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On a Highland Shore Kathleen Givens Books

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On a Highland Shore Kathleen Givens Books

My favorite genre is historical fiction with strong female characters - this one fit the bill. I had searched for something similiar to Outlander, or Lady Macbeth (another great story!), or Forever Queen, which I had just finished. I was a little reluctant to read this one, because I didn't want a Harlequin romance with alot of heaving bosoms, but this was not a disappointment.

This isn't a great literary work, but it's a great tale of love, loyalty, and life in medival Scotland. Yes, there is a fair amount of blood and gore- probably along the lines of Braveheart. Disturbing, but essential to the story. It sets the tone for the turbulence of the times, the political instability and the ruthlessness and brutality that people were subjected to. I didn't find it distracting - the gore was just enough to make a point, but not so disturbing that I had nightmares (like I did with the William Wallace execution scene....)

The romance? Well, in the first third of the book there was a whole lot of staring and gazing going on between the 2 main characters, which I found a tad irritating, but once the characters were able to profess their love, it was very, very sweet. Very funny twist on Margaret's marriage to the man she was betrothed to since birth - although it was a bit predictable, it was a very funny scene!

I judge a book by how quickly I have to get back to it after a long day at work, and I devoured this one in a few days. I would have read it in a single sitting if I'd had the time. 60 seconds after I finished, I purchased "Rivals for the Crown," which turned out to be a sequel to this one- what a pleasant surprise, as I wasn't ready to let go of Gannon and Margaret.

I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy this time period and if you love to be carried away by a good tale.


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On a Highland Shore Kathleen Givens Books Reviews

Kathleen Givens was an award-winning author of Scottish historicals, each rich in historical detail and each a story I consider to be a "keeper."

Set in 13th century Scotland, this tells the story of Margaret MacDonald and Gannon MacMagnus, who find love out of misfortune and the changes that take their lives from the paths they were to take. In both this book and its sequel, RIVALS FOR THE CROWN, Kathleen Givens does a superb job of weaving English and Scottish history into an epic romance and a tale of Scottish Highlander families swept up in the great themes of Scotland's history.

I grew to love these men and women and felt like they could have easily been real people--people who experienced deep, lasting love, demanding challenges and heartrending losses. Her writing is so believable, I often found myself reading these tales late into the night.

These are not formula romance books but sweeping historical novels well worth the read. You won't be disappointed. There are fewer love scenes than in some romances but the ones included are tender and well worth the wait. The sexual tension she creates fits the story well and is consistent with the characters.

When I finished the two books I mourned the ending of the stories and craved more from her. She has two other 2-book series out--all Scottish historicals (THE LEGEND and THE DESTINY and KILGANNON and THE ROSE OF KILGANNON. They are all we will have of her work as she passed away in early 2010. It's a loss for all her readers. I think she was a great talent.
This was my first Kathleen Givens book. I don't know what took me so long to find her, but I am glad that I did. So many others have recapped the story so nicely that I'll spare you the repetition.

I loved the book. It was fast paced, compelling, and unpredictable. THe characters were so real I would wake up the morning after a late night of reading and for a brief instant wonder what was going on with them, what had happened while I was sleeping! I could see and smell the beauty of Scotland and the seashore as well as see and smell the battles and smoke and death and could almost feel the ground shaking as horses and norses and scots (oh my!) clashed and hear the sounds of armor and metal striking metal. Very few books elicit this kind of reaction. That is talent.

I passed this book by a few times before deciding to give it a shot because, until I read the reviews here, I thought it was primarily a romance novel. I enjoy romance when it is secondary to the historical aspect in a book and I want the historical portion of my historical fiction to be accurate, with real people and real situations mixed in with the fictional. I don't care for constant "bodice ripper"/"bosom heaving" scenes as a previous reviewer wrote so passionately about (no pun intended). I prefer intimate scenes to be tasteful and leave something to the imagination - not the repetitive, graphic, way too descriptive and detailed pornography that many "Romance" authors engage in. To me, talented writers (like Kathleen Givens, Anne Easter Smith, Sarah Dunant, Vanora Bennett, Karen Harper, Phillippa Gregory, etc.) can convey the love and passion between two characters by and through other means. (As in real life, sex does not always connote love). That might sound prudish but I don't believe it takes any talent to describe sex no matter how many times or how many different ways they might put it.

I was never bored with this story, it didn't have any slow parts and, in fact, it was usually difficult for me to find a good place to stop and put it down. There is really nothing negative I can say about this book except for the unresolved business at the end (hence the 4 star rating) but, fortunately, I have a so last night when I finished the book, I went directly to and downloaded the sequel. Now, whether or not that unfinished business was resolved remains to be discussed when I finish and review "Rivals for the Crown"!
My favorite genre is historical fiction with strong female characters - this one fit the bill. I had searched for something similiar to Outlander, or Lady Macbeth (another great story!), or Forever Queen, which I had just finished. I was a little reluctant to read this one, because I didn't want a Harlequin romance with alot of heaving bosoms, but this was not a disappointment.

This isn't a great literary work, but it's a great tale of love, loyalty, and life in medival Scotland. Yes, there is a fair amount of blood and gore- probably along the lines of Braveheart. Disturbing, but essential to the story. It sets the tone for the turbulence of the times, the political instability and the ruthlessness and brutality that people were subjected to. I didn't find it distracting - the gore was just enough to make a point, but not so disturbing that I had nightmares (like I did with the William Wallace execution scene....)

The romance? Well, in the first third of the book there was a whole lot of staring and gazing going on between the 2 main characters, which I found a tad irritating, but once the characters were able to profess their love, it was very, very sweet. Very funny twist on Margaret's marriage to the man she was betrothed to since birth - although it was a bit predictable, it was a very funny scene!

I judge a book by how quickly I have to get back to it after a long day at work, and I devoured this one in a few days. I would have read it in a single sitting if I'd had the time. 60 seconds after I finished, I purchased "Rivals for the Crown," which turned out to be a sequel to this one- what a pleasant surprise, as I wasn't ready to let go of Gannon and Margaret.

I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy this time period and if you love to be carried away by a good tale.