Customer Reviews

On a Highland Shore

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Margaret MacDonald was a young girl when a seer told her of her future. The old woman said that she will have to choose the right man or she will perish. Although confused and slightly afraid, Margaret listened and remembered those words as she grew older.

Margaret had been betrothed to Lachlan Ross since she was a babe. She is very pleased with the match and Lachlan seems to be pleased with her as well. On the verge of marrying Lachlan, Margaret is betrayed by him and she now refuses to go through with the marriage. Her father gives her a choice; either marry Lachlan or be sent to a convent. Attempting to break her betrothal through the King, Margaret journeys to England with her sister Nell and her brother Rignor. Her pleas are ignored though. Margaret meets the seer again there and both she and Nell are told of their futures. Margaret feels helpless and lost. She doesn't know which path to take and the seer's visions just confuse her even more.

Returning form their journey Margaret and her siblings find their home in Somerstrath destroyed, the people either slain or missing. Their young brother Davey is among the missing. As they struggle to comprehend their loss, warriors arrive to help them. Gannon Magnusson is one of these warriors. Gannon and Margaret find themselves drawn to each other, which makes Margaret wonder if Gannon is the man the seer prophesied about.

They travel to a neighboring land after burying the dead and Gannon and Margaret get the chance to know each other while the men try to determine the name of the man responsible for the attacks at Somerstrath, and to other lands, including Gannon's home in Ireland. A Norseman is brutally destroying homes and killing innocents in his quest for power.

While the Norseman continues his savagery, the battle that Gannon and Margaret must wage to be free to love one another becomes increasingly more difficult. Lachlan will not give up his betrothed without a fight and Margaret refuses to be used as a pawn for uniting the clans through this farce of a marriage to him. Unfortunately, their search for Davey has been fruitless so far as well.

When the war is once again at their door, Gannon, Margaret and those left from their clans descend on the Vikings and fight for all they are worth. Will it be enough to stop this madman from destroying what's left of their people and their lands?

On A Highland Shore is breathtaking. Margaret is magnificent. She followed her heart and never faltered even under pressure. I admire her determination and strength. Gannon is a true hero. He is noble and strong. They make a glorious couple. The villain is perfect. He is ruthless and cold. His evil deeds captivated me. On A Highland Shore is both romantic and tragic. Nell`s and Davey's stories could turn this wonderful story into an epic series. I was enthralled with On A Highland Shore and I highly recommend it.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Margaret MacDonald is all set to marry her betrothed, Lachlan. The contracts have been signed, and the whole village is celebrating the match of their laird's daughter to the cousin of King Alexander. Until Margaret discovers that Lachlan has been indulging his carnal desires with her best friend Fiona. Margaret refuses to marry Lachlan despite her parents insistence that she will. Given the choice of joining a convent or marrying Lachlan, Margaret chooses a third option, she requests that the King dissolve the betrothal agreement.

Lachlan has the King's ear and convinces him to allow the contract to stand. Margaret barely gets to plead her case before she's whisked out of the King's presence. She's failed and the marriage contract stands. While residing at court, waiting to speak with the King, Margaret is approached by the old woman whom she had met as a child and had foretold her future. She still speaks in riddles that make no sense to Margaret. With her mind full of the old woman's words, Margaret along with her little sister and brother, Nell and Rignor returned home to Somerstrath. Their home and surrounding villages have been decimated, there's not a single person alive anywhere and their eight-year-old brother Davey is missing.

Gannon MacMagnus, a half-Irish, half-Norse warrior, arrives soon after Margaret finds the bodies of their parents and two brothers. Margaret, Nell, and Rignore mistake Gannon and his warriors as Vikings. Once they established that Gannon and his men are not there to do harm, they search the village for survivors but find none and don't find any sign of Davey anywhere. Gannon mentions that the Norse Vikings are known for selling women and children as slaves overseas. Margaret is determined to find her younger brother, but can she possibly trust Gannon to help her or is he responsible for the death and destruction that's befallen her home?

Fans of Kathleen Givens KILGANNON series will love her newest book, ON A HIGHLAND SHORE. It contains all the passion, mystery, and heartache that have made Ms. Givens books so popular. While I've tended to over romanticize Scotland in my mind, this book depicts with startling clarity the raw beauty as well as brutality that existed throughout 13th century Scotland. The characters are bold and stand up for what they believe in - no matter what it costs them. I'm very impressed with ON A HIGHLAND SHORE. I'm thrilled that there will be books to follow which will depict two of the siblings and their adventures as they find their way in life in a land full of turmoil.

Chrissy Dionne (Courtesy of Romance Junkies)

A seer told Margaret MacDonald that she would fight dragons. She stands on the brink of violent change; one that could destroy her clan and maybe all of Scotland. The man she must choose to marry is a golden man, one who would bring life after death to her and her people.

Margaret at first discarded the old woman's words because she had bigger problems to solve. She is trapped in a betrothal to a man who has betrayed her with her best friend, and her family, friends, even her King wants her to go through with the marriage regardless of his deception.

