Cecelia Mecca's Blog, page 6

A Clan of Her Own “Am Reading” Images & Fun Historical Tidbits to Celebrate Release Day

The second book in Brotherhood of the Border releases in three hours. After four years and more than twenty-five releases, I can say with certainty it’s as exciting each and every time when a new book heads out into the world. This Border Series spin-off has been especially fun to write, re-visiting old characters like Geoffrey and Sara and my favorite inn, The Wild Boar.

Speaking of the Border Series, I knew jumping ahead thirty years or so would put me firmly in William Wallace territory. My #1 favorite movie for years (Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter aside as they are in a special category) has been Braveheart. Historical inaccuracies aside, I just love it. So to say I’m pretty excited to delve into the 1300 world of the English/Scottish border. . . well, that would be an understatement. As with every book, I began this one with the research. And though I’ve taken lots of liberties, there are many truths too.

Example:

“William received word that the Stone was being housed temporarily at Rockborowy Manor.”

That line, of course, came from the fact that King Edward stole the Scottish monarchy’s regalia and the Stone of Scone, relocating it to Westminster Abbey. However, this actually occurred in 1297 and not, as suggested in A Clan of Her Own, September 1300 which better served my purposes for this tale.

Did you know? We think of Longshanks in lots of ways, but as the inventor of the handkerchief?

King Richard II of England “is widely believed to have invented the cloth handkerchief, as surviving documents written by his courtiers describe his use of square pieces of cloth to wipe his nose.” 

Fact Versus Fiction: Would Lady Reina REALLY haven ridden astride in the middle ages?

YES! Some visual evidence…

 

 

 

I don’t want to bore you with too much history or inadvertently ruin anything for you from the story, so let’s get straight to the images. If you’re reading A Clan of Her Own, feel free to grab these and post. I do hope you have a blast in my very first “dungeon meet cute” scene in this enemies to lovers medieval romance.

A CLAN OF HER OWN✓ Scottish medieval romance✓ Enemies to lovers✓ Road trip!✓ Lots of inn/tavern scenes✓ A Border Series-spin off

 

Read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!✦ KU/Amazon → https://amzn.to/3y167tA✦ Amazon Worldwide → mybook.to/AClanofHerOwn✦ Paperback →  https://amzn.to/3DtbRNF  𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. “Another 5 star read from Cecelia Mecca. I always try and plan to read Cecelia’s books when I know I can stay up all night reading, because once I start I will not put it down until I am finished.”  𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟯𝟬𝟬’𝘀!! Danger all around. Hiding and traveling with no provision. Each finds something to like about the other. Twists and turns, who is enemy and who is foe. Could a match from such unlikely “sides” work? Wonderful story.

 

A Clan of Her Own: Extended Sneak Peek

 

About the Book

Captured. Imprisoned. Prepared to die.

Galien Kerr knew supporting William Wallace could someday get him killed, and it seems someday might come sooner than he imagined. But as he sits in an English dungeon with little chance of release, a flicker of hope emerges from the darkness.

The baron’s daughter.

Lady Reina proposes a trade to the handsome, fiery-eyed prisoner: his life for information about her past. Releasing him would certainly incur the wrath of her father and their king, but leaving him in a dungeon cell would keep hidden the secrets she so desperately longs to uncover.

And so she strikes an uneasy bargain with the Scots warrior.

Forced together on their journey to the safety of Clan Kerr, the emerging truth about Reina’s past and Galien’s allegiance to the cause—Scotland’s fight for independence—threatens to unravel the budding lovers  bond.

Thirty years after the Border Series ends, a new saga of family, loyalty, and love along the turbulent Anglo-Scottish border begins.

Extended Sneak Peek

Chapter 1

Anbarth Castle, Northumberland, 1300

Why did it feel as if his entire body had been beaten and bruised?

Galien picked up his sword, again, and waited for his father to make a move. Instead, Toren Kerr, chief of their clan and the only man alive more stubborn than he, got back into position. But he did not move.

