty of this spot on the island. Jumping up from her comfortable armchair, she ran over to the window to look out at the bay. With the plan of the proposed holiday village in her hand, she glanced from the plan to the bay itself, trying to visualise where the cabins would be, how they would look. Would they interfere with her view? Would she still be able to see the abbey on the island of Iona? Or the sea? No—this was unacceptable. It was out of the question. She would not allow it to happen!
• • •
Joan Fleming was born and educated in Edinburgh, Scotland. After university there, she became a teacher of French and German for a short period in the London area, then in the West of Scotland.Since leaving education, she now concentrates on creative writing. She has had short stories and articles published in magazines in both the UK and America, and has won a number of awards for her writing.
Joan is a member of Erskine Writers, the Scottish Association of Writers, the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors.
Her interests include: reading, walking, travel, islands (anywhere!) and the life and work of Robert Burns.
She now lives in a flat on the outskirts of Glasgow overlooking the West Highland Way.
Find Joan Online
Website - http://www.joanflemingwriter.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/joan.fleming.562
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Joan_Fleming
Blog - http://joanfleming-writing.blogspot.co.uk
Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Fleming_Joan
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