A Hundred Kisses

By: Jean M. Grant

Narrated by: Rosalind Ashford

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

1296. Two wedding nights. Two dead husbands.   

Deirdre MacCoinneach wishes to understand her unusual ability to sense others' lifeblood energies...and vows to discover if her gift killed the men she married. Her father's search for a new and unsuspecting suitor for Deirdre becomes complicated when rumors of witchcraft abound.  

Under the facade of a trader, Alasdair Montgomerie travels to Uist with pivotal information for a claimant seeking the Scottish throne. A ruthless baron hunts him, and a dark past haunts him, leaving little room for alliances with a Highland laird or his tempting daughter.  

Awestruck when she realizes her unlikely travel companion is the man from her visions, a man whose thickly veiled emotions are buried beneath his burning lifeblood, Deirdre wonders if he, too, will die in her bed if she follows her father's orders. 

Amidst magic, superstition, and ghosts of the past, Alasdair and Deirdre find themselves falling together in a web of secrets and the curse of a hundred kisses....

©2017 Jean M. Grant (P)2018 Jean M. Grant

Amazing narrator transports you to 1296 Scotland

If you like historical fiction coupled with romance, you may enjoy A Hundred Kisses. It takes place in 1296 Scotland when the English king wants to take over Scotland and various Scottish landlords want a Scot to rise to power instead. The land is divided, and friends have become enemies.

The story follows Diedre MacCoinneach who is cursed in marriage. (Her first two husbands died on their wedding nights, and a fiancé died before their marriage marriage.) When Alasdair Montgomerie comes upon their keep, her father wants Diedre to seduce him and make him believe the baby is his, thus having to marry his daughter. Diedre does run off with him, but for her own purposes—to meet her unknown aunt, who can potentially tell Dierdre about the mother she never knew and to learn if there is any truth to the curse and Dierdre’s strange visions. On their journey, they slowly begin to fall for each other, but it becomes clear both Dierdre and Alec (as he is known to her) are keeping significant secrets from one another. Add in a dangerous baron, rumors of witchcraft, and you have a suspenseful love story.

I highly recommend the audio version of A Hundred Kisses. The narrator did an amazing job of transporting the listener to 1296 Scotland. Her accents were amazing, and she effortlessly switched between characters and even her male characters sounded authentic. I plan to listen to the prequel next.

Engaging story!

I started reading this book and struggled with reading the dialect though enjoyed it immensely on audio. Great story, hated to have to pause it when I got out of the car and loved the narrator. Can't wait to listen to book number 2!

Lush prose, engrossing tale

If you’re in the mood for a rollicking good Scottish historical filled with well drawn characters, evocative descriptions & a touch of the mystical Author Jean Grant will take you there. Settle down with a cup of tea or mead. Deirdre and Alasdair’s story against the backdrop of Scotland’s cause against the British will transport for many engrossing hours. Excellent narration as well. Highly recommend.

My new favorite Scottish romance

This exquisite audiobook swept me away to an adventurous romance set in the Highlands of Scotland in 1296. It is a compelling slow burn between an ndependent-minded psychic heroine and an honorable warrior. The book is tense and exciting without being depressing. The two main characters are very lovable. I plan on re-listening to this masterpiece and buying more audiobooks by this author. The sexual tension, the mystical elements, and the realistically detailed historical setting combine to make something unique and addictive. There is some violence but it is not pervasive or graphic. The chapters alternate between the third person perspective of the two main characters.

King John of Scotland has been imprisoned by the English, and rumors swirl that the English will invade soon. The Scottish nobleman Alistair, going by the name of Sir Alec Sterrit, is on a secret mission for Robert the Bruce to get a message to the northern isles. However, as he passes through a glen in the Highlands, he pulls a mysterious beauty from the loch who insists that she didn’t need rescuing. Dierdre, the laird’s daughter, hides a secret psychic power for fear that she might get burned at the stake. She wishes to visit and learn from her mother’s family in the Isles, and Alistair is happy to travel with her. Danger and secrets swirl around this marvelous pair of characters.

The narrator Rosalind Ashford gives a superb performance with really good Scottish accents and distinctive voices. She is expressive and has excellent pacing. I just wish that she could have made Alistair's voice a tiny bit deeper and sexier, but she still wonderfully transformed the words on the page into an exciting adventure for my ears.

I requested and received a free audiobook copy via #AudiobookObsession, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
#AudiobookObsession Reviewer

Romantic Love Story & Redemption

The Curse of A Hundred Kisses . . . Deirdre MacCoinneach is convinced she has been cursed as two of her husbands and a man she was to marry have all died. Now when her father is still intent to marry her off to another man, she vows to find out if the secret gift she has may be linked to why this has happened. Deirdre's gift, she has the unusual ability to sense others’ lifeblood energies. It is a magical gift in which she can feel heat, energy, and emotions from other people.

