Title: Beyond the Highland Mist
Series: Highlander, Book 1
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Time Travel Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: personal shelf
Published: March 9, 1999 by Dell
He would sell his warrior soul to possess her. . . ..An alluring laird...
He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart—until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length—but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.
A prisoner in time...
She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side. . .
Reviewed By: Laura
Why I Read This Book: I ADORE Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series set in Ireland. While not a romance, it lead me to understand the kinds of characters she writes and I fell in love. I finally decided to give her Scottish Highlander series a go because time traveling and Scotland are some awesome things. (Any Outlander fans? :D)
What I Liked: Moning’s world building is something incredible to behold. She has the ability to weave magical and fantastical elements into her settings that still make them appear authentic. Granted, places like Scotland lend themselves to magical acceptance, but the finesse with which she works is mesmerizing.
Adrienne and Hawk are fascinating to watch. Incredible representations of their own times and places, the way they face off is quite alluring. Even more fascinating is watching how they respond to the incredible circumstances they face. She is tumbled through time and yet, like a cat, she lands with fairly decent footing and is poised to continue on her way. Hawk, even with all his knowledge and connections, doesn’t rightly know how she came to be or what to do with her, but that doesn’t deter him from his work. It was nice to see that each character could be distracted by the other without being completely overwhelmed. Also, the mysteriousness of Adrienne’s circumstances in the present are quirky and unique in a “well that’s different” kind of way.
What I Didn’t Like: Virginity. Seriously. I understand that it is a fairly controversial subject, but I am not exactly a fan of virgins in my romance novels. Each person has their own experiences and beliefs on how virginity should be viewed and “shed”, but I really dislike the way it is viewed like a prize or gift. I’m usually a fan of more “knowledgeable” women simply because this stigma is removed. While this wasn’t a major plot point in any way and didn’t take up too much time in the story, it still bugged me.
Overall Impression: Beyond the Highland Mist truly was a great read! Hawk is kind of like the barbaric men of yore, but with a twist. Adrienne is not quite a damsel in need of rescuing and yet she’s not entirely capable of functioning alone in this world either. Watching this story unfold, and the magically workings behind it, was fun and distracting in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. Definitely a keeper!
Laura’s Rating:
I love this series on audio. The narrator does some of the best Scottish accents that I've heard. I listened to the entire series and really enjoyed. Great review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inside scoop! I haven't tried the audio versions yet, but you're making me want to.
ReplyDeleteAhhh I was so excited to see that you reviewed this book. My mom recommended this series to me and I have this book sitting on my shelf, but I just haven't had the time to get to it yet. I'm so happy you enjoyed it! Also, I just got the first book in her Fever series and can't wait to get to that one too. Great review :)
ReplyDelete-Jessica (Peace Love Books)
Ps. I'm totally obsessed with Outlander (the show) right now, so I think that's why I want to read this one so badly. Oh, and the book Outlander too!
I think the virginity thing was probably in this one because it is historical romance and that tends to be a theme in historical books. Not all of them but women were suppose to be pure and a virgin back then.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review!