Highland Quest (Book 2 of Highlander Series) by B.J. Scott
5/5 Stars
Historical Romance
Ebook
Published: December 19th 2012 by Soul Mate Publishing
Book Description:
No longer content in the shadows of his older brothers, and
on a quest to find his destiny, Bryce Fraser's chosen path is fraught with
danger, passion, and decisions. Can his unspoken love for spirited, beguiling
Fallon be triumphant in a time of war and uncertainty, or will they both fall
prey to the devious plans of a traitorous laird from a rival clan?
Be sure to also check out the first book in the Fraser
brother's saga, HIGHLAND LEGACY.
Review:
I love a story when both main characters save one another.
Bryce and Fallon are wonderful together in this book, there’s passion, danger
and heartache. In a time a war nothing is certain not even their lives. Fallon
sees visions and when she see one that keeps repeating it’s self over and over
she knows she has to find a way to stop from coming true but how do you worn a
person who won’t listen? Bryce want’s
nothing more than to avenge his past and see the king of Scotland back on his throne.
He wants nothing to do with love at all. But when Fallon enters his life things
may change.
This book also works great as a standalone too because I
have not read the first one and I did not feel lost at all. Although now I’m
going to go back and read the first book as well. I loved Fallon she is a
strong main character who is not scared at all to talk back and tell a man off,
even if that’s the man she loves. I’m really looking forward to reading the 3rd
book when it comes out. B.J. Scott defiantly knows How to write a Scottish romance
that will fill you with a variety of emotions.
Guest post by B.J. Scott
How do
you write a historical romance? A question often posed to historical romance
authors.
Historical Romance is perhaps one of the most
difficult genres to write because you are constantly walking a fine line
between historical facts and the romance. Finding the right blend without
turning the book into a history lesson can be a challenge. The key to writing
historical romance is to set the stage in the appropriate era and pepper in the
right amount of history and not lose track of the romance. This is easier said
than done in many cases. In a historical fiction, historic events are the key
elements and romance takes a back seat. In a historical romance, the romance
must drive the story.
Another
challenge is to portray your characters in such a way that your reader falls in
love with them and perhaps even more importantly, understand what motivates
them to behave the way they do—sometimes in a manor we would least expect and
might not even like at first. People from a past era, saw life and relationships
in a very different light than they do today. Women were seen as property, had
little or no say in their destiny, and were often forced to follow traditions
like arranged marriages and marriages of convenience. Faced with many
challenges and difficult decisions, the hero is expected to be a man you can
admire, brave and honourable. But he must often deal with war and uncertainty,
forcing him to choose duty over desire.
Research is
a key factor when sitting down to write a historical romance. Readers of this
genre are often well versed in the specific time periods, customs and
traditions and can be difficult to please if you stray too far from what they
believe to be true. You need to know
your facts before you put them into your story. While creative license is
acceptable and expected, the story still needs to hold an element of reality
and if possible provide the opportunity for the reader to learn something new
about life in the time period.
Once you
have, done your research, have your story outlined, historical facts in order,
your scene is set and your characters are created, it is time to write. Hopefully
you’ll pen a book your historical romance fans won’t be able to put down.
Excerpt
Bryce closed
the gap between them. She heard his footsteps, felt his warm breath on the back
of her neck as he spoke, but didn’t turn around.
“Please dinna be angry with me, Fallon. I
could not bear to think you held me any ill will. This is for the best.” He
gently touched her shoulder.
“Dinna
leave.” She dropped the sack and whipped around to face him, the words escaping
before she could stop them. “Why must you go? Why must you risk your life?”
“You know
why.” He yanked her against his chest and captured her mouth.
But this time
she did not fight his advances. She wrapped her arms around his neck,
responding with equal enthusiasm to his kiss. Her lips parted, welcoming the
sweep of his tongue. As he deepened the exploration, her knees buckled, and she
clung to his tunic as if her life depended on it.
