Guest Review: Must Love Kilts by Allie Mackay

Tracy’s review of Must Love Kilts by Allie Mackay

Margo Menlove loves everything Scottish-especially the legendary warrior hero Magnus MacBride. But while exploring in the Highlands she picks up a magical stone on the shore, and awakens to the sight of MacBride himself. And the reality may be much more dangerous-and passionate-than her dreams could ever be.


Margo is working at a new age shop in Pennsylvania when she comes across an old book about myths and legends from Scotland. She opens the book and gazes upon a beautiful warrior. They seem to connect, but how is that possible when he’s in a picture in a book?! Later she has what she feels is a dream, only she’s awake in the shower, about kissing the same warrior. She wakes up more than a bit confused but she can’t get the warrior out of her head.

Margo was born loving everything about Scotland. When she wins a vacation to Scotland she’s more than thrilled. But the tour is such a whirlwind she doesn’t get to see all the charming places that she’s drawn to, and she certainly doesn’t just get to stand on a windswept cliff and enjoy the silence. She decides, one night, to get away and she sneaks from her hotel out to the beach to get a little quiet time to herself. The next thing she knows she’s on a the same beach she was on before but now it’s morning and she’s watching kilted Scottish warriors fighting Vikings!

Margo is quite surprised when the warrior from her dreams stalks up to her accusing of her of being a witch but Magnus soon simmers down and realizes that she’s just as frightened to be there as he is to see her. You see, Magnus was having the same visions of Margo as she was having of him. They’ve already got a weird bond but what does it mean and where do they go from here? Magnus is determined to kill a specific Viking and a real witch who practices black magic is out to get Magnus. Life isn’t all that easy in 13th century Scotland!

Must Love Kilts is a fun book in many ways. I always like a good time travel story and this one was good in the fact that Margo really loved the 13th century, and Scotland, so she was prepared for the cultural changes. She also realized right from the start that she had time traveled and she wasn’t confused about what was going on, which was refreshing.

Magnus and Margo had clicked from moment one when they saw each other from the pages of the book and the dream so when they saw each other they weren’t looking on a stranger. My problem with that was that I think the romance suffered for it. They were incredibly attracted to each other and had no problem in the bedroom. They felt for each other but it wasn’t explained why. Yes, it was sweet that they found each other but what about the other person was the attraction besides outside beauty? The author had shown Magnus’s inner self and thoughts to the reader which were very compelling, but Margo never saw or heard that part. I didn’t see it.

Despite the lack of romance the book seemed more romantic because of the descriptions of Scotland that the author described so well. You can really tell that the author loved the land as she made me want to pack my bags and head on out. Lol

So even with the issues I had with the romance it was still a good book filled with strapping Scottish warriors, evil curses and lots of fighting of the Vikings. Not a bad way to pass an afternoon.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Signet. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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