JERR Review

I've just received a truly awesome review from JERR (Just Erotic Romance Reviews) for Laird of Darkness. 4 1/2 stars.

"Duncan McDougall is known as the Laird of Darkness. He is the boogeyman used to scare the highland children, and the nightmare that awaits the unwary. He and his half-brother, Laird Kinnon MacClaren are sworn enemies. Blessed by their fae mother, Kinnon was given the secret to escaping the fae curse that torments Duncan. Driven to near madness by the curse, Duncan takes Kinnon’s fiancé, Lady Alana Forbes, hostage. She is to be exchanged for the golden bow and arrows that will free Duncan from his hell.

What a wonderfully, sexy book this is! I absolutely loved everything about Laird of Darkness. One of the things that scare me off trying new historicals is the fear of weak heroines. Not so in this book. Alana was just as strong willed as both men and not timid in the least. Nor was she a quivering virgin who whimpered and thought of England. Duncan was the epitome of a sexy Scottish highlander, yet he had a vulnerable side that was very appealing. I just love a misunderstood bad boy, and by the end of the book, Duncan had vaulted himself into my favorite all time heroes list. The author, Nicole North, did an outstanding job of keeping the sexual interaction true to the time period, and still managed to make it intensely erotic to today’s sophisticated reader. Alana and Duncan set ye olde bed linens on fire, a lot. I really liked the fact that there was no true villain in this story. The ending left the door open for a more settled relationship between Duncan and Kinnon, which I would love to read about. If Kinnon’s story does come to pass I will definitely be on board." Wendy Mitchell at JERR

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Now for the eye candy, since this is eye candy week here at Fierce Romance. First, my hot new cover!

Nicole
www.nicolenorth.com

Celebrating with an Under the Kilt Contest

I'm celebrating my new release, Beast in a Kilt in Secrets Volume 29 Indulge Your Fantasies, with a month long Under the Kilt Contest. I love to hold this contest every time I have a new kilted or Scottish story released because it's usually great fun. To enter, just leave a comment below answering this question: What's worn under a kilt? The most clever, fun or entertaining answer wins. US entries only please.

What will you win? An "I (heart) Men in Kilts" tote bag and matching mouse pad featuring one of my book covers (Kilted Lover). The tote bag will contain 6 books of your choice including a signed copy of my first anthology Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures (contains the first story in the series, Devil in a Kilt) and other goodies! You can enter once per day if you wish. I'll announce the winner around September 10th. (If you win and you already have Secrets Volume 27 you can choose another book from my list.)

Thanks!

As you may already know, there are a lot of fun answers to "what's worn under a kilt?" Like: On a good day, lipstick. Or like in the song, The Scotsman, a blue ribbon.

Beast in a Kilt: Scottish lady Catriona MacCain has loved Torr Blackburn, a fierce Highland warrior, since she was a young lass, but Torr only sees Catriona as his best friend’s little sister. When Catriona’s family promises her in marriage to a detestable chieftain, she desperately needs Torr to save her from a fate worse than death. But Torr is under the spell of a witch of the dark arts and is cursed to spend his nights as a kelpie water demon. He doesn’t believe himself worthy of the virginal Lady Catriona. However, she is determined to seduce Torr and claim him… body, heart and soul, if only they can banish the curse and defeat the enemies who have vowed to possess and enslave them both.

By the way, if you have time, please check out my new interview posted at Fallen Angel Reviews.


www.nicolenorth.com
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What Is So Great About 17th Century Scotland?

People sometimes wonder why I set my romance stories in the early 1600s. Is this my favorite time period? Would I like to travel back to that time?

It isn't an often-done period when it comes to historical romance. Everyone is so used to stories set in medieval times or Regency or Victorian. I just had to be different, didn't I? Yeah, I do like to be unique. But there is a specific reason I chose this time period and it has to do with kilts.

My historically set stories are Scottish and I wanted my heroes to wear the great kilt or belted plaid aka feilidh-mhor (great wrap) or a breacan-feile (tartan wrap). My research told me those were not worn until at least 1575 or perhaps slightly later. So if I accurately wanted my hero in a great kilt I couldn't put him in medieval times (although I love medieval stories.) No, I couldn't pull a Braveheart and ignore historical accuracy completely.

