Where Did The Outlander Sassenach Nickname Originate?

Finlay MacLeod, the leader of Clan MacLeod, is bound by duty to marry Ailsa MacDonnell, a woman from a rival clan, to secure peace in the Highlands. But each night, he is drawn into the arms of Moira MacEacharn, a mysterious and seductive dark priestess who has haunted him since childhood. Fin believes he is in love, unaware that Moira’s power over him is anything but natural. As Fin’s devotion to Moira threatens the fragile truce between the clans, Ailsa—a healer and practitioner of white magic—begins to suspect that he is under a powerful enchantment. Determined to save him and prevent war, she unearths the truth of an ancient curse binding Fin to the priestess. But breaking the curse proves impossible, as magic demands payment, and Moira refuses to relinquish her claim. Caught between two women and two destinies, Fin must decide whether to fight for his freedom or surrender to the dark pull of the priestess, even as his choices risk the lives of everyone he holds dear.

Raised in her father's gang, the young gypsy Emma Ferguson was persecuted all her life by the puritanical society of the 19th century, yet she never felt completely part of the Romani group. Vivacious and intelligent, the beautiful Emma only wished to find her true self and live the experiences she had been denied over the 20 years of her life, when an unsuccessful performance made her worst nightmares come true in that cursed Scottish town. Emma only survives all this with the help of the handsome British gentleman, Henry Dashwood, whom she met during the fateful performance, and when he rescues her from the roadside, she begins a new and dangerous journey. In a society where gypsy origin is considered worthy of capital punishment, Henry has decided to help Emma get back on her feet, and hatches a plan that could be the salvation or ruin of them both.

Three days ago, my vampire fiancé, Clan Lord Raven Ashford, took his aide Vera on a private overnight trip to the southern border and gave her the seat reserved for his betrothed. He expected me to make a scene. I didn’t. I had stopped fighting a month ago. A year's worth of small surrenders had finally added up to something I could no longer ignore. He handed the border treaty I had negotiated myself to Vera, thinking I would appeal to the elders. Instead, I organized the handover documents and sent them over. He dismantled the territorial affairs I had managed for years, piece by piece, to pave Vera's way forward. I said nothing. I took the blame that was mine, accepted the cold looks, and let it all pass. At the banquet, he seated Vera beside him. He nodded more at her words than at mine. He thought I had finally accepted it, thought I was afraid to lose him. Then he came to me with offers. A manor in the south. Hunting grounds in the west. The family ring that should finally go on my finger. For the first time, he initiated these things himself, speaking as though granting me rewards. I asked for nothing. The dissolution papers he had already signed were buried among the documents he approved without reading. Those papers contained two declarations: the end of our betrothal and my departure from the clan. He never noticed. He still believed I was his betrothed, still waiting. I wasn't.

What does being a powerful woman mean? This question is at the core of this book where we see every female protagonist from different circumstances go through various challenges and do their best to navigate them. Our adventure starts with Patina Garcia, an artist who falls into poverty after her grandparents pass away but encounters a surprising new destiny when she discovers a Bothy in Scotland for sale. Then we meet Rose Marley, an elderly widow whose life takes an unexpected yet drastic turn after buying a Bothy. Then there is Clarissa Gould, a woman escaping domestic abuse after a fist fight with her narcissistic ex-boyfriend that leads her to a new home in the mountains. Further on, we meet Kendrick Samuel's, a happily married expectant mother whose life is turned upside down when she finds out that her husband is a hybrid on the run. Next, we have Maria Morgan, a woman on the run after being broken out of a sanitorium that she's spent the last year in after being accused of murder. Finally, we meet Audrey Willow, an unsatisfied housewife who battles a drug, and alcohol addiction before meeting a politician who changes her life forever.

When the kingdom of Ormond is invaded, eighteen year old Princess Eithne is enslaved by the cynical conqueror, Xander of Frankia. Her innocent eyes are opened to a world of untold cruelty and depravity at the heart of which is her estranged mother, Clara Sylvain Lovell. Mourning the death of her beloved father, King Stephen, Eithne is worried about her older brother, Ephron, who has not been heard from for a while. Xander claims acquaintance with the disgraced royal heir and says he is currently in jail overseas. He swears he will try and secure his release in return for her favours. But is he to be trusted? Eithne sees another side of her sometimes brutal master when they learn that young girls are going missing all over the realm. Does this resonate with him on a far more personal level than he is letting on? And is Xander really the blackguard he seems, or will love tame the tamer?

In a world where werewolves, vampires and other magical beings live in an uneasy coexistence, Maeve Blackwell, a vampire and heir to the powerful Blackwell family mob finds herself in an unlikely relationship with the Leprechaun king, Sweeny Brockbank. Forced to leave her family, she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic ruler but their fragile peace is shattered when sea raiders invade the realm, taking Maeve and her fairy maid, Aisling as captives. When they attempt to escape, they get lost in the enchanted forest and stumble upon Buile Suibhne, a half-man, half-bird creature guarding a mysterious portal who shows Maeve how to uncover her hidden abilities but their freedom is short-lived as they are recaptured by the raiders and face the terrifying prospect of becoming a sacrificial offering to Oilliphièst, the dreaded Sea monster. Maeve tries to use her newfound abilities to send a distress signal to her tribesmen and in her darkest hour, her old lover leads a daring rescue mission but this comes at a heavy cost, which leaves her disillusioned. Haunted by the horrors she witnesses, she retreats to House Rhys and dwells among the Banshees. When visions of her father's impending death torment her, she embarks on a quest to alter fate. There, she encounters Keith Lafferty, a werewolf and heir to the throne of Larne. Their initial animosity gives way to an intense attraction as they embark on a journey to bridge the divide between the realms. They uncover a long-lost prophecy that hints at the rise of a new hybrid species, destined to bring either salvation or destruction to their world. As the stakes grow higher, they must choose between their own destinies, their duty to their families, and the possibility of a love that defies all odds.