HIGHLANDER WEEK:Margaret Mallory's The Guardian Blog Tour - Q&A and Giveaway!

(Re-Post) Welcome to Day 4 of Highlander Week!

Today we have a Q&A and Giveaway for Margaret Mallory's The Guardian Blog Tour! An awesome novel, ye can catch my review of it here.

The Guardian

By Margaret Mallory

ISBN: 044657516X

Published by: GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING

Genre: FICTION , ROMANCE

Published on: 5/01/2011

Format: MASS MARKET

Edition: FOREVER SPECIAL RELEASE

Four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can't prepare them for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful Scottish beauties. 

PASSION IGNITED

After years of fighting abroad, Ian MacDonald comes home to find his clan in peril. To save his kin, he must right the wrongs from his past . . . and claim the bride he's long resisted.

As a young lass, Sìleas depended on Ian to play her knight in shining armor. But when his rescue attempt compromised her virtue, Ian was forced to marry against his wishes. Five years later, Sìleas has grown from an awkward girl into an independent beauty who knows she deserves better than the reluctant husband who preferred war to his wife. Now this devilishly handsome Highlander is finally falling in love. He wants a second chance with Sìleas - and he won't take no for an answer.

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Crystal: The Guardian is the first novel in a new series; can you tell readers a little bit about what they can expect? 

Margaret: The series begins in 1513 in the wake of the Scots devastating defeat to Henry VIII’s forces in the Battle of Flodden. Thousands of Scots were killed, including the Scottish king and many nobles and chieftains. I have my four heroes fighting in France at the time, and they return to find their clan in peril, their king and chieftain dead, and everything changed.

Three of my four heroes are cousins and all four have been close all their lives. Over the course of the four books, each hero must play his part to secure the clan—and find love in the process.

Crystal: Can you tell us about the hero Ian MacDonald, what do you think readers will love most about him? Why is he the perfect  hero for this heroine?

Margaret: Ian MacDonald is the black-haired, blue-eyed warrior my heroine, Sìleas, has loved from the time she could walk. When he was a lad, Ian ignored the teasing from the men and the other lads about “his wee shadow” and looked out for her. Her mother was sickly and her father had no use for a daughter, so it was Ian who rescued her from the trouble she frequently found herself in.

A few years later, Ian is a handsome young warrior and thirteen-year-old Sileas is in her least attractive phase when she prevails upon him to rescue her yet again. Ian reacts very poorly when as a reward for his good deed he’s forced to say vows to Sìleas with a dirk at his back.

When Ian returns five years later, he has a dangerous air about him he didn’t have before—or maybe Sìleas was just too young to recognize it back then. I think readers will admire Ian’s determination to save his clan and right the wrongs of his past. I hope they will be touched by his journey with Sileas, as he moves from desire, to passion, and finally to respect and a deep, abiding love for her.

Crystal: What first drew you to sexy warriors in kilts? What inspired a series about them?

Margaret: I like my heroes clanking swords rather than shooting guns, and there’s something wonderful about the strength and earthiness of these wild Highland warriors of the early 16^th century. They are well suited to the kind of adventurous romances I like to write.

Crystal: Can you give us a little sneak peek at what we can expect from the rest of the series, Return of the Highlanders?

Margaret: The other three heroes, particularly Alex, who has the next book, are important secondary characters in THE GUARDIAN so you’ll get to know them in this first book. One of the things I loved about writing this book was showing the guy-bond between these four heroes.

Ian’s bad-boy cousin Alex is up next in THE SINNER, which will be out in November. Duncan is THE WARRIOR, a strong, silent type who carries a deep sadness over a lost love. The final book, THE CHIEFTAIN, is about Connor, who must fulfill his destiny by saving his clan…and finding the right wife.

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~*GIVEAWAY*~

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing I have three copies of The Guardian to giveaway! To enter, just fill out the form below. Giveaway will close at 11:59pm on May 21^st.

Giveaway guidelines:

-Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win
-No P.O. Boxes, please. 
-Giveaway copies will be sent directly from publisher to winners

Edit: If you already entered before Blogger went down then you do not need to re-enter, your entry is saved. Thanks!

Find out more about The Guardian:

THE GUARDIAN Slideshow

Excerpt

Bonus Content. We Love Scotland: The true tales behind our hottest ...

Author Image and Profile

Margaret's Sites:

 www.margaretmallory.com

Goodreads

Follow @MargaretMallory

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