Spotlight & Giveaway: The Highlander’s Secret Avenger by Heather McCollum

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Heather McCollum to HJ!

Hi Heather and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Highlander’s Secret Avenger!

 
Thank you for having me and my Highland romance on HJ today!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Amelia MacLeod journeys to Wolf Isle for revenge, redemption, & to escape a cruel brother. She doesn’t count on falling in love with the enemy, a brawny Highlander who continues to rescue her & her kitten. A cursed clan, secrets, & steam.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Drostan Macquarie yanked the pallet of sheared wool by the twine wrapped around it and then hefted it up onto one shoulder. He inhaled the briny scent of mid tide as he pivoted and carried it with heavy footfalls toward the waiting carrack ship. The morning was crisp, but the sun promised that spring was on its way to the western isles of bonny Scotland. Gulls cried, swooping down to attack a flopping fish that fell from a net being hoisted above the scurry of dock workers and traders at Mull’s port.
“A good yield this spring,” Callum, his twin brother, said, as he trudged under the weight of another pallet of wool.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The Brothers of Wolf Isle series takes place twenty years after my Highland Isles series, so readers get to see those characters twenty years in the future. I love seeing my beloved heroes and heroines from the past living out their lives together.
• Drostan is a private hero, so it was difficult for me to crack into his back story. I realized that he is a rescuer at heart, even trying to rescue his clan when he was a lad of twelve.
• I love the Beltane customs of rolling in the morning dew and want to try it. Each year though something comes up to prevent it: rain, I oversleep, I totally forget that it’s May 1st. One year I hope to roll in the dew in Scotland on Beltane morning.
• Like Amelia, I’m allergic to cats. In my early 20’s, when my boyfriend (now husband) and I were house sitting with a kitten, I had an allergic reaction like Amelia. Braden saved me just like Drostan saves Amelia.
• Wanting to understand my heroines better, I went to a firing range to learn archery. I also learned how to throw axes and knives. I was the best at archery, hitting the target almost every time. I also hit the wooden target with my axe but could never get my knives to stick into it.

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

Amelia is attracted to Drostan’s golden heart, his kindness. He rescues her kitten from a tall mast and her from an assault. She’s grateful but then realizes he’s the enemy she’s come to doom.
Drostan is attracted at first because of the mystery surrounding Amelia. Who is she? Why has she come there seeking Wolf Isle? But her authentic actions, so different from the simpering lasses who chase after him, make her stand out, along with her natural beauty and courage.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

Forbidden
Volcanic
Dangerous
Steamy
Inevitable
 

The First Kiss…

Amelia (shortened to Lia) had too much whisky, and Drostan has taken her up to the library to wait for a friend who will see her settled safely for the night. But things get out of hand.

Step away. Leave! But then a voice in his head pounded over the rest. Kiss her.

She remained close even though she dropped her hands, tilting her face. His fingers slid along a curl that had gotten stuck at the corner of her mouth. He plucked it free and brushed it behind her ear. Mo chreach. The slip of hair did feel like silk.

“If you have a lover’s lips,” Lia said, “then you should kiss. ’Tis a responsibility.”

Her words rattled the bars he’d placed around himself, and he tried again to take control of this situation that felt like it was spiraling into something molten. “Ye ran away to go to Grissell’s home on Wolf Isle.”

She blinked as if lost but didn’t pull away. “Yes. To find the Macquaries.” She grabbed his hand. “And I caught one.”

“Ye did,” he said. She was close, her body giving off warmth and the smell of some flower. “What are ye going to do now?” he asked.

She tipped her head to the side, her hand sliding up his arm to his biceps, squeezing the muscle that he naturally tightened. She exhaled long. “I don’t want you to die.”

Drostan froze. Die? “Why would I die?”

Her other hand joined the first to wrap around it, although her fingers couldn’t touch. “So large.” She looked up into his face and inhaled. “You, Drostan, have large muscles, smell good, and are clean. I think I will kiss you first.”

“Before I die?”

