Murdo McEwen is the epitome of an ancient Gaelic warrior, tall, dark, and ruggedly good looking in his traditional Scots tartan. Murdo looks like a warrior of old stepped straight out of the history books. Only problem is that he's from two thousand years in the future, and another planet at that. Stranded in the 21st century with a bent time key, Murdo curses the interference of the faeries that dropped him in a century, and on a planet not his own; at least they had the grace to leave him in bonnie Scotland! Stranded, with no idea of what century he's in, Murdo decides that fates are playing evil tricks on him when he is hit by a car, then he decides it's not so bad when he opens his eyes to see the most beautiful Druidess he's ever laid eyes on.

Katie Inness is horrified when she realizes that a moments inattention to the road led to her hitting a man she didn't see. Far from being a Druid Priestess, Katie Inness moved to Scotland when her parents died in a tragic car crash, to apprentice with her Uncle John as a sword smith. Katie loves her job, and her art, but can't seem to shake a lingering emptiness in her life, that is until she runs over Murdo. Somehow the big Scot just makes the world a brighter place, and Katie is as determined to stay with him, as Murdo is not to leave her, but what happens when it's time for him to leave her century?

I absolutely love the concept for this story. For those of us who are Scottish, or just love all things Scottish, there is nothing in the world more romantic than stories of ancient Gaelic warriors; the fact that they make a comeback two thousand years from now is delightful. What wasn't so delightful was the difficulty I had following the story. Even familiarizing myself with the terminology page didn't help. Transitions in the story were choppy to the point of being confusing, and it took a great deal of focus to figure out what point exactly Ms. Moncrief was trying to make. Love scenes come late in the book, but fit appropriately into the story line; the ending seemed just a tad bit rushed, but didn't really detract from the overall picture. SwordSong: The Guardians, Book III is a great read if you don't mind working for it a little bit.

Reviewed by: Michelle R.