Historical Romance
Historical romance is a genre that re-creates past eras with romantic connections forged within accurate settings, cultures, and social norms while weaving in original characters and storylines. The kind of historical romance Ben Wolfe develops, seen in Heart of the Highlands and the larger generational historical romance series, places romance and family legacy at the center of conflict. Heart of the Highlands focuses on the Stewart Era of 15th–16th century Scotland, using clan rivalries, contested lands, and shifting loyalties as both backdrop and driver of character arcs. Battles, political intrigue, and questions of inheritance create stakes, while love stories carry the emotional weight across generations. This approach balances meticulous attention to period detail with sweeping narrative scope, aiming to show how personal relationships both shape and are shaped by the forces of history.
Heart of the Highlands by Ben Wolfe
Emma Mackenzie knows how to survive fire and loss. Her family is gone, her village ash, and she is hauled into the stone hold of an English lord she loathes. William Devereux wears the scars of foreign wars, an illegitimate heir thrust into a fragile claim on hostile land. Someone is dressing English cruelty in a Scotsman’s face and sending death into the glens.
By torchlight and tide, Emma stitches wounds and secrets. William prowls ruined lanes and listens for the quiet traitor inside his own circle. Men on horseback thunder along the coast, clans gather under woolen banners, and a single cruel plot threatens to burn everything to the sea. Love grows in the narrow space between duty and revenge, tested in blood and bargaining before a crown.
The story has clifftop spectacle, intimate close-ups of two stubborn hearts learning to trust, and a villain whose capture will change the map of loyalties. Heart of the Highlands is rage, hope, and reluctant mercy. It's a reckoning that brings together two families that were once enemies, but lays the foundation for a dynasty that will impact generations.
STATUS: Work-In-Progress (WIP) with outline and rough draft completed - 1st in a generational historical romance series of 5-6 planned stories that tell the story of the Mackenzie and Devereaux families throughout the generations.
ESTIMATED WORD COUNT: 120,000 words.
1st three chapters completed by the end of 2025, with queries going out early in 2026 to literary agents on Query Tracker. Completion of the manuscript is anticipated later in 2026, with direct queries to publishers in late 2026, dependent upon interest from agents.
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