Böcker av Marti Talbott

The year was 1912, but rumors of a war in Europe was the last thing on Blair MacGreagor's mind. Engaged and hopelessly in love, she returned to America from the United Kingdom on the HMS Mauretania thinking only of planning her wedding. Yet, by the end of her first day on dry land, her whole world was turned upside down.In 1713, in order to secure his passage to America, Scotland's Rory MacGreagor happily signed an indentured servant contract and boarded a tall ship. It wasn't long before he suspected it was a decision he would come to regret.

Early one August morning, Miss Patella Green was found dead in her bed. The child she claimed Douglas Swinton fathered was yet unborn, and more than one in Colorado Springs thought he had something to do with her death. After all, just a few days before she publicly accused him, he married someone else.Desperate to return to what she thought was her rightful place in London Society, the ex-Duchess of Glenartair was willing to do anything Lady Husher asked of her. It was a simple request and a task she could carry out with ease, but then, nothing in her life ever went as planned.

He called her Sassa, for she was indeed a divine beauty, and when she said she loved him in return, Laird Artair MacGreagor counted himself among the most fortunate of men. He knew full well other men would lust after her, but he was convinced he could protect her. Yet, it was not enough, for in his determination to keep her safe, he neglected to sufficiently safeguard himself. A clean, Scottish family saga.

CLARE -- Clare lived most of her life in the Abbey and hoped to marry the Lord of Wickerly Castle, until word came that he was dead. So with no reason to stay, she went to Scotland with her sister, Greer, and did not speak of her grief. But her uncommon beauty tempted all the Highlander men, and soon jealous women were demanding she choose a husband. The man Clare loved was not dead, but could he find her in time to keep her from taking a Highlander husband?DOLEE - After three years of marriage, Dolee desperately wanted to give her husband a son. She tried every remedy anyone suggested including potions that made her deathly ill. At last there was no other option -- Dolee would have to try the one thing that might cost her everything -- including her life.CATLIN - Known as Bridget Cameron, Catlin's mother was adamant -- if ever Catlin heard the name "Charlet," she was to go straight away to find Laird Neil MacGreagor. Now her mother was dead and the English were searching for Charlet. But who was Charlet and why had the English put a bounty on her head? The answer left Catlin speechless.LASHA - As the sister of a laird, Lasha Haldane knew she was expected to marry within her small clan. But one look at the handsome Cowan MacGreagor tempted her otherwise. Then a Haldane asked for her hand and the decision could no longer be put off. Would Lasha follow her heart or would she choose to please her beloved brother?

BETHIA -- Bethia's heart was broken. Hannish, the man she loved, chose another and to avoid seeing them together she fled to her beloved aunt in England. But when she came back two years later she found the MacGreagor home she grew up in deserted and the village burned to the ground. Now she had no where to go, she was injured and two Englishmen were chasing her. To her amazement, it was Hannish who came to her rescue. Scotland offered her sanctuary, but did she come back too late for love?ALISON -- As hard as she tried not to, Alison was falling in love with Ben, a man who loved animals as much as she did. But Comine MacDuff wanted a wife and once he saw Alison, he was certain she was the one. He was also certain the MacGreagor giants would never let her go. Kidnapping her was the only answer, but finding her alone and within his reach was impossible. Then one night his luck finally changed.KADICK - Abandoned by her mother at birth, Kadick was different. She had a birthmark on one side of her face that some believed was a curse. Shunned by the men in the MacGreagor clan she was determined to seek a husband in England. For Laird Neil MacGreagor and several unmarried men in want of wives, going with her offered adventure. Yet in a world full of strangers who feared her, could finding acceptance and love for the delightful Kadick lead to more heartache? GLORIE - As a willing English bride, Glorie agreed to leave her home and go with the MacGreagors to Scotland. At first she was smitten with Moan, but Burk had other ideas. Yet love would not come easy - neither spoke the other's language. Glorie was also headstrong and had her own ideas of how things should be done. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before she managed to put her chances for marriage in danger by enraging Neil.

TARA - Laird Neil MacGreagor's bride was not happy in her marriage. She tried everything to compensate including turning her attention to making sure the fun loving Taral didn't marry the wrong man. But before Taral could have a proper wedding, affairs of the heart had to be set aside for a far more dangerous concern - a concern that threatened the survival of the entire clan. RALIN - He wanted nothing more than to die, but six months after he lost his beloved Kindel, Walrick found himself in a new land with people who wanted him to become their laird. After years of living next to a threatening neighbor, the extreme loss of life from the plague made the MacGreagors more vulnerable and falling in love much more difficult for Ralin. Would Neil find a way to save his people and would Walrick accept a challenge to lead the other clan? STEPPEN - Laird Neil MacGreagor did the best he could to save their lives, but now the MacGreagors were without a homeland. Then three different rumors began to circulate -- one started by the MacDonalds, one by the Fergusons and one by someone in the north. With Neil's son in Steppen's charge, she had no place to go and no one to turn to. She'd loved Walrick all her life, but could she ever forgive him for not coming back? EDANA - A new home meant new problems -- which laird would they follow, where would they build new cottages and how could Walrick marry Steppen when Neil forgot to bring the priest? Slade MacGreagor had problems of his own. Attempting to locate his clan in an unfamiliar land, he happened upon nine sisters who desperately needed his help.SLAVA - Slava had a secret and once she told her sister, Charlotte, all nine sisters decided to leave -- even the betrothed Edana. Jessup was ready to throttle a reluctant Lucas, Taral was growing fonder of Geddes and Walrick finally had his priest. But when the sisters left, so did the singing and the hopes of several unmarried men. Would the sisters ever want to come back and if so, would the MacGreagors have to fight another clan to get them?