While she's busy trying to break the betrothal contract, her home is attacked and ravaged by Vikings, her family murdered, and her clan devastated by tremendous loss and unspeakable cruelty. It's while she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life that she meets Gannon MacMagnus, a half-Irish, half-Norse warrior from Ireland.

The Vikings have attacked settlements in Ireland and Gannon, his brother and Uncle are in Scotland to request help to go after the raiders. There's a lot of intrigue that occurs here as Gannon and Margaret fight to stay together, to keep their clan together and defend themselves against the Vikings and traitors from within their ranks.

On A Highland Shore was woven with sheer brilliance. The prose is absolutely mesmerizing, the setting thoroughly magical and the characters, even the minor ones, are written with such depth, such richness that they just jump out of the pages.

I can't wait for the next installment.

In 1263 in Somerstrath, Scotland, Margaret MacDonald, the daughter of the Laird, looks forward to her upcoming wedding to Lachlan Ross in a few weeks. However, her euphoria is crushed when she catches Lachlan with her sister Fiona. Their fathers insist Lachlan and Margaret wills still marry and her future spouse swears this was an aberration and he will be a faithful husband Not long after that her newly formed doubts turn to rage and sorrow when marauding Norsemen attack her family's keep, killing everyone except her and her younger brother taken prisoner by the invaders.

Not long after the massacre, Gannon MacMagnus comes across the shocked Margaret and provides her with aid. Needing any help she can get if she is complete her quest to rescue her sibling, she accepts his help though the kind stranger is obviously of Viking blood. Though Gannon doubts her brother can be rescued by them, he agrees to help her try even as they fall in love one step at a time.

ON A HIGHLAND SHORE is a fine medieval romance that runs on two subplots for the first third of the novel before the separate strings of Margaret and Gannon tie together. The story line emphasizes the Norsemen impact on Scotland, but not just the typical invades that kills, rapes and plunders. Instead the audience also sees the positive impact on society especially through Gannon and his kin. Kathleen Givens gives her readers a delightful thirteenth century romance starring two likable characters in love who must overcome their respective heritages especially the recent massacre if they are to forge a permanent relationship.

Harriet Klausner

Ms. Givens writes so extremely well. This genre has lost depth, emotion, historical interest in the last few years. In this book I found myself in Scotland, traveling and experiencing the land, the time period, feeling the emotional bonds of Margaret and Gannon. If you enjoy old Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught historical romances, you will love this book and the others of Ms. Givens. Not much PR about Givens, I am so glad I happened upon Kilgannon (if you read this, please make sure you also have Rose of Kilgannon, it is really part of the first book)at the library some years ago. Since then, I have purchased all her books. They are all keepers. I keep a watch out for new books by her on Amazon. Otherwise, I wouldn't know she has written a new book. A shame for others looking for good historical's. If you like Philippa Gregory, also, you would like Givens books. There is so much trashy, lust/porno, no story, no depth, writers now writing under the genre of historical romance that the genre has lost it's readers. Crossing over to Gregory, old books by Seton, or Plaidy books.
Ms. Givens gives us the historical romance, depth of romance, intrigue (nail biting), story and history. Her writing is so well writen, you feel every emotion, every vision. So, so good. What the old historical romance stories were all about.

I just loved this book. It is so hard to find good historical romance of quality. This has been the best I've read in a long while. I wish it didn't end. Cannot wait for Nell and Davey....and how about one about Drason, please? If you like Garwood, McNaught, Balogh, Woodiwiss, Brides by Feathers, Gregory, Seton, Kleypas, Lindsay, Kat Martin, you will love this book. A 10+++. And a definite keeper.

Ms Givens writing is wonderful. Her characters are rich and her descriptions pull you into each setting, be they beautiful or barbaric. What makes this a unique find is that this gruesome tale of the barbarism of history's final Viking raids is told from a woman's perspective.

It was simply too much for me. From the beginning to the end of the book was one horrible tragedy after another. For those who actually lived through these times I am certain the reality was far worse than even this book details. But the graphic descriptions of the terror and slaughter had my stomach rolling and my heart heavy.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure, suspense, romance, and passion. I enjoyed it because the author clearly put a lot of thought into her characters, especially Margaret. I truly could not put it down. I loved it! I'm looking forward to reading her next book.

I really enjoyed this book,and await patiently for the sequels concerning the two siblings. I thought the story was interesting without going into alot of sexual heavy breathing . It mentioned a few times that she was beautiful and that he was handsome. but it wasn't repeated on every other page as some books I have read lately. The story moved along at a good pace and found it hard to put down,wanting to see what happened next. If you like historicals I would reccommend this one. If you want alot of sex this is not the book for you. Connie Mason writes a good story with a great deal of sex involved, But if you want a good read you will like this book.

Kathleen Givens deftly blends intrigue, adventure, politics and romance in this vivid and engaging tale of one woman's triumph over adversity in 13th Century Scotland. If you like Phillipa Gregory, you will love Kathleen Givens. I'm so glad I picked this one up!

I couldn't put this book down. It is a romance from a less written about historical point in time, the viking invasions. The story focuses on the norse invasion of Scotland, but also chronicles earlier invasions of Ireland. I can't wait for the sequel.