Tag: Highlander

Review: The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

Posted January 8, 2013 by Holly in Reviews | 5 Comments

Review: The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie MoningReviewer: Holly
The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #5
Also in this series: Spell of the Highlander

Publication Date: October 1st 2002
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Journey to a world of ancient magic, breathtaking sensuality, thrilling time-travel.... Journey to the world of The Dark Highlander. Crisscrossing the continents and the centuries, here is a novel as gripping as it is sensual—an electrifying adventure that will leave you breathless....
I am Dageus MacKeltar, a man with one good conscience and thirteen bad ones, driven to sate my darkest desires…
From his penthouse lair high above Manhattan, Dageus looks out over a glittering city that calls to the darkness within him. A sixteenth-century Scot trapped between worlds, he is fighting a losing battle with the thirteen Druids who possess his soul, dooming him to an eternity of sexual pursuit. When Chloe Zanders, student of antiquities, is drawn into his world, she finds the insatiable alpha male an irresistible lure.Before long, she is caught up in an ancient prophecy that will sweep her back into time to medieval Scotland. Plunged into a world of timeless magic and dark seduction, she will soon face the challenge of a lifetime: fighting thirteen evil spirits for the heart of one irresistible man....
From the Paperback edition.

I remember loving The Dark Highlander back in the day. Dageus was my favorite character of the series. Rowena and I used to fight over him all the time. It’s been many years since I read this and I’m sorry to say I didn’t love it as much this time around.

Dageus MacKeltar is filled with the spirits of 13 powerful and evil Druids. He used his power for his own purposes when he went back in time to save his twin brother, and the Druids are the consequences. He’s barely holding on to his sanity and his humanity. His hope is to find a cure in some old texts. Unfortunately  he hasn’t been able to acquire all the texts legally.

Chloe is charged with bringing him some texts he’s borrowing from the museum she works at, and finds the ones he stole. He ends up kidnapping her and holding her hostage while he finished his work in New York. After, she agrees to stay with him to help him find the cure he needs.

The story here is well done and kept me interested. I couldn’t wait to see how Dageus would be saved ( I’d forgotten the details) and I loved the parts from his POV. Especially his interactions with his family.

What didn’t work for me this time around was Chloe. She acted like a brainless twit for most of the book. She constantly put herself in danger, rarely thought before she acted and was, in general, a total peahen. I don’t remember hating her this much before, but I admit when I thought about this book at all it was Dageus that came to mind, so I guess that says something.

I’m sad that my fond memories are somewhat marred by the heroine, but I’m glad to know Dageus is still worth reading about.

3.5 out of 5

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

three-half-stars


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Updated: Author Spotlight Giveaway: The Immortal Highlander – *Autographed*

Posted February 3, 2010 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 25 Comments

Updated: Author Spotlight Giveaway: The Immortal Highlander – *Autographed*Reviewer: Holly
The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #6
Also in this series: Spell of the Highlander, The Dark Highlander

Publication Date: August 3rd 2004
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Enter a world of timeless seduction, of ancient intrigue and modern-day passion. Enter the dazzling world of Karen Marie Moning, whose acclaimed Highlander novels have captivated readers, spanning the continents and the centuries, bringing ancient Scotland vividly to life. In a new novel brimming with time-travel adventure and sensual heat, the nationally bestselling author of The Dark Highlander delivers a love story that will hold you in thrall—and a hero you will most certainly never forget.
BEWARE: lethally seductive alpha male of immense strength and dark eroticism, do not look at him. Do not touch him. Do not be tempted. Do not be seduced.
With his long, black hair and dark, mesmerizing eyes, Adam Black is Trouble with a capital T. Immortal, arrogant, and intensely sensual, he is the consummate seducer, free to roam across time and continents in pursuit of his insatiable desires. That is, until a curse strips him of his immortality and makes him invisible, a cruel fate for so irresistible a man. With his very life at stake, Adam’s only hope for survival is in the hands of the one woman who can actually see him.
Enter law student Gabrielle O’Callaghan, who is cursed with the ability to see both worlds: Mortal and Faery. From the moment she lays eyes on this stunning male, Gabby is certain of one thing: He could be her undoing. Thus begins a long, dangerous seduction. Because despite his powerful strength and unquenchable hungers, Adam refuses to take a woman by force. Instead, he will tease his way into Gabby’s bed and make her want him just as he wants her.
Now, no matter how hard Gabby tries to avoid him, Adam is everywhere, invisible to all but her—perched atop her office cubicle in too-tight jeans, whispering softly from behind the stacks of the law library, stealing her breath away with his knowing smile…all the while tempting her with the promise of unimaginable pleasure in his arms. But soon danger will intrude on this sensual dance. For as Adam’s quest to regain his immortality plunges them into a world of timeless magic and the deadly politics of the Faery queen’s court, the price of surrender could be their very lives. Unless they can thwart the conspiracy that threatens both mortal and Faery realms…and give them a shot at a destiny few mortals ever know: glorious, wondrous, endless love.
From the Hardcover edition.