“What are you about?” he asked his father. “Why do you not fight me?”

Even to his ten-year-old ears, the question sounded childlike. But he was no child any longer. He’d told his father as much that morn when he insisted on training with a real sword. Not a wooden one. Not a blunted weapon. But the kind of sword his father and the other men used. The one he’d been given at birth that had sat in his chamber, unused. Until today.

“I wait for you to strike,” his father said, his voice thick with an accent so familiar to him Galien hadn’t thought it unusual until the day before, when a man from London had paid them a visit. He’d told his parents the man sounded different, even from his English cousins across the border. Of course, he had not said it to the man directly. That would have been rude.

Something his mother would never, ever tolerate.

When he did strike, his father blocked him easily. Galien’s movements were slow, on account of the sword. How many times had he picked it up, swung it, waiting for this day? No longer in his bedchamber but in the middle of their training yard, the sword felt heavier in his hands than usual.

“I did what you told me,” he complained, unsure why he could not move as quickly as normal.

“Your balance is off,” his father said. “As is your confidence. Lose either, you will struggle. Lose both,” he said, thrusting forward and easily disengaging the weapon from his hands with one swipe, “and you could lose your life along with it.”

Suddenly, the most mortifying of things happened. A tightening in his chest was followed by what felt as if it might be a tear forming. But Galien would not cry. Not in a training yard. And not in front of his father.

He swallowed and leaned down to pick up the sword again. As it had all morn, the cool hilt felt comfortable around his hand, but as he lifted it, it was as if Galien had never wielded a sword before. But he had. His whole life. What was wrong with him today?

He was about to rise when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. As he’d done so many times before, his father knelt on one knee, patting his leg to prompt Galien to sit. Dropping his weapon to the ground, Galien sat on the human chair, his hand resting on his father’s shoulder instinctively.

“This,” he pointed to Galien’s temple, “is the problem, son.”

“I was ready,” he told him. “I am ready.”

“Physically, aye. As are they.” He nodded toward the training yard. “Every one of them is strong.”

“I am a warrior,” Galien said. “I am, Da.”

“You are,” his father agreed. “But a true warrior is focused.” He pointed to his temple again, and Galien knew that meant he needed to think of nothing but his opponent. And he’d failed in that. “Disciplined,” his father continued. In that, Galien did not waver. He spent more time in the yard than any other boy his age. “But not for himself.”

He drew his brows together. This was a new lesson for him. “I do not understand?”

Just as his father began to speak, Galien’s little sister ran up to them. She tossed her arms around their father’s neck. Unlike other girls her age, who donned dresses, Oriana wore leggings and a long tunic with sword in hand.

“Little one.” Their father reached his free hand around Galien’s sister. “I was telling your brother that in order to be a true warrior—”

“Like me, Da. Girls can be warriors too.”

This was a common refrain from his sister. “Let him speak, Ori.” In response, she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Indeed, they can. Man or woman, the true heart of a warrior is to be skilled, and strong, and disciplined for others. If you fight for your own ambitions alone, you will lose every time.”

Galien bowed his head. Somehow, his father knew. His pride, wanting to show everyone he could wield the sword, had been Galien’s cause.

“Who do you fight for?” his sister asked.

But Galien already knew the answer. For them. For their family. For their clan. For some reason, though, his father didn’t answer. Or maybe he did but Galien couldn’t hear him. Neither could he feel his father’s leg under him. Instead, his arse was cold and wet. Something was not right. And then pain. It radiated through every part of his body. His shoulders and back. Galien’s head. But he’d never been struck.

It made no sense.

“Eat, or don’t eat. It matters naught to me.”

That did not sound like his father at all. Forcing his eyes open, Galien knew the reason immediately as it all flooded back to him. He was not a boy of ten but a man of nine and twenty. Neither was he safe on his father’s knee, but in a prison cell.

