One Naughty Night2 (38 page)
“5 stars! Had me hooked from the start… I absolutely loved this story.”
“The third of this thrilling Irish series by Laurel McKee left me with no doubt that this series is truly a winner. McKee is able to spin an Irish tale like no other romance writer I have read before… [She] sweeps the reader away on a fantastical and romantic journey through old Ireland.”
“The story of Caroline and Grant’s love is unexpected and romantic. Historical romance readers will devour it. Laurel McKee does a splendid job of continuing the series and will have readers coming back for more.”
“A great concluding tale to the Daughters of Erin series… McKee writes spectacular love scenes for her characters in this novel that leave you breathless… [She] pens a lush and fabulous historical romance that will steal your heart and make you smile.”
“Stellar writing, a charismatic hero, and fearless heroine, an amazing blend of suspense, action, and romance,
Lady of Seduction
will entice, exasperate, and enchant readers without mercy… [The characters’] journeys have been unforgettable and their happily-ever-afters rewarding beyond expectations. As a devoted fan, I look forward to whatever stories come next. Laurel McKee books are automatic ‘Must Buys.’ ”
“Fast-paced… an exciting thriller starring a courageous heroine and a man seeking redemption even if it means his life… Fans of the series will marvel at Laurel McKee’s talent… Sub-genre fans will enjoy the entire well-written trilogy.”
—
Midwest Book Review
“4 Stars! Fascinating… readers will be eager to read the final story in McKee’s trilogy.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“For a thrilling, sensuous trip to old Ireland, don’t miss
Duchess of Sin
… I recommend reading the first book, and I look forward to
Lady of Seduction
.”
“A truly remarkable book that I could not turn away from… a one-of-a-kind read [with] a love to warm the heart and an adventure that never ends”
“My kind of story!”
—Mary Balogh,
New York Times
bestselling author
“An unforgettable love story… captivating and poignant! Laurel McKee wields her pen with grace and magic.”
—Lorraine Heath,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel
“4 Stars! McKee sets the stage for a romantic adventure that captures the spirit of Ireland and a pair of star-crossed lovers to perfection.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“I am completely hooked on this series already—and I was from nearly the first page of this book! Ms. McKee tells a masterful story of love, rebellion, and beneath it all, devotion to a land and people… Elizabeth and Will’s emotional attachment, as well as the obvious physical chemistry they share, leaps from the page.”
“Ms. Laurel McKee’s magical pen captivates you instantaneously! She has fashioned blistering, sensual, romantic scenes and a love story that will be forever etched in your mind.”
—
TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Eliza’s and Will’s happy-ever-after, once reached, is both powerfully satisfying and forever engraved on the reader’s mind and heart. Every word sings with unyielding intensity… Beautifully written,
Countess of Scandal
reads like a captivating love story of epic proportions. The ultimate page-turner.”
“A hero to steal your heart!”
—Elizabeth Boyle,
New York Times
bestselling author
“An immensely satisfying and sophisticated blend of history and romance. I loved every gorgeous, breathtaking page!”
—Julianne MacLean,
USA Today
bestselling author of
When a Stranger Loves Me
“
Countess of Scandal
delivers on all fronts. The story raced along, zigging and zagging from Dublin to the countryside, from uneasy peace to all-out war. And the romance… very satisfying!”
“A vivid historical tale with breathtaking characters.”
—Michelle Willingham, author of
Taming Her Irish Warrior
“Rich, vivid, and passionate.”
—Nicola Cornick,
USA Today
bestselling author of
The Undoing of a Lady
Thank you so much for reading
One Naughty Night
, the first adventure of the St. Claire family. I loved spending time with these characters and learning more about their world. Ever since I was about ten years old and read
Jane Eyre
, I have loved the Victorian era, so it was fascinating to dig deeper.
The sixty years of Victoria’s reign marked a huge shift in society and the way the world worked. The way people traveled, shopped, dealt with illness and childbirth—even the way people dressed and read—were very different from what had come before. Life was transformed for everyone by gaslight and then electricity, the railroads, factories, the world of the arts (literature from authors such as Dickens, Thackeray, and the Brontë sisters; the theater boom led by Irving and Terry; as well as music, painting, and the decorative arts), and exploration and the expansion of the British Empire into every corner of the globe.
