Spotlight & Giveaway: The Highland Renegade by Amy Jarecki

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Amy Jarecki to HJ!

Hi Amy and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Highland Renegade!

 
Hi everyone, I’m super excited to be visiting the awesome HJ blog today!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

I absolutely cannot resist a braw Highlander and this one was a delight to write! In THE HIGHLAND RENEGADE Robert Grant casts aside generations of hostile clan feuds and rides to rescue Janet Cameron. An early winter storm impedes their getaway and the pair end up trapped in the mountains with nowhere to go. Now tell me—who wouldn’t want to be trapped in a wee cottage in the snow with the fiercest Highlander in Scotland? This book is filled with peril and steamy scenes between two people who have no business falling in love!
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

One of my favorite quotes from the book is when Laird Robert Grant professes his love for Miss Janet Cameron:

“I let your father stand in my way afore, but never again. I love you. I loved you when I first saw you in the Inverlochy stables. I loved you when I danced across from you at the Samhain ceilidh. You ripped my heart from my very chest when you plummeted down that hill. Ever since I have been a slave to my love for you, and I give you my solemn oath, I will let no man tell me I am not worthy of your love.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Janet suffers a broken arm in this book and I discovered exactly how difficult it is to write a main character with a broken arm. I was constantly revising to ensure I accounted for her actions and the pain that might be caused.
• Also, my editor cut the original first chapter of this book, but as a country girl, I thought it was fun to show the hero driving a herd of cattle down from the Highlands…but then my editor is from New York and it was difficult for her to relate. I really like the opening now, especially the sign on the alehouse door:
• Samhain Gathering, 7 o’clock, Inverlochy Hall, Friday, 31st October.
  No spurs. Weapons must be checked at the door.
• I always use a bit of true history in my stories and this one is no different. Though THE HIGHLAND RENEGADE is a stand-alone book, Robert Grant and Janet Cameron have cameo appearances in THE HIGHLAND CHIEFTAIN where I established the feuding between their clans. In truth, Clan Grant and Clan Cameron were allies during the Jacobite years, and I did use literary license in creating the rift between them. I based this love story on that of Iain-a-Chraggain Grant and Janet Cameron, who were actually married in 1698. To coincide with the time period of the Lords of the Highlands series, however, I chose to make the wedding occur in 1713.
• Of note, Janet gave her husband six children and lived to the ripe age of eighty. She endeared herself to everyone she met. It is said that over two hundred relatives attended her funeral to pay respects to their beloved matriarch.
• The record also reports that Robert was a staunch supporter of the Jacobite cause and raised the standard with the Earl of Mar in the 1715 rebellion. He forfeited his lands as a result, but never lost the deep love he harbored for his Janet.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

The hero and heroine have had a long-standing attraction, but due to the feud between their clans, neither can allow themselves to admit their deep desire. It is a true enemies-to-lovers story.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

I would use the scene where Janet is awaking after she has suffered a serious bout of (modern day) hypothermia. Grant had needed to act swiftly to warm her and had wrapped himself with her in a leather tarpaulin…of course Janet was unconscious at the time:

Janet’s head throbbed while she dreamed of running. Warmth surrounded her, though her mind hovered beneath the threshold of consciousness. Something told her the morn had come and she must wake. But every time she began to stir, the pounding in her skull grew worse.

When something shifted against her back, her eyes blinked open for a moment, then lazily closed. She winced at the pain not only from the megrim, but because her entire body ached.
Dear Lord, please let me sleep for a few moments longer.

Something was clamped around her waist, and a deep voice sighed. A very deep, masculine voice that in no way should be behind her when she was sleeping. Janet’s eyes popped wide while her body stiffened. Not daring to take a breath, she slowly turned and looked back.

Holy snapdragons!

With a jolt she drew her fists beneath her chin. Of all the people in Christendom who could be slumbering alongside her, it had to be Laird Grant. Deliciously handsome, rugged-looking Mr. Grant. The wound on his cheek oddly served to add to his allure while he breathed through slightly pursed lips. Soft, gentle, masculine lips. Were they as kissable as they looked? Her tongue tapped the top of her mouth as she considered how wickedly delicious he might taste.

No, no, no, no! This is an abominable state of affairs.

She inched up the stiff blanket and peered out. Good heavens, they weren’t alone. Men covered with snow lay around the embers of a fire. Oddly, she was warm and dry, yet snow continued to fall. Shifting her gaze upward, she understood why. She’d been sleeping beneath a rock shelter—with Mr. Grant.

Lord have mercy, what if my father learns of this?

Suddenly panic seized her chest, making it impossible to breathe. If she didn’t escape this very instant she might die of utter mortification. How had she ended up in such a precarious situation? Yes, Mr. Grant had ridden to her rescue. He’d given her his cloak when she was on the verge of freezing to death. Thank the stars for his kindness, but she hadn’t given him leave to do…to do…good glory!

This state of affairs might ruin her for the rest of her days. She could ill afford to stay wrapped in a cocoon with Mr. Grant a moment longer.

Janet kicked her feet, but they wouldn’t budge. She pushed against the blanket, but it was as stiff as oak bark. Had they bound her in this contraption? Had they taken advantage and accosted her while she was out of sorts?

Her megrim throbbed tenfold while she thrashed and kicked. “Let me out!” Gaining a bit of room, she jabbed her elbows into the big Highlander behind her. In her panic, Janet’s chest tightened, making it harder and harder to breathe.

“God’s blood, woman!” Mr. Grant bellowed. In a heartbeat the blanket released her.

She sucked in a gulp of precious air.