An English prison cell.

Groaning, Galien watched as the guard tossed a bowl of porridge into his cell. It splattered onto his leg, the guard’s sneer turning into a smile. Bastard. Laughter followed as the light of his candle grew dimmer and dimmer. Galien looked down at the slop, not hungry at all. Not after the beating he’d endured that morning when he and the others had been captured. His companions were nowhere to be seen, and Galien knew three things for certain.

Wallace had gotten away. A fact he could celebrate even if he’d done so before they could warn him about the rumored attack—one that Galien could no longer help prevent.

Second, he knew that the guards would never learn his identity. To allow it would put his family at risk for being so closely associated with the most wanted rebel in Scotland.

And third—he didn’t know when or how badly he would be beaten and tortured as King Edward had often threatened of William Wallace and any of his supporters—but Galien was certain his days for this world were few.

……..

Coming December 7th!

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻: https://buff.ly/31j1Plf

𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀: https://buff.ly/3pdAF7i

Christmas Historical Romance Books and Novellas

If you’re a fan of holiday romance novels that toss you back to another time and place, you’ve found the mothership. I give you, Christmas romance novels and holiday book picks for the medieval, Regency and otherwise all-things historical lover. At the time of this post (11.24.21) Katherine Bone’s book is on sale for .99¢. Happy reading!

 

Short Stories and Novellas​

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Kindle Unlimited, Series Prequel (.99¢)

Buy Now

Kindle Unlimited, Book 5, $2.99

Buy Now

Kindle Unlimited, Book 9 ($2.99)

Buy Now

Kindle Unlimited, Standalone, $2.99

Buy Now

Kindle Unlimited, Standalone, $2.99

Buy Now

Kindle Unlimited, Book 1, $2.99

Buy Now

 

Full Books

Kindle Unlimited, Book 1 of 2 ($2.99)

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 
Buy Now

All Retailers, Standalone, $2.99

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 Buy Now

All Retailers, Book 8, $2.99,

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 Buy Now

All Retailers, Standalone, .99¢

Buy Now

King of the Bean: A Medieval Twelfth Night Tradition {Kissed by the Knight}

Researching for my medieval Christmas romance, Kissed by the Knight, I was surprised to learn of a Twelfth Night game which fits my story perfectly. Moving it to Christmas and taking a liberty or two in its execution, “King of the Bean” seemed like a perfect fit for Tristan and Regina’s love story. Without revealing any spoilers (you can read Kissed by the Knight, a prequel short to Brotherhood of the Border here) it is a game with medieval origins that has the cook dropping a bean in a cake prior to the Epiphany feast. The man who found this bean while eating the cake was declared “King of the Bean.” This person presided over festivities and even, in some cases, held his own “court.”

 

And it typical medieval fashion [insert eye roll] if a woman found the bean she was declared queen and named a king who would preside over activities.

English poet Robert Herrick (1591-1674) describes a seventeenth-century English Twelfth Night feast:

Now, now the mirth comes With the cake full of plums, here bean’s the king of sport here; Beside we must know, The pea also Must reveal as queen in the court here.

Begin then to choose This night as ye use, Who shall for the present delight here Be a king by the lot, And who shall not Be Twelfth-day queen for the night here.

Which known, let us make Joy-sops with the cake; And let not a man then be seen here, Who unurg’d will not drink, To the base from the brink, A health to the king and the queen here [Miles, 1990, 338].

As always, I did rearrange facts a bit to fit the story, bringing this tradition back into a Christmas feast. And since this is my first holiday story, and first opportunity to research Christmas in the middle ages, I was surprised to discover so many of the same traditions as today. One example is the convenient mistletoe which, of course, my hero Sir Tristan, takes advantage of.

Here’s a sneak peek of the story in case you haven’t grabbed it yet:

Kissed by the Knight, A Brotherhood of the Border Prequel

Camburg Castle, England, 1299

“Sir Tristan is back.”

