1296Two wedding nights. Two dead husbands. Deirdre MacCoinneach wishes to understand her unusual ability to sense others’ lifeblood energies…and vows to discover if her gift killed the men she married. Her father’s search for a new and unsuspecting suitor for Deirdre becomes complicated when rumors of witchcraft abound.Under the façade of a trader, Alasdair Montgomerie travels to Uist with … travels to Uist with pivotal information for a Claimant seeking the Scottish throne. A ruthless baron hunts him and a dark past haunts him, leaving little room for alliances with a Highland laird or his tempting daughter.
Awestruck when she realizes that her unlikely travel companion is the man from her visions, a man whose thickly veiled emotions are buried beneath his burning lifeblood, Deirdre wonders if he, too, will die in her bed if she follows her father’s orders. Amidst magic, superstition, and ghosts of the past, Alasdair and Deirdre find themselves falling together in a web of secrets and the curse of a hundred kisses…
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Alasdair Montgomerie is on a mission in the Highlands. Several claimants are vying for the Scottish throne, but the English King Edward has sent an evil baron north to kill everyone who’s loyal to one of the claimants. Alasdair has to deliver his sensitive information to a waiting party, but his plans are derailed after he rescues a drowning woman from a lake.
Deirdre MacCoinneach has lost two husbands and a fiancé in a short time span, but her laird father is determined to marry her off again—to Alasdair (who’s going by Aleck Stirick). She has a magical gift in which she can feel heat, energy, and emotions from other people, which she calls Lifeblood. She recognizes Alasdair from her visions and sets off on an adventure with him to find her deceased mother’s people.
Deirdre and Alasdair (Aleck) were strong, stubborn, intelligent characters. I liked them a lot. They kept a lot of secrets from each other, however, which became tiresome after a while.
I enjoyed the side characters of Kate and Christal (spelling?) and would love to see more of them. I wasn’t crazy about Deirdre’s father, Simon, but I hope I’ll like him better in his book, which is the prequel.
The story pacing was quick in the beginning, slowed some in the middle, and picked back up at the end. I normally read ebooks or print books, but I received a copy of this story in audio. It’s 10 hours and 49 minutes long, which I listened to in two days. The narrator, Rosalind Ashford, did a wonderful job speaking with multiple Scottish accents, but it took me a little while to get use to it.
About the reading order…it’s confusing. I believe A Hundred Kisses is book 1, and A Hundred Breaths is book 2 and a full-length prequel. These books are standalones, but I recommend reading or listening to the prequel first. I wish I had done that. I learned a big spoiler in book 1 about the H/h from the prequel.
Anyway, I enjoyed this story, and I’m still going to give the prequel a chance.
4 Stars
My new favorite Scottish romance
Audiobook version: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration
This exquisite audiobook swept me away to an adventurous romance set in the Highlands of Scotland in 1296. It is a compelling slow burn between an independent-minded, psychic heroine and an honorable warrior. The book is tense and exciting without being depressing. The two main characters are very lovable. I plan on re-listening to this masterpiece and buying more audiobooks by this author. The sexual tension, the mystical elements, and the realistically detailed historical setting combine to make something unique and addictive. There is some violence but it is not pervasive or graphic. The chapters alternate between the third person perspective of the two main characters.
King John of Scotland has been imprisoned by the English, and rumors swirl that the English will invade soon. The Scottish nobleman Alistair, going by the name of Sir Alec Sterrit, is on a secret mission for Robert the Bruce to get a message to the northern isles. However, as he passes through a glen in the Highlands, he pulls a mysterious beauty from the loch who insists that she didn’t need rescuing. Dierdre, the laird’s daughter, hides a secret psychic power for fear that she might get burned at the stake. She wishes to visit and learn from her mother’s family in the Isles, and Alistair is happy to travel with her. Danger and secrets swirl around this marvelous pair of characters.
The narrator Rosalind Ashford gives a superb performance with really good Scottish accents and distinctive voices. She is expressive and has excellent pacing. I just wish that she could have made Alistair’s voice a tiny bit deeper and sexier, but she still wonderfully transformed the words on the page into an exciting adventure for my ears.
I requested and received a free audiobook copy via #AudiobookObsession, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
#AudiobookObsession Reviewer
I got this book thru an ARC, Advanced Review Copy with an honest review given.
I thought this book was very well done as the storyline was written very well and the character built up was so great..