In a village situated in the forest, and out of sight of the well-traveled road, lived two sisters, Jinny and Owena Allaway, the eldest of which was Owena. Pleasing to look upon, Owena was never without the attentions of men, while Jinny was ignored and often left wanting. Yet, Jinny loved her sister and wished all manner of happiness for her. At least that's what she always thought. It was not until two MacGreagor brothers came to choose brides that her devotion was put to the ultimate test.

A deathbed phone call made Private Detective Jackie Harlan's heart skip a beat. Her agency specialized in finding missing people, yet the one person she couldn't find was her own son, Brian, who disappeared at the age of two. Was what the caller said the truth, or was it a sinister ploy to take her off the trail of an important case she was working?

What the MacGreagors feared most was a war with England - that is, until it looked like a clan war might erupt between the Grahams and the Swintons, with the MacGreagor village caught in the middle. All of her life, Colina, eldest daughter of Laird Sawney MacGreagor, desperately wanted to marry and have children, but something happened. Now she refused to even go to the courtyard and let the men walk with her. As hard as Sawney tried to find out what was wrong, he merely succeeded in driving her away. Months later, he was left with only one option - Braxton.

Donaldina's mother died when she was four, or so her father said. She suspected something was amiss but never knew what, and now that she was old enough, her father was determined to marry her off. Always before, she managed to waylay his wedding attempts, and when Laird Wallace MacGreagor came to buy spices from her clan, she fully intended to avoid it this time too.

The ex-duchess of Glenartair had years to plan her escape and her revenge, and at last, she was free. What she needed now was money, and she knew just where to get it. Filled with guilt and dread, Hannish fully expected his first wife to seek retribution. With only four days to prepare, he put the MacGreagor clansmen on alert and vowed to do everything he could to stop her. Unfortunately, his everything would not be enough. Marti Talbott's books are suitable for ages 14 and up.

At last, her father agreed to let debutante Blair MacGreagor sail to London to be presented to the King. She took a copy of a lost MacGreagor story with her, but finding time to read was not easy. Not only did she have to avoid being swept off her feet by a man eager to relieve her of her inheritance, her mother's scandalous reputation quickly spread among the first-class passengers.

Based on an actual event.In 1908 and sight unseen, Iowa born Ethan McShane gave over half of his life savings to buy land near the small town of Palisade, Colorado. Eager to see the land, he caught the next train out. However, with no assurance of a proper home for her, he left his bride of just a few short days behind. Less than a month later, she too excitedly boarded a train bound for Colorado - a train that would never reach its destination.

The tell-all book entitled, The Scandalous Affairs of Alexandra Sinclair, was destined to arrive in Colorado Springs any day, and this time it was the MacGreagor's who had a plan. It was a simple, yet good plan - as long as it didn't turn out to be a little too good.

The Harlan Detective Agency was the best there was when it came to finding missing people. They were also the most expensive, so it was no coincidence that they were hired to find the heir to a fortune totaling over 1.6 billion dollars. Nicholas Gladstone left everything to a granddaughter he didn't know he had until a week before he died, but which one was it - the maid secretly working in the parent's home, an office worker, or the young woman tragically killed in a car accident?

Alexandra Sinclair was dead, or so most of the world thought. The duchess, on the other hand, was very much alive. Safely hidden away in Canada, she had all the time in the world to consider her next moves, one of which included a new way to seek her revenge for the way Hannish MacGreagor so cruelly set her aside.With her daughter now married, and her son living in England, a bored Abigail Whitfield felt useless and lonely. Yet, she had something else on her mind. There was a stranger in town that appeared to be watching her, and she didn't like the looks of him one bit.

During a raid in Ireland that took her family, her home and all her food, a Viking intentionally let Shannon Carr live. At first, she did not see it as a kindness, but as time passed, the reason he let her live often haunted her. More pressing still was her need for revenge, so she set out to find the Vikings in Scotland.In England, Brightie Tweddle prayed rumors of a giant in the north were true and believed he alone could save her from an abusive brother. The moment she made good her escape, she too headed for Scotland.

It was forbidden, but Bradana MacGreagor could not seem to help herself. The man of her dreams was a Lennox, and Laird Lennox forbid all unions between the two clans, fervently believing that the MacGreagors were cursed. Rubbish, said the MacGreagors, but that did nothing to persuade the Lennox. Too soon, her destiny was taken completely out of her hands when word came that the king had called all able-bodied men to fight for Scotland.

