Sandy M’s review of Kiss of the Highlander (Highlander, Book 4) by Karen Marie Moning
Paranormal Romance published by Dell 6 May 08
During my recent reading slump, I figured the way to get over it was to read one of my all-time favorite books. Then my problem became which all-time fave should I select. A few others came to mind, but it’s Drustan and Daegus MacKeltar who won out. I read this book back when I discovered time travel romance, and both it and The Dark Highlander have remained on my best-ever list since. These twins definitely kick-started my after-slump reading for me. Their stories hold up even after all these years.
Gwen has come to Scotland for some cherry popping. Unfortunately, her plans have hit a snag – she’s been scheduled on a tour with a busload of senior citizens. Though she’s made a couple of friends while enjoying everything Scottish, she decides to hike out on her own around Loch Ness. No sign of Nessie, though. What Gwen does find is an ancient Highlander who’s been slumbering for centuries under a Gypsy spell. First believing the man is of unsound mind, she tries to get help for him but soon realizes he really is a Druid of old and needs to return to his own time.
And what’s not to love about Drustan MacKeltar? Tall, dark and handsome doesn’t even come close. He’s a Highland laird who is hoping beyond hope his family has survived over the preceding eras. When his hopes are dashed, and despite the fact he’s totally fascinated with Gwen, he must return to his time to discover why he was enchanted and make sure his family does survive, right whatever wrong happens to extinguish his line.
I love the humor interspersed throughout this story. Because he’s a Druid, Drustan doesn’t freak out when he finds himself 500 years in the future. He does, however, have a bit of panic when he’s riding in a big metal beast. The banter between him and Gwen is fun as they make their way across Scotland and must disarm him along the way. I also so love the twists and turns Ms. Moning throws in when least expected. And there are several of those that will keep you on your toes, including the ending, which is one of the best endings I’ve ever read.
The family dynamic in this book is also one of its best elements. Drustan and Daegus are very close, of course, being twins. Their father has released the reins of the lairdship to Drustan, and you hope he’ll finally see Nell, their housekeeper, is ready for some love and action. Thus, that’s where some of those twists and turns come in – Drustan and Gwen end up changing the future as they go along on their way to love and happiness.
If you decide to read this book, be sure to have The Dark Highlander at the ready. There’s a lot of questions that will be answered in that book, but it won’t bother you a bit those are left at the end of this one. Provided you’re able to crack open TDH as soon as you close KotH! I love everything about this book just as much as I did when I first read it. I know that will be the same when I decide to read it again however many years in the future.
Grade: A+
Summary:
A laird trapped between centuries…
Enchanted by a powerful spell, Highland laird Drustan MacKeltar slumbered for nearly five centuries hidden deep in a cave, until an unlikely savior awakened him. The enticing lass who dressed and spoke like no woman he’d ever known was from his distant future, where crumbled ruins were all that remained of his vanished world. Drustan knew he had to return to his own century if he was to save his people from a terrible fate. And he needed the bewitching woman by his side….A woman changed forever in his arms…
Gwen Cassidy had come to Scotland to shake up her humdrum life and, just maybe, meet a man. How could she have known that a tumble down a Highland ravine would send her plunging into an underground cavern — to land atop the most devastatingly seductive man she’d ever seen? Or that once he’d kissed her, he wouldn’t let her go?Bound to Drustan by a passion stronger than time, Gwen is swept back to sixteenth-century Scotland, where a treacherous enemy plots against them … and where a warrior with the power to change history will defy time itself for the woman he loves….
No excerpt available.
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