Hi! I am of course, Judith James. What can I tell you about me? I love to read, I love to write, and I'm always ready for an adventure. I've worked as a legal assistant, trail guide, and for fifteen years as a clinical psychologist. My personal journey has taken me many different places, including the Arctic. I'm an avid history buff who loves travelling and research (preferably combined) and music. I'm trying to learn how to play the fiddle. After years of looking for the right place to settle, I've found it beside the Atlantic Ocean. If I look up from my writing I can see the harbour from my window.
My stories combine my love of history and adventure with a keen interest in the complexities of human nature, and the heart's capacity to heal and by travelling back in time they take me on adventures to places I've never been before. I hope they do the same for you.
HIGHLAND REBEL
Set in a dangerous time of religious and political upheaval and civil war, HIGHLAND REBEL tells the story of Catherine Drummond and Jamie Sinclair, two proud and lonely outcasts whose struggle for acceptance and survival draws them together in a partnership based on mutual interest that will transform them both. Born in the waning days of Cromwell's England, despised as a bastard by his Puritan father, and abandoned by his mother, James Sinclair has learned from an early age to fend for himself. Charming, dangerous, and decidedly amoral, his quick wit, good looks and military prowess have served him well in the courts of two Stuart Kings. Adventurer, courtier, mercenary and spy, he's a master of disguise who can transform from aristocrat to beggar and disappear in any crowd. Sent to mind a troop of foreign mercenaries, he looks forward to completing his mission and collecting his reward, and when an inconvenient spark of gallantry and his own perverse humor cause him to marry a maid captured on the battlefield he intends the marriage to be in name only.
Born in the Scottish Highlands, heiress to a title and properties in Scotland and in France, Cat Drummond is far from the camp follower Jamie believes.Fiercely loyal to family, clan, and king, she's been trained on the field of battle and at Versailles.Equally comfortable in men's breeches or a gown, she was raised to rule.
Disguised as beggars on the streets of London, or glittering amongst the courtiers of Whitehall Palace, Catherine and Jamie will join forces in an age where treachery and adultery are the fashion, and cynicism, cruelty and barbed wit are the qualities most admired. But in a world where family, creed, and princes can't be trusted, and faith fuels intolerance, hatred, and war, they'll soon find themselves on opposite sides of a growing conflict that will force them to question everything they know, and test the bounds of friendship, loyalty and love.
Reviews
"Highland Rebel represents the best of the genre: carefully researched, with complex, compelling characters and a good, galloping plot... Upscale historical romance at its best! Highly recommended." -Eileen Charbonneau HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW Editors' choice
"Exceptional...One of the most intriguing heroes of this year..." Michelle Buonfiglio Unabashedly Bookish B@N
"Captures from the beginning and doesn't let go... often witty, sometimes sad... Ms. James makes this an unforgettable tale. 5 hearts." -ROMANCE STUDIO Dee Daile
"An awesome book. top marks.I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great Romance or a great Action. This book encompasses the best of both of those worlds." -Cinnamon Brown A Journey of Books
"An incredible journey of a book! Five stars for Highland Rebel. " -Kerensa Crave More Romance
"It was like the best of the books I used to read all those years ago...This one gets a 5 out of 5 from me" - Kristie Jenner Ramblings on Romance
Excerpt
Jamie set out for the stronghold of clan Drummond early the next morning, still pure of heart, stopping at the market to replenish his supplies. He'd made good money at the inn and he grinned as he entertained the notion of chucking king, country, and ambition, and making a life in the magnificent Highlands, traveling the road, roaming hill and dale seducing the ladies into sampling his wares.
It was a complete mystery to him what these remote Highland Scots had been doing on the banks of the River Clyde, who the little mouse was, and what she'd been doing there with them. He'd heard stories that the Scots army that marched on Newcastle during the Civil War had included female soldiers, but frankly, he'd never believed it. He wondered now if it might be true. Running his forefinger along the bridge of his nose, he chuckled at the thought. She might prove useful yet. She was certainly more adept than Sullivan was when it came to using her fists and wielding a weapon. In any case, he supposed he'd have some answers soon.
The busy little town flanking Drummond Castle rose in a series of terraced streets above a snug harbor full of fishing boats and merchant ships, and as he climbed the hill pulling his pony and his wares behind him, he could see a long spit of golden sand stretching far to the north and south. He was making slow progress, pausing every few minutes to trade with the locals, selling needles and combs and kitchen utensils with a wink and a grin and a convincing Scott's brogue. Halfway to the top he heard a commotion and looked up to see a large colorfully dressed fellow in a saffron shirt barreling toward him with an excited crowd chasing behind.
"Hold up, Cormac!" a black haired full-bearded Highlander was shouting. "You don't have to leave, man! What about our alliance? I promise you we can come to some kind of arrangement."
