Title – Forgiven Never Forgotten
Author – Susan Leigh Furlong
Genre – Historical Romance
Publisher – The Wild Rose Press
Book Blurb –
Rory Campbell, falsely accused of participating in the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe killings, is sentenced to hang as a sacrificial lamb while the real agents of the slaughter escape blame. He risks everything to convince the love of his life, Joneta MacDonald, of the truth. He can never forget how completely she owns his heart.
Joneta MacDonald watches helplessly as her family is murdered by the king’s men, but forgiving Rory for his seeming participation is harder than she imagined. What must she endure besides the clan’s hatred? With the overwhelming odds against them, she clings to her love for a man labelled a traitor.
Inspiration for this novel –
I love to write historical stories based on true events, and during some research, I came across the Glencoe Massacre in 1692. King William wanted all the Highland clans to sign a loyalty oath to ensure the stability of his monarchy. However, most thought the “Highland barbarians” could only be coerced by violence, so troops were sent to Glencoe, Scotland where the small clan of MacDonald paid their tax by feeding and housing the soldiers. After two weeks of MacDonald hospitality, the king’s men were ordered to put to the sword “every man, woman, and child under seventy.” The attack began at dawn, and many were killed in their beds while others escaped only to freeze to death in the hills.
That got me to thinking about how people could forgive such a murderous betrayal of trust and go on with their lives. I explored how my hero and heroine from enemy clans could overcome clan bitterness to find their own love despite everything that kept them apart. Then, as a writer who must make things worse, they now had to deal with the greater betrayal, death, and murder of her clan and his seeming blame for it. Rory and Joneta, despite the odds, created their own HEA destiny through determination and devotion.
Excerpt -
The third day of the Highland Fair, Rory opened the cloth and pushed one currant griddle scone into his mouth, washing it down with a swig of ale. Swallowing it after only three chews, he said, “Did ye make this tasty treat?”
“Up afore dawn to peel the potatoes for the tatties and mix the dough for both of them.”
“I can hear the cow and chickens ye brought for milk and eggs out back, so I ken ’tis fresh. Others make the batches ahead of time, only heating them through once they get set up here at the fair.”
“No’ us. ’Tis why my griddle scones are the best ye’ll get. Been busy today. The crowd is better than last year.”
“’Twas a terrible winter and then a dry summer, so more people want to get away from the hard work and have some fun. I ken I do.”
“I do wish I could see more of the games and wander through the other stalls, but we need to make money so we’ll have some cash for the year. So if ye will pay me what ye owe, we’ll be richer still.”
After wiping the crumbs off his lips with the back of his hand, he took a stack of pennies out of his pouch and laid them on the table. “I’ll gladly pay. No’ only are yer griddle scones the verra best, ye’re the most beautiful scone seller I have ever seen.” His well-trimmed black beard curled up around another wide grin making crinkles around his ebony eyes.
A blush bloomed across the fair complexion of the auburn-haired lass, but she brazenly said, “Ye are a sassy one. Didna yer mum teach ye manners?”
“Me mum died when I was six years old, and Da doesna have it in him to teach manners to any but the horses we breed and train.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. I didna ken. Forgive me.”
The wind blew his thick coal black hair across his face, and he pushed it out of his eyes with his hand. “I’ll forgive ye if ye have yer da look at the horses we brought for sale. We’ve got the finest stock around.” Gathering up the rest of his scones and his mug of ale, he strode away before twisting his head back to wink at her and say, “Dinna worry, even if they dinna buy from our stock, I’ll always forgive anyone who makes griddle scones as good as these. What is yer name?”
“Joneta MacDonald,” she called after him. “Yers?”
“Rory.” He walked beyond the stalls toward the meadow used for the contests, races, and the performances held every day. Looking back again, he saw Joneta following him with her eyes until he melded into the crowd. She smiled the whole time, and it made him glad he’d stop to buy a griddle scone.
He didn’t tell her he was a Campbell, centuries old foe of her clan, the MacDonalds. The two clans, whose borders in the western Scottish Highlands touched, had been bitter enemies from the beginning of time. The MacDonalds lived in the glen of Glencoe, west of Campbell territory.
Over the years, the Campbell clan claimed property and land in the Highlands and gained great influence, while the MacDonalds languished. This led to even greater jealousy and spite, but it had been a year since there’d been any real fighting between them.
He didn’t hold much with feuding, but if she’d known he was a Campbell, she wouldn’t have smiled so incredibly at him, and he wouldn’t have felt the warmth of that smile for the rest of the day.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub) –
Books are available on my website - https://SusanLFurlong.com
UNIVERSAL LINKS
Booklinker - https://mybook.to/pCg1
Books2Read -
Author Biography -
Susan Leigh Furlong knew she had a special connection with words since she was a child. When she was 9 years old, she wrote and directed her first play for the neighborhood children.
Her love for history fuels her resilience against the sneezes and coughs that old books give her as she delves into research for unique historical events to inspire her historical fiction romance novels. Susan captures her readers’ imagination with a highly enthralling style, chronological events, and smoothly flowing narratives that keep one’s eyes glued on her novels from the first page to the last.
Her first three books published by The Wild Rose Press center on a family living in the Scottish Highlands in the sixteenth century. Her most recent novel takes place during the American Revolution, the same family but across the pond. A fifth book takes the reader back to Scotland. She also has two non-fiction books filled with over 200 photographs and tales about her home town.
When she is not researching and creating her stories, she writes, directs, and performs with a music and drama group.
She married small-town boy and has lived here ever since. Born a “big city” girl, you now couldn’t get her out of there with a crowbar.
Social Media Links –
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