These four words, spoken by her best friend—second best friend if Tristan were to be included—were not the ones Regina wished to hear this eve. They had finally finished baking for the day. Exhausted, in need of a bath and woefully underprepared to see him, Regina nevertheless hurried her step.

“I thought perhaps that might prompt you to change your mind.” Cateline did not bother to hide her smile.

“You’ve been outside the walls all day. How do you know?” Regina asked as the two women made their way around the buildings on the outskirts of the village. Neither wished to be seen as they were at the end of a long day. Regina looked as if a sack of flour had attacked her, and Cateline, the alewife’s daughter . . . well, she smelled as if she’d bathed in a vat of yeast.

“When the lord’s son returns”—Cateline gave Regina a knowing, sidelong gaze—“everyone knows of it.”

Which was true, of course. Tristan had been gone for his longest stint away from Camburg yet. She’d last seen him in May, seven months ago. Regina had begun to fret he may not return in time for Christmas, which was just two days away. The thought of him returning made her pulse race. As it always had.

As it should not.

The eldest son of Lord Thornhurst, seneschal of Camburg Castle, would not, could not, see the baker’s daughter as anything but what the two of them had enjoyed since they could walk. A beautiful, lifelong friendship that Regina truly cherished, even if, as they grew older, she couldn’t help but notice the boy was becoming very much a man. One every single woman at Camburg looked at the way she was determined not to. Tristan did not need another woman pining for him. He had plenty of those.

But he did need a friend. Even now, so many years later. He might smile for all to see, but there was a sadness to him only she and a few others detected.

“Now will you come this eve?” Cateline asked.

As they passed the mill, the sky already darkened and streets of the village emptying as its inhabitants prepared for supper, Regina’s answer was automatic. “Aye.”

Perhaps she simply enjoyed torturing herself, but she’d no sooner miss Tristan’s homecoming than an opportunity to nibble on her father’s freshly baked pandemain, her favorite bread but one they rarely made.

“Good eve, Regina,” a young man called, waving enthusiastically to them as the women turned the corner.

“Good eve,” she called back to the miller. He had lost his wife just a sennight ago, and Regina had personally brought him two loaves of rye bread earlier that day. “I feel so poorly for him,” she told Cateline.

“You feel poorly for everyone,” her friend remarked.

Regina looked up. Indeed, as she suspected. Snow had begun to fall, ever so lightly. Smiling, she took off her glove and attempted to catch a flake in her hand. How perfect that it would snow the day before Christmas. Her smile fled, though, when she spied Cateline’s expression. “You would do well to find enjoyment where you can. Look,” she said, “tis snowing.”

Cateline, who was quite opposite her—tall, even willowy, with golden hair that seemed as if it had been spun to perfection—rolled her eyes. “I find as much enjoyment in a pre-Christmas snowfall as you.”

“Then why do you frown so?” she teased, knowing full well the reason.

“Ugh, you are maddening.”

Regina stopped, sighed loudly, and ignored the cold on her hand. She would not give up attempting to catch a snowflake. Ah, there. Got one. “What would you have me say, Cat? That I am ecstatic Tristan has returned? That I’ve been pining for him since he left last spring?”

Her friend’s eyes softened. “It would be the truth,” she said. Cat did not blink as the corners of her lips tugged upwards.

“Aye,” Regina agreed. “But a truth that holds little significance. He is the lord’s only son. You heard the rumors as well as I. They say his betrothal to Lady Johanne of Willmore is imminent. Lord Thornhurst would do well to make such an alliance with so much uncertainty about the king’s next move. After the pope’s condemnation of the king, all of the border lords seek stability when continued upheaval is all but a certainty.”

“Upheaval is our way of life. You talk of politics to avoid the discussion at hand. You have been miserable . . . miserable . . . since Tristan has been gone.”

