Bride Quest Books

"I will wed only my one true love!" declared Princess Brianna despite King Henry's decree that she marry one of the sons of the man who had conquered her family's castle.  So Brianna issued a seemingly impossible challenge: He who returned with a gift that made her laugh would win her hand.  And thus began the bride quest of the three brothers Fitzgavin. . . . Burke and Rowan, knights both, set out at her command.  Only Luc remained, refusing to indulge the whims of the glorious Irish princess.  Even Brianna's legendary beauty could not tempt him--until she invaded his senses .  .  .  and his soul.  But Luc thought a princess had no place in the life of a battle-weary warrior who vowed to lay down his sword forever--until he was forced to take up arms to protect the fair maiden who had seized his heart by divine right.

A proud maiden, she vowed never to love again... until he rode back into her life. "I come in search of a bride." Once upon a time, the legendary knight, Burke Fitzgavin, galloped into Kiltorren Castle and fell in love with Alys, the lord's orphaned niece.  But her uncle was determined that Burke marry one of his homely daughters instead.  Through tricks and lies, Burke was sent away, believing that Alys wanted nothing of his heart. Pledged to a Bride Quest, Burke has vowed not to return home until he finds his long-lost love.  He returns to Kiltorren to discover that the fiery young innocent has become a woman, a servant on her uncle's estate.  Paying penance for Burke's long-ago embrace, she wants nothing to do with him.  Burke knows he must earn her trust again.  Even as he slowly rekindles her desire, Alys's family attempts to thwart their romance--determined that Alys should not marry before her cousins do.  But Burke is a warrior and this battle to win the hand and the heart of his one true love will be his greatest challenge ever. . . . Watch for The Heiress , the crowning novel in the sumptuous Bride Quest trilogy of the three brothers Fitzgavin, which began with The Princess .

"When you open a book by Claire Delacroix, you open a treasure chest of words, rare and exquisite!" -- Rendezvous "I seek a bride, the wealthiest heiress in Ireland." No woman can resist the charms of Rowan de Montvieux. But the dashing rogue is in no hurry to marry--until his family dares him to find a bride . . . or risk losing his inheritance. So Rowan sets out on a Bride Quest, vowing to wed only . . . The Heiress . But his journey is interrupted when a slave merchant offers to sell him a ragged peasant girl who carries herself like a queen. Intrigued and never imagining she is the sought-after Bronwyn of Ballyroyal, an heiress in disguise, Rowan buys her, offering her his protection if she will lead him to the bride he seeks. Never has he met a woman so proud, so beautiful, so defiant. He suspects she is no commoner and vows to uncover her secrets and melt her fiery resolve. But the perilous voyage to Ireland kindles passions that risk both their lives, as the slave girl who would not be mastered slowly takes possession of his wary heart. . . . Don't miss the first two novels in the breathtaking Bride Quest trilogy: The Princess and The Damsel , both available from Dell.

Be Mine for  a year  and  a day  and  I will possess your heart forevermore! Driven from her late husband's estate, Countess Eglantine de Crevy fled to wildest Scotland to claim a castle, only to find a ruin--and a clan chieftain standing guard. Kinbeath was hers, she declared, vowing to rebuild the manor and launch a bride quest so her daughters could marry for love. But Duncan MacLaren had devised a bride quest of his own, swearing to win the land--and the fiery countess--in a war of sweet seduction.... Eglantine declared she would never be captured by this barbarian. Yet Duncan awakened passions she had never known before. She promised to fight him with every weapon at her command even as he vowed to woo her for a year and a day--and make her his pagan bride. Each thought Kinbeath the prize they most desired, a prize to be won at any price. Until passion turned to love, and the chieftain found himself fighting for the heart and hand of the woman he was born to possess.

"I was born a woman. There are but two courses for my life -- marriage or the convent. I have chosen." Certain that she will never wed for love, sworn to let no man possess her for her beauty alone, Jacqueline de Crevy has vowed to become a bride of God. But en route to the convent of Inveresbeinn, her party is ambushed by a knight, who snatches Jacqueline from her saddle and spirits her away with him. He is Angus MacGillivray -- not the blackhearted ravisher she fears but a valiant man of honor who has returned to Scotland seeking justice ... and revenge. Angus has come home from the Crusades to find his family murdered and his birthright seized. Sworn to reclaim his rightful lands, he has kidnapped the stepdaughter of Duncan, chieftain of Clan MacQuarrie -- Angus's avowed enemy. But his lovely captive refuses to be the chattel -- or ransom -- of any man ... until Jacqueline senses the yearning heart beneath Angus's embittered facade. In spite of himself, Angus has let this defiant beauty touch his very soul. And as desire flames between them, a lady fair and her battle-scarred knight will fight for a love that could banish all the sorrows of the past....

The crusader feared nothing — until he met... The Temptress “I will not wed a man who thinks to own me.” Furthermore, Esmeraude of Ceinn-beithe declares that she alone will name the winner of her heart. To the knights gallant who ride from afar to do her bidding, she issues a challenge: a riddle that is both quest and test. And then she flees, daring her suitors to follow. Thus begins the Bride Quest of Bayard of Villonne, to compete for the hand of a woman he has never seen.... Newly returned from the Crusades, Bayard has warned his family of a pending attack upon their estate. When they pay no heed to his message, he swears to protect the family holding himself ... even if its price is a marriage of convenience. It seems a simple matter to win the hand of a rural maid in a barbarian contest — until the chase begins. Esmeraude’s challenge makes her far more intriguing than Bayard has dared to hope. But when he follows her across the waters and rescues a tattered, ravishing damsel in disguise, he knows he has found her. Recklessly, she offers herself to the handsome stranger. But not even a passion that touches both their souls can win her hand. For Esmeraude will settle for nothing less than total surrender of the crusader’s worn and wary heart ... a treasure Bayard is determined to keep shielded forever.

Six years after the end of The Temptress , the family have all been invited to Airdfinnan to celebrate Easter, as well as the knighting of Jacqueline and Angus' oldest son Fergus. There's also a betrothal planned between their oldest daughter, Annelise, and Rowan's son, Nicholas. An arranged marriage between the pair might make sense, but more than one person in attendance is keeping quiet about their doubts. The mysterious vine that bloomed during Bayard's courtship of Esmeraude is growing again, though, seemingly determined to ensure that the path of true love succeeds. Will Nicholas make a love match instead of an arranged marriage? This novella and epilogue to the Bride Quest II is available in ebook on its own, and is included in the new mass market paperback and hard cover editions of The Temptress .

Five years after the end of The Heiress , the brothers Fitzgavin gather at Castle Tullymullagh with their wives and families to celebrate the Yule, and a gentle ghost seizes the opportunity to add to the good fortune of all. This short story and epilogue to the Bride Quest I is available in ebook on its own, and is included in the new mass market paperback and hard cover editions of The Heiress . Although it actually occurs after events in The Countess , you don’t have to read Eglantine and Duncan’s story before this one.