Kissing the Countess [Paperback]

Susan King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2003

Evan Mackenzie, the new Earl of Kildonan, has returned to the beautiful, remote Highland mountains of his childhood for a climbing holiday, but he has no intention of staying. Haunted by tragedy, he plans to sell the sprawling property and return to Victorian Edinburgh. But then Evan finds himself stranded high on a snowy mountaintop with the lovely Catriona MacConn, a woman with a mission of magic so secret and dangerous she will protect it at any cost-even if it means giving up the love of her dreams...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Evan Mackenzie, the tragic hero in the first two books of King's Scottish Victorian trilogy (Taming the Heiress [BKL Jl 03] and Waking the Princess [BKL S 1 03]), finally finds his match when he literally falls in love by plunging down an icy slope during his climbing holiday. Catriona MacConn, a strong, hearty Highland lass, rescues the unconscious Evan and drags him to a half-ruined crofter's hut. Fortunately, they can lie together under her plaid to stay warm. Unfortunately, a search party--including her father, the Reverend MacConn--discovers them the next morning. Worse than that, Evan is the new Earl of Kildonan, and his father has evicted almost all of Catriona's friends and relatives from his lands. They marry but have much to work out, especially because, in addition to collecting the Highland songs of human and faery, Catriona helps smuggle evicted villagers back to their homes. With a little history, a little magic, and a lot of Highland charm, King has created another winner. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

A consummate storyteller. -- Publishers Weekly

Susan King's talent is a gift from the gods. -- Virginia Henley

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (November 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045121062X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451210623
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,007,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engaging historical romance, November 7, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kissing the Countess (Paperback)

In 1859, Evan Mackenzie arrives at his Scottish earldom without any fanfare. He loves the area, but has not been back in a decade since his mom walked out on his father. Now inheriting the Kildonan keep, he hopes to retract some of the practices that hurt the estates, but first he must pay off debts accrued by his father. He plans to use his engineering salary to do so.

While climbing down a mountainside a storm hits. Evan falls and passerby Catriona MacConn saves his life. However, her father finds them in a compromised position though nothing happened and they were just trying to stay warm during the freezing night. He offers to marry her, but she is wary especially when she learns he is the new earl. After she becomes his countess, they become better acquainted, and fall in love. However, she has a secret quest and he struggles with guilt from a tragic bridge disaster that he worked on so their marriage remains on shaky ground and could implode at any moment

KISSING THE COUNTESS is an engaging historical romance starring two charming lead protagonists who on the surface seem wrong for each other, but deep inside make a perfect match. The story line engages the audience from the moment Catriona drags Evan to a flimsy shelter. The lead couple is a delight and her brother is a solid support player, but her henpecked father and her henpecking aunt are a bit irritating with their holier than thou pronouncements. Still Susan King shows why she is highly regarded by sub-genre fans with this strong tale.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs an editor, November 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Kissing the Countess (Paperback)

This was really distracted. She created a really nasty villain, then did virtually nothing with him except something really contrived at the end. There were too many irrelevant characters, she big deal made about rock climbing that didn't pay off - and speaking of that, he never did solve his money problems! The lovers needed to spend more time together to make this work...this was a mess and in desperate need of editing...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful from beginning to end!, January 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Kissing the Countess (Paperback)

KISSING THE COUNTESS has a very special corner of my heart taken. What solace for myself and my mom while we care for my very ill sister.

We both agree it was a favorite of Susan King's work (we're both big fans) with a hero to die for (and Catriona almost does by the end, bless her heart!). Mom cautions though, that it's NOT a book you can go to bed with saying, "one more chapter and I'll turn off the light and get to sleep!"

Catronia was so interesting, both in her physical type and complexity. Her ties to her roots, the land, and her foregone concluded fate as a Plain Girl provided much inner conflict and much to love in her brave and generous nature. And I never thought Evan less strong for his own struggles with survivor's guilt and his own less-than-perfect family ties.

Wow, did KISSING THE COUNTESS get me longing for the Highlands and mountain climbing, even without the quest for the book's fairy crystal. Supporting characters like the heroine's brother and Mother Flora lept off the page. Sexy and evocative use of dress and cultural mores! The English class system along with some casual racism made the story full of painless history as well as a beautiful romance between opposites.

Thanks so much to Susan King for all the joy she brought to my mom and me at this very trying time for our family. This wonderful author is the fairy crystal to us.