reviewed by
Jennifer Kahng
Maggie Graham hasn't had the easiest of lives. Her parents were killed just as she finished college, leaving her to raise her younger sisters and putting her life effectively on hold. To thank her for that sacrifice, her sisters send Maggie on her dream trip: on an archaeological dig in Scotland. However, Maggie's adventures don't stop there. She manages to activate an ancient magic and finds herself thrown 300 years in the past.
Right into the arms of Quinn MacIntyre, a Highland rogue. Literally. He's a highwayman, stealing from the rich, and part of Rob Roy MacGregor's group of men. But he's not a cruel man...far from it. He stays with her as Maggie realizes just where she is and her circumstances and as she understands that she might not be able to go home again.
Tess Mallory weaves a sexy tale of two people meant to be together, though they're separated by 300 years. Time travel aside, the story is believable...right up until Quinn and Maggie get back to present day. That's when I, personally, got lost. From a story perspective, I understand why it needed to be done, but something about Quinn's experiences in Maggie's time just seemed so much less cohesive than Maggie's adventures in Quinn's time to the point of being almost jarring.
Despite the weird wrap-up near the end, Highland Rogue is still an enjoyable read. Maggie is a strong heroine who deals with her circumstances better than most women would. Quinn is the ideal strong hero. Together, they make an impressive couple, both in terms of passion for each other and in whatever they do in the world. Their love for each other, which spans an impossible time divide, and efforts to stay together, will warm the hearts of hopeless romantics everywhere.