Alasdair (Aleck) Montgomerie has secrets of his own. Something very painful haunts Aleck from his past. He is traveling around as a trader, but his goal is to pass on information to a Claimant seeking the Scottish throne. It becomes clear that an evil baron is after him, but also as he comes upon a Highland laird's castle, he acknowledges quickly that he has no time or desire to pursue an alliance with Simon or to become betrothed with Deidre.

Nothing about Aleck & Deidre's relationship was easy and predictable from the start. But they began to form a friendship and learn to genuinely like and respect each other. The secrets certainly kept things challenging for them but as the pieces all begin the fall into place, it changes so many things about the characters and the entirety of the story.

I really liked A Hundred Breaths and this was a good follow up as to how The Curse affected Deidre.

Enchanting

A highland fairytale with a beautiful maiden under a magical curse, a hero in disguise, and a happily ever after. This is a charming book. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great read

A great story full of adventure. Loved the characters and the narration was perfect. Adventure, love, danger. Its a fun ride. I received a copy in return for a review.

Gift or curse

Sensing lifeblood curse or gift. Secrets will be unraveled. Is her new travel companion part of future or is she his downfall.

I loved it so that means it was a really good book

I normally don't read romances. I listened to it in one day. There is a little bit of witchiness, a little bit of magic, a little bit of loving (a little to graphic for me but actually not bad) and to spice things up intrigue and sword fights

Love Alasdair and Deirdre!

Alasdair Montgomerie is on a mission in the Highlands. Several claimants are vying for the Scottish throne, but the English King Edward has sent an evil baron north to kill everyone who’s loyal to one of the claimants. Alasdair has to deliver his sensitive information to a waiting party, but his plans are derailed after he rescues a drowning woman from a lake.
Deirdre MacCoinneach has lost two husbands and a fiancé in a short time span, but her laird father is determined to marry her off again—to Alasdair (who’s going by Aleck Stirick). She has a magical gift in which she can feel heat, energy, and emotions from other people, which she calls Lifeblood. She recognizes Alasdair from her visions and sets off on an adventure with him to find her deceased mother’s people.
Deirdre and Alasdair (Aleck) were strong, stubborn, intelligent characters. I liked them a lot. They kept a lot of secrets from each other, however, which became tiresome after a while.
I enjoyed the side characters of Kate and Christal (spelling?) and would love to see more of them. I wasn’t crazy about Deirdre’s father, Simon, but I hope I’ll like him better in his book, which is the prequel.
The story pacing was quick in the beginning, slowed some in the middle, and picked back up at the end. I normally read ebooks or print books, but I received a copy of this story in audio. It’s 10 hours and 49 minutes long, which I listened to in two days. The narrator, Rosalind Ashford, did a wonderful job speaking with multiple Scottish accents, but it took me a little while to get use to it.
About the reading order…it’s confusing. I believe A Hundred Kisses is book 1, and A Hundred Breaths is book 2 and a full-length prequel. These books are standalones, but I recommend reading or listening to the prequel first. I wish I had done that. I learned a big spoiler in book 1 about the H/h from the prequel.
Anyway, I enjoyed this story, and I’m still going to give the prequel a chance.
4 Stars

Amazingly written with outstanding narration

A Hundred Kisses was an incredible listen, a beautifully written historical romance that drew me in from the start and captivating me through the very end. Jean M. Grant has created extraordinary characters and a vivid image of the period, the political climate, and unrest during 1296 Scotland. An English King aims to take Scotland, Scottish lords vying for a King of their own, lands divide, alliances dissolve, and friends become foes. I was thoroughly immersed in the intrigue, war, drama, and in the midst of it all, a beautiful love story.

The storyline follows, Diedre MacCoinneach and Alasdair Montgomerie (Alec). Diedre is a widow with a unique gift, sensing other's lifeblood and cursed with two dead husbands and a fiancé. Alec, a man with secrets, is on an important mission and pretending to be someone he is not. When the two cross paths, Diedre recognizes him from her many dreams. Diedre runs off with Alec, to search for her aunt to find information on her mother and learn the origin of her gift. Despite the secrets, in the course of their travels, they become closer, developing feelings, and falling in love. Alec and Diedre's journey is paved with uncertainty, danger, rumours, allegations of witchcraft.

With her telling, Rosalind Ashford literally transports the listeners back in time. She did a phenomenal job with the characters, the accent is flawless, the inflexions and timing were spot-on. A Hundred Kisses will stay with me for some time and will listen to it again, one I'd highly recommend.

🎧 AudiobookObessionReviewer

different but really good

Oh wow... what did I just read? This book really grabbed me from the first word. The narrator took me on this fantastical trip, using the author's words to build a world that just takes you by surprise. This was my first time listening to a story like this and it will definitely not be the last. I was amazed.

🎧🎧AudioBookObsessionReviewer🎧🎧

wonderful

what a wonderful book with the Scots language. It's well written by Jean M Grant and narrated by Rosalind Ashford xxxx