To Kiss a Kilted Warrior (Claimed by the Highlander # 3) by Rowan Keats
Historical Romance
Released December 2, 2014
Signet

 Reviewed by Sheena

Favorite Quote: “You test the Gods waking me so early,” he murmured in her ear.

“If the gods are watching us, even they would be weary after our play last night…I doubt they have the energy to smite me”

Unique, enthralling and rich.  This was a great Highland historical romance novel.  I absolutely adored reading it. Because it was not exactly a cookie-cutter, paint-by-numbers formula story, it kept my rapt attention.  Morag Cameron. Horrid name for an amazing heroine.  She is brave.  So brave and independent and steadfast.  She is a survivor, a young woman without family who is turned out from her village in the most vile fashion amist rumors and slander that were disastrous for a maiden.  Morag believed herself betrothed only to be humiliated by her beloved and then shamed further when she sought comfort in the arms of his brother.  She is exiled to live alone on the outskirts of the village, in more danger than she could imagine.  A gifted seamstress tailor, she persevered and made a way for herself- with the help of a most honorable man who was appalled by her  harsh treatment.

Wulf MacCurran is a man with a past as dark as the shadows that linger behind his gaze.  His wife and young child were slain in an attack that left him badly injured and near death.  Morag saved him as he once saved her when she was cast out  and their dynamic was something to behold.  Complex. Intimate but not sensual.  Mutual respect and secret yearnings.  They are a wedded pair in all things but the deed itself and it is starting to drive Morag crazy!  Thank Gawd!  I ached for poor Morag, Stolen, glances, having to live with that rugged, sexy highland warrior, having to sleep along aide him and not sleep WITH him.  Oy! the tension was marvelous!

“Your wounds have been healed since yule, and yet you’ve made no attempt to bed me.”  Wulf coughed.  Although her voice was low it carried well on the night air, and it was almost a certainty that some of the pilgrims around them heard her words.  

“Such a topic is best saved for a moment alone.”

“Your kisses suggest a strong desire, what stops you from acting on it?”

“Morag,” he continued.

“Is it my ill repute?”

He shot her a look, “I do not let others choose my companions.”

“Is it a religious choice, then? Do you think my body unclean?”

“Don’t be foolish,” he snapped. 

“When the moment is right, we will be together.  Not before”

Atta girl! Wear him down!  Heh heh!  Morag is such a deep and well written heroine. She has long cast aside  care for what others think of her.  She accepts her lot in life and when Wulf loses himself in a fit of rage at maiden raping mercenaries who dare attack Morag in their bothy-home, he finally (finally!!!) gives her the kiss that could drop a thousand panties.  And Morag is all – Gimmie More! And Wulf is well, honorable Wulf, determined to face the demons of his past and avenge his murdered family- before he gives himself to Morag (drat).

He’d spent many a night lying next to her, listening to her soft breathing, inhaling the sweetly femminine scent of her body, and envisioning every kiss he would bestow- should he ever have the good fortune to truly bed her. Normally, an unspoken admonition was all it took to tame his wild thoughts, to ruthlessly shut out those hot, sweet, dreams.  But not tonight.   With his past life lost and his leg a lame appendage, Morag deserved better.  She deserved a man who could leap to her defense, not hobble.  She deserved a man who knew his purpose in life and could be a full and willing partner.  He was not that man.  Not yet.

He had failed his kin…Vengeance fulfilled  was the only way to reclaim his life.  And give him the right to court Morag.

And thus their journey begins.  Morag’s would-be rapists left behind a valuable clue that links them to his slain wife and child and sets Wulf upon their master’s trail, with Morag in tow.  Their journey is where the real meat of the story lies.  The theme of unconditional love and acceptance and realistic expectations and mutual love and respect are what drew me in.  Wulf has saved Morag’s life time upon time and she saves him as well.  She is no shrinking violet nor is she a damsel in distress.  Morag is fierce and intelligent and whats more- she is genuine.  She harbors no foolish jealousies and constantly encourages Wulf with plans and support of her own.  Wulf, wants to protect her, and does so valiantly, but he also respects her enough to go along with her own plans of intrigue and survival when they find themselves in the most precarious of life and death circumstances.

To Kiss a Kilted Warrior is full of adventure and sensual tension and the unexpected undertones of comedy were genius.  I could visualize the townspeople and inn keepers and traders in the market square.  The imagery and well crafted characters were a highlight of this novel.  The battle scenes and action sequences were just as riveting as the romance- a balance I truly appreciated as neither plot nuance got in the way of the other.  I am super eager to continue the series and see what more this new-to-me author has in store.  If you are partial to historical dramas with colorful heroines and scarred but honorable and sexy hero of the highland warrior persuasion, I am literally thrusting this read into your hands.

 Grade: A

Goodreads l Author Website l Series

Kindle l Nook