She didn’t answer but stepped into him, her hands clasped around his thick arm. She reached up on the tips of her toes and leaned toward his face, pressing her lips there. The questions still running in his brain slowed and stopped as the warmth of her lips penetrated. She stood still as if unsure what to do, but Drostan knew what to do. Pull away. Don’t be an arse.

Instead, Drostan tilted her face to the side. She was relaxed and tasted of honey ale. Her arms came up to his neck to pull herself into the bend of his body. Good bloody lord, every part of her that touched him was soft and beckoning. He should pull away, but felt caught in a fragrant, warm snare that he might never desire to leave. All of it wrapped around him and filled him like a siren’s song infiltrating his soul. Her lips parted under his mouth as a small moan came out with her breath. The effect of that small sound on his jack was immediate and forceful, and his arms encircled her, lifting her against him so that the crux of her legs fit along his hard length. His hands played along her spine that arched gently, thrusting her body against him.

The door of the library opened. “Macquarie! What the devil are ye doing?”

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

In this scene, Amelia is having a bad reaction to cat fur. I love this scene because it’s one that happened to me.

Lia coughed more, but the sound was muted by lack of air movement. She lifted her head, her eyes wide. “What do I do?” The whisper was stifled. She tried to suck in air through her inflamed mouth and throat, making her cough more.

Drostan grabbed her. “We need to get ye free of the fur. ’Tis all over ye.” Before she could agree, he yanked the ties of her petticoats and shoved them down her body. He threw her shawl away and unlaced her bodice, shoving it off her shoulders. The freedom of not being squeezed helped, but she still struggled to suck in air.

He swooped her up into his arms, holding her against his chest. Shifting her, he yanked open his door and raced them outside into the storm. Her heart leaped into a race as she fought for air.
Coughing helplessly, she held tightly to his neck while being jarred as he ran them through the slashing rain around to the back of his cabin. He stopped, letting her feet down but still holding her.

Eyes closed, Lia tried to focus on pulling air inside her body. Panic pounded through her, and she shook in the whipping wind and rain, while trees mimicked the desperate flight of thoughts in her head. Will I suffocate here? How could a cat do this? Poor Sia. I can’t touch her again. If I live. Cats don’t feel guilt, do they? Not like people. Not like me for my wicked relief. She was drowning in regret and suffocating.

“Her fur,” Drostan said as he started to wipe his hands down her remaining smock. The cold, wet wind sent chill bumps over her skin as if every inch of her body reached out to grab in the air that couldn’t make it to her lungs the usual way. Lost in muted coughing, she nearly fell over when he yanked down each of her stockings, leaving her barefoot in the growing puddle. She’d once again lost her slippers.

“Sit here,” he called over the thrashing sound of the leaves, and she realized they were beside a cistern that collected water from a stream that must flow toward the sea. Drostan yanked another rag looped over his belt and dunked it in the clear, collected water. He wiped her face and neck, all the way down her chest as far as her smock would allow, followed by damp strokes over her arms and hands. His fingers raked through her rain-heavy hair as if trying to free it of cat fur.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

Amelia just shot a man who was attacking her in an alleyway.

Amelia scrambled backward, her hands grabbing her bow, and spit on the ground. Behind her she heard the man grunt. Pressing against the rough side of the building, she watched Drostan Macquarie continue to punch the brute.

Fast and hard, Drostan’s fists cracked against the man’s round face and then his gut, making him double over. Another powerful uppercut to the brute’s chin sent him flying backward to land on his arse, his head snapping back to strike the stony ground. Drostan stood over him, his bloodied fists ready even though he wore a sword, but the sailor didn’t move.

“He’s unconscious?” She pushed up the wall to stand. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the bow, but they were numb.

“Aye,” Drostan said, his breath coming hard and even. He turned to her. “Are ye well, lass?” His gaze raked along her arms, face, and chest as if looking for blood or bruises.

She pointed at the dead sailor without looking at him. “I killed the first, but you let the second live.” Amelia’s brothers would never have let the man live. Even now, unconscious, Alasdair would have skewered the scoundrel.

“Let’s get ye to the safety of the inn,” he said without explanation. “And I’ll report this to Tor Maclean.”