 

“Are you falling for me, Irish?”

– Adam Black

Karen Marie Moning‘s books are riddled with amazing quotes. One liners and short zingers and emotional bombs that go on for paragraphs. If I had the time, I could spend hours and hours finding all of my favorites and listing them.

Since I don’t have hours and hours, I’m going to do the next best thing…ask all of you to share your favorite quotes instead. This way I’ll have them all in one place, but won’t actually have to spend the time finding them all. Brilliant, no?

Thanks to the lovely and generous Karen Marie Moning, I also happen to have a signed copy of The Immortal Highlander just waiting for a home. So how about a reward for all your hard work?

Leave your favorite quote in the comments of this post – or email it to contests @ thebookinge . com (no spaces), with KMM Quote in the subject line – and you’ll be entered to win an autographed hardcover copy of The Immortal Highlander.

ETA: If you’ve never read Karen Marie Moning before and therefore don’t have a favorite quote, leave a comment telling us what book you’re most looking forward to reading and why instead for a chance to win.

You have until Saturday, February 6th at 11:59 p.m. to enter. Come on, show me what you’ve got…

The entire time I’m burning in Hell, I’ll regret each tear I made you weep. But if Hell were the price for twenty days with you, I’d condemn myself again and again.

– Cian MacKeltar

*contest is open to all readers worldwide.

four-half-stars


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Review: The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning.

Posted January 14, 2010 by Rowena in Features, Reviews | 4 Comments


Rowena’s review of The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning.

Journey to a world of ancient magic, breathtaking sensuality, thrilling time-travel…. Journey to the world of The Dark Highlander. Crisscrossing the continents and the centuries, here is a novel as gripping as it is sensual–an electrifying adventure that will leave you breathless….

This book never fails to get me each and every single time. I am a die hard Dageus fan and he never ceases to get my reading juices flowing. He’s such a compelling hero, one who cares about his loved ones and one of the most honorable heroes I’ve read before.

This is the 5th Highlander book by Karen Marie Moning and one of the reasons why I’m pissed to high heaven that KMM won’t be writing any Highlander books in the near future. It was these books that I absolutely adored and crave for more of and we’re not getting any. *sigh* This book follows Drustan (from Kiss of the Highlander)’s twin brother, Dageus where he’s hidden himself…in modern day Manhattan.

The MacKeltars are a clan of Druids who can jump through time but they’re not allowed to do so for personal gain. That all came to a head when Dageus did the dang thing to save his brother. Now that he broke the promise by going back in time, 13 evil spirits have taken residence inside him and every day that he is alive, they are swaying him to the evil side. Always there. Always tempting.

But Dageus is hard at work trying to research ways to break the curse he’s been placed on. Trying to save himself before he turns completely evil. He’s researching old tomes from different museums and stealing the ones that he can’t barter for and it is while he’s bartering that he meets his heroine, Chloe.

As much as I loved Dageus, I can’t say the same about Chloe. I mean, Dageus was this over the top fantastic guy (very alpha and very yummy) and then you’ve got him paired up with bookish nerd girl, Chloe. I usually get a sense that two people are right for each other when reading these kinds of books but I didn’t really get that while reading about these two. With other stories the characters have fantastic chemistry but I just didn’t see it or feel it with Dageus and Chloe. Before, I never paid much attention to it because all of my focus and attention was on Dageus but this time around, I found Chloe lacking in a heroine. Not because she was this horrible, get on my nerves kind of heroine but because there wasn’t much to remember about her. She isn’t a memorable character. Nothing like Dageus.

Overall, this book was great. It was a great read and Dageus is to thank in huge part to that. Him and the rest of the MacKeltars. They are such a compelling family that you can’t help but want more and I loved, loved, loved the mentions and beginnings to Cian’s story. Yum. This book is one of those books that you’ll want to reread every chance you can and when you forget to read this book for some time, when you finally do you’ll want to kick yourself in the butt for not having re-read this sooner. It’s one of those books that will be on your list to re-read for Nath’s Re-Read Challenge every year. Yes, it’s that good so if you haven’t read it already, fix that. Read this book but start with Kiss of the Highlander cause that book comes first.

That is all.

Grade: 4.75 out of 5.

This book is available from Dell. You can buy it here.


