Below the Salt

Lady Raven Blake has trained alongside her twin brother, Rook, for years. She is intrigued with weapons and skilled at wielding a sword. Raven likes excitement in her life, but her father wants her to start acting like a lady. To her horror, he's planned a tournament, and whichever nobleman wins will receive her hand in marriage as the prize. Infuriated, Raven comes up with an idea to ruin this plan and stay single. Now, all she needs is the help of the armorer who her father has foolishly assigned as her bodyguard, trying to keep her out of trouble.

Sir Rook Blake has seen his twin sister fall in love with someone from below the salt and swears he will never make that mistake. As the eldest son of Lord Corbett Blake, Rook is betrothed to a lady he's never met and expected to produce noble heirs. To his dismay, his betrothed has a reputation for being demanding, snobby, and hard to please.

Lady Lark is the daughter of the well-known Scottish chieftain, Storm MacKeefe. Needing time away from her clan, she goes to Blake Castle in England to be with her cousins and to clear her head. Lark is unwed but has a four-year-old daughter, Florie. A foolish act has tarnished her reputation and she is hoping to start anew.

Lady Eleanor Blackmore was at one time betrothed to Connor Wyland, son of a baron. Then life changed horribly when Connor's father took the job of hangman, sealing his family's fate and ending her future with Connor. Not wanting anyone but Connor, Eleanor takes a job at a nunnery caring for orphans and helping to find them homes. As fate has it, Eleanor, though forbidden to ever see him again, seeks out Connor one day, ending up at the hangman's doorstep with a request that will change everything.

On his return trip from the borderlands, Lord Robin Blake sees bandits attacking a young woman in the snow. He comes to her aid and fights off the ruffians, but not before he is wounded. To make matters worse, he is thrown from his horse and breaks through the ice. From underwater, he sees the silhouette of an angel in a flurry of snow. It is the woman he's helped, now coming to assist him. She tells him her name is Sage and takes him to a nearby monastery where she works as a healer. Her expertise at healing doesn't go unnoticed, but Robin also sees something else.

Is a forbidden attraction strong enough to ride out the storm? The English Lord: Lord Gar Blackmore is the eldest of the cousins and still not married. As a child he was raised by pirates and even though he sails ships for the king, he is aware of the whispers that go on behind his back. Getting the chance to sail the ship of his dreams, he eagerly accepts the job of captaining an overseas merchant trade ship. At first, Gar doesn't know that the owner of the ship has passed away and that his business is being run by his attractive but bossy widow. Worse yet, the woman plans to sail with him!

Innkeeper, David Stone's worries are abundant and his troubles many. When an entourage of nobles enters his establishment one stormy night, his life turns upside down. His tavern is suddenly overcrowded and he is short on help. Now, a pregnant noblewoman is giving birth on his bed! One of the nobles, Lady Martine, takes his interest, fainting in his arms after she helps his mother deliver a baby. Being so close and even touching a noblewoman is something that doesn't usually happen to a commoner like David.

The Thief-taker: Hunter Chase, wants nothing more than to rid himself of the demons in his head regarding his dark and difficult past. Now, as guardian of his unruly thirteen-year-old nephew, he finds his problems quickly mounting. He's never been a father and doesn't know how to keep the boy from going down the wrong path like he did. What he needs is a woman's guiding touch. Unfortunately, the type of women he meets through his line of work are anything but a good example.

For four years Maggie Whitlock has been on the run with her brother and young daughter, moving from town to town and never staying in one place long. After her midwife mother was blamed for the death of a noblewoman and her baby, she was executed. Now those same nobles are coming for Maggie! Maggie acts as mother, provider and protector to her brother and daughter, but beneath her tough exterior she is laden with guilt. She can't help but think she is to blame for the loss of her mother, since she birthed her own baby that night and took her mother's attention away from the noble.