Kiss of the Highlander (The Highlander Series, Book 4)

Seriously, this was a fast paced sexy, romantic, and funny read. The characters were great, and if I could find a way to time travel back to find a brawny, sexy highlander of my own I'd pack my bags now!!!Gwen is ready for a change. She's still a virgin, on a tour of Scotland with a group of retired old people, and not a strong handsome "cherry picker" in sight. Ok so she goes on a hike and falls in on one. What she is not aware of is the fact that her highlander has been sleeping for over 500 years and is not prepared for present day anything! But that doesn't stop him from driving Gwen insane with his funny talk, and kissing her senseless!Drustan MacKeltar has been taking a long rest (500 years worth of long) and is thrilled when he awakens to having a wee lass sitting directly over his groin looking at his sock???? Whatis a sock? Really he has more important things to do like getting back to his own century then kissing his wee lass senseless, or trying to figure out what she is saying. She certainly is not speaking any English that he's ever heard!Together they get Drustan back to his home or where his home should be only to find out it didn't survive, and now they have to go back in time. Problem is Gwen still thinks her cherry picker is insane (time travel... oh yeah, right all the time!)so she dumbfounded when she arrives naked, no longer a virgin (I'm not going to give that part away) and wet in Scotland 500 years earlier. Problem is the new Drustan does not know who Gwen is and has serious doubts about her sanity. One thing he can't get over is how much he wants to kiss her!Of course there is more to the book then this. I've just given you a small taste. Trust me you won't be able to put this one down. Laughs aplenty and steamy hot chemistry and romance. Ms. Moning has become an author I'll pick up simply because her name is on the book!

The writer gives us a different twist on the Sleeping Beauty story, with the virginal though nicotine impaired heroine from our times actually falling through a rabbit hole into a real Adventure in Wonderland. Events conspire to span centuries of time for the gigantic and wickedly handsome god in a kilt to meet the beautifully petite, smart, lonely and misunderstood Gwen. Misunderstandings abound as the duo determine how to fix the future and the past, and the chemistry actually jumps off the pages as the pressure builds. Lusty (to say the very LEAST) but also cleverly written, excellent characterization and a wonderful sense of setting all come together for an excellent escape from reality. My only disappointment? The rather ginghamy looking "plaid" on the cover - obviously the cover art was not as well researched as the book.

This is a not-to-be-missed book by Karen Moning who has, in the past, written time travel books that just don't have the sparkle of Kiss of the Highlander. In fact, I almost passed this one by based on the three previous books of hers I read. This is the 21st Century's answer to A Knight in Shining Armor and will satisfy all of us who have longed for a time travel story to match KISA. Both Gwen and Druston are strong as leading characters. Neither overwhelms the other, though Druston tries to overwhelm Gwen on practically every page and their dialogue simply sparkles. There's enough humor and heartache to satisfy every reader. The setting is very romantic and the time travel and "magical/mystical" elements adds to the intensity of the love story. The ending was surprising as I was expecting an ending similar to a Knight in Shining Armor; this was so much better! If I could think of one negative thing to say about this book, I would. But I just can't!

My husband picked this book up for me while I was sick. I normally hate time travel romances, but because I was so bored from being sick for a week and my husband bought it for me I read it. I started the book and couldn't put it down. I read it straight through from beginning to end, the story captured me that well. Now I can't wait for "Dark Highlander" to come out so that I can read the continuation of Drustan & Gwen MacKeltar's story. Along with hopefully some more information on Drustan's twin, Dageus. Unfortunately it does not come out until fall of 2002, but I will still be able to enjoy Karen Marie Moning's work as my husband made me buy her other three books for my birthday. I will never ignore the delights that can be found in time travel romances again.

Karen Marie Moning wrote a great book that is magical, humorous, sensual, and romantic to boot."Kiss of the Highlander." Generally I am not a fan of either Time Travel books or of books about the Highlands but I couldn't find anything else that looked interesting and thought `what the hey, I'll take a chance', and I wasn't disappointed.Gwen Cassidy and Drustan MacKeltar are both engaging and vulnerable without being whiney or arrogant. And Ms. Moning found a great way to inject tension into the plot, the whole time travel -- do we believe each other thing -- without having to make either of her main characters behave as jerks. When one or the other is suspicious of the other character it is for good reason rather than some terminal character flaw like extreme jealousy, insecurity or just plain stupidity. It was a great book that I devoured in one sitting and I look forward to reading all of her "Highland" books in the near future.