This series I place up at the top with the "Outlander" Series by Diana Gabaldon. You CANNOT go wrong reading about these beautiful men which sprung from Karen Marie Moning's imagination. I would love to be able to write like her. She is just fantastic, and makes it really difficult to choose one Highlander over another.
Unlike a lot of romance novels, Karen's characters have more depth to them and there exists a real chemistry between the hero and heroine. These are definitely soulmate/twin flame stories.
Can you say Druid Binding Vows?
My favorite books in this series are Kiss of the Highlander, The Dark Highlander, and To Tame a Highland Warrior. (For myself, Kiss and Dark are ties for the #1 spot but that Grimm... hmm, maybe those 3 books are #1 for me. Can I do that?)
It does help to read this series in the correct order to learn more about Adam, and I HIGHLY recommend that Kiss and Dark are read in order. Also, don't let the synopsis on the backs of these books fool you. Sometimes the write up's make these stories sound like the complete opposite of what they truly are. Believe me when I say these are not hokey, silly romances with farfetched plots. These are very well written novels with much more character development than a lot of romances out there.
Read Karen's Highlander series, and you will not be disappointed. They have everything you could possibly want to read in a romance. And again, I cannot stress enough how much I fell in love with Kiss, Dark, and then Tame. Every KMM fan - aka "Maniac" - has their favorite highlander(s) but usually we go back and forth from re-read to re-read. Lol! For me personally, however, my top 3 will forever be Drustan/Dageus/Grimm.
While most people read this series in order, I didn't and had no trouble at all. Personally, I would recommend reading Kiss (Drustan/Gwen's story) followed by Dark (Dageus/Chloe's story) first. And as I said earlier, those two MUST be read in that order. Once you read Kiss, you'll understand why. I love both those characters so much. Drustan is the most "romantic" of the Highlanders, and Dageus... wonderfully naughty, but self-sacrificing for the one's he loves!
http://www.karenmoning.com/kmm/novels.html
A MUST READ!
Repeat: A MUST READ!
More titles to come.....
This is a loooong series with a lot of side stories, but CONTINUE READING for Jamie and Claire's story alone. It is quite a beautiful one. My personal favorites are the 1st four books. If you do not devour this series, I will hunt you down!
Jamie is an absolutely beautiful character that will ruin 21st century men for you forever. Not only does the man have a sense of humor, but he sure knows how to talk to a woman! The words that come out of his mouth will make you laugh... make you cry. And the man is so protective of his wife and family. I can't explain in words how amazing Jamie is. (Which is not to say this man is without flaws, because he is. There's one chapter in particular, in Outlander, which will have you steaming mad at him... perhaps even for forever. But that's what's so fantastic about these books! They are true to the time period and these characters actually GROW as human beings. They learn from their mistakes and the reader is shown without question how a certain decision which Claire makes in Jamie's time really is a matter of life and death not only for her but others... hence Jamie's reaction). James Fraser feels very real to a lot of people; nothing like a fictional character at all. I don't think there's a person alive who has read this series, and whom doesn't feel the same. He and Claire simply MUST be real, and they're whispering their story in Diana Gabaldon's ear.
Only be forewarned that in the first book something very violent happens to Jamie, but it really does make you admire his courage (and Claire's determination to help him) all the more. The hell Jamie goes through is testament to his strength of character. Every woman in this world should have their own Jamie Fraser.
And Claire is a tough one as well. There's nothing the shrinking violet about her.
And while Diana does tend to go off tangent with the minor characters and these books really could be a lot shorter... her editor must eat bon-bon's all day... I do believe the woman is a genius. She is incredibly knowledgeable on so many topics, and her writing is top notch. This lady is REALLY, REALLY talented. She's a great painter of words. The Michelangelo of storytelling.
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Click HERE for quotes from the series
"To see the years touch ye gives me joy, Sassenach,"
he whispered, - "for it means that ye live."~ Chapter 85: Hearthfire, page 737
