5/22/2020

The Highlander´s Touch by Karen Marie Moning

I don´t know what it is with this saga. But after I had started reading it I wasn´t able to put the books down. And although not every volume could thrill me as much as others of this series were capable of, I had a great time reading this saga. 

The Highlander´s Touch

by Karen Marie Moning
Highlander Series #3
Publisher Dell on November 7, 2000
Genre Paranormal-Fantasy
Pages 356
Format Paperback
Source Purchased
Goodreads
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He was a mighty Scottish warrior who lived in a world bound by ancient laws and timeless magic. But no immortal powers could prepare the laird of Castle Brodie for the lovely accursed lass who stood before him. A terrible trick of fate had sent her 700 years back in time and into his private chamber to tempt him with her beauty – and seduce him with a desire he could never fulfill. For this woman he burned to possess was also the woman he had foresworn to destroy. When Lisa felt the earth move under her feet, the fiercely independent 21st-century woman never dreamed she was falling… into another century. But the powerful, naked warrior who stood glaring down at her was only too real… and too dangerously arousing. Irresistibly handsome he might be, but Lisa had no intention of remaining in this savage land torn by treachery and war. How could she know that her seductive captor had other plans for her… plans that would save her from a tragic fate? Or that this man who had long ago forsaken love would defy time itself to claim her for his own…

Story

Lisa is taken back 700 years when she picks up a vial in her employer´s office out of curiosity. A vial that has a powerful and coveted content and has been banished by its keeper. With this spell, Lisa lands right in front of Circenn Brody´s eyes and faces an incredible and deadly challenge. He once swore to kill the vial bearer. But how to kill a woman you passionately desire? Who cannot be controlled, has her own stubborn head, and is also caught up in his time? While Lisa leaves no opportunity unused to find a way back into her own time, Circenn recognizes that he never wants to lose her again, but her peculiarities make him want to feel and want to live again, despite his background. He is also aware that his luck with Lisa will not last forever. One day, he suspects, Lisa will have the chance to get back into her own time, the only question is: will she use it?

Style

Although Karen Marie Moning has not changed her writing and language style, the book reads more subdued. The reader knows from the start that Circenn has a dark secret with it and because of this, many things fail. In this way, the author cleverly manages to build up and maintain a dark tension without giving the reader the feeling that there is a danger of delay. The combination of the language of our time and that around 1308 sometimes results in a wonderful situation and gives the novel a wonderful charm. Karen Marie Moning also excellently succeeds in showing the inner conflict of the protagonist Lisa who on the one hand starts to feel good at Circenn, but on the other hand does everything to get back to her time where her terminally ill mother is. Through sometimes almost moody descriptions and scenes, the reader gets a successful insight into the dreamlike landscape and the soul life of the main characters. As exciting and interesting as it was, in some places it was difficult for me to read on. It made me feel too moody, even if this suited the plot and the characters perfectly.

Characters

There is nothing here at first glance. Circenn is an extremely dark, rough, and strong character, under whose surface it starts to boil dangerously when Lisa suddenly stands in front of him. His passion is violent, highly erotic, and plunges him, the always honest and full of principles and rules, into a serious conflict of conscience. He, who always insisted on compliance with the rules, suddenly realizes in what rigidity he has spent the past few years. Even if he is tough on the outside and remains a warrior, he is experiencing a change in the inside that is a real pleasure for the reader. Above all, the fact that he breaks his strictest rule in the frenzy of passion without hesitation impressed me the most. Then the heart, which until then could only be guessed at, suddenly appeared and the ice-cold warrior became a human being made of flesh and blood.

Lisa is a protagonist who makes the reader smile and with her infinite curiosity is always in the greatest trouble, is full of buried dreams and longings, and yet has an almost superhuman inner strength. “I can´t die now, I haven´t even lived.” This shattering sentence, pronounced in an incredibly moving scene between her and Circenn, said more about this character than a long description could ever have. With Lisa, the author has created an expressive, spirited and determined figure, who stands upright despite all the blows of fate and is not only very combative but also accepts challenges and practically “stands her man”.  Her decision when she was faced with the choice of her life on the fairy hill still surprised me very much, even though I could absolutely understand her from the point of view of the figure.

Conclusion

Wonderful reading material for cozy, relaxed reading with the right dose of excitement, passion, and elven magic. A successful continuation of this famous Highlander saga.

Happy reading

Karen Marie Moning

Karen Marie Moning is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fever series, featuring MacKayla Lane, and the award-winning Highlander series. She has a bachelor´s degree in society and law from Purdue University.

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