Deception of a Highlander by Madeline Martin

Blurb:

Scottish Romance doesn’t get much steamier—or more dangerous—than a spy hunting her quarry, and losing her heart to him instead. To pay a seemingly impossible debt, Mariel Brandon has become a spy for Aaron, one of England’s deadliest minds. Aaron’s latest mission for the sharp-witted and daring Mariel is to find two people in a heavily fortified castle on the Isle of Skye, a castle headed by the clan MacDonald and the powerful Kieran. Mariel is to seduce Kieran and get him to take her to Skye. If she succeeds, Aaron promises to let Mariel’s young brother go, and to free both of them from their debt.  If she fails, her brother will die.  What she doesn’t count on is craving Kieran MacDonald almost immediately upon meeting him. Now Mariel must keep a secret from Kieran—one that could get them both killed—as she tries to form a plan that will save her brother, get her out from under Aaron’s thumb once and for all, and keep her in Kieran’s strong arms forever.

*Purchase/PreOrder Links:

1. http://www.amazon.com/Deception-Highlander-Madeline-Martin-ebook/dp/B00R6VQHRG
2. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deception-of-a-highlander-martin/1121157041?ean=9781626816329
3. https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/deception-of-a-highlander?utm_source=linkshare_us&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=linkshare_us&siteID=7W0jeRqnKFU-cHg17.U3tZgqQM76NPNyDQ
4. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/deception-of-a-highlander/id953313068?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
5. Deception of a Highlander | IndieBound

Excerpt:

It was only a kiss, but he knew without a doubt the heat of her mouth against his would only serve to whet his desire further. He would not be able to still his hands from gliding over what was hidden from view, from pulling her against the parts of him she made ache.

With an incredible act of willpower, he straightened, released her and took a step back to address her from a safer distance lest he give in to temptation.

“If ye still want to come, meet me here tomorrow morning at nine o’clock, aye?”

He turned to leave when her hand on his forearm stopped him.

“Why did you not kiss me?” she asked.

Kieran studied her face and desire tugged at him once more. “Do ye always get what ye want, Mariel?”

Her eyes trailed the length of his body, her expression shrewd. “Only if I know how to get it.” 

Author Interview:

Please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

I’m currently working on Enchantment of a Highlander, which is Alec’s story. Alec is battling the darkness inside him when he inherits his father’s land, an unwanted obligation which he hefts onto his shoulders. While there, he meets a healer, a woman who is so good at her trade, some assume she is a witch – a bad assumption in the time of witch trials in neighboring lands. This is a story of trust and betrayal, of light and dark, or love and of death. I’m enjoying writing it and hope many enjoy reading it when it releases. 🙂

When was the moment that you knew you had to be a writer?

I think I’ve always known. I’ve always been a total bookworm and it didn’t take long for stories in my head to start surfacing. Now that I’m older, I finally understand how to coordinate those small stories into a full length novel. And I feel so very fortunate for that.

Who gave you the one piece of writing advice that sticks with you to this day?

One of the first lessons I learned in writing was that if you have to describe something (verbally) to a critique partner in regards to something you’ve written, you haven’t done your job as a writer and need to better explain it in the manuscript.

Describe the “perfect” hero. What about the “perfect” hero for you?

I think the “perfect” hero is a wonderful blend of alpha and beta. A totally alpha male who acts like a beta with the heroine.

What are some of your favorite pastimes? Do you have any hobbies or collections?

I’m a single mom, so my biggest pastime includes my daughters, OldestMinion and YoungestMinion – we’re either doing dance-offs or going running together or traveling to a local park. Outside of kids, I work a fulltime job, workout, do runs, read and write.

What has been your biggest adventure to date?

I’ve been lucky to have a lot of adventures in my life between travel and experience and on-site learning. I have to say my biggest ongoing adventure to date is being a single mom. There are incredible highs, like knowing someone loves me as much as I love my parents, to the extreme lows like sequestering myself in the bathroom with a jar of nutella and a spoon just so I can have five blissful moments of silence. Between the homework and the baths and the drama of a houseful of girls, it is by far the most trying, and the most incredibly rewarding, adventure that promises a fresh delivery each and every day.

 If your fairy godmother waved her wand and whisked you away to the location of your choice, which place would you choose, and why?

Scotland, of course! Scotland is one of my favorite places in Europe. The people are always so friendly, the lands are always so lushly green and the castles make my head spin with ideas for new stories.

 What is the one modern convenience that you cannot do without? What is this romance writer’s idea of the “ideal romantic evening”? 

I think central heating and air is my number one modern convenience I’d have a hard time living without. The heat doesn’t bother me so much, but Florida has thinned out my blood and left me a total cold weather wimp!

 What is your favorite comfort food?

Nutella. It’s like a jar of truffles that have been gutted for my spooning pleasure. As soon as that gold foil seal if lifted away and the silky chocolate beneath is exposed, I know I’m in trouble.

What is your favorite season? What do you love about it?

Autumn is my favorite season. I love all the fall festivals and the costume parties and the pumpkin-spiced everything that goes with it. The minions love that time of year too and there are always so many great memories made.

 What project are you working on next? 

The next series I’m planning on working on is an idea I’ve been framing out for a couple years now called the Broken Dolls about a collection of badass women in history who make up a band of all-female spies. It’s a lot of fun to research.

I’ll be doing several blogs during the month of April as well as several facebook giveaways. Please stay tuned to my facebook author page for details on each: https://www.facebook.com/MadelineMartinAuthor

3 Copies are being given away in a Goodreads Contest  https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/133636-deception-of-a-highlander

Author Bio:

Madeline Martin lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her two daughters (AKA OldestMinion and YoungestMinion) along with their two cats: SketchyCat who stares at walls and eats fuzz and LapCat who has a shoe fetish and enjoys Kung Pow peanuts. All shenanigans are detailed regularly on Twitter. Madeline graduated from Flagler College with a degree in Business Administration and works for corporate America. Her hobbies include rock climbing, running, doing crazy races (like Mud Runs and Color Runs) and just about anything exciting she can do without getting nauseous. She’s also a history fan (really more of a full on history dork) and loves to blog about random curiosities from her research. After living in Europe for over a decade, Madeline enjoys traveling overseas whenever she can. Her favorite place to visit thus far: Scotland. Writing has been a passion of hers since she was a child and now she finally gets to see her lifelong dream come true.

Author website: www.MadelineMartin.com

Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MadelineMartinAuthor

Author Twitter: @MadelineMMartin

Author Goodreads Profile page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12062937.Madeline_Martin

Author Amazon Profile page: http://www.amazon.com/Madeline-Martin/e/B00R8OGFN2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1