WARRIOR'S HEART sneak peek

I'm super excited to share Varar and Fina's story with you! To get things started I'd like to share sneak peek from one of my favorite scenes in the book! Check it out below — and remember to mark your calendars for January 22nd!

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Dripping wet, her skirts clinging to her legs and her hair plastered against her scalp, Fina led the way back into the broch. The women inside hooted and pointed at the sight of her, soaked and bedraggled.

Fina stared directly ahead, ignoring them. She was saving her anger for one man.

Varar followed her upstairs to his alcove. They had just entered it, walking out onto the fur that spread across the stone floor, when Fina rounded on him.

“Stinking piece of dung,” she snarled, shoving him hard in the chest with her bound hands. However, he did not even budge. “Did you enjoy that?”

“Not really,” he replied with that same bored tone that he had used with his warriors earlier. “But it was necessary.”

“Liar!” she choked, shoving him again. It was like hitting a stone wall. “You loved every moment of it, especially letting them think you’ve been humping me.”

He arched an eyebrow, grabbed hold of her bound wrists, and pushed her away from him. Fina resisted the push, yet she found herself propelled back so she was standing on the edge of her furs.

“That was for your benefit,” he replied. He let go of her and crossed to the beam behind them, where he refastened the chain. “Better for you if they think I’m using you … better for you too if I let the folk here vent their rage. It was humiliating for you, but you weren’t harmed. They’ll stop baying for your blood now.”

Fina’s lip curled. “You must think me a dull-wit,” she growled. “You didn’t do it for me, but for yourself. You’re hoping I’ll be so grateful to you for ‘saving’ me that I’ll spread my legs.”

She had meant to keep that knowledge to herself, to use as a tool to gain her freedom in the coming days. But now the red haze of fury had descended upon her, she forgot her resolve. She wanted to lash out, to wound.

“You have a high opinion of yourself, Fina.” He returned to her and began unfastening her wrists. His voice was still an arrogant drawl, yet his face had changed, his gaze had hooded. “If I wanted you, I wouldn’t go to so much trouble.”

“Pig!”

The instant Fina’s hands were free, she lashed out. She struck Varar hard in the solar plexus with one fist, while she slammed the other into his jaw.

He grunted, reeling back from the force of her blows. But he recovered with alarming speed. Fina was not close enough to knee him in the groin. She was delivering another strike, this one at his neck, when he caught her fist and shoved her backwards.

Two strides brought the pair of them back against the wall.

Fina found herself pinned there by the hard, heavy length of Varar’s body. He grabbed hold of her wrists and yanked them above her head, slamming them against the pitted stone.

Panting from rage, Fina bared her teeth at him. “This is what you wanted all along, wasn’t it, Boar?”

They were pressed close. Too close. She could feel the hard, muscular length of his body through her wet clothes. Their position was far too intimate. Her breasts pressed against the wall of his chest, and he had pushed a leg between her thighs to stop her from bringing her knee up and injuring his cods.

He stared down at her. His dark-blue eyes narrow, his face hard. He looked angry, dangerous. Varar was so close she could see the texture of his skin, the length of his dark eyelashes. And she could smell him: a spicy blend of leather and maleness. A tendril of fear curled in the base of Fina’s belly, penetrating her outrage. Had she pushed him too far?

The moment drew out. Then, Varar’s mouth twisted. “I’ll take this as my thanks, Fina,” he murmured. “And worry not … you’re very welcome.”

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Enjoyed it?

Be sure to add WARRIOR'S HEART to your Goodreads TBR shelf! 

And if you can't wait for the 22 January, you can preorder your copy here:

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Love
Jayne x

WARRIOR'S HEART is available on preorder!

💖💖💖 Preorder alert! 💖💖💖

WARRIOR'S HEART is available on preorder! The release date is January 22, 2019. This new series is the follow-up to my WARRIOR BROTHERS OF SKYE series, set in 4th Century Isle of Skye. We return to the isle twenty years late and follow the lives and loves of Galan, Tarl, and Donnel's offspring.

