Victoria Zak's Blog, page 4
November 14, 2015
Highland Dawn By Anna Markland
HIGHLAND DAWN…inspired by Kathryn Le Veque’s Lion of the North.
Anna Markland
Medieval/Highland Romance, Novella
Loyalty, honor, and obligation dictate Keith Starkey’s return to his Highland wife and their loveless marriage. He must leave behind a shy English lass who nursed him back to health after he was gravely wounded and left for dead at the battle of Towton.
Daughter of a murderous traitor, Aurora de la Londe is abandoned by her domineering father when he switches his allegiance to the Yorkists.
She needs a champion, but Keith cannot be that man, despite his attraction to her.
The convent offers Aurora’s only escape from the desolation of a broken heart and the threat of vengeance from the Lancastrians for her father’s treachery.
It seems unlikely these two mismatched souls will find the path to happiness—unless fate intervenes.
Buy Link:
November 13, 2015
Dragon Fire By Christy English
Dragon Fire
Christy English
Medieval Romance, Norman/Welsh
Torn between two men and two worlds, Mati faces an impossible choice. Sent away from her homeland of Wales as a child when her mother married their sworn enemy Sir John Ellsrod in an effort to keep the peace, Mati falls in love with his son, Roland. When she is called to abandon her childhood love in order to marry Lord Gareth, cousin to the Prince of Angelsey, she is offered what she most wants in the world: a chance to go home. But the conflict between her long-time love for Roland and her new-found love for Gareth threatens to undo her. Torn between duty and love, which man will she choose?
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November 12, 2015
Beneath a Silvery Sky By Hildie McQueen
Beneath a Silvery Sky
Historical Romance, Western, Novella
Trouble follows Brogan Hage into Silver City, Idaho, when injuries force him to seek medical attention. An unexpected offer has him thinking about settling in the bustling town. Between outlaws showing up and a beautiful passionate woman, the hardened lawman is not sure which is more dangerous. Town doctor’s daughter, Sarah Sutherland, finds herself fiercely attracted to the wounded U.S. Marshal in her care. The fact he has a reputation for ruthlessness does not stop her from falling in love. What happens with a young woman’s first love is a hardened man?
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November 11, 2015
Love Legacy By Amanda Mariel
Love’s Legacy
Amanda Mariel
Release Date: October 29, 2015
Publisher: Amazon Worlds (World of the De Wolfe Pack)
Length: 20k/ novella
Heat Rating: 1
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency
Blurb:
Can love’s legacy bring two war weary souls together?
Drawn by a flicker of light coming from the ruins of Babylon Castle, Rebecca Sumerfield is driven to investigate. The last thing she expects to find is the castle’s owner, a Captain in the British Army. Still devastated from her brother’s death in battle, she despises all things military.
Having survived Waterloo, Captain Camden Le Bec isn’t in the market for romance. He stops at Babylon Castle, the perfect place to gather his thoughts, only for the spirited Rebecca to storm his castle and demand he leave at once. Her fearless defiance and selfless heart awaken a desire Camden has never known. He’s determined to possess her, but Rebecca refuses to risk another broken heart.
Will they find solace in each other’s arms, or has war pushed them both beyond any hope?
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
A sharp intake of air drew his attention across the stable. He glanced away from his task searching for its source. His heart skipped a beat. A woman stood in the doorway, pale skirts billowing in the breeze. He did not believe in ghosts but the woman before him fit the description he’d been given of Lady Nicola Aubrey-Thorne. She was tall and lean with honey-colored hair and piercing green eyes. The sun’s rays cut through the fog casting her in an eerie glow. He blinked but she did not disappear.
Once he recovered from the shock, he noticed her modern clothing. The lady wore a flowing mint day gown with a high waistline and short sleeves. A bonnet framed her heart-shaped face, its ribbons tied beneath her chin. She was no spirit. He opened his mouth to speak.
She marched toward him, wagging one gloved finger. “You have no right here, intruder. This is private property. I insist you gather your mount and depart.”
Her fearless approach held him captive. He studied her tall frame and blazing eyes, her words barely registered through his fascination. What had she called him? An intruder?
She came to a halt before him placing her hands on her hips. She peered at him through the loveliest green eyes he’d ever beheld. “What have you to say for yourself?”
“Are you the owner of this castle?” He searched the depths of her gaze.
