***SPOILERS ALERT!!!***

You may recall me bemoaning Diana Gabaldon's previous book in this series, Dragonfly in Amber, because it was long, boring, and took me FOREVER to read. Of course, once I finished reading that book, I just had to start reading Voyager, the third book in the series.

Voyager starts with Claire researching (with the help of her daughter Brianna and friend Roger) whatever happened to Jamie - the love she had to leave after Culloden in order to save her and their daughter's life. Twenty years have passed and lo and behold, it is revealed that Jamie did not die at Culloden like she thought he did. The problem is that a lot can happen over the course of twenty years.

With Roger's expertise in research and Claire's never-give-up attitude, they find out approximately where Jamie would have been twenty years past the day when Claire was forced to go back through the stone circle to her present day. So what's a girl to do when she finds out the love of her life is still alive, 200 years before her time? Go back, of course.

Maybe it was because this book was so similar to Outlander, the first book in the series, but I absolutely devoured it. There wasn't a lot of political jargon that mussed up the pages of Dragonfly in Amber, nor were there endless fight scenes long enough to make even the most caffeine-addicted man fall asleep.

Claire goes back and is reunited with Jamie and they have to learn to live with what happened in the last twenty years. None of it was innocent, considering each thought the other was dead. Frank takes Claire back after learning she was with child when she returns "home", thus making Brianna ("Bree") believe that Frank is her father. And Jamie is shipped all over the place, thrown in jail a few times, has a CHILD WITH ANOTHER WOMAN (unbeknownst to anyone but him and another person), and ends up remarrying not just another woman, but Laoghaire, the girl Claire saw him canoodling with prior to their wedding 20+ years ago.

Somehow, most things work out. But not everything. Claire's return isn't received as she would have liked by Jamie's sister, and there's the mystery of who-exactly-is-the-little-Chinaman-Jamie-keeps-calling-Mr.-Willoughby? When Laoghaire enters the picture (and then leaves the picture after shooting Jamie in the arm), the lawyer, Ned, comes in to settle the matter of First Wife vs. Second Wife. As usual, Jamie has to pay.

But wait! One time when Jamie was in jail, he learned of a story of a treasure on an island. Of course he manages to escape said jail and SWIMS to the island to find a treasure that doesn't match the description originally provided, but a treasure nonetheless. And now that he has to pay up to Laoghaire for the "divorce", Jamie, Claire, Jenny's son Ian, the Chinaman, and some Scottish smugglers are all en route to obtain said treasure (since who has the kind of money to pay for a divorce?).

On the way, Ian is kidnapped and the gang must band forth to rescue him. But from whom, you ask? Well, from Geilis Duncan - the WITCH we thought was burned at the stake! From the looks of it, Ian was her sacrifice, and her slave people were all too happy to relay this information to Claire and Jamie.

In the end, Ian is rescued and Claire and Jamie are in hot debate over where they should live since Jamie is a smuggler - nay, a WANTED smuggler - and many of the places he called home are now off-limits. Fortunately, their boat was being followed by the same ship that kidnapped Ian, which forces them to head out to sea. They're hit by a storm and wind up in … America.

Du, du, du … !

Unfortunately for Diana Gabaldon, I'm putting the reading of the 4th book on hold until I read other books that are on my To-Read list. However, I was pleasantly pleased with this book - it held my attention, had just the right amounts of love and action (though I could do without the very detailed "love" scenes) and still kept my intrigue to read farther into the series. And instead of taking a whopping 2 months to read book, this one only took 11 days. I know, I'm a machine. (LOL!)

Great book. Excellent must read series. I cannot put them down.
Wonderfully written, all action very little filler, Do not be afraid of the page count, you will be finished far to soon!

In this third book we see Claire trying to get back to Jamie after 20 years apart. Claire indeed had Jamie's child, Brianna, something that might not have happened if she were not back in her time. Throughout the book we hear of how Jamie and Claire has survived for the last 20 years, but neither has really lived since they separated. Claire takes a chance to find her heart again by going back to Jamie. With all the trepidation and years apart, the two begin their relationship again.

Loved it. This is a must read series. I can't say enough to bring across just how good these books are.

I was terribly upset at Jamie in this book his betrayals of Claire echoed in my own heart. This book took me in, and made me it's spellbound prisoner. Though I hated every moment of it, I love the series.