A stolen kiss. A forced marriage. Can a Scottish chief and English lady learn to love each other?
The Warrior
After two rejected proposals, Graeme de Sowlis has no interest in marriage. The Scottish clan chief would much rather preserve his heart and focus on promoting peace along the increasingly contentious border. His best-laid plans change when he accepts an invitation to a May Day … invitation to a May Day celebration at Kenshire Castle in England. When he’s caught in a stolen kiss with the May Day Queen, his integrity requires that he marry her.
The Queen
Gillian Bowman is so eager to please her father, she’s agreed to marry the ancient Earl of Covington to save the family manor. Though she has every intention of doing just that, curiosity drives her into the arms of a handsome Scottish chief. When they’re caught and forced to marry, she’s horrified. The Earl of Covington has the ability to ruin her family, and her new husband seems reluctant to open up to her outside of the bedroom. Can love bloom from such humble beginnings?
The Warrior’s Queen is a force marriage medieval romance fans of alpha male heroes. It is the sixth book in the Border Series but can be read as a standalone novel.
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Another good book by Cecelia Mecca. Graeme has not been lucky in love…….until he meets Gillian. But the controversy of being hurt before and life along the border throws them for a loop. I also love Aidan and his banter with his “sister”, Gillian drinking ale, and the de Sowlis brothers converting the English ladies to Scottish lassies. Great job!
It gives vivid description of the border raids and the tension between England and Scotland. Circumstances force Graeme and Gillian together, but they make their union work. This book is well-written, and the characters are well suited for one another. I love Cecelia Mecca’s Border series.
An easy-to-read book with a good description and unpredictable action.
When Gillian refers to Graeme as the most honorable man in two countries, she didn’t know the half of it. And that’s saying something, considering the other men in this world – those we’ve gotten to know in the previous books – are also, without question, men of honor and integrity. But there’s always been something special about Graeme. He has no trouble finding women to share his bed, but he has definitely been suffering from a distinct lack of “marriageable” women. After being passed over twice in favor of other men, he’s all but given up finding a woman he can sink his heart into.
Then he meets Gillian. She’s betrothed to a man no woman would want, yet it seems she would prefer that marriage to the one she’s forced into with Graeme. To say he’s cautious is an understatement as he wonders just why she seems disappointed with their match. He knows it’s not for lack of attraction – their chemistry fairly sizzles off the page – but until he does know what’s going on, he’s determined to protect his heart.
Gillian wants to be relieved that she’s married to a man who is every woman’s dream rather than the nightmare that was her alternative, but she knows the cost to her family and dreads the coming day of reckoning. She has no idea how far her new husband is willing to go to ensure her happiness, however.
Graeme is not a man to sit back and let things happen. These are dangerous days along the border, and he’s going to do everything in his power to protect his family and his clan, which now includes Gillian and her family as well.
There is plenty of action, intrigue and suspense as secrets are revealed, alliances are tested, and villains are removed from the field. This series is written so beautifully that the reader is effortlessly swept away to 13th century Scotland and immersed in a time and place where life was one breathtaking moment after another. Each book in this series gives us a broader scope of the history, politics, and pageantry of the time. It’s pure escapism, the kind that elevates reading a book to a transcendental experience. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Graeme and Gillian have to get married when caught in a compromising position while in the garden. He never planned on getting married due to being turned down twice in the past. Gillian’s dad has promised her to someone else due to his money problems. They were both keeping secrets from one another but the attraction and chemistry between the two was there from the beginning. It was great to see how they grew close to one another and develop a trust.
Once you start this story you do not want to stop. There is a great flow with a lot of adventure to the story including border raids and Gillian worrying about her family. It was great to read how a few characters from previous books were doing. I have read every Cecelia Mecca book and everyone was a joy to read. They take you to a different time and you will love the detail of that period. I was so happy to finally see Graeme get his HEA. I am looking forward to the next one; hopefully Neill or Aidan.
I would like to thank the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
The Warrior’s Queen by Cecelia Mecca is book Six in the Border series. This is the story of Graeme de Sowlis and Gillian Bowman. I have read the previous books (and loved them!) but feel you can make this a standalone book.
Graeme has attempted to ask two women to marry him but each time it was turned down. So he is now concentrating on getting peace between the England and the Scottish. When invited to the May Day celebration at Kenshire Castle in England he meets Gillian.
Gillian father is heavily in debt and plans to marry her to the very rich and elderly Earl of Covington. When Gillian happens to see Graeme and a serving girl in the gardens taking their pleasure it made her curious since she has not even been kissed.
Later when they meet eye to eye it leads to a headed kiss between them but they are caught. This leads Graeme to step forward to offer her marriage.
But will Graeme release his heart from the tight hold he has on it after being turned down before?
I am a really big fan of Ms. Mecca writing…her stories take you right into the book.
Loved it!
Awesome series.
Waiting for more.
This series just keeps getting better, and I am SO hooked on it! Graeme and Gillian’s story was everything I like in a Scottish romance. I loved how respectful Graeme was of Gillian despite their circumstances. This felt a bit like an old-fashioned romance, but with some steamy stuff as an added bonus, and I loved every single page of it!
I’m already excited for the next story in the Border Series. It can’t come out soon enough!
*I received a complimentary ARC of this story in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
The Warrior’s Queen by Cecelia Mecca gives you the true feeling of what it must have been like back in 1273 on the border of Scotland and England. She has a true talent for writing such wonderful characters, original stories and her descriptions are so clear you can easily picture them in your mind. The Warrior’s Queen is book 6 in the Border Series but can be read as a standalone. I am alway in awe when reading one of Cecelia’s book and this one does not disappoint. Trust me when I say that when you read the first few pages, you will be hooked until the very last page. This story has an arranged marriage, unlucky in love, lies, deception, raids, scandal, kindest, true friendships, destitute, forced marriage, sister love, 2 tuned down marriage proposals, confusion, misunderstands but does it find love? You will have to read this amazing book to find out. I highly recommend this book! I know you will love it as much as I did!!
Constantly trying to keep peace on the border and following The Day of Truce and having is proposals turned down twice, Laird Graeme de Sowlis has his hand full until he sets eyes on Lady Gillian Bowman.
The Warrior’s Queen is a smash hit! Strong characters take you with them through their heart wrenching, edge of your seat, heart warming journey of war, peace, love, and loss. I didn’t want it to end. I recommend every book in the Border Series. Cecelia set a high bar with her first book, with each book better than the last. Can’t wait for the next one!
Arranged or forced marriages were all too common in medieval times. Women had little say in marriages arranged by their families for politics, power, money or to save her reputation or position. If she is lucky she gets a husband who won’t beat her and she even falls in love with. The Warrior’s Queen is about a forced marriage between an English lady and a Scottish Chief and even though her prospects are better than with the old, questionable earl she is supposed to marry, Graeme is close to her age and not nearly so onerous. But sparks fly and tension builds until they finally find love and passion. There are some wonderful and steamy scenes ahead for you in this book and some introduction into the tumultuous life on the border of the two countries as thieves and power-hungry souls try to upset the tenuous peace.
In keeping with the rest of this series, The Warrior’s Queen is exciting and filled with the tensions of border raids and power surges between the clans, the Scots, and the English. Keeping peace between the hot-blooded, contentious parties on both sides of the border is a full-time task. Graeme de Sowlis has been twice rejected in what could have been marriage strengthening alliances, and he is not prepared to allow himself to be made the object of scorn once again. But when he sees sweet Gillian Bowman with her friends at the May Day celebration, his interest is piqued. Gillian has been promised to an old man in marriage, and she knows that she cannot go against her father in his wishes for her, otherwise her family stands to lose everything that is dear to them. However, caught in a May Day kiss with Graeme, she finds herself married to the warrior before she can wipe the sleep from her eyes. Graeme didn’t realise what the consequences of being married to Gillian would be, and he has to strategize to find a solution that will satisfy everyone. Fortunately, he is no longer alone in his quest as the friendships forged across the border stand him in good stead. The Warrior’s Queen is well written, deeply romantic, with high adventure and strong characters. I love all of this author’s books and to my mind, she cannot put a foot wrong. Many of the characters from previous books in this series appear in this one as well, but it is nevertheless a stand-alone with a very satisfactory ending. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
We’ve met Graeme in other of Ms. Mecca’s Highland Border stories and he’s always interested in peace that is so hard to maintain along the border with reivers operating on both sides. Peace is what brings the Scottish clan chief to Kenshire Castle’s May Day Celebration. Geoffery, Earl of Kenshire, makes sure Graeme, as an unmarried man, is enrolled in the games. Sure enough Graeme wins giving him the opportunity to choose the May Day Queen and lead her in the first dance. He chose Lady Gillian Bowman, who he has heard is about to be betrothed to an elderly English border earl who has no interest in peace along the border. Why? Because her father needs the large bride price to save his castle. Later, after much dancing, Gillian goes to the small courtyard out back and finds Graeme who proceeds kissing her but suddenly they are surrounded by torches and people, including her parents. Graeme’s integrity leads him to propose marriage. This marriage is bound for trouble: Scot’s clan chief with an English lady and he’s been turned down by two others that he’d offered for so he’s closed off to Gillian, who herself is a virgin. What I liked best is that Graeme calls Gillian his queen even though they have many problems to solve! Makes for great reading!“We’ve met Graeme in other of Ms. Mecca’s Highland Border stories and he’s always interested in peace that is so hard to maintain along the border with reivers operating on both sides. Peace is what brings the Scottish clan chief to Kenshire Castle’s May Day Celebration. Geoffery, Earl of Kenshire, makes sure Graeme, as an unmarried man, is enrolled in the games. Sure enough Graeme wins giving him the opportunity to choose the May Day Queen and lead her in the first dance. He chose Lady Gillian Bowman, who he has heard is about to be betrothed to an elderly English border earl who has no interest in peace along the border. Why? Because her father needs the large bride price to save his castle. Later, after much dancing, Gillian goes to the small courtyard out back and finds Graeme who proceeds kissing her but suddenly they are surrounded by torches and people, including her parents. Graeme’s integrity leads him to propose marriage. This marriage is bound for trouble: Scot’s clan chief with an English lady and he’s been turned down by two others that he’d offered for so he’s closed off to Gillian, who herself is a virgin. What I liked best is that Graeme calls Gillian his queen even though they have many problems to solve! Makes for great reading!
Oh, how I love Graeme, who we have seen in 2 other books where the lady fell in love with another man. Each story is beautiful, but our Graeme is left behind. At a May day celebration he sees Gillian, who has been named Queen of the day. Graeme has been hurt before, and Gillian has obligations of her own, until a compromising kiss makes marriage their only option. They are determined not to fall in love, which makes the journey that much sweeter as they do. The author delivers a beautiful romance in a fantastic setting, and it’s wonderful to get to know Graeme and Gillian better along the way. A great read that I highly recommend, it’s been a wonderful series of books along the way. This can be read as a standalone, but I feel that experiencing each book has just enriched my experience. This is a voluntary review of an advance reader copy.
This book comes highly recommended by me. I have not read a single book by this author that I didn’t love. Start at the beginning to be transported back in time or read this book and see what everyone is talking about. All of her books can be stand alone reads but so much more fulfilling when you read them in order.
I’ve been waiting for Graeme de Sowlis’s story, after two broken engagements he deserves to find a lady of his own lady to love. He finds her in the most unexpected place at the May Day celebration. Graeme is crowned the winner of the May Day tournament and picks the English Lady Gillian Bowman as his queen.
Lady Gillian is about to marry the thoroughly disgusting Earl of Covington to pay off her father’s debts or they all be without a home. She hope to one day marry for love and when Graeme makes her his May Day Queen she can’t resist just one kiss before she’s married to the Earl. For Graeme and Gillian there’s an instant attraction between them and it isn’t long until they are sharing a passionate kiss. What a kiss, their caught in a compromising position and Graeme does the honorable thing and agrees to marry Gillian. Poor Graeme he’s had such bad luck with women issues you can’t help routing for them.
Graeme and Gillian are passionate in the bedroom, but is that enough for either of them. They face a few trials along the way one being will the truce between the Scottish and the English be broken when it looks like someone is determined to break it down. A great adventure filled with romance, political intrigue, and two strong will people who have such strong feelings for each other, but won’t even admit it to themselves let alone to each other. Will they reach out to each other to find the love and family they both deeply want and desire? Loved this story!!! 5 STARS. This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.
Graeme Sowlis, the chief of clan Scott is not happy about going to the May Day celebration because he will have to see yet another woman that rejected him. In the interest of of peace on the border between Scotland and England he must go and play nice.
Lady Gillian Bowman is going to enjoy this last celebration before she has to marry a horrible old man. Her family is in danger of losing everything unless she does as her father says.
There have been a lot of raids all along the border and the peace is in jeopardy.
An amusing story where our wonderful characters hardly stay still long enough to think let alone speak, no wonder misunderstandings happen.
This is part of a series. Each book can be read on its own, but better if you read them in order. You will meet the characters from the earlier books. Lots of fun. I loved it.
Another fun and sizzling romance in this series. The characters were likeable and witty and I loved the story!
This is the sixth book of Ms. Mecca’s Border Series and it is just a entertaining as the first one or more. She grabs the reader from start to finish with her characters and with the strong historical elements. You can not go wrong with any book in this series.
Graeme is at Kenshire Castle to discuss the raids occurring on his land with his friend and allie. Gillian is there to attend the May Day festivities her friend and Countess of the castle. When Graeme the “King of May Day” is caught kiddo g the “Queen” whom happens to be Gillian they are forced to wed. Graeme has past hurts from rejections and Gillian is worried for her family whom she was going to save by marrying a rich Earl who can ruin them. The attraction between the two is strong and can’t be ignored.
This book will have you pulling for both Graeme and Gillian to find their happy ever after. This is a great book as always.
I received this book for an honest preview
I loved this story, it was so romantic as the main characters Graeme and Gillian were drawn to each other and she became his “Queen” during the May Day celebration. It of course led to complications as Gillian had been “sold”to a higgest bidder by her father, and is discovered in a compromising situation with Graeme, leading to an enforced marriage which neither really want, but can’t acknowledge their mutual attraction. Their characters become more developed and very real as the story progresses, and Graeme is truly a hero in my eyes.