She steeled her back, anger flashing in her eyes.
“Answer me!” He rested one hand on the wall leaning against it.
“No, I am not the owner.” She pointed one finger at him holding it just inches from his chest. “But neither are you.”
He could have set her straight right then. Told her he owned Babylon Castle. Instead he smirked, the urge to bait the chit too strong to ignore. “In that case it seems you are an intruder.”
Her cheeks tinted a becoming shade of pink, yet she did not avert her gaze. “I have far more right to be here than you do.”
He dropped his hand from the cool stone wall and took a step closer to the spirited beauty. Her scent wrapped around him, enticing his senses with lavender and jasmine. It had been a long time since he’d smelled a woman’s flowery scents. “How so?”
Camden expected her to back away at his intrusion of her personal space, but instead she held her ground, those stormy eyes never leaving his. “Not that I owe you an explanation, but I reside in the area and saw light coming from the windows last evening. I felt it my duty to check on the castle.”
“And your husband allowed you to march over here and confront an unknown intruder?” The words left his mouth before he had time to consider them. It was a pointless question. He did not care whether she was married or not. Courting was the furthest thing from his mind.
“My parents did not know my intentions.”
A smile spread across his face of its own volition though he could not imagine why. He certainly did not want the viper-tongued lady for himself. Still, he rather enjoyed verbally sparring with her. He angled his head so his lips hovered just in front of her ear. “I could be dangerous.”
She flinched but did not step away from him. “I am not afraid of you.”
“You should be.” He straightened, meeting her gaze once again. Not a hint of fear reflected back at him. The chit was either daft or made of steel.
“I will not allow you to intimidate me.”
He leaned back against the wall, his gaze locked on hers. “I am Captain Camden Le Bec, descendent of Sir Kenton Le Bec and rightful owner of Babylon Castle.”
Author Bio and Links
Amanda Mariel dreams of days gone by when life moved at a slower pace. She enjoys taking pen to paper and exploring historical time periods through her imagination and the written word. When she is not writing she can be found reading, crocheting, traveling, practicing her photography skills, or spending time with her family.
Amanda lives along the Lake Huron shoreline in northern Michigan with her husband and two kids. She holds a Master of Liberal Arts Degree with a concentration in literature and has a long-standing love affair with sugary junk food.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorAmandaMarie1
Twitter www.twitter.com/AmandaMarieAuth
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RKDC3CI
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10209362.Amanda_Marie
Website: http://amandamarieauthor.wix.com/amandamariel
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bhkzmj
November 10, 2015
A Knight’s Desire By Catherine Keen
Lady Rosetta Montgomery, a descendant of the fierce Norman de Wolfe warriors who subdued England alongside William the Conqueror, is on her way to her wedding when she’s kidnapped by a rider dressed all in black. She discovers her abductor is Lord Ashton Blakeley, her first and only true love, who left her to go on Crusade. Ash is a changed man now, with disfiguring scars and agonizing secrets. As rumors of lost Anglo-Saxon gold and treachery unfold, and Rosetta grows to understand the man Ash has become, will she help him fight for their love, or will the danger surrounding the hidden riches cost them all that they treasure?
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November 9, 2015
Breton Wolfe By Victoria Vane
Synopsis
BRETON WOLFE by VICTORIA VANE (A De Wolfe Pack Kindle worlds novella)
She swore to defy him to her dying breath… But passion blurs the line between love and hate…
The bluest blood and the hardest heart… at least when it comes to marriage… The daughter of a duke and granddaughter of a king, Adele of Vannes was bartered at birth in a marriage treaty for the sole purpose of producing a royal heir. When her philandering husband is slain by Norse marauders, she is coerced to wed again in order to protect her home and her people. Adele knows that her beloved Brittany needs a strong hand to survive, but how can she ever reconcile her bitterness and hatred with the desire she feels for her mortal enemy?
She’s the jewel he seeks for his Breton crown…A Barbarian bent on building a dynasty, Valdrik Vargr, ‘the Norse Wolf,’ is renowned for both his bravery in battle and shrewdness in statecraft. Setting his sights on claiming the kingdom of Brittany, he knows that siring sons from royal blood would solidify his hold, but the woman he would claim as his queen refuses to have him. Will he fuel her hatred by taking her to his bed, or will the man who strikes terror in the hearts of men be reduced to wooing his bride
Purchase Links
Amazon http://amzn.to/1Hcyu5I
Excerpt
Adèle spent the night on her knees in prayer, gaze cast heavenward in supplication. She hadn’t dared to bow her head and shut her eyes for fear that sleep would overtake her. She couldn’t afford to be caught aware when the marauders came. And they would come. That was a certainty. Rudalt had never returned from his ‘Norse” hunt. None of them had returned. They were dead. She felt it down to her bones.
