Thursday, November 14, 2013

Clan Ross Series! Off to a fine start if you ask me!

I have a new romantic paranormal series being published and I wanted to share with everyone some blurbs and excerpts. I’m currently working hard on the third and final story, so you have plenty of time to catch up and fall in love the Clan Ross! Come read a bit and tell me what you love about Scottish Romance.


HIS HEARTS DESIRE-Book 1
What’s a woman to do when faced with the man of her dreams—literally?

Catrìona MacDougall has dreamed of an ancient highland warrior for years and over the course of her life she’s fallen irretrievably in love with a man she can’t have. This won’t do and she vows it’s time to put the dream man on the shelf and find a real man who can make her melt. What should seem like a very uncomplicated plan soon proves to be anything but. Catrìona is about to get way more than she ever bargained on. Maybe dreams really can become reality.

Laird Braden Ross, once a brave warrior for his clan, was to marry Catrìona MacDougall, and what started as a marriage to solidify clan relations turns into a love match. But, when Braden leaves MacDougall land with his bride to be, they are ambushed by banished members of the Comyn clan under the direction of Morgana, a druid priestess, who has long held deep feelings for Braden. When those feelings aren’t returned, she vowed to make him pay. She attacks Catrìona and leaves her to die in Braden’s arms after cursing him into a loveless existence until his soulmate releases him.

Braden is trying to reach out to Catrìona but she's convinced he’s nothing but a dream. He needs to prove to her they are meant to be, before she banishes him to the afterlife.
• • •
Excerpt
Catrìona ran her hands down the hard back of her lover, reveling in the flexing muscles as he thrust deep into her woman’s center, becoming a part of her. This was the only time she ever felt complete.

“I love you, Catrìona. Feel me; know me.” His voice was rough, like sandpaper, and yet it drifted over her senses like velvet.

“I do; I do feel you.” Pain danced through her voice and heart as she realized her time with her knight was growing to an end. “I love you, Braden. Forever.”

She grabbed at his strong buttocks in a pitiful attempt to hold him close.
“Aye, lass, forever,” he whispered.

Catrìona sat upright in bed pushing her tangled hair out of her eyes. Tears streamed down her face, but she ignored the salty drops. Her body burned as if she actually had been making passionate love, and she tried hard to bring her breathing under control. She was tired of forever waking to the taste of her tears and the pain in her heart.

An ache between her legs reminded her she was still unsatisfied. Yet she knew in her heart she would only experience the release she desired in the arms of her dream lover.

Reaching over, she clicked on her bedside lamp. The mournful sound of a saxophone from a jazz club down the street danced on the air. The lamp cast its buttery light over the small room as she gazed with longing at the old portrait hanging over her bedroom mantel. Her Scottish knight; her dream lover. She feared he was the only man she’d ever love. 

Pathetic. He was nothing more than canvas, paint, shadows and color. But he looked so lifelike. On more than one occasion she had reached out to touch him, yet it was always in vain.
Catrìona padded over to the portrait and stared. “I wish I knew who you were and why you haunt me so.”

The man in the portrait didn’t answer her, but she didn’t expect him to. Still, something compelled her to speak her thoughts aloud. Somehow, she knew he heard her. He had always heard her. He stood in a commanding position with his broadsword in hand, ready to do battle for his lady-love or clan. Regardless of the reason, this man was willing to fight for what was important to him. 

His long dark hair fell in sensual waves down his back, and his well-developed chest was bare, with the exception of a swath of plaid across the tawny skin. A Celtic armband encircled his left bicep, drawing Catrìona’s eye to the sinewy strength there. This strength would never be used against her but rather to protect her. A shiver of longing danced across her skin at the thought. Those dark eyes of his stared out, tempting and promising so much. She often wondered if her ancestor had taken artistic license when she created him.

Catrìona knew deep in her heart she had not. The artist had faithfully captured the sensual gaze in his beautiful, dark brown eyes. The promise of fulfillment burned there, beckoning the unsuspecting.

