Guest Post with Marie Laval

This week, I'm delighted to welcome Choc Lit author, Marie Laval, back to the blog to talk about her latest novel.

Welcome, Marie! I can't wait to hear more about your novel so it's over to you.

Thank you so much for welcoming me on your blog today to talk about CAPTURED BY A SCOTTISH LORD which was released by Choc Lit UK on 24th January.

This novel is a historical romance and the third book featuring a member of the Saintclair family. I loved every minute of researching and writing the love story between my fun and intrepid heroine Rose Saintclair and my wonderfully stern, dutiful and brooding hero Bruce McGunn, and I hope that readers will enjoy it too.

The story mostly takes place in the far north of Scotland, so you may wonder why I am today writing about Algeria's infamous Ouled Nail dancers. Algeria is a long way from Scotland!

Well, here is why. My heroine, Rose Sinclair, was born and brought up in Bou Saada, a beautiful oasis in the Sahara desert, and this was where many dancers from the Berber tribe Ouled Nail lived and worked.

They were made famous by painters such as Etienne Dinet, who settled in Bou Saada in the late nineteenth century and who, like so many other visitors to North Africa, was fascinated by them. They trained young in the art of dancing before leaving their villages to earn a living in market towns. When they had saved enough money they usually returned home, settled down and married.

Unlike most women in Algeria, they were always unveiled and wore heavy makeup. Their eyes were lined with kohl and their hair was adorned by elaborate headdresses. Their costumes featured voluminous and colourful skirts, lots of necklaces, charms and bracelets. These bracelets often had studs and spikes which the girls used to defend themselves against the unwelcome attentions of overexcited spectators.

The Ouled Nailliterally wore their wealth on their person, usually in their long necklaces, sewn into their skirts and shawls, or on their headdresses. This made them easy preys to unscrupulous thugs and many were attacked and robbed. 

Rose Saintclair, the heroine of CAPTURED BY A SCOTTISH LORD, learnt the art of dancing like a Ouled Nail from her childhood friend Malika. However, now she is married to wealthy landowner Scottish Cameron McRae and sailing to be with him in the far North of Scotland, she has to forget about her most unbefitting and unladylike skills...Or does she? 

BLURB

Can a Desert Rose survive a Scottish winter?

The wild Scottish landscape is a far cry from Rose Saintclair’s Saharan oasis, although she’ll endure it for Lord Cameron McRae, the man she married after a whirlwind romance in Algiers. But when stormy weather leads to Rose’s Scotland-bound ship docking on Cape Wrath – the land of Cameron’s enemy, Bruce McGunn – could her new life already be in jeopardy?
Lord McGunn was a fearless soldier, but his experiences have made him as unforgiving as the land he presides over. He knows McRae won’t rest until he owns Wrath, and the man is willing to use brutal tactics. Bruce decides that he’ll play McRae at his own game, take the ship and its precious occupant, and hold them hostage.
Rose is determined to escape, but whilst captured she learns that there’s another side to her new husband – and could her supposedly cold and ruthless kidnapper also be concealing hidden depths?

CAPTURED BY A SCOTTISH LORD is available on Amazon and Kobo and other platforms.

About the author

Originally from Lyon in France, Marie now lives in Lancashire and writes historical and contemporary romance. Best-selling LITTLE PINK TAXI was her debut romantic comedy novel with Choc Lit.  A PARIS FAIRY TALE was published in July 2019, followed by BLUEBELL’S CHRISTMAS MAGIC in November 2019 and bestselling romantic suspense ESCAPE TO THE LITTLE CHATEAU which was shortlisted for the 2021 RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Suspense Award. Marie’s historical romances, ANGEL OF THE LOST TREASURE, QUEEN OF THE DESERT and CAPTURED BY A SCOTTISH LORD, all feature members of the Saintclair family and her short stories are published in the bestselling Miss Moonshine anthologies. Marie is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors, and her novels are available as paperbacks, ebooks and audiobooks on Amazon and various other platforms.

Thank you, Marie. What a fascinating background to your novel. I'm sure the readers will want to know if Rose does forget her 'unbefitting and unladylike skills'.

Thank you for reading. Had you heard of the Ouled Nail dancers before?

You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.

Please go to my AMAZON to learn more about me and my books. Thanks.