She dearly loved Cat but her friend’s relentlessness could also be a bit of a chore too. “I have been fine,” she insisted, saying the lie as firmly as she was able. “As I will be when he marries.” An even bigger lie. “Do you wish to join the festivities or nay?”

All were welcomed into the great hall both this eve and for the next twelve days. For most, this day was the last they would work until after the new year, she and her parents included. They had paid the price this past sennight, working well before dawn and beyond sunset to accomplish such a feat, but there was now enough bread to supply Camburg Castle for a fortnight.

As such, Regina was so tired she’d planned only to retire to the manor she occupied with her parents and younger brother, and sleep. Perhaps until well after the sun rose on the morrow. But now it seemed her plans had changed.

Tristan was home.

The day she both welcomed, and dreaded, for months had finally arrived.

Keep reading Kissed by the Knight, available now on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

 

A Noble Betrayal: Behind the Scenes

 

After three years (thirty for the book characters) we’re back to where it all began. The 13th century border of England and Scotland where love clashes with political intrigue and family alliances reign supreme. From the moment I finished The Knight’s Reward I knew I wanted to return. But a few other book projects were in my head as well. A paranormal and contemporary romance series. A fantasy historical romance. But Scottish medieval romance is where I began and where I’m excited to return with a spin-off to the Border Series.

A Noble Betrayal, the first book in Brotherhood of the Border, re-introduces old characters and spotlights new ones too. From the son of Sara and Geoffrey in The Thief’s Countess to the son of everyone’s favorite bad boy Bryce, this book kicks off a brand new cast of characters. I’ll let you read for yourself (available now on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited) but for those who have already headed back to the border with me, a enjoy few behind the scenes tidbits.

Sometimes, authors of fiction change things. Dates, locations, even facts. In romance there is an expectation of historical accuracy, but readers known lots of it is “fudged” as well. From plaids which evoke the idea of kilts because we Scottish romance readers LOVE them (even though we’re a few hundred years early. You will notice I never actually refer to a kilt in the series.)

Here are some of the changes I made for the sake of this story in A Noble Betrayal:

Edward wed Margaret of France, the 17-year-old daughter of King Phillip III of France and Maria of Brabant, and their marriage was celebrated in Canterbury on 8 September 1299. NOT Westminster as it is claimed in the book.It is atypical for a woman to hunt. To join in the hunt? Yes. To actually hunt, no.King Edward’s appearance is exaggerated in the book though he was quite tall with sagging eyelids as it claims.

Some other fun facts:

There is either a Shakespeare or Star Wars reference in most of my books. Can you find it in this one?My favorite lines in the book are:

“So, my lady wife, are you ready to tell me what you were told about this eve so I can determine whether I need to live up to, or debunk, your idea of what lovemaking entails?”

Halfway up the stairs she turned back to look at him. Haydn had not been expecting her to appear so relaxed. The ale, thankfully, had taken its effect.

“I’ve been told this could be the worst, or best, evening of my life.”

“A fair assessment, actually,” he said. “And I can easily assure you, it will be the latter.”

My favorite scene to write in a medieval romance? One you can almost always expect. An inn!! From the Fox & Hound to Heston House to my favorite, The Wild Boar, you can always count on a medieval inn scene and this book is no exception.In every book, I flush out the characters but have one “prevailing trait” that guides them. Haydn’s was “loyal” and Phillipa, “tenacious.”A “black moment” in a romance novel is usually 3/4 into the book which is the lowest point in the novel. Originally the black moment in this book was going to be Haydn finding a letter Phillipa wrote to her father revealing details about his family. But, as always happens, the characters took turns I didn’t even see coming. PLOT TWIST! Even for me, the author, sometimes.