Catrìona called the painting Her Highlander, not knowing who he was or if he even hailed from the Highlands. “Why do I dream about you with such detail? I can feel your hot breath on my skin. Your rough and callused fingers are like magic on my flesh.”

She continued to stare. Tonight the dreams had been different. Tonight she had almost reached orgasm. This time the slight clenching of her womb had rippled through her—she’d tottered on the sweet, delicious precipice and ached to crash over the edge to total oblivion.

No answer came from the painting, so she turned away from him and padded back to her bed. After taking a moment to straighten the sheets, she climbed into the cool linen. A quick glance at her alarm clock confirmed it was still too early to get up. It was two a.m. 

Catrìona hadn’t even been asleep for three hours before the dream had wakened her. Her sensual dreams were not uncommon, but it had been different this time. This time she had felt more than her phantom lover’s touch. This time she’d smelled him; a combination of spice and male musk—a potent elixir. She was supremely aware of the rough texture of the sheeting beneath her naked body. The scent of heather and wood smoke hung in the air. 

Her feelings for the portrait were odd, and she was the first to admit it. Her grandmother had accepted Catrìona’s preoccupation with the knight right from the beginning. That had been the summer she’d turned thirteen. Catrìona had always loved visiting her Grammy. It meant seeing him. Her mother would drop Catrìona off with a kiss on the cheek and promise to call—a promise she never managed to keep, no matter how hard Catrìona prayed she would. Grammy would dry her eyes and set her up in her special bedroom with the portrait of the knight hanging across the room on the wall. When she finally asked about him, when she was around eleven, her grandmother’s answer had been vague but offered with a smile. Catrìona now knew it had been a knowing smile.

“See, lass, you have your very own guardian knight. He will ease your loneliness.” 

And he had. He came to her, teasing her with his kind words, making her feel like a princess of old. There had been magic at Grammy’s house.

Well, her grandmother was dead now. She had passed on to the next realm three weeks ago, leaving Catrìona bereft. Frustrated at her physical and emotional condition, Catrìona growled aloud. Why was she being so unreasonable? And what did it say about her that she was so taken with a painting? It was as pathetic as the women who went gaga over Brad Pitt, convinced that if they were able to get his attention he’d leave Angelina Jolie. Yeah, sure, that happened all the time in the real world. The same could be said about her. Her Highlander was not going to step out of his frame and into her arms.

She turned away from the picture and stared at the opposite wall. She had a very important client appointment tomorrow, and needed to get her act together. Catrìona designed wedding dresses, and this next commission could win her the success she’d been working towards for years. She had to land this account.

Staying up into the early hours of the morning, lamenting over her pathetic hang-up with a man who did not exist, was not going to help her situation. The sounds of the French Quarter drifted on the air. No matter the time of day, the Quarter hummed with activity. Voices rose in laughter and good cheer, reminding her of how alone she was at that moment. Punching the pillow in a pitiable attempt to make herself comfortable, Catrìona closed her eyes and allowed the sandman to work his magic once again.



HER HIGHLAND ROGUE-Book 2
Kady, Muse Extraordinaire has ticked off Cupid and in order to get back into the good graces of her friend and the rest of the Gods, she has to do the seemingly impossible. She has to match her favorite lady human, Meagan Wentworth with her one true love. Kady thinks she’s struck the mother lode of luck when Meagan falls for Alec Ross but there is just one tiny little problem with the hearts and flower ending she envisions. Alec is from the past, Scotland, in the year 1295 to be exact and his little sojourn in the future is about to come to an end thanks to the selfish and evil priestess, Morgana. But everything goes wrong when Alec and Meagan get caught up in the a spell Morgana has cast and sends them back in time. Kady doesn’t have enough power to send them back to the twenty-first century so she hopes they can make things work until she can figure a way to get Meagan home where she belongs.

Meagan can’t believe she’s back in time, with no plumbing, no electricity and the hottie she’d been falling for, doesn’t remember her. Meagan is going to do what she can to get back to her time period, she doesn’t need this…and yet, she has never backed down from a challenge. She’s going to remind Alec who she is and what they had together in the future. Hopefully, she’ll be able to survive the late 1200’s and not be accused of witchcraft or die. And of course get the guy and write there happy ending.
• • •
Excerpt
Kady, Muse Extraordinaire was without a doubt, a success at what she did if she did say so herself. That wasn’t bragging, it was a simple fact.

