Arcel Enzu Enzu itibaren Tlumačov, Czech Republic
I've never had a free Kindle download that worked out quite so well before, but back when the first book of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, Darkfever, was available, I downloaded it just to see what it was about. I've been a monster fan of KMM's writing ever since. While vastly different than the Fever series (fantasy romance vs. gritty urban fantasy), KMM's Highlander series is actually exceptionally well written, extremely endearing, at times amusing, and so feel-good romantic that it just makes my heart swell some times. And they are all totally guaranteed feel-good reads, if you like the genre. That's important when you read as much as I do and can get into a slump of books that just aren't that interesting or captivating. I know, without a doubt, that if I want a bit of perfectly flavored brain candy, Moning's Highlander series is where to go for it. And the story of Adam Black and Gabrielle O'Callaghan is, I think, the best of them that I've read so far. I've been a big fan of Adam's throughout the series, so I knew I was going to enjoy him, but I ended up being very impressed with how much I enjoyed Gabrielle, as I tend to be pretty critical of female leads in romance novels. She was a delightfully spirited and intelligent character who was just self deprecating enough to be easy to relate to. Hell, she had a heck of a lot more self restraint than I would've when first faced with the gorgeous Tuatha De, Amadan D'Jai (AKA Adam Black). There was quite a bit of truly enjoyable humor in The Immortal Highlander, along with a decent plot that was tightly woven and paced quickly. Adam's being punished by his queen for restoring the life of Daegus, from The Dark Highlander, and has been made human and forced into invisibility for months. Gabrielle, however, is a sidhe-seer, and while she's spent her entire life hiding that ability from the Fae out of fear of death or capture, when she stumbles onto Adam Black, she can't help but stare at him (Oh, please, who could blame the woman?!). When he realizes she can see him, he sets about enlisting her help and correcting a lot of the negative (and - mostly - false) information she's spent her life learning about the Fae. Unfortunately, an old enemy is practically salivating at Adam's fall from Aiobheal's grace, and sets into motion a coup that will bring down the walls separating Faery from the human world, release the Hunters...and kill Adam Black. Can a disfavored Tuatha De and a sidhe-seer save both worlds from utter destruction...but more importantly, can they survive each other long enough to even try? The book is a fun, light read and it made me smile, and even tear up a bit here and there. It was completely pleasurable (and the scene in the car about the sheep on the road in Scotland was frickin' hilarious!) and rewarding. I can't say I was totally thrilled with some of the sentiment in the end, as I have a theological issue with one or two aspects of it, but not enough to dim my overall enjoyment of it. Very nice, and just the sort of pleasure reading I needed. ~*~*~*~ Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
I really liked this book. Nice and short and straight to the point. The Dialogue was exactly how I imagined David and Freema to deliver it if it was a story onscreen. Loved the Scottish setting! Balmoral Castle no less (well Balmoral Castle in the desert... What's it doing there? You'll have to read to find out). I knew this book wouldn't take me long, and I'm glad I've read it because I really enjoyed it!