Unshed tears
stung her eyes, but she managed to blink them away. This might be the last time
they would see each other and she suddenly found herself wanting a memory that
would last forever. What she was about to ask was wrong, and could only lead to
heartache. While she knew she should fight temptation with her last breath, she
was only human.
“Join with
me, Bryce,” she whispered against his lips.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
With a passion
for historical romance, history in general, and anything Celtic, B.J. always
has an exciting work in progress. Each story offers a blend of romance,
adventure, suspense, and, where appropriate, a dab of comic relief. Carefully
researched historical facts are woven into each manuscript, providing a
backdrop from which steamy romance, gripping plots, and vivid
characters—dashing alpha heroes and resourceful, beguiling heroines you can’t
help but admire—spring to life. A member of RWA, World Romance Writers, Celtic
Hearts Romance Writers, and Savvy Authors, B.J. also writes contemporary,
paranormal, time travel, and romantic suspense.
C.S. Lewis
first captivated B. J.’s imagination in the fourth grade, and her desire to
write sprang from there. Following a career in nursing and child and youth
work, B.J. married her knight-in-shining-armor, and he whisked her away to his
castle by the sea. In reality, they share their century-old home in a small
Canadian town on the shore of Lake Erie with three dogs and a cat. When she is
not working at her childcare job, on her small business, or writing, you will
find her reading, camping, or antique hunting.
*The author will award gifts of swag (including a canvas tote bag, a mouse pad, a pen, book thong, bookmark, can cooler, magnet, and key chain -- US/Canada only) to randomly drawn commenters from this tour and her Virtual Book Tour, and a grand prize of one $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter from this tour and her Super Book Blast. so be sure to comment below!*
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, it was my pleasure to host for you. :-)
DeleteWho doesn't love a Scottish romance? This one sounds great!
ReplyDeletemnark111 AT gmail DOT com
Reading and writing Scottish historical romance is my favorites. Perhaps it has something to do with my Scottish ancestry or maybe it is something about a fierce Highlander fighting for his country, freedom and his lass that gets the blood pumping. Put the hero in a kilt and the plot sizzles. Mind you, kilts were not worn in 1300s. They did not start until much later, so there is not reference to them in the books. However, when given the choice of cover model Jimmy Thomas in a kilt or a castle on the cover, I figured my readers would forgive my choice and enjoy ;)
Deletewho could resist Jimmy in a kilt hehe :-)
DeleteThe research done makes all the difference & is appreciated. A great post thank you.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Being a history buff and enthralled with anything Scottish or Celtic makes the research fun. Being as accurate as possible and not making it a lecture is the key. Also keeping the romance going in a historical is more of a challenge given the fact that things were a lot different in the past. They dynamic between men and women. It was not uncommon for a man to be forced to chose duty over desire, to be gone for extended periods of time while he battles the enemy or avenges his clan or rights a wrong. The women were not as assertive nor did they play a major role in the decision making, even when it came to their own destiny. So keeping the romance fresh and going, but keeping it time period appropriate is another place research and understanding the era comes into play.
DeleteThanks for your input Mary
I want to thank you for hosting me today and giving me the chance to share my new release Highland Quest.
ReplyDeleteThis is book2 of a series. The first book, Highland Legacy, was released in Nov. 2011 and is available in both print and e-book. The third book, Highland Homecoming, is to be released in the summer of 2013.
While a series each book is written a standalone book so can be read in an order ;)
Great excerpt!What was the best advice you were given about writing books?
ReplyDeletegalaschick78(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Gala
DeleteThe best advise I was given and would pass on would be a toss between two. The first is to write what you love and know and it will show. The second is to use all reviews, comments and even rejections of your manuscript as a learning tool, one you can use to hone your skills and become a better writer.
The book sounds fantastic! Who organizes your books promotion, the publisher?
