***Warning: This title and my review are not fit for children.***
This is pure, no-holds barred, romantic fantasy at its most basic and primitive level. This entire series is one of those guilty pleasures for me, because if you try to think about it with logic, it falls apart. But if you just let go of your disbelief and your inhibitions…wow!
Our hero is a 16th century Scotsman, every inch of tall, dark, and handsome. He’s got a manly Scottish accent, a dark possessive streak, an intimidating sense of power (physical and magical), and raw, primitive sexual energy. He’s been asleep for five centuries, but now he’s loose on the world, and on Gwen’s heart.
Gwen is short, bookish, idealistic, and innocent. She’s attractive, but it’s clear this book is written for women. Gwen is our identifiable heroine, the woman who shouldn’t be able to get the man every woman drools over, but does.
There’s a certain energy in Moning’s writing that is difficult to describe unless you read it. It’s the energy that really makes the difference between a thrilling book and one that falls flat. There’s magic, there are twists and turns, and a few really well-done moments, but mostly, there’s just this pervasive energy.
Rating: 4/5
Title: Kiss of the Highlander
Author: Karen Marie Moning
ISBN: 044023655X
Published: September 4, 2001