Her fingers were sticky with dampness as he uncurled them, taking her bow and arrow from her hand. Blood rushed in her ears. I’ve killed a man. Her gaze was drawn to the fresh body. Blood stained the dead man’s dirty tan tunic, spreading out from the arrow shaft, bright and fresh. His eyes were open, staring at nothing.

She swallowed hard. I killed a man. Her stomach was awash in a burning sensation, threatening to bubble up her throat. “Wait,” she said, bending forward, hands perched on her knees, for several long breaths to prevent herself from retching.

Drostan Macquarie waited with great patience. When she straightened, having gained control once again, he led her away from the dead man and around the second man who lay unconscious on his back.

Drostan held firmly under her arm. “Ye had no choice, lass,” he said, his words soft. She hadn’t, of course. The man was twice her weight and flashing his ready jack around as he stalked toward her. He’d have torn her clothes off if she’d let him get near her.

They stepped out of the alleyway, and Sia ran to her, sliding against her legs, almost tripping her, but Drostan held her securely in the upright position. Amelia took a full inhale. “You rescued me,” she said. “Drostan Macquarie?”

“Aye.”

“One of the five Macquarie brothers of Ulva Isle?” Her voice sounded numb over the rush of blood in her ears.

“Aye,” he said, studying her with beautiful hazel eyes. Cut cheekbones, a straight nose with a small bump showing a previous break, and generous lips formed a face that any woman would invite into her dreams. But Amelia wasn’t just any woman. I will not have Drostan Macquarie in my dreams!

He continued to lead her with all the kindness of a nursemaid. His identity was confirmed. Drostan Macquarie—one of the five devils she’d come to ruin.

Readers should read this book …

to enjoy taking a romp through 16th century Scotland and falling in love with brawny, golden-hearted Highlanders who find themselves falling in love.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

The last book in my Sons of Sinclair series, HIGHLAND SURRENDER, releases October 24, 2023. And I’ve started writing the first book in my brand new BROTHERHOOD OF SOLWAY MOSS series, which follows four warriors who escape King Henry VIII’s prison in England to return to their homes on the Isle of Skye and all the clan strife there.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One commenter will receive a signed copy of The Highlander’s Unexpected Proposal, the first book in the Brothers of Wolf Isle series (US winner only, International winner will receive a $10 gift card).

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Have you ever loved something you cannot have? Like me being allergic to cats?

 
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Excerpt from The Highlander’s Secret Avenger:

Sia – Amelia’s kitten has climbed to the top of the Beltane Maypole.

Meow, called Sia at the top. Her eyes were huge in her small face.

“She’s terrified.” Lia went to the pole, her hands reaching up it as far as she could. “Please come down, Sia.”

Meow. The kitten balanced on the top, her tiny claws tethered to the ribbons. Meow.

“I would fly up to you if I could,” Lia said, wishing for those wings someone had mentioned.

Drostan bent to tighten the laces on his boots. “Perhaps ye should consider a leash for her.”
The corner of her mouth hitched up as if he’d handed her some wings to strap on. “Have you ever seen a cat leashed?”

“Nay, but I’ve never seen a cat on the top of a maypole, either.”

Meow! Bloody hellfire. Sia’s cries were becoming more panicked.

Drostan threw the thick belt around the pole. “Give me a bit of room.”

“Be careful,” Lia said, looking at the height.

His brow rose slightly. “I will be well.”

She flapped her hand at the cat. “I mean, be careful not to shake the pole too much.”

Eagan, who was holding his woolen wrap around his hips with one hand, laughed. “The lass isn’t worried about ye, just her kitty.”

“This should be fun to watch,” Charles called from the rows of onlookers encircling the pole.

Drostan reached up high with the belt that he’d buckled on the loosest hole around his back and settled it, leaning back. He planted a foot on the pole.

“Watch out for splinters,” Callum called as Drostan put his other foot on the pole, using the belt at his back to hold him off the ground. It seemed nearly everyone at the festival had come to watch. Sia had made Drostan the center of a spectacle. His frown and silence showed he didn’t enjoy the attention, and if he fell or failed, everyone would laugh. Not to mention, he could break his back.

“Good Lord,” she whispered. “What am I going to do with you, Sia?”