But it was also a time of vast social differences, the rise of the middle classes, a new emphasis on the appearance of “respectability,” and a whole hidden underworld
of dark activities. I loved incorporating all these aspects of Victorian life into
One Naughty Night
and can’t wait to see what happens next for the St. Claires and the Huntingtons. (Watch for Dominic and Sophia’s story in
Two Sinful Secrets
…)
If you’re interested in learning more about the Victorian era, I have historical information and background tidbits on my website,
http://laurelmckee.net
. Here are a few sources I especially enjoyed:
Donald Thomas,
The Victorian Underworld
(1998)
Jennifer Hall-Witt,
Fashionable Acts: Opera and Elite Culture in London 1780–1880
(2007)
Michael Mason,
The Making of Victorian Sexuality
(1994)
Suzanne Fagence Cooper,
The Victorian Woman
(2001)
Richard D. Altick,
Victorian People and Ideas
(1973)
J. J. Tobias,
Crime and Police in England, 1700–1900
(1979)
Sally Mitchell,
Daily Life in Victorian England
(2009)
F. M. L. Thompson,
The Rise of Respectable Society 1830–1900
(1988)
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
Dear Reader,
I’m so excited to tell you about my latest in the Children of the Mist series, CONQUERED BY A HIGHLANDER. I loved introducing you to Colin MacGregor in
Ravished by a Highlander
and then meeting up with him again in
Tamed by a Highlander
, but finally the youngest, battle-hungry MacGregor gets his own story. And let me tell you all, I enjoyed every page, every word.
Colin wasn’t a difficult hero to write. There were no mysteries complicating his character, no ghosts or regrets haunting him from his past. He was born with a passion to fight and to conquer. Nothing more. Nothing less. He was easy to write. He was a badass in
Ravished
and he’s a hardass now. My dilemma was what kind of woman would it take to win him? The painted birds fluttering about the many courts he’s visited barely held his attention. A warrior wouldn’t suit him any better than a wallflower would. I knew early on that the Lady who tried to take hold of this soldier’s heart had to possess the innate strength to face her fiercest foe… and the tenderness to recognize something more than a fighter in Colin’s confident gaze.
I found Gillian Dearly hidden away in the turrets of a castle overlooking the sea, her fingers busy strumming melodies on her beloved lute while her thoughts carried
her to places far beyond her prison walls. She wasn’t waiting for a hero, deciding years ago that she would rescue herself. She was perfect for Colin. She also possessed one other thing, a weapon so powerful, even Colin found himself at the mercy of it.
A three-year-old little boy named Edmund.
Like Colin, I didn’t intend for Edmund Dearly or his mother to change the path of my story, but they brought out something in the warrior—whom I thought I knew so well—something warm and wonderful and infinitely sexier than any swagger. They brought out the man.
For me, nothing I’ve written before this book exemplifies the essence of a true hero more than watching Colin fall in love with Gillian
and
with her child. Not many things are more valiant than a battle-hardened warrior who puts down his practice sword so he can take a kid fishing or save him from bedtime monsters… except maybe a mother who defiantly goes into battle each day in order to give her child a better life. Gillian Dearly was Edmund’s hero and she quickly became mine. How could a man like Colin
not
fall in love with her?
Having to end the Children of the Mist series was bittersweet, but I’m thrilled to say there will be more MacGregors of Skye visiting the pages of future books. Camlochlin will live on for another generation at least. And not just in words but in art. Master painter James Lyman has immortalized the home of our beloved MacGregors in beautiful color and with an innate understanding of how the fortress should be represented. Visit
PaulaQuinn.com
to order a print of your own, signed and numbered by the artist.
Until we meet again, to you mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers,
and friends, who put yourselves aside for someone you love, I shout Huzzah! Camlochlin was built for people like you.
Find her at Facebook
Twitter @Paula_Quinn
Dear Reader,
From the very first moment I put Mysterious Cute Guy on the page, I fell in love. There’s just something about a big, bad, sexy guy whom you know nothing about that fires the imagination. But I have to be honest: When he made a cameo in
Head Over Heels
(literally a walk-on role only; in fact I believe he only gets a mention or two), I knew nothing about him. Nothing. I never intended to, either. He was just one of life’s little (okay, big, bad, and sexy) mysteries.
Then my editor called me. Said the first three Lucky Harbor books had done so well that they’d like three more, please. And maybe one of the heroes could be Mysterious Cute Guy.
It was fun coming up with a story to go with this enigmatic figure, not to mention a name: Ty Garrison. More fun still to give this ex-Navy SEAL a rough, tortured, bad-boy past and a sweet, giving, good-girl heroine
(Mallory Quinn, ER nurse). Oh, the fun I had with these two: a bad boy trying to go good, and a good girl looking for a walk on the wild side. Hope you have as much fun reading their story, LUCKY IN LOVE.
