The Mercenary’s Bride is a Christmas novella and my contribution to The Nutcracker Reimagined, a 2017 multi-author anthology for Christmas. It’s also the first story in the Brides of Inverfyre series.

It’s the story of Mhairi, daughter of the Hawk of Inverfyre and his wife Aileen. (The family tree for Ravensmuir and Inverfyre is a free download in my online store, right here.) Mhairi is the middle child of five and the second daughter. She’s a crack shot with a crossbow and a bit of a tomboy, and she’s unafraid to defy her father. Her interest was why the mercenary Quentin was dismissed from Inverfyre, but when he returns, bitter and wounded, Mhairi is the only one who can see his merit. Can her love heal him? I think you can guess, but I hope you’ll join me for their adventure.

The Mercenary’s Bride will be available in a digital edition on its own in 2018. I’m excited to have the cover done already and wanted to show it off to you. Since this story is a novella, there won’t be a print edition of it – it’ll be tucked into the print edition of book #2 in the Brides of Inverfyre series instead.

What do you think of the cover? The couple are exactly perfect for Mhairi and Quentin.