Rating: 
Summary: What a Great Read!
Review: A few weeks ago, my sister gave me a box of books. I picked up "Kilgannon" and finished in two days! I couldn't put it down. Kathleen Givens is very talented! She wrapped me up so completely with her wonderful love story of Alex and Mary Rose, that when I got to the end... what's this?! You can't end with Alex going off to war!! I checked Amazon.com for the sequel, "The Wild Rose of Kilgannon," but decided I couldn't wait the few days it would take the book to arrive. So, I called my local bookstore, and thank goodness they had it stock! As I finished reading the second book, I truly hated to see it end. I loved Gabaldon's "Outlander" series, but there were several parts that seemed slow, where I thought "just get on with the story!" Not so with Givens' novels. Both were page-turners, from beginning to end. Bravo, Kathleen!
Rating: 
Summary: Review from another Gabaldon fan
Review: After completing this book and rereading the reviews they do relay the strengths that parallel this story to the Outlander series. Givens does a fine job writing about Scotland and London while moving the story quickly. The interaction in the society is believable and character development is good. A character map would help a little along with a sketch of the land for those of us who like to see it laid out. Where this book falls short is in the exchanges between Alex and Mary. She comes off as a emotionally immature London society girl after we've seen her embark on a new life in the Scottish highlands that in itself suggest bravery and growth of the character. Her emotion as the war approaches is understandable but the behavior by the character is the behavior of a child. Knowing this I think Gabaldon fans can enjoy this story since its sequel does sound worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: A nice surprise!
Review: After I read the online reviews of this book "KilGannon" I ordered the books here on Amazon...It was a pleasent surprise for my part after I finshed reading these two books (KilGannon, and the wild rose of Kilgannon) The books are wonderful.. yes, some reviewers think these two books reminded them of the OUTLANDER series...I personally own these books, so I agree with them. The KilGannon's story line is like this: Everyone expects Mary Lowell to marry the handsome Scotsman, Robert Campbell, whom she has known for years. Except there is a small problem: He hasn't proposed yet! Everyone else in the ton seems to be so sure that Mary is Robert's fiancee. In the meantime, Mary becomes fascinated with and falls in love with another handsome Scotsman, Alex MacGannon-Laird of KilGannon. Mary is an Englishwoman who is expected to marry well and Alex is considered a 'barbarian' by members of the ton. And then there are the mysterious accidents that befall Alex that point to a relentless enemy. But then they got married and Mary is welcomed into the hearts of Alex's clan. But marriage doesn't mean living happily ever after for this couple because of the highland politics via love as Alex finds himself [drawn] into the plot to restore the Stuart throne.(the Jacobite uprisings) It is refershing to see that not only Kathleen Givens manages to make her main characters lively, interesting and 3 dimensional, but that she also does this with the secondary characters as well. All in all, this is an excellent read. If you are facinated by Scottish Romance novels, I high suggest you read The KilGannon and its' sequel. :)
Rating:
Summary: I was blown away...
Review: by all the gushing reviews of Kilgannon. I chose this book because the Amazon reviews said that if I liked Outlander, I would like Ms. Givens' series, and I was hopeful. It missed the mark in several areas.
Kilgannon, set in the era just prior to the uprising of the Bonnie Prince, is touted as Historical Fiction. There is virtually no history in it. If I didn't know the era from all my previous reading, this book would do little to enlighten me. Only at the end of the story, does the rumble of pending war enter the plot. Because it was not woven into the earlier tale, it lacks conviction, and falls flat.
Kilgannon is a romance, and is probably much more satisfying to those who seek just a romantic tale set in a distant time and place. However, even as a romance, it was a frustrating read at times. I was very pleased in the beginning of the book. She's beautiful and English and assumed to be the eventual match of the wealthy Scots-Englishman Lord Robert Campbell. Enter the dashing Highland Laird Alex MacGannon who is immediately taken with Mary. The love triangle creates a palpable excitement as we join Mary in yearning for Alex and unable to decide between the wild northern Scotsman or the tamed and socially accepted Robert. Unfortunately this condition continues for 150 pages of miscommunication between Mary and Alex. Does he really love her? Does she love him? Maybe she just imagined it. She'll just settle for Robert. On and on until it's not exciting, it's insipid, redundant, unrealistic and boring.
What of the evil villain? He comes in the form of Alex's jealous younger brother Malcolm. Only Mary suspects him of the attack in London and of Alex's poisoning, and Alex does not believe her. A potentially great subplot that could provide tension, swashbuckling, a clan split that could figure into the war, just fizzles out leaving the reader asking, "Why bother?".
So what redeeming qualities make Kilgannon worth reading? I mentioned earlier that romance readers would probably be satisfied with the handsome Alex and his love. The writing, while it certainly lacks the rich tapestry Gabaldon fans have come to revere, is not bad. I gave it the 3 star rating instead of 2 for this reason: it was readable. I would not recommend it to anyone who is hoping it will live up to the quality of plot control, historical development, or written acumen of Diana Gabaldon, and I will not be reading any more in the series.
Rating:
Summary: EVERY HISTORICAL ROMANCE FAN WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!!