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Review: Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

Posted May 10, 2008 by Holly in Reviews | 7 Comments

Review: Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie MoningReviewer: Holly
Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #7
Also in this series: The Dark Highlander
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: 2005
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 307
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
Series Rating: four-stars

Powerful. Sensual. Seductive. He is all that is shamelessly erotic in a man. In her sexiest Highlander novel yet, New York Times bestselling author Karen Moning stirs up a sizzling brew of ancient mystery and modern passion as she brings together a devilishly handsome Celtic warrior trapped in time . . . and the woman who’s about to pay the ultimate price for freeing him. Age-old secrets haunt them. Deadly danger and irresistible desire shadow their every move. It’s a relationship for the ages. And all that separates them is a mere thirteen hundred years. . . .
Jessi St. James has got to get a life. Too many hours studying ancient artifacts has given the hardworking archaeology student a bad case of sex on the brain. So she figures she must be dreaming when she spies a gorgeous half-naked man staring out at her from inside the silvery glass of an ancient mirror. But when a split-second decision saves her from a terrifying attempt on her life, Jessi suddenly finds herself confronting six and a half feet of smoldering, insatiable alpha male.
Heir to the arcane magic of his Druid ancestors, eleven centuries ago Cian MacKeltar was trapped inside the Dark Glass, one of four coveted Unseelie Hallows, objects of unspeakable power. When the Dark Glass is stolen, an ancient enemy will stop at nothing to reclaim it, destroying everything in his path–including the one woman who may just hold the key to breaking the ninth-century Highlander’s dark spell. For Jessi, the muscle-bound sex god in the mirror is not only tantalizingly real, he’s offering his protection–from exactly what, Jessi doesn’t know. And all he wants in exchange is the exquisite pleasure of sharing her bed.
Yet even as Cian’s insatiable hunger begins to work its dark magic on Jessi, his ancient enemy is about to obtain the final and most dangerous of the Unseelie Hallows–and the ninth-century Highlander must stop him from getting it. Nothing less than the very fabric of the universe and two passionately entwined lives are at stake–as Cian and Jessi fight to claim the kind of love that comes along but once in an ice age. . . .

Spell of the Highlander is the 7th book in Karen Marie Moning‘s Higlander Series.

The story is at times funny, sensual and hypnotic. KMM is a master at weaving magical, mystical worlds that draw her readers in and wrap them up in her reality.

Jessi St. James is an ordinary girl, working on getting yet another degree and reaching her life goal. When she’s suddenly thrust into a very strange, very unbelievable situation – a man in a mirror? Puh-leez – she does what any sane girl would do…pretends it was all a dream and goes on about her day like nothing ever happened.

Unfortunately, she’s forced to face the reality of the situation when the six and a half foot Celtic sex GOD steps out of a mirror and commands her to “Remove that woolen, woman, and show me your breasts.” Suddenly, she finds herself at the mercy of a powerful Druid with no qualms about using whatever means necessary to get what he wants….revenge against the powerful black wizard who trapped him in the mirror to begin with.

I love this book. So far, this is my umpteenth re-read and I’ve yet to find a single flaw with it.

Cian is the perfect man. Tall, dark, handsome, very alpha and an absolute horndog. Jessi St. James is a wonderful counterpart for him, too. She’s sassy, smart and has a great sense of humor. And though she’s forced to deal with a very strange situation, she definitely makes the most of it. I thought she was a very believable heroine, not at all like so many others. I’ve heard many others complain that KMM’s heroines are TSTL, or unbelievable, or whatever, but I disagree.

The book is filled with humor, steamy sex scenes and lighthearted banter. Yet, for all that, it’s still very dramatic and tugs at all of your emotions. Or it sure did mine. Honestly? My fate was sealed the second she licked his back.

Seeing the MacKeltar twins, Dageus and Drustan, again was awesome. I love that KMM had them play such a big part in the plot. My only regret is that Adam Black was sadly missing from this story..and from the sounds of it, any future ones as well.

KMM also set this up perfectly for her next MacKeltar book. Unfortunately, I don’t think she’s planning to publish it anytime soon..if ever. Yes, I’m still bitter. No, I don’t plan on getting over it anytime soon. Just so you know.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Look, I’ve been thinking, what’s your plan, anyway?”
“To bed you.”
“No, I mean, your plan that might actually work.”
“Ah, that plan. That would be to cross this room right now and kiss you until you start rearing off your clothing and begging me to f—“

 

Her life or her “virtue.”
It bore considering that it was a virtue she’d very nearly given him of her own accord.
Granted, she’d hardly been in her right mind at the time, but still.
She got in the damn car.

 

“I will rue for all eternity every moment of suffering I’ve caused you. The entire time I’m burning in Hell, I’ll regret each tear I made you weep. But if Hell were the price for twenty days with you, I’d condemn myself again and again.”

 

He searched her gaze a long silent moment. “You truly donna ken it, do you? Excepting with you, Jessica. You, lass, are the exception to everything,” he said softly.
“You mean, you’re not just stuck with me? You like me?” She wanted to kick herself the moment she blurted the stupid question. Puh-thetic, Jessi, she winced inwardly. That was worse than the “I carried a watermelon ” line from Dirty Dancing.
Suddenly he smiled, and the sadness was vanquished by whisky heat. “Aye, Jessica, I like you. And I’m not just stuck with you. You fit me here, woman.” He thumped his chest with his fist.
Wow. He wasn’t a man of many words, but when he used them, he certainly used the right ones. You fit me here. You are the exception to everything.
Crimeny.

sigh

Overall I really enjoyed the plot, humor and characters. Highly recommend.

4.5 out of 5

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


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