She’d dispatched riders to Cournailles but he was days away. He would never arrive in time. Her home would be burned to ashes before help ever came. Perhaps she could buy them off? Did she have enough silver and jewels to pay tribute? Or would the Norsemen simply extract their payment in woman’s flesh and men’s blood?
Her throat thickened at the sudden remembrance of her wedding night. She had borne Rudalt’s ravaging for years; surely she could survive it again. And survival was all she dared hope for. The Norse would come with their battle axes and siege machines. The Bretons might keep them at bay for a few hours or maybe a day, but penetration of their walls was inevitable. She had no true defenses outside of a few dozen archers. In his arrogance, Rudalt had taken the best warriors, leaving her defenseless.
From her bedchamber window, Adèle cast her gaze eastward where the sun was rising, painting the landscape of rolling hills in soft shades of pink and gold. She stared off into the distance, chewing her lip and willing her nerves to settle. Last night she’d worn holes in her slippers and bitten her fingernails to the quick. She now accepted that her fate was out of her hands. She had no choice but to entrust herself to the merciful will of God. If death awaited her, she prayed it would be swift.
Moving shadows appeared on the horizon. A moment later they took shape as a solid line of men. Hundreds of mounted men. But rather than shrinking in terror, a strange peace settled over her. She was the daughter of Judicael, a great warrior and Duke of Brittany. Her great-grandfather was Erispoe, the first proclaimed King of the Bretons. She would do as the father and grandfather had done before her—she would fight them to her dying breath.
Victoria Vane is a #1 bestselling author of smart and sexy contemporary Western romance and an award-winning author of erotic historical romance. Her books have received more than twenty awards and nominations to include the 2014 RONE Award for Treacherous Temptations and Library Journal Best E-Book romance of 2012 for The Devil DeVere series. Look for her scorching hot Hotel Rodeo series coming from Kensington/Lyrical Shine early 2016.
Connect with Victoria:
Email: victoria.vane@hotmail.com
Author Web: http://www.victoriavane.com/
FB : https://www.facebook.com/victoria.vane
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorvictoriav
November 8, 2015
Kathryn Le Vegue’s World of the De Wolfe Pack
Book Blurb:
When Deputy Sheriff Reed Dewolfe McCoy is saved from an attempt on his life by a mysterious woman, he spends the next two years searching for her and finds her in the most unexpected place – right in his own home town.
When Kinley Connors-Berrington saved Reed’s life, she fled the scene in both fear and self-preservation. A damaged woman with a terrible past, she has a hard time overcoming her fears and emotional baggage when Reed comes back in to her life.
The attraction between the two of them is very strong but Kinley resists.Reed, however, won’t take ‘no’ for an answer because something deep draws him to her. Finally discovering what the mysterious, beautiful woman is running from, Reed does his best to help her work through her painful past, but when history threatens to repeat itself, it’s up to Reed this time to save Kinley’s life.
Follow Reed and Kinley’s journey to the River’s End.
Buy Link:
Author Bio:Bio:
KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, an Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Historical Fiction. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY’s HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD’Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She is also a quadruple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2015.
The books that started it all….
The Wolfe
An Amazon #1 Bestseller in Medieval Romance!
Read the Epic novel that started it all… 
1231 A.D. – After a nasty skirmish along the England/Scotland border at Bog Wood, a badly wounded knight has crawled off to die. As women from the Clan Scott fan out across the battlefield to collect the spoils of war, one woman breaks off from the pack. She is sickened by the tradition of stealing valuables off the dead and runs off to hide. In her hiding place, however, lingers the badly wounded knight. The young woman is frightened at first but her natural instinct to lend aid takes over. She tends the knight and saves his life. Little does the Lady Jordan Scott know that she has just saved the life of the dreaded English knight known to her people as The Wolf….
