Narrated by Phil Gigante

When I look back on my first romance audiobooks, Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series almost always comes to mind as something I gobbled up like candy. The Dark Highlander, the fifth book, was my favorite and I was eager to review it for the Month of Romance Audio Favorites feature at AudioGals.

Dageus MacKeltar is a haunted man. He’s a Scottish Highlander, born in the sixteenth century, but trapped between the past and the present. He violated an ancient prophecy, and is now forced to pay the price. Thirteen druids possess his soul. Will he be able to break free of their hold?

Chloe Zanders is a student and lover of all that is antique. When she meets Dageus, she finds herself drawn to the darkness inside him. She isn’t sure what causes it, and when she discovers who he really is, she doesn’t know what to make of it all. Part of her is too pragmatic to believe in time travel, but another part, the part that yearns for the touch of this dangerous Highlander, is compelled to believe.

Chloe and Dageus are thrust back in time to defeat the darkness that possesses Dageus’ soul. Along the way, they discover a passion beyond anything either one could imagine. Can that passion turn to love?

I thoroughly enjoyed Phil Gigante’s narration of The Dark Highlander. He switches seamlessly between narrative and dialogue. His pacing is incredible, as is his ability to truly capture the essence of the characters he’s performing.

I was very impressed with Gigante’s ability to give each of the Highlanders a distinct voice, while still employing a Scottish accent. Dageus is given a gruff, but sensuous sound. His twin brother sounds similar, but lacks the gruffness. He does employ a little too much of a falsetto when he speaks for female characters. Chloe, for example, took a bit of getting used to. His pitch was just a little too high when she spoke. This was true of other female characters as well, but I noticed it most with Chloe.

Gigante made the relationship between Dageus and Chloe very believable. He read some pretty steamy scenes, and the sensual quality of his voice was perfect. I could feel them falling for each other.

Unfortunately, as I relistened to The Dark Highlander in preparation for writing this review, I found that the story had lost some of its magic for me. I still enjoy the time travel, especially since it involves Dageus living in the present as well as Chloe living in the past. However, Dageus is definitely an alpha male, a character trait that has come to bother me over the past few years. Where I once saw Chloe as spunky, I now see her as too willing to please Dageus, even if doing so went against things she believed about herself and the world around her. I found myself wanting her to stand up to him sometimes, but she rarely did.

Still, I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy time travel, more than a hint of darkness, and a romance that consumes both characters.

Breakdown of Grade: Narration – A; Story – B

Running Time: 10 hours 59 minutes