Review: Do not hesitate to buy this wonderful novel. If you love historical romance and you love Scottish history this is the book for you! This is a page turner you will not be able to put down. The main characters Mary Lowell and Alex MacGannon of Kilgannon have a chemistry that can not be topped. I have never loved a hero as much as I did Alex. Alex will steal your heart just as he did Mary's. Just when I finished this book I went ahead and looked for the sequel The Rose of Kilgannon which is being released in November. I hope to see more books by this wonderfully talented rising star! Thank you Kathleen Given's for such a beautiful tale!
Rating:
Summary: A Nice Surprise
Review: Everyone expects Mary Lowell to marry the handsome Scotsman, Robert Campbell. Except there is a small problem: He hasn't proposed yet. And in the meantime, Mary becomes fascinated with and falls in love with another handsome Scotsman, Alec MacGannon. It is a romance that does not go smoothly. Mary is an Englishwoman who is expected to marry well. Alec is considered a 'barbarian' by members of the ton. And then there are the mysterious accidents that befall Alec that point to a relentless enemy. But marry they do and Mary is welcomed into the hearts of Alec's higland clan. But marriage doesn't mean happily ever after for this couple because higland politics vie with love as Alec finds himself sucked into the plot to restore the Stuart throne.I LOVED this book! and I plan to go right out and read the sequel. Yes, there are the inevitable comparisons to Gabaldon's OUTLANDER series. I confess, I am even guilty of thinking "hey this book reminds me of Gabaldon's" but I think in doing so I do Ms. Givens a huge disservice. There are pracically hundreds of books out there written about handsome higlanders, pretty englishwomen and the jacobite uprisings. What makes this book seem like it is so similar to Gabaldon's is because Ms. Givens 1) writes very well and 2) there is a bit more complexity in her characters than one usually finds in most historical romances. I like how Robert Campbel, Mary's other suitor isn't made to seem all evil or bufoonish or boring. Instead he is handsome, accomplished and all too humanly flawed. I think it is great that Ms. Givens not only manages to make her main characters lively, interesting and 3 dimensional, but that she also can do this with secondary characters as well. I look forward to the sequel to this story (it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger) and I definitely plan to keep my open for other books by this author.
Rating:
Summary: A fair book
Review: For summertime reading, I searched for any Scottish historical romance to tide me over while I wait for the fifth installment of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. This seemed like one of the better ones. (I don't like your normal "romance" novels.) While this book was good, all along I felt it was a poor imitation of Diana's books. Although I liked the characters, I did not fall in love with them. I do suggest that you read this book, if only to be able to compare Kathleen's hamburger to Diana's filet mignon. (And we all have a taste for hamburger now and then, don't we?)
Rating: 
Summary: If You Liked Outlander...
Review: For those of us who have read, lived and loved Gabaldon's Outlander series, it is hard for other authors to live up to these works. Givens' Kilgannon books are an excellent choice. The book is written in from the first person character of Mary Lowell, an unwed English woman whose relatives are determined to see her married off. Mary unexpectedly meets a dashing Scot, Alex MacGannon during the height of the English Season, 1712. Alex, a widowed father of two young boys, is immediately intrigued by Mary. Mary, likewise, is quite interested in Alex. Mary gives little thought to the relationship she had with Robert Campbell, thinking it nothing more than a friendship. As it turns out, the Campbells and MacGannons have been long time enemies in the homeland Scotland. Unable to deny her love for Alex, Mary marries him and leaves her home in England to become the Laird's wife of Kilgannon, and stepmother to his two boys.
Filled with adventure, action, betrayal and romance, readers will not be disappointed in this tale. The story is set a few years before the first Jacobite uprising, neatly paving the way for the second book, The Wild Rose of Kilgannon.
If you like Scottish Highland stories, this is an excellent selction.
Rating:
Summary: If You Liked Outlander...
Review: For those of us who have read, lived and loved Gabaldon's Outlander series, it is hard for other authors to live up to these works. Givens' Kilgannon books are an excellent choice. The book is written in from the first person character of Mary Lowell, an unwed English woman whose relatives are determined to see her married off. Mary unexpectedly meets a dashing Scot, Alex MacGannon during the height of the English Season, 1712. Alex, a widowed father of two young boys, is immediately intrigued by Mary. Mary, likewise, is quite interested in Alex. Mary gives little thought to the relationship she had with Robert Campbell, thinking it nothing more than a friendship. As it turns out, the Campbells and MacGannons have been long time enemies in the homeland Scotland. Unable to deny her love for Alex, Mary marries him and leaves her home in England to become the Laird's wife of Kilgannon, and stepmother to his two boys.
Filled with adventure, action, betrayal and romance, readers will not be disappointed in this tale. The story is set a few years before the first Jacobite uprising, neatly paving the way for the second book, The Wild Rose of Kilgannon.
If you like Scottish Highland stories, this is an excellent selction.
Rating:
Summary: Outlander, set in the rising of '15
Review: Givens is talented and entertaining and I enjoyed her book, but boy oh boy is she derivative! Alex is Jamie Fraser from Outlander, rewritten in the rising of 1715 and changed just enough to avoid a lawsuit. Maybe not enough! But the book made me smile and held my interest and I'll buy the sequel, mainly while I'm waiting on the next Diana Gabaldon book.
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