At sixteen, Effie Chattan was careful to make only those promises she knew to be easily kept, but a foolish promise born of exasperation and stubbornness was about to become her undoing.Forced to leave their land, good friends Ward and Branan led the MacGreagors north to find a new home, but good land came at a heavy price and one of them was about to fall victim to Effie's promise.

Terrified and out of breath, fifteen-year-old Isobell Macdean ran from her attackers to the top of a high cliff as fast as she could. All her life, she'd been warned not to go to the other side of the river where the women were troublesome and the men were giants, but her only option was to jump into the icy water below and pray she could stay on the right side.Before Daniel's mother died, she told him a secret he knew his brother would never accept, so when the brothers were forced to leave the far north of Scotland, Daniel decided it was time to see if what she said was true.

MAREE: Yule Cameron knew Maree was the one for him the moment he saw her. She was beginning to love him too, but after Kevin MacGreagor's son hurt Maree, her heart went cold. The punishment for such a crime was death, and if he knew, her beloved Laird would be forced to kill his own son. Could Maree effectively cover up the crime and would she ever be able to love Yule again? GILLIE: The moment Laird Kevin MacGreagor took his last breath, the war between his sons began. But in Gillie's heart a different kind of war raged. Which brother would she choose and in the end, would the brothers be forced to fight to the death? JESSUP: Patrick MacGreagor swept Lady Jessup Russell off her feet so quickly she didn't have time to think. But their marriage was a mistake. Her world was complicated and there was no room in it for a husband and a life in the Highlands. Would Patrick finally give up or would he stay in England until he could free her from her complicated world? GLENNA: After a failed attempt to get Laird Neil MacGreagor to agree to marry Glenna, Ewing Larmont proposed a wager Neil could not possibly lose -- he bet he could find Walrick's twin sister who had been missing for fifteen years. Could Ewing truly find her and if he did, would Neil end up married to a woman he had not seen and did not choose?

Charles MacGreagor was hired to rebuild Glenartair Castle after it burned four years earlier. His men were hard working, supplies were coming in on time finally, and he was well satisfied with the progress. He was satisfied, that is, until the floor of the old castle gave up another of its secrets.

Attracting a new husband in New York City proved more difficult than the duchess expected, particularly since she was nearly broke, and did not have easy access to the wealthy. That was before she met Bernard Allen Hathaway. Indeed, he had the kind of money she coveted, yet there was something odd about him...something very odd indeed. The MacGreagors looked forward to sharing the mansion and living in peace, but it was not to be. Just a few miles from Colorado Springs, the dark clouds of a violent union strike had begun to gather, and an unforeseen tragedy would change the course of their lives forever.

When a child of the rich and famous went missing, and years of searching turned up nothing, a dying sister's last hope lay with the Jackie Harlan Detective Agency. However, what the detective team uncovered led them to Portland, Oregon, where the object of their search was involved in a murder trial. All they could do was wait, so they patiently watched a trial that became more and more fascinating. There was little doubt as to the defendant's guilt, but there were lots of unanswered questions, including, which of Mrs. Lockhart's four children hired him to kill their mother.

At fourteen, Catrina MacGreagor was left to care for her nine siblings after her mother passed. She didn't truly mind, for she loved them all dearly, but the work was hard as well as boring, and it left her little time to consider a husband. It was just as well, for she had not yet seen a lad she truly favored. All that was about to change, however, in the form of seven brothers - four of them old enough to marry, and all of them Vikings. Marti Talbott's books are suitable for ages 14 and up.

An ancient MacGreagor edict held that the clan give sanctuary to any lass who believed herself in danger, when Grizel Allardice claimed her father meant to kill her, she too was granted safety. However, Grizel was not who she claimed to be. Instead, she was the spoiled and rebellious daughter of a much feared northern laird, who offered a very tempting reward to anyone who could find her and bring her home.

It is said that a father loves his daughter beyond measure, so when Glenessa, the much sought after daughter of Laird Swinton, died at the hands of a Kennedy, war was certain to come. Yet the war between the elder lairds was oddly postponed. It was instead handed down to Glenessa's brother, and the new Kennedy laird.Over the years, Glenessa was a name rarely spoken, but never forgotten by men on both sides who loved her. It remained, however, a simple question of which spark would finally ignite the flames of war, and more importantly - could the MacGreagors stay out of it?

At not quite fifteen, Stefan's father finally let him board the longship Sja Vinna to take part in his first Viking raid. But the battle was not at all what he expected and he found himself alone and stranded in Scotland. Thirteen-year-old Kannak's problem was just as grave. Her father deserted them and the only way to survive, she decided, was to take a husband over her mother's objections. Then suddenly she found herself helping a hated Viking escape. Could Kannak successfully hide a Viking in the middle of a Scottish Clan? And why was someone plotting to kill the clan's beloved laird?

Did Kristy really shoot a cab driver, and why does Laura have a portrait of Danny, Gail's high school boyfriend, on her living room wall? Three friends meet again after being out of touch for nearly sixty years, and the truth about Danny finally comes out.