Well done story in my opinion.
The Curse of A Hundred Kisses . . . Deirdre MacCoinneach is convinced she has been cursed as two of her husbands and a man she was to marry have all died. Now when her father is still intent to marry her off to another man, she vows to find out if the secret gift she has may be linked to why this has happened. Deirdre’s gift, she has the unusual ability to sense others’ lifeblood energies. It is a magical gift in which she can feel heat, energy, and emotions from other people.
Alasdair (Aleck) Montgomerie has secrets of his own. Something very painful haunts Aleck from his past. He is traveling around as a trader, but his goal is to pass on information to a Claimant seeking the Scottish throne. It becomes clear that an evil baron is after him, but also as he comes upon a Highland laird’s castle, he acknowledges quickly that he has no time or desire to pursue an alliance with Simon or to become betrothed with Deidre.
Nothing about Aleck & Deidre’s relationship was easy and predictable from the start. But they began to form a friendship and learn to genuinely like and respect each other. The secrets certainly kept things challenging for them but as the pieces all begin the fall into place, it changes so many things about the characters and the entirety of the story.
I really liked A Hundred Breaths and this was a good follow up as to how The Curse affected Deidre.
This one was a little long for me to keep focused on personally but I gave it four stars because really it deserves at least four. The story was certainly well written, seemed historically accurate and truly did have a very good premise. But historical romance fiction is hard for me to follow especially for the time period this story covered which begins in the 1200s in the midst of medieval Scotland. This author skillfully wove a beautiful story that was vivid in detail and somewhat reminded me of the movie Braveheart with a little magic and paranormal.
Deirdre McCoinneach is convinced she’s cursed. After all, two marriages under her belt and both have died mysteriously after just one night, after the wedding night. While her father the Laird of their clan is desperate to find her another suitor as fast as he can even if he has to lure a stranger by any means, Deirdre is planning to embark on a perilous journey. She slips away, traveling with the mysterious man known as Aleck, hoping to find her mother’s people for answers to explain her special gifts and if her two dead husbands are the unlucky victims of a mysterious curse. Her traveling companion having narrowly escaped her father’s secret plans to trap him into being lucky (or unlucky) number three for her, has his own agenda, secrets that might affect them both in the long run. Will his kisses bring them both redemption or will Deirdre be chasing ghosts and dead ends? If you enjoy in depth historical romance fiction set in medieval Scotland, you will be spellbound by this one.
A good book. This book represents historical fiction, romance and with a bit of paranormal. Definitely a page turner. Characters are.well round and easy to identify with.
“Two wedding nights. Two dead husbands.” What a great blurb to start off with for a book. I stated this book and found myself more invested and quicker to bond with the characters than I did with the first book (A Hundred Breaths). I read this pretty much without stopping and loved it. Alasdair and Deirdre were easy to like and I found myself drawn to them right from the start.
A historical romance that keeps you on the edge of your kindle. This series is so well written the author has you on the edge of your seat, the series in all has been a joy to read and Deidra and Alecs book has not disappointed.
A Hundred Kisses is part of the Hundred Kisses series by Jean M. Grant. Deirdre meets Aleck when she was bathing. He thought she was drowning but she was just holding her breath. Once she saw him she fainted. This was a great book. It has adventure, love, mystery(for sure) and magic. It also has some great twist and turns. I couldn’t put it down.
This was a solid read. Deirdre could not be a more “unlucky in live” woman, 1 fiancé died prior to the wedding and 2 husbands have died on their wedding night. She is not willing to risk that again, but finds herself pregnant. Aleck is an agent of Robert the Bruce and has information to get to him about the English. She discovers him sneaking off in the night and convinces him to let her go with him to meet her aunt who may have some answers for her strange “gift”. The book had an uneven pace, but overall was an OK read. The characters were interesting and the storyline compelling.
Book 2 was even better than book 1 , if that is even possible. This author sure knows how to hold you captive from beginning to end. Amazing story and wonderful characters. I love me some Scottish men . Definitely recommended.
I really enjoyed this story and I didn’t think I would because usually I get scattered with different dialects but this was easy to read. Deirdre has a gift but also a curse her husband’s have all died right after marriage and a fiancé also so you can understand why she’s afraid to get involved but she wants to talk to her mother’s family to see if they can help. When she meets Alastair she recognizes him from her dreams and she decides to follow him to the Isle to try and meet family. Well of course it’s not an easy trip that’s laced with danger to both Alastair and herself. The story was very entertaining and you get a feel for the surrounding area just with the author’s description.