The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists were peppered with her accomplishments. There were Golden Globes, a few Oscars sitting on shelves and to her disgust, one in a closet, attesting she had it going on. However, the Oscar in the closet was not her problem. No. This distinction belonged to her favorite lady human, Meagan Wentworth.

In addition to owning a haunted tour in New Orleans, Meagan happened to be a huge success in the romance writing industry. What Meagan didn’t have was her happy ending. Enter Kady’s new and temporary occupation as matchmaker thanks to her own stupidity. Mental note, never taunt Cupid. And never do it while he’s hosting the annual Valentine’s Day Ball. That was like cutting the cotton ball tail off the Easter Bunny, or telling Santa the elves were more popular than he was.

Yeah, lesson learned there.

Kady hated to fail and if she didn’t find Meagan true love within six weeks she was looking at the big F straight in the eye. What did she know of matchmaking? She inspired people and sat back and accepted the kudos. Okay, so she didn’t do the hard work, like sketching the dress design, or writing the book or screenplay. Still, it wasn’t easy helping the uninspired find inspiration and she was dumbfounded as to how to help Meagan find true love. She knew bupkis about matters of the heart.

Thankfully, Meagan had already found a Scottish hottie named Alec Ross and they seemed to get along just fine thank you very much. All Kady had to do is make sure nothing or rather no one parted the two lovers.
“So, whatcha gonna do now?” Tiffany said with a snide laugh.

Kady narrowed her eyes. Tiffany, an obnoxious muse, perched beside Kady on the magnolia tree. She really wasn’t in the mood for Tiffany’s snipping. Kady had things to do…and trading barbs with Tiffany was not on the list.

“Well, since she’s already found Alec I’m going to make sure this ends happily,” Kady announced as she watched Meagan and Alec whispering between each other.

“Hmm.”

Kady turned to face her nemesis head on. “What pray tell is ‘hmmm’ supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t you, nothing, me, Tiffany. What’s your point?” Kady said.

Tiffany fussed with her skirt before she said, “Has it escaped your notice that Alec is from the thirteenth century and Morgana is getting ready to send him back to where he came from?”

“Don’t you have an artist to torment? Maybe today you can find another one willing to part with his ear again. And in answer to your question, the answer is no. I’m very aware of what Morgana is up to.”

“For the last time, Picasso had his own issues. That had nothing to do with me.” Tiffany frowned.

Kady smiled. “Hmm.” she mocked pleased she’d managed to fluster Tiffany. She hated to be reminded of Picasso’s strange behavior.


“Am I too late?” A new voice asked.

You can find my backlist all all books published here...leave a comment with email addy and be entered to win a free copy of Her Highland Rogue.

8 comments:

Kemberlee said...

This is a great series. Makes me want to visit Scotland again. Can't wait to read book three!

Kristi Ahlers said...

Thanks, Kem. I'm having a great time writing this series. Kenzy's book is coming along nicely and it's been a hoot to write. In fact had a scene I hadn't originally plotted come to me yesterday...love it when I'm surprised and I hope it also surprises my readers! :)

Kemberlee said...

See? Not all the voices in your head are bad ones ;-)

Rosemary Gemmell said...

I like the paranormal element, Kristi!

Kristi Ahlers said...

This is very true! Thank goodness for writing, otherwise I'm be locked up for sure. LOL

Firetulip said...

I love highland romance and if there's a touch of paranormal, even better. Your books sound like a great read and we'll definitely look them up.

Kristi Ahlers said...

Thank you, Firetulip!
Leave me your email addy and as winner of my contest for posting a comment I'll give you a free copy. Hope you'll enjoy!

Kristi Ahlers said...

Thank you, Rosemary. I love writing paranormal romance gives you a great deal to play with element wise as far as the story telling goes!