Love and hate are but different sides of the same blade.

Fina is a fierce Pict warrior of The Eagle tribe upon Dark Ages Isle of Skye. Strong-willed and lethal with a knife or a long-bow, she kneels to no man ... until the day she falls in battle and finds herself captive of the enemy.

Varar mac Urcal is the arrogant, ruthless chieftain of The Boar tribe. Although his father had held the peace with the neighboring tribe, relations have swiftly deteriorated since his death. When Varar takes the only enemy survivor of a violent skirmish prisoner, he intends to use Fina as a weapon to keep his enemies in check. Only, his strong attraction to his fiery captive risks complicating his ambitions.

But the conflict between the two tribes isn't the only threat to peace. When a group of invaders cross from the mainland intent on taking The Winged Isle as their own, the four tribes of the island must make a decision. Do they continue their feuding and risk annihilation, or do they band together against the invaders?

Fina and Varar must also make a choice. Love or hate—they have to decide.

💖 Preorder your copy here, and it will be delivered to your Kindle on Jan 22nd!💖

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LORD OF THE NORTH WIND is available!

LORD OF THE NORTH WIND is now available! It's been a great launch so far, and readers are loving Aldfrith, my Philosopher King.

For those of you with Amazon Prime subscriptions who have been patiently waiting ... LORD OF THE NORTH WIND is now in Kindle Unlimited!

Aldfrith's character was modeled a real historical figure: King Aldfrith of Northumbria. 

Read about what kind of man he was and how he ruled in this guest post on Mary Anne Yarde's Historical fiction blog.

Here's what readers are saying about the book so far!

"I loved the realistic and engaging characters and the angsts of the passion and once in a life time love, that politically can never be." ★★★★★

Amazon review

"King Aldfrith, different as he is from most heroes I read, will stick with me for a while. I think I have a new favorite hero archetype - the philosopher king." ★★★★★

Amazon review

Intrigued?

Here's a snippet (one of my favorite scenes!) from the book for you to enjoy

***

“I'm sorry, milord.” Osana took another hasty step backwards. “I was taking a walk. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

His dark blue gaze remained upon her for a long moment, before his mouth quirked. “You aren’t intruding.”

Osana gave a hurried curtsey and backed off farther. “I bid you good morning, sire.”

She turned to flee, still clutching the half-eaten apple. His voice, faintly tinged with amusement, stilled her. “It’s Osana, isn’t it?”

She turned back, her face warming under his scrutiny. “Aye … Raedwulf of Hagustaldes is my husband.”

He nodded. “I noticed you at the feast last night.”

He said those words without the slightest flirtation, yet Osana’s cheeks grew hotter still at that. What was wrong with her? She never blushed. He had caught her watching him at the feast. She had been observing him, thinking his attention was elsewhere, when his gaze had snapped up, ensnaring hers. She felt mortified now, as she had at the time.

One did not stare at the king—he would think her common and far too bold.

But when she forced herself to meet his eye, she saw that the king did not appear offended or disdainful.

Instead, he was watching her with cool interest. A moment later his gaze dropped to the apple she still clutched. “I didn’t think they were ripe enough yet. Was it a good apple?”

Now he’ll think me a thief.

***

Get your copy here:

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New project: THE PICT WARS series

Now that THE WARRIOR BROTHERS OF SKYE series is complete (the box-set is available too!), I'm now immersed in the next series: THE PICT WARS. 

We're still in 4th Century Isle of Skye, but this series starts twenty years after the last series ends. These are stories of Galan, Tarl, and Donnel's children. We start with Fina, who is Tarl and Lucrezia's daughter, and Varar (who's the Boar chieftain's son). This is an enemies to lovers story—with a bad boy in need of redemption. Check out the sexy cover ...with a smoldering Varar! You can see he's a bad boy. ;-)

Here's what the first book in the series, WARRIOR'S HEART is about...

THE PICT WARS—BOOK #1

WARRIOR'S HEART

WAR BRINGS THEM TOGETHER. BUT WILL IT ALSO TEAR THEM APART?

