Bride of A Wicked Scotsman by Samantha James

Hello, all! First off, I want to extend my thanks to Terra and all the gang here at Yankee Romance Viewers. I’m excited to be here, and doubly excited because Bride of a Wicked Scotsman, my new release, has just hit the bookstores!

Bride of a Wicked Scotsman is the third book in the McBride family series. Alec, Duke of Gleneden. Annabell (or Annie as she’s called) kicked off the series in The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell. The second book is The Seduction of an Unknown Lady, with hero Aidan McBride. Third in line is Alec’s story in Bride of a Wicked Scotsman. I have wanted to use Alec as a hero’s name for ages! But the name has to fit the character. And I knew, from the very beginning, that Alec would be . . . well, Alec. Alec has already appeared in the first two books. He’s been standing in the sidelines, ready to make the leap to hero.

Though it’s third in the series, in several ways, Bride of a Wicked Scotsman is, in several ways, a book of “firsts”. You see, Alec is the first duke I’ve written about. In the same way that I knew Alec would be my hero, I knew he just HAD to be a duke. A confession here: before I started writing, my nose was forever in a book. In a romance (my, but who would have guessed??) My husband once noted that every book I read had “duke” in the title.

Well, not quite every book. But it’s true that dukes abounded. Pirates abounded. So, in a sense, I’ve gone back to my roots. I’ve always wanted to write about dukes and pirates. Why not write about a duke who’s a pirate? Or a pirate who’s duke. In Alec, I had my duke. But Alec’s character was already established in the first two books in the trilogy. I couldn’t make Alec my pirate, so I did the next best thing. I rattled some skeletons in the closet. Voila, there he was – a McBride family ancestor who was a pirate. A pirate called the Black Scotsman.

We’ve seen numerous romances with Scottish and English hero/heroines pitted against each other. I’ve written several books with Scots vs. Scots. So, there he was, Alec, my Scottish duke. I knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than a strong woman. Who better to pair him with than a spirited Irish firebrand? Add a bit of good-natured rivalry, Irish vs. Scots, and there were my leads.

I was further convinced during my research trip to Ireland, where I learned about Grace O’Malley, a sixteenth century lady-pirate. Meant to be, yes? Yes. It was karma. I had my duke, my pirate – even though it extends back a ways -- and there I was, in a land of legends and myths, all of which played right into my hand. Add to the mix an ancient curse. A deathbed promise, and thus was born Bride of a Wicked Scotsman.

I’m giving away the first book in this series, The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell. For a preview of Bride of a Wicked Scotsman, drop by my website to read an excerpt. As a special treat for readers, you can read an extended excerpt on the HarperCollins website. You can also read 100% of# Gabriel's Bride free on the HarperCollins website.

I invite you to come, sit and have a chat!

Make sure and leave a comment for Samantha along with your email addy to be entered for the giveaway.