KISSING THE COUNTESS

Author: Susan King ISBN: 045121062X 11/2003 HISTORICAL Publisher: SIGNET
Time Period: Scotland 1859

When Evan Mackenzie, the new Earl of Kildonan, returns to the remote Highland mountains of his childhood for a climbing holiday, he plans to sell his vast ancestral estate and return to Victorian Edinburgh. Haunted by tragedy, the earl is stranded on a snowy mountaintop with Catriona MacConn, the minister's feisty and enchanting daughter. A passionate rescue leads to a sudden marriage, and Evan soon discovers that his reluctant countess is fascinated by an elusive Highland legend--she seems equally elusive with her handsome new husband as well. But Catriona, born and bred in the Highland mountains, has a perilous and secret mission that she will protect at any cost--even if she must give up the love of her dreams....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Even though Evan Mackenzie had a minor part in Susan King's first book of this series, TAMING THE HEIRESS, I was immediately drawn to his character. Something told me that of the three men portrayed in this trilogy, Evan's would be the story I'd enjoy reading the most. Now, after finishing KISSING THE COUNTESS, I can tell you that once again, my intuition did not fail me, for it is a heartfelt and moving love story.

Evan, the new reluctant Earl of Kildonan, intends to sell his property and leave the Highlands permanently. But through an accidental fall from a mountain, Evan soon finds his plans, as well as his fate, turned upside down. Catriona MacConn, his rescuer and daughter of a strict Scottish minister, had never planned to marry, intending instead to stay home and care for her father and brother as the Plain Girl of her family. But after becoming stranded overnight with Evan on the mountain, she, too, suddenly finds her life and plans are changed forever. It's how they both confront and evolve through their scandalous situation that makes this story so intriguing.

A character-driven story, what could have been a so-same tale about a marriage of convenience becomes so much more with Susan King's deft penning. Evan is accepting of both his responsibilities and his feelings; when he realizes he loves Catriona, he doesn't fight it, but accepts it for what it is, determined and hopeful to make their marriage work. Catriona, on the other hand, a young woman raised inside the strictures of a very religious household, is torn between whether to stay with Evan for the chance of a husband and family she had never thought to have, or leave him to stay with the people and land she loves so dearly. Even having the freedom to make that choice is overwhelming for Catriona, considering her path was so structured and unyielding before.

KISSING THE COUNTESS is populated with intriguing secondary characters, including my favorites-- the sharp-tongued Flora MacLeod and Morag--with all the characters conversing in the flowing, intelligent dialogue I look for in all my keeper books. The sexual tension and sensual aura that exists between Evan and Catriona are unmistakable from the beginning, with the sexual scenes between the two beautifully written as well. For those into historical facts and atmosphere, Ms. King aptly describes the beauty of the Highlands and its people of that time, as well as giving us a glimpse into their customs, superstitions, and haunting prose.

There's really no place for me to put KISSING THE COUNTESS, other than upon my keeper shelf. It's definitely one of my all-time favorite Susan King reads.

Nancy Davis