Several months later, peace is proposed along the border. An English groom is offered to a Scots bride. The Lady Jordan Scott is that bride and her groom is the aged and powerful Earl of Teviot, John de Longley. When Lord de Longley sends his mighty and hated army to collect his new bride, the captain of the army personally retrieves Lady Jordan. When Jordan looks upon the fearsome English knight, she realizes there is something oddly familiar about his voice. When the man finally reveals himself, she sees that it is none other than the man whose life she saved. Sir William de Wolfe, the scourge of the Scots, makes his presence known.
William has never forgotten about his Scots angel. One look at the Lady Jordan after all of these months and he is stricken with appreciation and adoration. He has thought of nothing else but the lady since the time she tended his injury and now, his infatuation with her takes flight. As he escorts her back to Northwood Castle to wed his liege, each passing minute sees him fall more and more hopelessly in love with her. Jordan comes to know the man beyond The Wolf of legend, and so the love story begins….
Join William and Jordan in a tale of true and utter devotion, of a love that bleeds beyond the boundaries of Scots and English, and where loyalty, friendship, and family bind them all together in this uncertain and political world. These are the dark days of dark times, but in the midst of a treacherous world of secrets and hatred, William and Jordan share a love that is only dreamt of. Come and be a part of the journey of The Wolf and his lady that transcends time.
Serpent
4 1/2 hearts from Ind’Tale Magazine – “Kathryn Le Veque… Wow… just wow!!” 
1283 A.D. – Edward I is in the midst of his campaign to tame the Welsh, but rising from the chaos is a Welsh knight known as the Serpent. With a deadly strike, Sir Bhrodi ap Gaerwen de Shera is a warrior of tremendous range and power. Descended from the kings of Anglesey on his mother’s side and the earls of Coventry on his father’s, Bhrodi is in the unique position of having Welsh royalty and English nobility, making him a very big player in Edward’s war in Wales. The English king cannot subdue the Welsh completely as long as Bhrodi resists, and all of Northern Wales with him. Edward is shrewd and knows he must make an alliance of pure power and politics with de Shera. With that in mind, Edward calls upon the mightiest warrior of the north, the legendary William de Wolfe, to pledge one of his daughters to de Shera.
William is honored by the king’s calling but he is also relieved; having lost one of his sons the year before in the wars in Wales, he pledges his youngest daughter, Lady Penelope Adalira de Wolfe, to be the Serpent’s bride. But the Lady Penelope is no ordinary woman; raised by knights, she has been trained by the best and, in spite of her mother’s protests, she fights like a knight. Exquisitely beautiful with dark hair and hazel eyes, she is an unearthly beauty and a fine legacy for the mighty de Wolfe. But Penelope has no desire to be a bartered bride and she resists the king’s directive, but her reluctance is futile. She must marry the Welshman known as the Serpent, bringing together two mighty houses and peace to two nations.
Introduced into an alien Welsh world of brutality and unfamiliar customs, Penelope and Bhrodi are resistant to each other at first. Bhrodi, however, is intrigued with the woman who looks like an angel but fights like the Devil himself. Their first few days together are difficult but as they come to know each other, Bhrodi comes to see a woman who is as compassionate as she is courageous. There is far more to the Lady Penelope than meets the eye. He comes to understand that she is as unique as he is, both of them understanding what it means to be loyal and brave and trusting. She understands a knight’s heart, and he understands hers, and a legendary love story begins to unfold.
Join Bhrodi and Penelope as they journey together through a world where the English and the Welsh threatened to destroy one another, where the greed of men breeds great hatred yet great valor. When Bhrodi is injured in a skirmish, Penelope steps in for her husband to lead the Serpent’s men against the hated English and realizes she must face her own father on the battlefield.
Will Penelope survive the Wolfe? Or will the Serpent’s strike become her very own, conquering those she loves?
Scorpion
“Le Veque writes… winning epics…” ~ Publishers Weekly 
1289 A.D. – Sir Kevin Hage, stinging over the loss of the object of his affections to the Welsh warrior known as the Serpent, drowns himself in warfare in order to forget his heartache. He travels to The Levant to fight the Muslim infidels, transforming himself in the process. He becomes hardened, brutal, and heroic and returns to England a changed man, an English assassin known as the Scorpion.
Now on the home front, he must fight a battle greater than himself – the fear of loving a woman under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. With all odds against them, follow Kevin and his lady on their journey of discovery, adventure, and an awakening love that is stronger than all the stars in the heavens in this unforgettable Medieval romance.
