Today’s featured author is the fantastic Pamela Clare. Pamela, as most of you know, writes both romantic suspense and historical romance, and she’s adept at both. Her I-Team series, about a group of crack investigative reporters, is enormously popular. Breaking Point, the fifth book in the series, was named one of the Top 10 romance novels of 2011 by the editors of Amazon.com and readers voted it the Best Romantic Suspense book of 2011 in All About Romance’s annual reader poll, making this the second year in a row she’s won that category.
But today I want to highlight Pamela’s historical romances, which are every bit as exciting as her romantic suspense novels. Her new release, Defiant, is book three in The MacKinnon Rangers Trilogy, and is set during the conflict known in the United States as the French and Indian War — the war made famous by the film Last of the Mohicans, which starred Daniel Day Lewis.
The trilogy tells the stories of three brothers — Iain, Morgan and Connor MacKinnon — transplanted Highlanders who came to North America as boys when their father was exiled from Scotland. Raised on the frontier, they know several Indian tongues and count themselves kin to the Mahican Indians of Stockbridge. Having learned how to track, fight, and hunt from their Mahican friends, they’re at home in the wilderness.
Defiant is already getting great reviews, including 4 stars from RT Book Reviews and a Blue Ribbon Review from Romance Junkies. Here’s the blurb from Defiant:
Major Connor MacKinnon despises his commander, Lord William Wentworth, beyond all other men. Ordered to rescue Wentworth’s niece after the Shawnee take her captive, he expects Lady Sarah Woodville to be every bit as contemptible as her uncle. Instead, he finds a brave and beautiful lass in desperate peril. But the only way to free Sarah is for Connor to defeat the Shawnee warrior who kidnapped her—and claim her himself.
Torn by tragedy from her sheltered life in London, Lady Sarah is unprepared for the harshness of the frontier-or for the attraction she feels toward Connor. When they reach civilization, however, it is she who must protect him. For if her uncle knew all that Connor had done to save her, he would surely kill him.
But the flames of passion, once kindled, are difficult to deny. As desire transforms into love, Connor will have to defy an empire to keep Sarah at his side.
This is just the kind of meaty historical I love to read. If you liked Last of the Mohicans, you will love this book! As far as I’m concerned there aren’t enough historical romances set in this period of American history, and I’m really glad Pamela helps fill the gap with her wonderful books.
Speaking of movies, Pamela has made the most incredible book trailer for Defiant. Trust me when I tell you that you’re going to want to watch it. It’s live action, with the hunkiest guy I’ve seen in a LONG time playing Connor MacKinnon. You can watch it here on YouTube.
Be sure to visit Pamela’s website to learn about all her books, to read excerpts and to catch up on her latest news. You’ll also want to pop by her blog, which has tons of smart, fun content.
For my readers today, I’m giving away a copy of Defiant and a copy of my first historical romance, Mastering The Marquess. One person who leaves a comment will win both books. Let’s talk about historical settings. Some settings, such as Colonial America, are under-represented in historical romance. What settings and periods do you wish got more coverage? Tell us about it for a chance to win!