With a small grunt, Drostan jerked the belt higher on the pole, and used his legs to propel him upward, the edges of his boots digging in to steady him so that he was almost walking up the pole. Everyone stilled, watching. The muscles of Drostan’s legs, arms, and back mounded as he worked, making him look like he was made of stone under the smoothness of his tan skin. Several people had gathered close to stand with her: Meg, Cecilia, and some of the children who’d been dancing around the pole.

“He’s so strong,” the girl named Pip said.

“Uh huh,” the little girl agreed, clinging to her hand.

Suddenly, Meg gasped, and Cecilia chuckled. “Now that’s quite a view.”

Lia’s gaze fastened on the wide-open view of Drostan’s tight arse. Like she’d seen when he climbed after her wayward kitten the first time. The angle showed every detail of his backside, the muscles in it working hard to keep him climbing.

“Meg! Step back from there.” Meg jumped at the sound of her father’s voice and whirled around.
“Ye other lasses, too. Back up. ’Tis not decent.” It was almost comical to watch the mass of onlookers step inward, not back, at Tor Maclean’s words.

Lady Ava and her friend, Grace, pushed forward. “Away now,” Ava called as they both shooed everyone back, although Lady Grace took a peek, her cheeks flushing red. The crowd listened to Lady Ava and moved backward.

Drostan was nearly to the top. The pole hadn’t looked so high until Lia saw him way up near Sia.

“Oh my,” Grace murmured as she looked up again from her closer position. Ava playfully hit her arm.

“Stop looking.”

“I’m a healer,” Grace said. “I’ve seen naked arses before. Although most are old and wrinkled, and that lad’s arse certainly is neither.”

“He’s also only a few years older than your son,” Ava said. Grace frowned at her.

“You have a way of ruining all my fun, Ava.”

Lia held her hands clutched before her and looked to the top where Drostan paused. With a meow, Sia leaped to him, clutching his head with her claws like she had on the ship. “Oh no,” Lia murmured.

“Bloody hell,” Drostan grumbled, trying to move the cat over to his shoulder, but its tiny claws seemed embedded in his skin.

“’Tis stuck to his face,” someone in the crowd pointed out, and everyone erupted in laughter.

While Sia clung to Drostan’s head, half covering his face with her soft belly, Drostan started his descent. His boots helped him slide slowly until he reached the ground. Lia ran up to him. “Take the cat,” he said, his voice full of ire, “off my face.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Drostan Macquarie, the fierce battle-hardened Highlander, was still a young lad when his father first warned him of the ancient curse on the Macquarie clan. Should any of our kin sire a bastard, the entire clan will be cursed to die out. Drostan vowed then to live his life alone, far from the reach of the curse. But on the eve of Beltane, a sizzling kiss with a mysterious lass ignites Drostan’s blood…and threatens his vow.

Amelia MacLeod is on the run, desperate to escape her past, and an abusive family. But Wolf Isle isn’t just a place to hide, it may be her only hope of redemption—if she can doom her clan’s enemy, the Macquaries. Only, she imagined her enemy would be a hideous brute, not a big, brawny, and kind-hearted Highlander like Drostan.

Because now Amelia’s discovered a way to destroy the Macquarie Clan for good—if she can bring herself to infiltrate the clan, seduce Drostan, and bring about the Macquarie curse. Of course, she hasn’t accounted for the far-reaching consequences of her own dark past…or her traitorous desire for the Highlander she came to destroy.
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Meet the Author:

I am Heather McCollum, USA Today Bestselling author of 16th and 17th century Scottish romances full of adventure and intrigue, sprinkled with humor, history, and spice. Brawny Highlanders and fiery heroines are my favorite characters!

I’m also a mom of three kids, dog-mom of one rescued geriatric golden retriever, kitten-grandmom of a Calico, and wife of one 6 foot 4 inch Highlander. When I’m not trying to help my kids make it through the day, baking things I see on The Great British Baking Show, or writing, I’m usually educating women on ovarian cancer (I’m a 12-year survivor). I love kilted heroes, dragonflies, watching birds, chai lattes, and eating buttered air-popped popcorn for dinner on Friday nights.
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