A Scottish Shield Maiden
(2025)(A book in the Scotlanders - Mythic Clans - MacCade Brothers series)
A novel by Heide Middlebrook
In a land torn by war, two wounded hearts find a love neither dared to dream.
The year is 1239. Lord Rorik Kolbeck, a master shipbuilder and proud Northman, has known more battles of the heart than of the sword. Bound by his late father's debts to a cruel noblewoman, he has endured her vengeance and scorn for years after rejecting her bed. With his honor scarred and his hope fading, Rorik lives only to protect his younger siblings from the same merciless grip that once crushed his spirit.
Lady Catriona MacLaenden's gift is both a blessing and a curse. Born with a mythical power to sense those unseen across the land, she has been enslaved by her ruthless stepfather's will, her freedom traded for obedience. Betrayed too often, she no longer believes in love, only in survival, and in shielding her gentle stepsister from harm.
When fate entwines Rorik's final mission with Catriona's desperate bid for escape, two souls burdened by duty strike a fragile alliance. But as they journey through danger and deceit, a deeper passion ignites them, one that defies their vows and tests the limits of their loyalty.
In a world where honor is bought with blood and power with sacrifice, Rorik and Catriona must decide whether love itself is the greatest risk of all.
"A beautifully written, passionate historical romance where love blooms amid danger, betrayal, and the call of destiny." The International Review of Books
Genre: Fantasy
The year is 1239. Lord Rorik Kolbeck, a master shipbuilder and proud Northman, has known more battles of the heart than of the sword. Bound by his late father's debts to a cruel noblewoman, he has endured her vengeance and scorn for years after rejecting her bed. With his honor scarred and his hope fading, Rorik lives only to protect his younger siblings from the same merciless grip that once crushed his spirit.
Lady Catriona MacLaenden's gift is both a blessing and a curse. Born with a mythical power to sense those unseen across the land, she has been enslaved by her ruthless stepfather's will, her freedom traded for obedience. Betrayed too often, she no longer believes in love, only in survival, and in shielding her gentle stepsister from harm.
When fate entwines Rorik's final mission with Catriona's desperate bid for escape, two souls burdened by duty strike a fragile alliance. But as they journey through danger and deceit, a deeper passion ignites them, one that defies their vows and tests the limits of their loyalty.
In a world where honor is bought with blood and power with sacrifice, Rorik and Catriona must decide whether love itself is the greatest risk of all.
"A beautifully written, passionate historical romance where love blooms amid danger, betrayal, and the call of destiny." The International Review of Books
Genre: Fantasy
Used availability for Heide Middlebrook's A Scottish Shield Maiden