ReplyDeleteanzuazura at yahoo dot de
Hi Lana
DeleteUnless you are with a major publishing firm, One of the top NY houses, the bulk of the promotions falls on the shoulder of the author. The smaller publisher does help where they can, but have so many books to promote and new ones come out every day, they are very limited. It is up to the author to plan their promo stategy and to keep their book in the eyes and mind of the reader.
A great question!
Thanks for stopping by.
Very interesting post. I can imagine a lot of research goes into writing historical romance. If you don't have the right facts the story doesn't make sense and most readers will see that.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
oops answered you quetion below. ;)
DeleteThis sounds lovely, how do you come up with the names of your characters?
ReplyDeleteanzumerlin at mail dot ru
Hi Anzu
DeleteGood question. Sometimes they just happen to come to me and they stick. Other times it has to do with the story, where and when it is happening. I try to pick names that are appropriate to the time period and location. You can find names, their origins and meanings on many web sites. When I wrote the first book in the series, Highland Quest, I wanted to leave the door open for sequels. I wanted to revolve the story around a series of events that took place in Scottish history so picked a Clan name I thought fit the setting. Historically, I was able to determine this clan did fight on the side of Robert the Bruce and some of their members played a major part in Scotland't history. Since it is fiction, the first names of the characters were up to me ;) I often pick names with meaning. Example being in my first book, the heroine's name is Cailin a form of the Gaelic word that means child or lad. Since her father had no real use for her because she was a girl and he wanted a son, He was not concerned about giving her a great name. Something simple was what he chose. I liked the first names of my heros in all three of my books, Connor, Bryce and Adasdair(Alexander) Fallon was also a name I liked and thought it sounded mysterious enough for a woman with second sight. I give the characters names and see how they fit. If they do not suit the character, I have been known to change them.
Hi Ingeborg
ReplyDeleteYou are right about readers picking up inaccuracy. People who love historical romance are often well versed in the era they like the most, be it medieval Scotland, Regency England or Civil War America. So making sure your facts are accurate is important. No, this is not a historical non-fiction account of a time in history and yest you want it to read like a romance novel and not a history lesson. But keeping the setting, the dialogue and the rest of the book in the correct era is very important.
I love, love the excerpt. I want to read book one also. If it is as good as this one sounds, I can hardly wait. Great review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mom Jane! Ihope you enjoy the books as much as I enjoyed writing them. As mentioned earlier in the posts and by some of the people who have reviewed the books, because they are able to standalone, you can read they out of order and not be lost :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome excerpt, BJ. I've got a Scottish hero in my third WIP. I'll be reading yours several times over so I can get the 'accent' right.
ReplyDeleteRaven
Thanks for dropping by Sheila
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the excerpt. The key to doing the accent it not to over do it. Some people writing a scottish accent for the first time often put in way too much dialect and it makes the book difficult to read. Choose a few words to ad flavor and stick with those, but do not put too much. Listen to pod casts from the big publishers and they say very little to none is desirable. There are still some authors who put a lot of ye and 'twas and 'twould etc but a lot of readers find it too much.
Great post! :) I have book one waiting in my Nook library and now I'm eager to start it!
ReplyDeletekristinaleigh1(at)hotmail.com
Thanks for stopping by Kristina. I hope you enjoy Highland Legacy. And if so you can continue with Highland Quest and Highland Homecoming is to be released this summer ;)
DeleteNice review about the characters.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)Hotmail(dot)com
sorry I missed your comment before today.I did come back to check but missed the last three and I do appologize. A full month on tour, some days two and working at the same time can be tough.
DeleteThanks for dropping by and your continued support during my tour
Thanks for dropping by bn100
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt! Can't wait to read :) Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletesandersknc@yahoo.com
Thanks for dropping by. If you get a chance to read my books, I hope you enjoy them
DeleteThanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteluranker@hotmail.com
Thanks for dropping by Lisa.
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed you when I was doing the blog last week. Glad I came back to check on past posts.