Book 1, Graham Clan Series, the much-requested series about another Clan of Scots!

The year is 1740, in strife-filled Scotland. A woman is discovered, virtually naked, on the rugged coast where the North Sea meetsthe Grampian Highlands. She is beautiful, French, and has nomemory of how she came to be there.

Or so she says…

When Sophie begins to fall in love with the rugged Highlander, she wants to tell him the truth, but before she can, Fraser discovers her royal connection, and wonders what else she is keeping from him. Will he resist her, or will he defy the might of England and France for a lover as wild and passionate as himself?

Like Elaine’s beloved Mackinnon series, the first book about the Clan Graham, THE HIGHLANDER, shows just what’s in store for you. Along with Fraser Graham, The Earl of Monleigh, and his French lass, Sophie d’Alembert, you will meet the entire Graham clan, and you're promised you'll enjoy the same strong, delightful characters you have come to expect in Elaine's books—and as always a story that is not only believable, but one you won’t forget.

THE HIGHLANDER
Harlequin Single Title Release
ISBN 155166738X
November 2003

Reviews

Beautiful, young and French, Sophie d'Alembert finds herself in the wild, strange land of the Scots. Terrified and not willing to trust Fraser, she fails to tell him that she is the granddaughter of Louis XIV—and that she is fleeing an English marriage arranged by her cousin, the King of France.

Tavish Graham is on his way back to the university in Edinburgh when he almost rides over the body of a woman lying in the sand. He thinks she is dead, but soon discovers Sophie d'Alembert is very much alive, and more woman than he can handle.

So what does he do? He dumps her on his brother, Fraser, the Earl of Monleigh, and rides away.

Sophie finds herself in the wild, strange land of the Scots. Not knowing whom to trust, she does not reveal she is the granddaughter of Louis XIV, or that she fled France to avoid marriage to a hated English duke. Ignorant of where the handsome earl's sympathies lie, she pretends to have no memory of her past.

Fraser Graham knew being an earl required him marry a woman of breeding to provide him heirs. The perfect woman was Gillian Macara, a woman he did not love, who wanted to be the Countess of Monleigh, and cared not if he took his pleasure elsewhere. The sudden appearance of the mysteriously beautiful Sophie is a complication, and Fraser wants her enough to believe her claims, for he knows that by accepting them, he is free to marry Gillian, and keep Sophie as his mistress. Something he could not do if she was of noble birth.

It is a dangerous time in Scotland for a mysterious French woman to become the mistress of the Earl of Monleigh. Britain and Spain are at war, relations between the British and French are shaky, and the Scots trust none of them. It is a time of intrigue, spies, and betrayal, when not even the Highlanders can be certain if their neighbors are their friends. Aware the French and English will search for her, Sophie knows she cannot remain in Scotland, but she finds herself falling in love with the rugged Highlander who taught her all he knew about passion.

Is she a lady's maid, or is she a fraud?

Although he has no way of proving her false, Fraser is suspicious, for she is too educated and well-mannered, and her hands and not the hands of a servant. While trying to solve the mystery of who she is, clues began to emerge to prove who she is not. When she lies in his arms at night, he ignores the warnings. He knows there are too many holes in Sophie's story and he has yet to meet the servant who could speak five languages.

She was either the most refined lady's maid ever, or the cleverest imposter to set foot upon Scottish soil.

The lover's idyll is shattered when Fraser learns her true identity, and wonders what else she has kept from him. Now Sophie is the prisoner of the angry and powerful earl, yet even then, her sultry beauty and fiery passion cause him to override his usually sound judgment.

Although he swears to resist her and marry another, their world is soon torn apart, and Fraser defies the might of two countries for a love aswild and passionate as the rebel earl himself.

REVIEWS OF THE HIGHLANDER...

"The bone chilling dampness of Scotland and the crackle of a hearth fire are nearly palpable in Coffman’s atmospheric 18th-century Highland romance. This lush, well-told tale will remind readers why the Highlands are such a popular and superb setting for romance."

—Publisher’s Weekly

"This sweeping historical romance set in the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie provides the reader with an intimate glimpse of the life of French, English, and Scottish aristocracy. This is a fast-paced tale of adventure, intrigue, lust, betrayal, and, finally, redemption through love."

—American Library Association. All rights reserved

"Eighteenthcentury Scottish romance readers will want to peruse THE HIGHLANDER,an exciting tale that never slows down from the moment Tavish findsa seemingly dead Sophie on the shore. James and Sophie are a delightfulduo struggling between a growing love vs. duty and secrets, whichmeans that fans will enjoy Elaine Coffman's latest historical."

—Harriet Klausner