The Striker

Praise for MONICA McCARTY and her
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling Highland Guard series!

“Against a richly historical and violent backdrop, McCarty deftly weaves a surprisingly moving love story that demands a skillful writer's touch. Her exquisite prose makes this a book readers will treasure.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“The characters leap off the pages and into your heart. With a stunning plot that has enough twists and turns in all the right places, McCarty has created yet another captivating story that is sure to please!”

—
Fresh Fiction

“Passion and politics abound in this exceptionally well-researched romance that skillfully interweaves fiction with history and sheds new light on a particularly fascinating and violent time.”

—Library Journal

“Readers who deplore ‘wallpaper historicals' will appreciate not only the romance but McCarty's efforts to go beyond the superficialities of historical Scotland.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Spectacularly entertaining. . . . McCarty is a master of blending fact and fiction.”

—
Romance Junkies

“One of those amazing books that captures your attention right from the get-go. . . . McCarty has written a tale fit for a king.”

—
Coffee Time Romance

“Thoroughly enjoyable. . . . Cleverly interwoven plot twists . . . kept me on my toes!”

—
The Romance Reviews

To Annelise, for your faith, trust, and pixie dust!

W
HEN THE OPPORTUNITY
came around to work with Lauren McKenna, an editor I have long admired from afar, I knew I couldn't pass it up. Still, change is never easy. Or at least that's what I thought. But, apparently, the folks at Pocket Books aren't in on that little truism. An enormous thanks to everyone at Pocket for making a mid-series transition to a new publisher unbelievably smooth, seamless, and yes . . . easy!

First and foremost, to Lauren—I am so excited to be working with you after years of hearing so many great things from mutual friends (which I'm happy to say are all true!). There is always a lot of anxiety in changing editors, but your insightful, spot-on comments immediately alleviated that stress. Here's to this being the first of many books to come!

A special thanks also to Elana Cohen for making sure that no beats were missed and for helping me to navigate through the new system. Your quick responses, great communication, and always friendly attitude have made the business part of the job a pleasure. I can't wait to meet you in person!

Thanks also to the art department for the fabulous Scottish eye candy—uh, I mean covers—and the production team (with a shout-out to production editor Nancy Tonik and copy editor Faren Bachelis) for getting this book ready for prime time and making sure no one finds out I can't spell.

And finally, last but not least, to the best-supporting crew in the business: Dave, Reid, and Maxine. I love you guys (most of the time).

T
OR
“C
HIEF
” M
AC
L
EOD
:
Team Leader and Expert Swordsman

E
RIK
“H
AWK
” M
AC
S
ORLEY
:
Seafarer and Swimmer

L
ACHLAN
“V
IPER
” M
AC
R
UAIRI
:
Stealth, Infiltration, and Extraction

A
RTHUR
“R
ANGER
” C
AMPBELL
:
Scouting and Reconnaissance

G
REGOR
“A
RROW
” M
AC
G
REGOR
:
Marksman and Archer

M
AGNUS
“S
AINT
” M
AC
K
AY
:
Survivalist and Weapon Forging

K
ENNETH
“I
CE
” S
UTHERLAND
:
Explosives and Versatility

E
OIN
“S
TRIKER
” M
AC
L
EAN
:
Strategist in “Pirate” Warfare

E
WEN
“H
UNTER
” L
AMONT
:
Tracker and Hunter of Men

R
OBERT
“R
AIDER
” B
OYD
:
Physical Strength and Hand-to-Hand Combat

ALSO:

H
ELEN
“A
NGEL
” M
AC
K
AY
(
NÉE
S
UTHERLAND
):
Healer

T
HE TWELVE BOOKS
of the Highland Guard series span the nine-year period from 1305 when William Wallace is killed to the Scot victory at the seminal battle of Bannockburn in 1314. One of the difficulties in writing a long series like this is that inevitably some stories will overlap in time.
The Striker
is one of those. The book opens in 1313, but quickly goes back to those days in the immediate aftermath of Wallace's death before Bruce makes his bid for the crown, giving new readers a chance to see what he went through, and previous readers a chance to fill in some of the gaps. As
The Viper
told the story of what happened to the women when Bruce was forced to flee,
The Striker
deals with what happened to the second prong of the attack in
The Hawk
.