This was an intriguing medieval romance! Set in the Middle Ages amidst Scotland’s turbulent uprising, Deirdre and Alisdair’s story was a good historical love story. With magic and danger surrounding these two, they fight their attraction as much as they are trying to keep their secrets. It was an engaging read. Away from my usual contemporary romance books, it took some time to immerse myself into the time period, but once I was there, I found it a lively read.
Deirdre is cursed her husband’s die after they bed her, Alasdair is a troubled soul trying make things right!
But what Alasdair and Deirdre don’t know is they are destined to be together!
Will Deirdre and Alasdair get their happily ever after or will all the lies and the curse be the end before they even start?
Historical romance with suspense set in Scotland, 1296. Deidre is the daughter of a laird but is also a strong woman with a “gift”. Alasdair is carrying important information from Robert Bruce north to the navy regarding the fight against King Edward. He is injured and Deidre comes to his aid. She wants to travel north to find’s her mother’s family and learn more about her gift. Their travels are through difficult terrain and seas fleeing a group against Robert Bruce trying to stop Alasdair. Wonderful descriptions of the land, time period and characters along with an spenseful adventure makes this an exciting read. Not necessary, but highly recommend reading 100 Breaths first for background detail.
Another beautiful book by Jean M. Grant. Full of breathtaking Scottish scenery. Full of the magical myths of the year 1296.
The story behind the title, A Hundred Kisses, is a lovely romance that is both steamy and heartfelt. There is also royal intrigue and deadly battles. This book has EVERYTHING!
I thoroughly enjoyed both of the books currently out in this series. I do hope there will be more to come about these fantastic people in this exciting place and time.
This is book two in this Scottish historical romance. Following Simon’s eldest daughter and the curse on his wives family. After reading book one, I was perplexed with how Simon reacted to his daughter, in not relating the knowledge of her ancestors and in turn putting her in danger. At least is how I saw it. Derdrie was a confused and lonely girl. Trying to work through the difficulties she had faced and only wanted to live a quiet life away from the responsibilities placed upon her from birth. Alisdair only wanted to do his duty and protect the land he loved, not to be drawn to the lady in the loch. This was more tragic than the first book I thought. So much against them and the secrets they held would seem to destroy them if they didn’t confess. I found them to be an amazing couple and really enjoyed the story.
This book is amazing! I loved the first book and this one is even better. Gwyn’s children have been cursed but they don’t know it. Simon has turned into a son of a you know what after Gwyn’s death. Their oldest (by 5 minutes) Deidre had had two husbands die after their wedding night. Yeah, that’s her curse. She meets Sir Aleck Stirrat when she is bathing in the loch. He thinks she is drowning but she’s not. She’s just trying to get relief from her “gift” of feeling everyone’s emotions. She can feel is they’re good or evil. Everyone but the man who tried to “rescue” her. She’s dreamed of this man before and is drawn to him. He shows up at her father’s castle and Simon is intent to marry her off to him. When she finds Aleck is headed to the Isles her mother was from she runs away with Aleck. He has a whole lot of secrets. Big secrets. The two grow closer on this trip and face lots of dangers. This book is action packed and has a really evil man bent on hurting a lot of people. Especially Aleck and Diedre. You won’t regret diving into this book.
After reading the brief bio on this author, it’s clear she did a ton of research to write this story, and after occasionally looking up things on the internet, it’s all very authentic sounding. The story is written with real love of The subject. Full disclosure: I don’t normally care for these types of books. I tend to get lost in the dialect and the complicated history. But I gave this story a chance and I’m glad I did.
I found the last half easier to absorb than the first half, but I blame myself. It’s actually a rather simple story but with a lot of characters. I had to go back and review some of the claimants names as I mixed them up. I also wish we got more about Deidre’s Mom’s family. (Maybe it’s in the next book?)
I loved how the curse was broken and explained. It was a great way to close up loose ends. And the writing was terrific. I struggled with history, pronunciation and dialogue at times, but again this is my personal struggle that has nothing to do with the author. It’s a great testament to the author that she roped me into reading this historical romance when I would normally skip it or DNF. If i did that, I would have missed quite a gem.
A highland fairytale with a beautiful maiden under a magical curse, a hero in disguise, and a happily ever after. This is a charming book. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.