Proceed with caution! There are spoilers ahead. If you haven't read the books, I recommend that you not read my reviews, unless you don't mind if I give away surprises in the plot.

Outlander Many people who vote in online polls pick this as their favorite in the series. I have to say this book was outstanding in every way. I know Diana Gabaldon doesn't classify this as a romance novel, but many of her readers do. Until I read this book, I hadn't read a romance novel. Since then, I've read several, but none can hold a candle to this one. Like most readers, I fell in love with Jamie. How can you not? He isn't perfect, but he is so charismatic. I have recommended this book several times. When most people are considering whether or not to buy a book, they look at the summary on the back. So did I. So I knew Jamie and Claire were going to get together. Gabaldon really makes you wait for it! I think that was a good move on her part, mainly because when it finally happens, it is just indescribably good. I also like the way the book ties together so many of my own personal interest areas: Scotland, genealogy, romance, history, and herbalism. What do I like most? I like the wedding scene. The blood vow that Jamie and Claire take is intriguing. The wedding night was .... well .... mmmphmm. (And that is GOOD). I can't list everything I liked, because there is just so much. The scene in which Jamie takes Claire back to Craigh na Dun was heartbreaking. I was with Claire all the way as she ran back to Jamie. What didn't I like? Well, the whole rape scene between Jamie and Black Jack Randall. I really hated it that Jamie was used that way. I wish there had been another way. I know Jamie did it because he loved Claire so much, but it just didn't seem like something he would allow to happen. I suppose that is the very reason he did - it really shows the reader how much Claire means to him.

Dragonfly in Amber I didn't think they were ever going to leave France. I like Jamie and Claire best in Scotland. So I would have to say I didn't think this book was going to be as good as Outlander - until they did go back to Scotland. My favorite scene in the whole series is when Jamie sends Claire back through the stones. By starting the book in 1968, I knew it was coming (besides, I read the back of the book). It was absolutely wrenching. When I began reading the scene, I locked myself in my bedroom and sobbed (my husband teases me enough about my reading preferences - I couldn't take mocking at that point). I have never, ever sobbed over a book like that! I loved it when Jamie and Claire marked each other with their initials. I personally thought that was one of the most romantic things I have ever read. And the ending! What a cliffhanger! I was glad Voyager was already out! I thought aspects of Jamie and Claire's stay in France were interesting. I hated the separation after Faith died. I know that Claire did love Frank, but as a reader, I was loyal to Jamie and I just couldn't make myself upset over the idea that Frank might not exist. (Of course, I was so glad when it turned out that Frank wasn't really descended from Black Jack.) So I was mad at Claire for being so upset over Black Jack's "death." One of the new characters that I really liked was Master Raymond. I thought Gabaldon did a fine job painting him with words. I could just see the little fellow. I wonder if he will turn up again. On the other hand, I wasn't really crazy about Brianna in this book. I can't really put my finger on it (she grew on me in Drums). I had a tough time deciding which book I liked better - Outlander or Dragonfly in Amber. I settled on Dragonfly, but I would have to say it is really close. That wrenching farewell scene did it for me. I just love a good cry.

Voyager This book is my least favorite in the series. I felt that the characters did things in this book that I wouldn't have imagined that they would really do. For instance, Jamie married Laoghaire. How could he do that? Of ALL the women in the world, how could he marry THAT woman? So what if he didn't know about what Laoghaire did at Castle Leoch. He still knew what she was like. And the whole scene that occurred in chapter 34 after Laoghaire's daughter walked in on Jamie and Claire - what can I say? It was rape, plain and simple - and it just didn't seem like Jamie. The fact that he hid his marriage to Laoghaire from Claire is believable, for all he promised to always tell her the truth. I was so angry with Jamie over that whole episode. I wasn't as angry about Geneva - it seemed he was kind of caught there. While we're discussing what characters would or wouldn't do, what was the deal with Geillis? Granted, she killed her husband. She was a witch. She was not a nice person. But I just thought it was weird that she was kidnapping young boys to rape them. The whole explanation for her escape from execution was plausible, but not really likely. I didn't care for the character John Grey. I can't put my finger on it, but I just didn't like him. What did I like? Well, I liked the reunion scene. Jamie and Claire were almost afraid of each other. Those first tentative movements toward each other. Does he still think I'm attractive? Can it really be her after all this time? And I liked Joe Abernathy. I suppose he was really introduced in Dragonfly in Amber, but the scene with Geillie's skull was very interesting to me. I liked the way Gabaldon tied all the characters together - Ishamael and Joe Abernathy for instance.

Drums of Autumn I found this book more difficult to get into than the first three, but once I did, it quickly picked up my interest. I liked some of the new characters that were introduced, especially John Quincy Meyers. I also thought the villain, Stephen Bonnet, was deliciously hatable, if not as intrinsically evil as Black Jack. I was reminded of some of my family's pioneer ancestors when Jamie and Claire established Fraser's Ridge. I loved the reunion with Brianna. I was so worried she and Roger would never get together again. Young Ian's association with the Indians was believable. I cried when he left to go live with them in the end. I thought the scene in which Jamie is stuck on the mountain because of his back was very interesting. Here we are reminded that Jamie and Claire are getting older and starting to experience new limitations. I predict that Roger, Brianna, and Jeremiah will go back to their present, but I hope that Claire will remain with Jamie. I just get so upset when I think of the twenty years they missed! I can't wait to read about Jamie in the Revolutionary War in the books to come.

The Fiery Cross Not finished yet. Coming soon!

The Outlandish Companion Coming soon.