Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

In my first post, I mentioned that I wouldn’t review romance novels but I also said that I reserved the right to review one if I absolutely loved the book. Well, Outlander is one of those books. It has everything: action, adventure, hunky highlanders, a bit of magic and bad guys you love to hate. Not to mention accurate historical references, a ton of plot and a heroine that is easy to empathize with.

The story is about Claire, a mid-20th century woman who finds herself in 1700′s Scotland when she walks through a crack in some standing stones (think Stonehenge). In order to survive and get back home she has to make some hard decisions and one of those comes in a six-foot tall package with red hair named Jamie Frasier. As Claire fights for survival, she must put her trust in Jamie but with that goes her heart. If Claire can return to her own time, how can she leave Jamie for the husband that she left behind?

This story is one of those that you reread over and over again. It is a fantastical historic romance that you can’t put down until the end and that you never forget. Besides the love story, you get an amazing historical piece with accurate descriptions of 17th century lifestyle and the drama that went with it. The cast of characters is amazing as well. Gabaldon is truly a great writer. There are several books in this series which I am grateful for because really, you just don’t want Claire and Jamie’s story to end. The only draw back is that Gabaldon takes her time writing these books. However, you have just enough time to get through the first seven(!) before her latest comes out this October.

There is also a spin off series with The Lord John character as the protagonist if you prefer a more mystery oriented novel.

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