A big man himself, but not today, Jamie pressed against a stone wall, trying to be unobtrusive and get out of their way, but the street was crowded and the florid faced giant was the kind of fellow who claimed a lot of space.
"You can take your bloody alliance, Donald Drummond, and shove it up your arse! I was promised land and whisky! I was promised coin! I was promised the girl!" the giant bellowed, shoving people rudely aside and bashing into Jamie, knocking him sideways and almost to the ground. Keeping his temper, Jamie bowed his head and mumbled apologies, but the man was looking for a fight, or at least someone on whom to vent his anger.
"Watch your step you poxy bastard or I'll give you a good thrashing!" he snarled, grabbing Jamie by his tattered cloak and shoving him hard against the wall.There was a moment of dead silence, followed by a swell of excited shouting as a gleaming silver sword glinted in the sun.
"What manner of tinker is this?" Donald roared. "Who are you, ya bastard, to be sneaking about my town hiding a weapon? You're not one of mine and you're not the O'Connor's!"
Cursing, Jamie pulled out his sword and looked to the left and the right, calculating his odds and assessing his chances for escape. He should never have kept the weapon. By far the most crucial element of disguise was absolute commitment, and neglecting it might well have cost him his life. The harbor seemed the best chance. He might be able to hide in the warren of fishing boats and dockside shacks; he might even manage a dingy. He grinned, giving friends Donald and Cormac the finger before leaping onto the lower wall and vaulting to the street below. Landing on his hands and the balls of his feet, he was startled to find himself looking at long legs and a shapely derriere encased in leather breeches. Rising in an instant he found himself staring straight into a pair of very surprised, amber cat-like eyes.
Well I'll be damned! he thought, a second before a club caught him from behind and sent him crumpling to the ground
Abandoned as a child and raised in a brothel, Gabriel St. Croix has never known tenderness, friendship or affection. Fluent in sex, he knows nothing of love. Lost and alone inside a nightmare world, all he's ever wanted was companionship and a place to belong. Hiding physical and emotional scars behind an icy façade, his only relationship is with a young boy he has spent the last five years protecting, but all that is about to change. The boy's family has found him, and they are coming to take him home.Sarah Munroe blames herself for her brother's disappearance. When he's located, safe and unharmed, she vows to help the man who rescued and protected him in any way she can. Sarah helps Gabriel face his demons and teaches him to trust in friendship and love. But when the past catches up with him, Gabriel must face it on his own.
Becoming a privateer, mercenary, and professional gambler, Gabriel travels to London, France, and the Barbary Coast in a desperate attempt to find Sarah again and all he knows of love. On the way, however, he will discover the most dangerous journey, and the greatest gamble of all, is within the darkest reaches of his own heart.
Reviews
Independent Publisher's Gold Medal for Romance 2009
"The Napoleonic era comes brilliantly alive.Sarah and Gabriel's heart-wrenching struggle to keep their love alive is will keep readers entranced throughout this epic read." -Publishers Weekly
"Superior reading indeed." Historical Novels Review Editors' Choice November 2008
"5+ Stars - lyrically written, wonderfully conceived" -Kati Dancy ROMANCE NOVEL TV
"Wondrously written." -Kristie Jenner Ramblings on Romance
"one of the best love stories I've read." -Romance Book Wyrm
5 Stars "It's rare that a book moves me like this one did." -Anna's Book Blog
"Judith James' rich prose and witty, articulate dialogue enhance this story of a complex man, bitterly wounded by life, who finds self-worth through love" -Laura Leone, author of Fallen From Grace
"Judith James soars to astounding heights...a stunning, magnificent debut." -USA Today bestselling author, Julianne MacLean
Excerpt
Gabriel crouched on bended knee, hunched against cold stone above an ancient alley fetid with the smell of piss and vomit and cooked sausage. A door slammed in the distance, and the sound of cursing, a man's, and then a woman's, was followed by slaps, screams, and then silence. Far away, the sound of a guitar drifted to him, melancholy in the cold night air. There were sounds from the building behind him, closer, but muffled through stone and mortar and thick brick walls. He tilted his head back and took a long sweet swallow from the decanter beside him, as he gazed unfocussed into the distant heavens.
Once, years ago, before all sense of wonder had been beaten out of him, he'd climbed up here on a crisp, late August night, and stumbled into an enchanted fairyland. Magical lights had danced overhead, streaming across the sky leaving arching trails of color and fire in their wake. He had made wishes upon them, one after the other, and dreamed for a short time that they might come true. Stupid child!
This night's sky was black, cold and uncaring; relieved only by the glittering shards of harsh and distant suns so far from his reach they offered no warmth, no illumination, and no comfort. Desperate to escape the nightmares that chased him through his sleep, he caressed the blade held tight between his fingers.
HIGHLAND REBEL:
A tale of a rebellious lady
and a traitorous lord
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN 1402224338
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