Sitting up, he threw the blanket aside and sprang to his feet. “Have you caught fire?” he demanded, grabbing her shoulders and looking her from head to toe, his eyes wild and filled with alarm.

Readers should read this book….

If they like action packed Highlander romance. Here’s what the reviewers are saying:

• “Flirtatious, sensuous romance and adventure fill the pages of this mesmerizing historical, and the undercurrent of Jacobite rebellion raises the tension.” – Publishers Weekly
• “Jarecki further enhances her reputation for crafting stellar Scottish romances by giving readers a knockout love story, with an action-packed plot richly imbued with colorful period details and a perfectly matched hero and heroine whose sensual exploits are hot enough to warm the coldest of Scottish nights.” – Booklist
• “If you enjoy a stirring romance, intriguing characters and a fast-moving plot with danger aplenty, then get your hands on THE HIGHLAND RENEGADE!”—Fresh Fiction

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

• I just started writing book seven in the series, THE HIGHLAND PIRATE.
• THE HIGHLAND EARL is the next book in the series and releases on June 25th and is up for pre-order.
• I also write Regency romance and THE DUKE’S UNTAMED DESIRE releases on April 2nd and is up for pre-order as well.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I’m giving away two signed copies of THE HIGHLAND RENEGADE! (International winners will have their books shipped through the Book Depository.)

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What do you like most about reading historical romance?

 
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Excerpt from The Highland Renegade:

Trapped in the snow, Robert and Janet are playing hazard in the bothy and wagering secrets:

“Are you planning to roll the dice, or shall I have another go?” No use having the mitten knitter think she can outdo me.

Then he bloody lost the next round. He’d already told her everything he dared reveal to anyone, let alone the daughter of Sir Ewen Cameron.

The vixen sat taller, her eyes becoming heavy-lidded and a bit glazed. Now dry, her hair hung to her waist in waves like the mane of a lion. Moreover, the innocent lass had no idea how tempting she looked. She leaned closer, the motion giving him a delicious view of her cleavage as ample breasts strained against a bodice too frilly for a bothy in the wild.

“Do you have any more secrets, Mr. Grant?” Damn, her eyes met his with a moment of sizzling apprehension.

He took a lock of her hair and wound it around his finger. For all his days, he would never forget of the silken feel of it. “I enjoyed combing your tresses…” Drawing the lock to his nose, he inhaled her unique scent. “Ever so much,” he whispered.

The intensity of their unwavering gazes grew tenfold. She seemed to be aware of the mounting awkwardness and dispelled it with a smile. “I do believe you are flirting with me.”

“Never.” He scooped up the dice. “But I need another secret from you, lass. I’ve revealed far too much.”

“Very well. I call nines as main.”

“Nines?”

“Nines.” She threw the dice and rolled two fives.

“Outs.” He grinned at her from behind his cup. “I’m listening.”

“Ugh.” Slapping her hand through the air, she huffed. “Two years ago, I kissed Malcolm MacGowan at the gathering in Inverness. There.” She picked up the dice and pushed them into Robert’s palm. “I’ve had enough of this game. It will end in nothing but trouble, I ken it right down to my bones.”

He slipped the dice into his sporran. “I’ll not utter a word, I give you my oath, as long as you pledge to keep my confidence.”

“Of course I will.” The lass raised her chin, looking innocent yet worldly, composed yet disheveled.

Without thinking of the consequence, he smoothed his fingers along her cheek. When her lips parted, his finger ventured to trace her bottom lip. “Satiny smooth.”

He half expected her to slap him or at least shove him away, but instead she reached up and swirled her fingers around his uninjured cheek. Wonder glistened in her eyes. “Your beard is softer than I imagined.”

He cleared his throat. “I should shave on the morrow.”

A wee smile played on her lips as she studied him. “I think you are quite braw with a dark shadow. Perhaps you look like a sea captain.”

His errant hand threaded through the hair at her nape. “Did you say braw?” he asked, his voice deep and gravelly.

“Mm-hmm.” Those rosy lips turned up, bow shaped, pert, trembling a little, and looking exceedingly delicious.

Robert gulped while he lowered his chin. “And you kissed MacGowan two years ago?”

“I did.”

“Anyone else since?”

“Nay.”

“Then it has been far too long since a lass as bonny as you has been showered with such affection.” …

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

She is the daughter of his sworn enemy…
Famed for his fierceness, Laird Robert Grant is above all a loyal Highland clan chief. But when redcoats capture his rival’s daughter, he sets aside their feud and races to her rescue. Aye, Janet Cameron is beautiful, cunning and so very tempting, but a Cameron lass is the last woman he should ever desire.

He is her one hope for happiness…
Janet refuses to meekly surrender, not even when surrounded by foes. She takes every chance to escape, first from English soldiers and then from the wickedly handsome Robert. Yet with each day they spend together, his unexpected gallantry chips away at her will little by little. As danger and treachery loom, can she trust him enough to choose love over vengeance?
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Meet the Author:

Multi-Award winning and Amazon All-Star author, Amy Jarecki likes to grab life, latch on, and reach for the stars. She writes historical romance with various series that span many eras and has 30 books in print. She studies karate at the Bobbly Lawrence studio in Saint George and you’ll often find her hiking Utah’s Santa Clara Hills. Reinventing herself a number of times, Amy sang and danced with the Follies, was a ballet dancer, a plant manager, and an accountant for Arnott’s Biscuits in Australia. After earning her MBA from Heroit-Watt University in Scotland, she dove into the world of Scottish historical romance and hasn’t returned. Become a part of her world and learn more about Amy’s books on amyjarecki.com.
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