Return of the Swans by Laura J. Marshall and Suzanne Williams

Send to Kindle

This is a sneak peek and book cover reveal of Return of the Swans, the first book in the Kilts n’ Kisses trilogy … inspirational historical romance at its finest by best-selling authors Laura J. Marshall and Suzanne D. Williams.

Here’s an excerpt from the story set in Scotland:

The man’s arms at either side of her didn’t give her much room to breathe. Her anger boiling over, thought of clamping her teeth into the tanned skin of his hand brought pleasure. The muscles of his thighs flexed hard as he guided the horse around rocks and up a steep slope. Turning her head to gaze one last time at the white birds, she met his eyes over her shoulder.

“Tis a pretty site, is it not?” Colin Taggart’s voice held amusement.

She sniffed and faced forward. Though keen on viewing the glass-topped loch with its serene white swans, she’d not give him the satisfaction of seeing her envy of its beauty. Her father had already subjugated its borders to the vile clan.

And now the land held the weighted memory of that soul-stealing kiss. Shona’s first. Her head had dizzied and ceased rational thought. Even now, with the offenders steely arms about her, she was breathless. Red swam before her eyes and she clenched her small white teeth. Despite the hatred of the Taggart name, some indefinable pathway was burned forever in her mind of this man Colin and his lips upon hers.

The earth rose up to meet them and they climbed further through the highlands and onto Taggart land. Shona lost track of time. Her ankle pained her, hanging as it was across the shoulder of the horse. They traveled past low thatch-roof croft homes, tidy gardens of potatoes and greens, and pastures of grazing sheep. The well-worn path before them passed through a large village where it widened before leading to a monstrous castle centered atop a hill surrounded by rolling waves of barley and rye.

Colin led the horse through the open portcullis and into the inner courtyard. A servant came forward to take the reins, and he hopped from the horse. Shona sat ramrod straight, wondering what they’d do to her. He held out his arms to help her dismount. Widening her eyes, she glanced then at the people nearby who stared curiously at them.

“I can do it myself,” she said, anger lacing her voice.

“See that you do and hurry up about it.” He gave instructions to the servants pertaining to the horses then waited while she eyed the ground and her dismount. “I’ve enough to explain without you further injuring yourself.”

“Further injuring myself!” Shona huffed, lifting herself from the horse and landing on both feet. The injured one crumpled beneath her, and she cried out in pain.

Colin leapt forward and caught her arm, helping her rise. The nearness of him brought their kiss back into her thinking and for a moment, she indulged her fancies. He angered her, but he also entranced her; and somehow, she couldn’t separate the two. Where one ended the other began, both tying them together. The spark of it raced up her limbs, and she trembled. Whether from shared heat or the pain in her foot was questionable.

Colin gave a teasing grin. “Aye, and ye did that soundly enough the first time without my effort as well.”

Let’s take a look at the cover for Return of the Swans:

Return of the Swans

Author Bios:

Best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and photographer. She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction books. She writes a monthly column for http://Steves-Digicams.com on the subject of digital photography, as well as devotionals and instructional articles for various blogs. She also does graphic design for self-publishing authors. She is co-founder of THE EDGE.

To learn more about what she’s doing and check out her extensive catalog of stories, visit http://suzanne-williams-photography.blogspot.com/ or link with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/suzannedwilliamsauthor.

Suzanne Williams

Laura J. Marshall is a full-time mom of five boys. When not on active duty, she is the best-selling author of short Christian romances which include the Faith & Fame series and the serial novel Faith, Love, and Fried Chicken. Single titles are Persistent Love, A Heart’s Home, and All the Angels Stood. She is the author of Archibald’s Bible Adventures (children’s books) and two nonfiction devotionals for women and moms (Battle Cry Devotional Series). She is co-founder of The Edge Books. Visit her on her website to connect at http://www.LauraJMarshall.com or follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-J-Marshall/267562393377613

Laura J. Marshall

Share Button

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *