Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours
Presents…
The Highlander’s Christmas Bride
By Vanessa Kelly
In bestselling author Vanessa Kelly’s irresistible
Clan Kendrick series, Christmas in the Highlands means family, celebration—and
for one brother, the beginning of a passionate adventure . . .
Being thrown over by the man she expected to marry was
humiliating enough. Now that Donella Haddon, grandniece of the Earl of Riddick,
has also proven a failure as a nun, she has no choice but to return to her
family’s estate. The brawny Highlander sent to escort her is brash, handsome,
and the only thing standing between Donella and a gang of would-be kidnappers.
But the scandal in her past can’t be so easily outrun . . .
Wealthy widower Logan Kendrick was expecting to meet a
plain, pious spinster—not a gorgeous, sharp-tongued lass who can hold her own
in any ambush. Though she’s known as the Flower of Clan Graham, Donella is no
shrinking violet. In fact, she might be the perfect woman to bring happiness
back to his lonely little son’s life, just in time for Christmas. But first he
must protect her from ugly gossip and a mysterious threat—and convince her that
their wild, unexpected desire is heaven sent.
This lack of Christmas cheer was not always the case. Prior to the Scottish Reformation, most of the Christmastide traditions were observed. The Scots even referred to the season as the Daft Days, because one could be silly—or daft—and have a great deal of holiday fun. That changed when reformers deemed Christmas too frivolous and Papist, virtually abolishing it as a holiday for centuries.
A Highland Holiday
By Vanessa Kelly
My latest
historical romance, THE HIGHLANDER’S
CHRISTMAS BRIDE, takes place in Scotland in 1819. As such, it’s a bit of a
hybrid—part Regency and part Scottish historical. And, as is evident from the
title, it’s also a Christmas romance.
Although Christmas
during the Regency period had not yet reached the over-the-top qualities we
think of in a Dickens-type holiday, it was nonetheless celebrated in England with
great cheer. The Twelve Days of Christmas featured special church services,
festive family gatherings, Yule log lightings, skating parties, and holiday
balls and assemblies, all leading up to the grand celebrations of Twelfth
Night.
Christmas
festivities in Scotland, however? Not so much. This beloved holiday was
basically a regular day of the year for your average Scot (fortunately, several
of my characters are English and simply insist
on some of the more traditional celebrations, which are depicted in the book).
 |
| Hogmanay Celebrations. |
This lack of Christmas cheer was not always the case. Prior to the Scottish Reformation, most of the Christmastide traditions were observed. The Scots even referred to the season as the Daft Days, because one could be silly—or daft—and have a great deal of holiday fun. That changed when reformers deemed Christmas too frivolous and Papist, virtually abolishing it as a holiday for centuries.
But all was not
lost. The Scots were saving the cheer for their most important celebration:
Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year.
Hogmanay was (and
is) a holiday with a host of ancient traditions. The most important was First Footing, when the first person to
cross the threshold after midnight brought good luck to the household—if
appropriate conditions were met. The ideal first-footer was a tall, dark-haired
male bearing gifts such as fruitcake, whisky, or even a piece of coal, all of
which symbolized good luck or prosperity.
Once the
first-footer crossed the threshold, he would wish everyone a ‘Guid’ New Year.
Whisky drinking—taking a cup o’ kindness—and
toasts would follow, with an enthusiastic exchange of kisses. The merrymaking
included a rendition of Auld Lang Syne (an
old folk tune compiled and rewritten by Robbie Burns), performed with
partygoers linking arms. During the last verse, arms were to cross each
singer’s chest, and linked with the person next to them. I imagine that could
get tricky depending on the amount of whisky imbibed by the participants!
Hogmanay parties
could be raucous affairs that ran through the night, and it wasn’t uncommon for
hosts to provide breakfast and more festivities throughout the next day. So
while not much for Christmas celebrations, the Scots made up for it by ringing
in the New Year with both spirit and style.
Happy Holidays!
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away signed copies
of THE HIGHLANDER’S PRINCESS BRIDE and THE HIGHLANDER WHO PROTECTED ME + a $20
Amazon gift card! You can enter the Giveaway HERE!
Giveaway Rules
• Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on November 12th. You
must be 18 or older to enter.
• Paperback giveaway is open internationally.
• Only one entry per household.
• All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
• The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
• Paperback giveaway is open internationally.
• Only one entry per household.
• All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
• The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
Pick up your copy of
The Highlander’s Christmas Bride
Vanessa Kelly
Vanessa
Kelly is a USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author who was named by
Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, as one of the
“New Stars of Historical Romance.” Her Regency-set historical romances have
been nominated in a number of contests, and she has won multiple awards,
including the prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance. Her
books have been published in nine languages.
Vanessa’s
latest book, The Highlander Who Protected Me, was a USA Today, Barnes &
Noble, and BookScan bestseller. Her Renegade Royals Series was a national
bestseller, as was The Improper Princesses Series. My Fair Princess was named a
Goodreads Romance of the Month and is a USA Today and BookScan bestseller. The
Highlander’s Princess Bride, book 3 in the series, was a Barnes and Noble top
50 bestseller.
When
she’s not dreaming of plots for her next Regency novel, Vanessa is writing USA
Today Bestselling books with her husband, under the pen name of V.K. Sykes.
You
can find Vanessa at vanessakellyauthor.com or at vksykes.com. For all of
Vanessa’s latest news and contests–and to receive a free story–please sign up
for her newsletter on her website.
Thanks so much for hosting Vanessa's blog tour! We appreciate the support!
ReplyDeleteAmy
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