about_ST_bannerDear Reader:

As an author I am often asked about where I get my inspiration for certain books and characters. The answer is simple. Anywhere and everywhere. My inspiration for writing the Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars series came from a quick annotation in a history reference book that described a band of knights united under Robert the Bruce who were sent on a mission after the king’s death to return his heart to the Holy Land. That brief little reference got me thinking, and I had to know more. Why would a king of Scotland want to send his heart on to the Holy Land? Who were the men he entrusted to see his wish fulfilled? It was these questions, and their answers that piqued my imagination and sparked the creation of the Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars series.

I hope you enjoy reading about the knights of the Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars and the women who guide them through their journeys. I’ll take you to exotic locations in the Holy Land as well as the heathered hills of Scotland. There will be danger and lots of adventure as the characters find their way to true love.

My very best to you,

Gerri Russell

 

Men of the Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars

They were four men and one woman filled with bravery and honor who would not let their failure at the battle of Teba stop them from protecting the people they loved, supporting a country in need, and guarding some of history’s greatest secret treasures.

Sir William Keith (To Tempt a Knight)

Known as the Guardian. His prowess with a sword and his concern for his men make him a natural leader and the one Templar who can bring order back to the Brotherhood after disaster befalls them.

In To Tempt a Knight, William and Siobhan must keep the Spear of Destiny from falling into enemy hands.

Sir Alan Cathcart (Seducing the Knight)

Known as the Falcon. He put a painful past behind him to become the warrior he is today. No one and nothing can stop him from performing his duty or keep him from fulfilling a promise he made to his king.

In Seducing the Knight, Alan and Jessamine join forces to find the Ark of the Covenant and then protect the artifact from those who would use it to destroy the world.

Sir Simon Lockhart (A Knight to Desire)

Known as Stinger. Fearless and forthright, he is desperate to rid his homeland of her greatest enemy while guarding the priceless artifacts the Templars have spent years collecting and hiding for the safety of the world.

Simon and Brianna must put their differences aside in A Knight to Desire in order to wrest the Holy Grail and the famous sword Joyeuse from the hands of an enemy set on destroying all the Templars.

Mistress Brianna Sinclair (A Knight to Desire)

Known as Shadow Walker. Destined to be the seer for the Brotherhood instead of the warrior she tried to become. However, she is far from resigned to her fate to sit by and watch others right the wrongs her visions reveal.

Lucius Carr, Earl of Carrick (Border Lord’s Bride)

Known as the Raven. Broken and defeated by his failures, Lucius leaves the Brotherhood but soon learns that the Templar ways are as much a part of him as his desire to protect those he loves.

 

FAQs About the Scottish Templars

What’s the story behind the heart of Robert the Bruce?

Robert the Bruce had always wanted to go on Crusade to the Holy Land, but the constant political strife in Scotland forced him to keep close to Scottish shores. Robert the Bruce asked his close friend, Lord James Douglas, to cut his heart from his body upon his death and take it to the Holy Land, making the pilgrimage the king was unable to undertake in his lifetime. Their mission was to place the king’s heart in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Who were the knights that made up the Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars?

The Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars is a fictitious name for a group of men who truly existed in medieval Scottish history. The hero of To Tempt a Knight, Sir William Keith, was one of ten knights selected by James “Black” Douglas to take the king’s embalmed heart to the Holy Land. In Seducing the Knight you’ll meet a second knight, Sir Alan Cathcart, who also survived the tragedy that befell these brave men on their journey. And finally, in A Knight to Desire, you’ll meet not only Simon Lockhart but the one female knight in the Brotherhood, Brianna Sinclair.

As an added bonus, you’ll also get to meet one of the secondary characters from the series in a Christmas anthology called Border Lord’s Bride. Lucius Carr must breaks away from the Brotherhood of Scottish Templars to assume his family’s earldom in The Betrothal.

What happened on their journey to the Holy Land?

In the spring of 1330, the Bruce’s inner circle of knights, supported by twenty-six squires and a retinue of men, set off on a Crusade from Scotland for Jerusalem, fighting the infidel along the way. James Douglas wore the heart of the king in a specially designed cylindrical vessel about his neck, using it as a talisman as he and his men made their way through enemy territory.

On the morning of August 25th, 1330, the Scottish knights joined King Alfonso of Castile in a battle that was intended to crush the Kingdom of Granada, which was held by the Moors at that time. A false battle cry sent the Scottish knights into battle before they had adequate reinforcements. They were outnumbered a hundred to one. And even with the heart of the king on their side, they were doomed to failure. The knights were crushed by the Moors, and their mission failed. Five of the ten knights died, along with hundreds of foot soldiers.

When I read about the devastation Robert the Bruce’s knights suffered, I knew I had to write the stories of how these knights survived, and how they put their lives back together after such a painful experience.

Back to top of page