Love… thy name is SCORPION.
The Lion of the North
“The epic Medieval Romance is back – thanks to Kathryn Le Veque!” – Claire Delacroix, NYT Bestselling author 
1461 A.D. – Two brothers and the best of friends. One is betrayed and murdered at the Battle of Towton by men who were supposed to be his allies. The surviving brother, Sir Atticus de Wolfe, promises to seek revenge for his brother’s murder. The Lion of Northumbria, heir to The Wolfe’s legacy, is now unleashed and seeking vengeance. No one is safe until his bloodlust is sated.
But there is the matter of his brother’s widow, Lady Isabeau de Shera de Wolfe. Will Atticus’ vengeance stand in the way of falling in love with his brother’s sweet and sexy widow? Discover the true meaning of the power of love in this great historical adventure of betrayal, passion, and retribution.
Walls of Babylon
1471 A.D. – Ten years after the Battle of Towton, Sir Kenton le Bec (THE LION OF THE NORTH) serves Warwick, “The Kingmaker”, as the man’s attack dog. There is no fiercer knight in Warwick’s arsenal than Kenton le Bec, a powerful and cunning fighter. Kenton has been tasked with securing Babylon Castle, a fortress that secures a road between Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is a strategic castle and currently in the hands of Edward’s forces. When Kenton and his army move in, all of that changes. Yet things are not always clear-cut….
Lady Nicola Aubrey-Thorne is the widow of a great Edwardian supporter. When Kenton conquers her home of Babylon Castle, she offers him nothing but resistance and hatred. Kenton sees a beautiful, spoiled woman who fights him on every turn, yet the spark of attraction is there. It has been since the beginning. As Kenton comes to learn the darker secrets of Babylon, he comes to understand Lady Thorne and her sorrows. And his attraction towards her grows beyond his control.
Join Kenton and Nicola in a world of opposing loyalties yet united attraction. Their lives become irrevocably intertwined even if their loyalties to the men who would be king differ. The passion they feel for one another, and the love, is something few people ever experience. It is a complicated and complex situation, one where difficult decisions must be made if Kenton and Nicola are to remain together.
When Kenton is captured by enemy soldiers, Nicola must do all she can to save the man who she once considered her enemy. Will she be too late?
October 29, 2015
World of The De Wolfe Pack
Welcome to Kathryn Le Veque’s World of the de Wolfe Pack – a Kindle Worlds fan fiction site that I’ve had the pleasure of writing for. Below you’ll find my new release in this world along with all the other participating authors and stories that are helping to launch the world today. If you love great adventure and romance, no matter the genre, you’ll find it here in the de Wolfe Pack World. We have bestselling authors of all kinds writing in this world, and you don’t want to miss this magic!
After checking out the wonderful stories below, make sure to visit the fan page on Facebook for all kinds of updates, giveaways, news, and more. Don’t forget to join us on November 6th as we celebrate with a big launch bash! Come learn all about the fascinating characters that make up the new World of the de Wolfe Pack. Join the party.
Thank you for going on this journey with me and I sincerely hope you enjoy the World of the de Wolfe Pack!
October 5, 2015
De Wolfe’s Honor Cover Reveal
I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to be particpating in Kathryn Le Veque’s Kindle World, the de Wolfe pack series. If you’re wondering what excatly Kindle Worlds is, it’s a fan fiction site ran by Amazon. Here’s the link if you want to check it out, Kindle Worlds.
My story, De Wolfe’s Honor, takes place eighteen years after The Serpent and it’s Tacey’s daughter and Thomas de Wolfe’s story. I have also crated my own House, The Wend Draki, the House of Dragons. I can’t wait for everyone to read it.
And for those of you who might not be familer with Kathryn Le Veque’s work, here’s her website, http://kathrynleveque.com. Now it’s time for the reveal…
De Wolfe’s Honor
Release Date Oct 29 2015
Photographer VJ Dunraven PeriodImages
Cover Model Brandon Katz
Book Cover Desginer JAB (Mr.Zak)
September 13, 2015
Cover Reveal
I’m so trilled to share with you the cover of Highland Fate, book three in the Guardians of Scotland series. Enjoy! VZ
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000039_00073]](http://victoriazakromance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/HighlandFate.jpg)
Cover model Caylan Hughes
Photo by FuriousFotog
Cover Art by JAB