If you did read A Noble Betrayal be sure not to miss the extras which you can grab here. Hope you’ve enjoyed going behind the scenes! ~Cecelia

A Noble Betrayal Media Kit

BOOK DETAILS

Release Date: November 2, 2021

ASIN: B09KS2TY28

Price: $3.99 ($2.99 Release Week)

Series: Brotherhood of the Border, Book One

GENRE/TROPE/HEAT LEVEL:Historical, Medieval, Scottish RomanceArranged MarriageEnemies-to-loversMulti-generational familyLINKS:

Amazon

BookBub

Goodreads

Bonus Content

BLURB:“I would protect you from everyone. . . from the king of England himself. If only I could trust you.”

Forced to marry the daughter—and would-be secret agent—of King Edward’s closest advisor as a consequence of His Majesty’s growing distrust of his family, Lord Waryn has a plan for his new bride. Install the spy in a little-used estate and turn his attention back to where it belongs—his family.

Lady Phillipa is given a simple but nonnegotiable task: report back any questionable activity by her new husband’s family, whom the king suspects of having ties to William Wallace. When Phillipa develops unexpected feelings toward Haydn, she’s forced to decide between her newfound loyalty to her husband, or defying the most powerful man in England.

Thirty years after the Border Series ends, a new saga of family, loyalty, and love along the turbulent Anglo-Scottish border begins. If you like multi-generational families, enemies-to-lovers and slow-burn spicy romances, put A Noble Betrayal on the top of your reading list.

 

 

 

New & Noteworthy Historical Romance Novels

Looking for a new book to read? These are some new releases, sales and preorders from my historical romance author friends.

I have not personally read all of the books on this list, but I can assure you these are real books by real authors who have taken great care to bring you an HEA worth reading! And just in case you missed last week’s historical romance roundup. . . here you go:

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Subscribe here as a CM Insider to get my top five announcements, bonuses and more each week!

New & Noteworthy Historical Romance Novels

Looking for a new book to read? These are some new releases, sales and preorders from my historical romance author friends.

I have not personally read all of the books on this list, but I can assure you these are real books by real authors who have taken great care to bring you an HEA worth reading! And just in case you missed last week’s historical romance roundup. . . here you go:

.99¢ Limited Time

Kindle Unlimited

Sale .99¢

Kindle Unlimited

Subscribe here as a CM Insider to get my top five announcements, bonuses and more each week!

Brotherhood of the Border Info Page

My first straight-up medieval, historical romance series since Order of the Broken Blade— my last series, Kingdoms of Meria, crossed into fantasy romance– will be release this November. This page will include everything you need to prepare for the epic spin-off to my popular Border Series. Set thirty years after the events of the final book, The Knight’s Reward, Brotherhood of the Border will bring readers back to the tumultuous Anglo-Scottish border. This time, the year is 1300. William Wallace evades capture after a glorious vistory, and then defeat, with the King of England, Edward “Longshanks.” The sons and daughters of all readers’ favorites from the Border Series including Geoffrey and Sara from The Thief’s Countess, Bryce and Catrina from The Lord’s Captive and more will be featured in this new series.

Check out some fun extras!

Giveaway: Get all 11 Border Series signed paperbacks to one winner (open internationally.) Enter here.

Family Tree: Take a peek at the Waryn/Kerr family tree here

 

A Noble Betrayal, Book OneRelease Date: November 4, 2021

Forced to marry the daughter of King Edward’s closest advisor, Lord Waryn has a plan for his new bride. Install the spy in a little-used estate and turn his attention back to where it belongs—his family.

Lady Phillipa is given a simple but non-negotiable task: report back any questionable activity by her new husband’s family, who the king suspects of having ties to William Wallace. When Phillipa develops unexpected feelings toward her husband, she’s forced to decide between being loyal to her husband or defying the most powerful man in England.

Thirty years after the Border Series ends, a new saga of family, loyalty, and love along the turbulent Anglo-Scottish border begins.

Get a new release notice so you don’t miss the special release week price.

 

Brotherhood of the Border, Book TwoRelease Date: December 2, 2021

Additional information coming soon…

A Noble Betrayal “Spin-Off” Celebration Giveaway