New York Times bestselling author Monica McCarty has established herself as a favorite in the world of Scottish romance. Her sensual Highland Guard novels, tales of elite warriors and the remarkable women they love, just keep getting better and better. Now the first five books in the series are available in one sizzling eBook bundle:
THE CHIEF THE HAWK THE RANGER THE VIPER THE SAINT
With the death of William Wallace, Scotland’s struggle for independence from English rule seems all but doomed to failure. But in her darkest hour, the torch for freedom will be lit once more by Robert “the Bruce.” Scouring the darkest corners of the Highlands, the Bruce handpicks ten warriors to form an elite fighting force unlike any the world has ever seen. They are the best of the best in each discipline of warfare: Tor “the Chief” MacLeod, a swordsman without equal; Erik “the Hawk” MacSorley, a brilliant seafarer who has never encountered a wind he could not harness or a woman he could not win; Arthur “the Ranger” Campbell, a renowned scout who blends into the shadows deep behind enemy lines; Lachlan “the Viper” MacRuairi, a stealthy rogue to enlist but not to trust; and Magnus “the Saint” MacKay, the ultimate Highlander: tough, resourceful, and able to navigate and survive in the most extreme of conditions. The warriors of the Highland Guard fight to defend their country—but they live to capture hearts.
What do you get when you mix a legal career, a baseball career, motherhood, and a love of history with a voracious reader? In my case, a Historical Romance Author.
Like most writers, I’ve always loved to read. Growing up in California there was always plenty to do outside, but all too often I could be found inside curled up with a book (or two or three). I started with the usual fare: The Little House on the Prairie series, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Watership Down, Nancy Drew, and everything by Judy Blume. Once I cleared off my bookshelf, I started swiping books from my mom. Some, like Sidney Sheldon’s The Other Side of Midnight, probably weren’t the most appropriate choice for a pre-adolescent—although they were definitely illuminating. I can still remember the look of abject horror on my mom’s Catholic-girl-face when I asked her what a virgin was. After that rather brief conversation, she paid a little closer attention to what had disappeared off her book shelf, and steered me in the direction of Harlequin and Barbara Cartland romances. I was hooked. I quickly read through the inventory of the local library and was soon buying bags of romances at garage sales.
In high school, with the encouragement of my father (who I think was a little concerned about the steady diet of romances), I read over eighty of the Franklin Library’s One Hundred Greatest Books ever written—including Tolstoy, Confucius, Plato, and the entire works of Shakespeare. Some of them were tough going for a teenager, but the experience would prove an invaluable foundation for college. After reading War and Peace, I wasn’t easily intimidated.
For some reason Monica decided to go into writing and not fashion.
After graduation, I loaded up the VW (Jetta not Bus) and trekked down I-5 to attend the University of Southern California, majoring in Political Science and minoring in English (see why all that reading helped!). I joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and when I wasn’t studying or at football games, did my best to support the local bartending industry. Ah, the good old days.
With that kind of fun, four years of college wasn’t quite enough. So leaving Tommy Trojan behind, I traveled back up north to Palo Alto for three more years of study at Stanford Law School. Once I survived the stress of the first semester, law school proved to be one of the best times of my life—garnering me a JD, life-long friends, a husband, and an unexpectedly intimate knowledge of baseball. (See “The Baseball Odyssey” below).
Law School was also where I fell in love with Scotland. In my third year, I took a Comparative Legal History class, and wrote a paper on the Scottish Clan System and Feudalism. So I immediately dropped out of law school and went on to write Scottish Historical Romances…well no, not quite. You see, I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. My father was a lawyer, I was a “poet” (i.e., not into math), and I love to argue. It seemed natural.
So I finished law school, got married, passed the CA bar, moved to Minnesota (with a few stops along the way), waived into the MN bar, worked as a litigator for a few satisfying years, moved back to CA, had a couple of kids, realized that a legal career and being a single parent for most of the year (due to husband's career) would be extremely difficult, and THEN decided to sit down and write.
And how did I end up writing romance? It’s not as divergent as it seems. What I loved about being a lawyer are the same things I love about being a writer—research and writing. The only thing missing is the arguing, but that’s what a husband and kids are for, right?
I liked the Viper a bit more than 4 stars and the Hawk a bit less, so the average is 4 stars.
This series of romance novels set during Robert Bruce's fight to liberate Scotland from the clutches of Edward I, is highly enjoyable if rather formulaic. If you love medieval romances and wish there were more of them, as I do, these will be exactly up your alley. Each book features a sexy brawny dude from the Bruce's secret guard and an appropriate lady-love.
The Viper is my favorite of the bunch because it features a tormented, dead-eyed hero and a tortured (literally!) heroine who make each other all better. Say it with me: AWWWWW.
(A Highland Guard Novel) by Monica McCarty This is one of the Best Historical Series I’ve ever read and reread several times over! These stories are based on the individual highland warriors of a highly secret elite trained “ghost warfare” personal guard of Robert the Bruce! Great plots and storyline that transports you to a medieval time and place with realistic and engaging characters. I recommend this fast pace book and series to everyone who enjoys great writing, excitement, adventure, and a hot 4 flame passionate love story!
Amazing series so far, can't wait for the next book due next week. I love Monica McCarty and have never been disappointed with any of her books. The series has such a perfect balance of romance, history and great story lines. I can't speak highly enough and respect the books that Monica McCarty writes. My suggestion though would be to read them in order. Although technically you don't have to, it will help understand them better I feel.