Fina is a fierce Pict warrior of The Eagle tribe upon Dark Ages Isle of Skye. Strong-willed and lethal with a knife or a long-bow, she kneels to no man ... until the day she falls in battle and finds herself captive of the enemy.

Varar mac Urcal is the ruthless chieftain of The Boar tribe. Although his father had held the peace with the neighboring tribe, relations have swiftly deteriorated since his death. When Varar takes the only enemy survivor of a violent skirmish prisoner, he intends to use Fina as a weapon to keep his enemies in check. Only, his strong attraction to his fiery captive risks complicating his ambitions.

But the conflict between the two tribes isn't the only threat to peace. When a group of invaders cross from the mainland intent on taking The Winged Isle as their own, the four tribes of the island must make a decision. Do they continue their feuding and risk annihilation, or do they band together against the invaders?

Fina and Varar must also make a choice. Love or hate—they have to decide.

When is my next release?

I've been planning out my next year's writing—and have got lots of projects in the pipeline!

So far this year I've published two novels (which completes my Dark Ages Scottish series set in  4th Century Isle of Skye), and have a third up on pre-order for August (Book #2 of my Epic Fantasy Romance series). All going well, I should have another two releases (the last book in the Kingdom of Northumbria series, and a Dark Ages Scottish novella) by the end of the year!

Every week I do live videos on Facebook, and in my latest one I outline in detail my production schedule over the next fews months. To watch it, click on the image or the link below.

 Watch the video on Facebook.

BATTLE EAGLE is 10 days away from release!

BATTLE EAGLE (Book #3: The Warrior Brothers of Skye) is just 10 days away from release date: May 31, 2018.

 

 

He grieves for the loss of his wife, she grieves for the loss of her innocence. An epic tale set in Dark Ages Scotland about the healing and redemptive power of love.

 

Eithni believes herself too damaged to ever find love, and Donnel vows he will never love again. Can they find their way out of the darkness together?

A healer upon Dark Ages Isle of Skye, Eithni enjoys her life with the tribe of The Eagle. However, the scars of the past—and harrowing memories of the man who stole her innocence—make it impossible for her to find happiness.

The 'Battle Eagle', Donnel, is a warrior of renown. Only bitterness has soured his character. He lost his wife in childbirth and now can't even bear to look at his son. The infant is a reminder of the woman he loved and lost. These days Donnel is intent on wreaking vengence upon the world.

Although cowed by his anger, Eithni challenges Donnel about his bitterness. She's determined to bring father and son together—even if he rejects her help. The Gathering of the Tribes upon the isle that summer changes Eithni and Donnel's lives forever. A chain of events brings them together, forcing them both to change and to open their hearts. But is love enough to heal the wounds of the past?

 

 

 PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE:

 

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Scottish folklore: the Bean-Nighe

Have you ever heard of the Bean-Nighe—the washer woman? 

This fairy—a ghastly old woman that belonged to ancient Scottish folklore—could be found by streams and pools. She was an omen of death, as she washed the clothes of those who were about to die. 

In BATTLE EAGLE I use an eerie song about the Bean-Nighe I'd like to share with you here:

Tell me, haggard washer woman,
Whose clothes are washed this day?
I see the cloak of a chieftain
Within your basket, lay.
And is this wife to lose her man,
My heart to be forfeit?
And shall the banshee sing tonight,
To wail his lament?

The sky weeps with blackened clouds,
And spills its rain of tears,
The wind howls through the glen,
To warn The Reaper is near,
The old broch looks forlorn,
As darkness drapes its veil,
I wash my husband’s finest clothes,
That he may die well.

Tell me, haggard washer woman,
Whose clothes are washed this day?
I see a skirt that once was mine,
Within your basket, lay.
And can you wash it free of blood,
To cleanse my blackened soul?
And shall you say a charm for me,
Above my cold barrow?

(Adapted from a poem by Harry Boslem: www.ibuzzle.com/artic…/the-washer-woman-bean-nighe-poem.html)

#battleeagle #warriorbrothersofskye