Kiss of the Highlander

Highlander, Book 4

By: Karen Marie Moning

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

A laird trapped between centuries...

Enchanted by a powerful spell, Highland laird Drustan MacKeltar slumbered for nearly five centuries hidden deep in a cave, until an unlikely savior awakened him. The enticing lass who dressed and spoke like no woman he'd ever known was from his distant future, where crumbled ruins were all that remained of his vanished world.

Drustan knew he had to return to his own century if he was to save his people from a terrible fate. And he needed the bewitching woman by his side.

A woman changed forever in his arms....

Gwen Cassidy had come to Scotland to shake up her humdrum life and, just maybe, meet a man. How could she have known that a tumble down a Highland ravine would send her plunging into an underground cavern - to land atop the most devastatingly seductive man she'd ever seen? Or that once he'd kissed her, he wouldn't let her go?

Bound to Drustan by a passion stronger than time, Gwen is swept back to 16th-century Scotland, where a treacherous enemy plots against them...and where a warrior with the power to change history will defy time itself for the woman he loves.

Great Scot! Don't miss our other titles in the Highlander series.

©2008 Karen Marie Moning (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Rife with unexpected plot twists, Druid lore and sparkling humor....There's much that's fun here, both in characters and situations....Moning's snappy prose, quick wit and charismatic characters will enchant." ( Publishers Weekly)

Best book in the series, A must read.

I've read the 7 books of the highlander's series and this one (book 4) is by far my favorite. The plot is quite similar to "A Knight in Shining Armor" by Jude Deveraux (the hero was an English Lord who gets transported into the future rather than a Scottish Laird sleeping for 500 years), Ms Moning had a much better throught out and logical ending (if you accept the possibility of time travel). This book is so good I really wish they turn it into a movie. It had humor, spunk and sex appeal. I was somewhat disappointed that the author did not provide more details about Drustan's reaction to 21st centurie's every day things such as indoor plumbing, fridge, food, lights, etc. Jude Deveraux covered that part beautifully in her book to include a trip to the dentist and had her hero go nuts over modern electricity and chocolate ice cream. I enjoyed his time in the 16th century a lot more. My only complaint would be that Moning's heroine, a scientist nonetheless, would refer to potential lovers as "cherry pickers" (Yeeech! Who does that?). Overall, I truly loved this book and I enjoyed listening to it on audio. The narrator, Phil Gigante, does an amazing job playing MacKeltar with his sexy voice and brings the highlander men to life like no other. If you like this book, make sure you read Deveraux's "A Knight in Shining Armor" as well. From this series, "Dark Highlander", the story of Daegus is a must read after this one. It is equally good. As a matter of fact, you'll pretty much get hooked and get them all, but you should read the last 4 books of the series in order. Thank you Karen Moning for this gift.

Kiss of the Highlander

What made the experience of listening to Kiss of the Highlander the most enjoyable?

The story was well thought out and the characters were believable. The ending of the book made me want to read the next book in the series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved all the characters, especially Drustan and Dageus. Gwen was my favorite female character and I look forward to reading about her again.

What does Phil Gigante bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hearing it read with a Scottish accent made it seem like you were there in the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Time permitting, I would listen to it and have my book open at the same time. It makes it easier to visualize the action. It is not as great as watching it as a movie, but it is still memorable.

Any additional comments?

This audio book needs to employ both a male and a female narrator. Most women can't sound like men and most men can't sound like women, so partner up. That it why I can't give the performance 5 stars. Phil has a great voice for the male voices, but a woman needs to read the female dialogue. It sounds more believable and it will sell more books. I know I would buy more if the change would be made.

Captivating

This book takes you on a rollercoaster ride. It was hard to stop listening.

I Love This Book!

Books 4, 5, and 6 are my very favorite Karen Marie Moning books. The men are all sexy, strong, brave, funny and love women. Is there anything better than a highlander falling in love? Yes! ... a highlander with MAGIC falling in love. These books have everything - time travel, smart women,, handsome men (in kilts), great sex scenes and fairly good plots. These books are connected to each other, so you get to see (and hear) your favorite characters in more than one book. Phil Gigante does an excellent job narrating. (I think he is #1 for highlander accents) Buy this book (and the next two) - you won't be sorry. I wish Ms Moning would write Romance again, as I prefer these stories to her newer "Fever" series.

My favorite book of the whole series!

This book is my favorite of this whole Highlander series! The story is so enjoyable. The sound quality of the narration could have been better.

Sexy Highlander twins, yummy.

I listened to this series some time ago, I realized there were a few books that I haven't reviewed. So here we go. If you love highland romances with a bit of fantasy this is the series you should try. You don't necessarily have to read the books in order but there is a thread of storyline that runs through them all and the last book ties them all together, so I do recommend listening to them in order. I love Phil Gigante voice, he is so sexy. Admittedly though his female voice do leave something to be desired but when he does his highland brogue it make you melt.

Fave Highlander book

This is my favorite of Moning’s Highlander series. Again, you get a modern woman sent back in time, and a pig-headed Highlander. They have to figure out who or what is the threat to Clan MacKeltar before time runs out.
Drustan, Gwen, and Daegan are in 3 of the Highlander books, and also make appearances in Moning’s Fever series. Gotta love those Highlanders!
I’ve got these stories in ebook and audio formats, and have enjoyed them *many* times before leaving my written review. I believe the final Fever book is coming out June 2020 and, while it’s primarily about MacKayla in the Fae realm, I really hope we get to find out what happened to these guys.
Love Phil Gigante’s voice and narration.
It’s years later, and I still recommend the book and both series.

that is wonderful i love this

all the books i have heard thank you there great job i laugh and cried thank you

Wonderful

This book turned out to be more than I was expecting. The story line and history was interesting as well.

Absolutely worth listening to

I have been a fan of Karen Marie Moning’s books for years now, and Kiss of the Highlander is one of the first of her books I read. It’s always held a special place in my heart, and I go back to it often. The story itself is a wonderful balance between deeper storyline and steamy romance in my opinion, something many authors have trouble achieving in this genre, and I adore her ability to take me through a broad spectrum of emotions in the course of the story. While I’ve found her Highlander books can be read out of order as standalone books if you prefer it, (I did read this one before the ones before it) I do recommend reading them in order, it adds to the experience and you catch a lot of little things that tie into the others. Plus it ties into her Fever series (I’d personally recommend reading the Highlander series first, though again you can read the fever series on it’s own and still highly enjoy it without missing much)and results in a delicious, intricate world building experience.

I won’t spend long on narration, because I’ve found that everyone’s taste varies on this part. Personally, I usually prefer female narrators if the main character is female, and I worried I wouldn’t be able to get absorbed as I usually do with a male narrator. He does very well, however, and I had no trouble losing myself in the story.

Long story short, I highly recommend this book!