I have visited the wonderful Tartan Museum in Franklin, NC as part of my research. http://www.scottishtartans.org/kilt.html or http://albanach.org/kilt.html are among the best websites for researching kilts and other Highland dress. I want to quote something from the website:

"The truth of the matter is that only one document has yet been found that dates from before 1600 and without a doubt describes a belted plaid, the earliest form of the kilt. It is an Irish source, written in Gaelic. In the Life of Red Hugh O’Donnell written by Lughaidh O’Clery, we read of a group of hired mercenaries from the Scottish Hebrides, employed by O’Donnell in 1594."

"These were recognized among the Irish by the difference of their arms and clothing, their habits and language, for their exterior dress was mottled cloaks to the calf of the leg with ties and fastenings. Their girdles were over the loins outside the cloaks." ~Matthew. A. C. Newsome Scottish Tartan Museum

The girdles in this case would refer to belts and the mottled cloaks would be the plaid. A few more examples of early kilts. The red one is Lord George Murray about 1746. The second one shows two ways to wear a kilt, with the top portion used as a cape for warmth, or with the top portion secured at the shoulder. The third pic is Lord Mungo Murray, around 1680.

The below picture would be considered a small kilt, which came much later. Notice the top portion of the plaid is missing.

For the purposes of my stories, I also needed the Highland clan system to still be firmly in place, so they had to be set before 1746 and the battle of Culloden. And because of the plots of a couple of my novels, I needed a time period of relative peace between England and Scotland. So that's why I chose the reign of King James I & IV. He was king of Scotland first, then at Queen Elizabeth's death, he became king of England too.

Once I decided this time period would fit the needs of my stories, I delved into it to learn all I could about King James and his time period. But I couldn't focus on him and England completely because my stories predominantly take place in Scotland.

Some of my stories (like Devil in a Kilt) are time-travels. Would I like to time-travel back to 1621 Scotland? Hmm. That's a tough one. In one way I would like to... if I knew I could get back to modern day! I do like my modern conveniences, health and safety. There is nothing particularly romantic or appealing about the reality of the time. There were plague epidemics going on at various times, not to mention revolts, rebellions, riots, and clan feuds. One could be tortured or hanged for something minor. Hygiene at the time was abysmal, whether personal or in the streets. When I was in Edinburgh, I took a tour of Mary King's Close and the tour guide was not shy about presenting the gruesome facts of the 1600s. And since we were right there on that narrow, steep, dark (now underground) alley, it was all very easy to visualize. The furthest thing from a romantic fantasy.

I do escape into my stories and mentally travel back to 17th century Scotland, but I must put my own romantic spin on them. I'm not writing a history textbook; I'm providing fun entertainment and that means a hot man in a great kilt who bathes regularly. :)

Nicole North

http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Check below for a way to enter to win a copy of my book, to be released in July!

Kidnap This Logo!

And You Could Win!


To celebrate its Fifteenth Anniversary in June, Red Sage is throwing a party! Every party needs presents, and here’s a gift that could win you the July Secrets anthology and Calista Fox’s new novel, Object of Desire!

Here’s how to play the party game.

Anyone can play! All you have to do is “kidnap” this logo and post it on your blog or website. Copy and paste the jpg image of the anniversary gift to your own blog or website to kidnap it. Be sure to include these instructions so people know how to play!

Invite your readers and friends to send an email with the subject line “Ransom Note” to eRedSage@gmail.com. Inside this email, they must include a link back to your kidnapped logo.

Then you and your friend will both be entered into a drawing to win free trade paperbacks! Every time one of your readers sends a ransom note with a link, you will be entered again! Each Ransom Note is worth two entries in the drawing -- one for the person who sends the Ransom Note, and one for the linked blog or website. And you both can win!

Want more chances to win? Invite your readers and friends to kidnap this logo, and then you can enter again by sending a Ransom Note linking to your friend’s blog or website!

The more times you enter, the more chances you have to win! But get your entries in by June 30. We'll be drawing the winners on July 1!

Group blog or website? No problem! Just be sure to sign your post so we know who the winner should be!

Good luck, and have fun!