برچسب: Christina

Thanks for joining me for another First Kiss Friday. Today’s guest is Christina Phillips who has an excerpt for you from her novel Deceived by the Highlander. Isn’t this cover just gorgeous? We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene and happy reading, my lovelies!

Excerpt:

Alasdair waited in the courtyard while Freyja said her farewells to her grandfather. Clyde, the warrior she’d spoken of earlier, eyed him from the door to the stronghold, his face an impassive mask. He was a great hulk of a man, and it was clear no one would attack Freyja with such an intimidating guard.

It was a relief, although he wasn’t sure why. She had said herself, she was safe on the Isles, but that had more to do with her status as a MacDonald of Sgur rather than the inhabitants being more law-abiding than those from the mainland. Still, at least she had a man to navigate the boat between the Isles, and that was something.

Finally, she emerged with her dog, as always, at her heels, and he strode over to her. “I’ll accompany ye to the boat.”

She fell into step beside him, and after shooting him a dark glare, Clyde marched ahead of them.

“When ye leave Rum, do feel free to visit us on yer way back to the mainland.” She smiled at him, and he once again had the overwhelming need to kiss those irresistible lips. Except this time, unlike when they’d been on the beach, they weren’t alone, and he was certain Clyde would relish breaking his nose for taking such a liberty.

To hell with it. He threaded his fingers through hers, and she gave a soft gasp but didn’t pull away. Who knew the gentle caress of a palm against his could be so arousing?

But then, this was Freyja, and it seemed anything she did had the power to fire his blood.

“I’ll be sure to take ye up on yer kind offer,” he promised. One way or another, he was determined to make her his bride, whatever happened here on Rum with her grandfather. Because if he was sure of one thing, it was that the earl would claim Kilvenie by whatever means he could. And Alasdair intended to support him, even if it entailed wedding Freyja while her grandfather was still alive.

They reached the sheltered cove, where her boat had been pulled up onto the sand beside a rocky outcrop. The sea was calm and Eigg, with its dramatic ridge that towered over the Isle, looked deceptively close.

As Clyde dragged the boat to the water, as though it weighed no more than a satchel of feathers, Alasdair grasped Freyja’s free hand and swung her around to face him.

“I mean it,” he said. “Watch out for me, Lady Freyja.”

She gave a silent laugh, but her fingers tightened around his. “I shan’t be standing on the beach waiting for ye, Alasdair, if that’s what ye’re meaning. But make yer way to Sgur Castle, and I’ll see ye soon enough.”

“Ye may count on it.” Before he could think better of it, he brushed her lips in a fleeting kiss, and her elusive scent of roses and rain tormented him. Lust roared through him, and it was hell to pull back, but somehow he managed it. For an eternal moment her blue gaze ensnared him, as the erratic thud of his heart blotted out the sound of the gulls’ crying overhead. He dragged in a harsh breath, forcing himself back to reality while he still could. “And now the promise is sealed with a kiss.”

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DECEIVED BY THE HIGHLANDER
By Christina Phillips

His mission: To wed Freyja MacDonald – by any means possible

Alasdair Campbell, unacknowledged bastard son of the late earl, is driven by two things: Loyalty to his half-brother, the current earl, and a burning ambition to rise through the ranks of Clan Campbell. He’ll do whatever it takes to leave his tortured past behind him, and to climb closer to his coveted barony. If that means seducing a woman he’s never met into marriage so the earl can claim her land in the Western Isles, it’s a small price to pay.

And then he meets her, and his world is turned upside down…

He’s the most honorable man she’s ever met

Freyja MacDonald isn’t easily swayed by a handsome face or honeyed tongue, but Alasdair Campbell fairly sweeps her off her feet with his down-to-earth charm. What’s more, he respects her work as a healer, something she knows to her cost not all men do.

Straight-talking and practical, she appreciates how Alasdair understands her commitment for the unvarnished truth rather than pretty lies, and their stolen kisses have her imagining a future together. Not that it’s possible, for she is bound to her land through an ancient prophecy of her foremothers and Alasdair must soon return to his grand castle in the Highlands. Yet she can’t deny the longing to be with him wherever that might be.

But the truth never stays buried forever…

Amazon US  /  Amazon UK  /  Amazon Canada  /  Amazon Australia

About the Author:

Christina grew up in England and spent her childhood visiting ruined castles and Roman remains and daydreaming about Medieval princesses and gallant knights. When she wasn’t lost in the past, she was searching for magical worlds in the backs of wardrobes and watching old Hammer Horrors from the safety of behind the sofa. She now lives in sunny Western Australia with her high school sweetheart and their two cats who are convinced the universe revolves around their needs. They are not wrong.

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