Review of "Dangerous Highlander" by Donna Grant

Just finished "Dangerous Highlander" by Donna Grant, the first in her Dark Sword series. I'm not sure how I remembered first hearing about this author, but I won some swag for the release of "Dangerous Highlander" several months ago, and finally got my hands on the book itself to read. Bought by myself, by the way, neither book or money was given in exchange for this review.

From the back of the book:
" A DANGEROUS MAN... He is magnificently strong - and dangerously seductive. One of the fiercest of his clan, Lucan MacLeod is a legend among warriors, inspiring fear in man and woman alike. For three hundred years, he has locked himself away from the world, hiding the vengeful god imprisoned in his soul. But then, a young lass caught in a raging storm awakens his deepest impulses... and darkest desires.
A DANGEROUS PASSION... Cara doesn't believe the rumors about MacLeod Castle - until the majestic Highland warrior appears like a fiery vision in the storm, pulling her into his powerful arms, and into his world of magic and druids. An epic war between good and evil is brewing. And Lucan must battle his all-consuming attraction for Cara - or surrender to the flames of a reckless, impossible love that threatens to destroy them both... "

As I'm sure everyone has noticed, character development, as well as how much I come to love the characters, is one of the biggest factors that make or break a novel for me. While I can't say I saw too much development in Lucan himself, I definitely saw change in Cara, and even more so in Lucan's brothers - Quinn and Fallon. Of course Lucan changed during the course of the novel, but that would mostly be because of his interaction with Cara, I wouldn't necessarily call it development.

One quick note, I did find my mind straying on occasion. There are some books that while I am interested, and for the most part they do keep my attenion, I find myself skipping lines, or sometimes just following dialogue. This seemed to be the case with "Dangerous Highlander." There were certainly passages that kept me glued to the page, but others, my mind would occasionally wander.

That said, I still loved the book. I really enjoyed the plot, the gods inside the warriors, and especially the description of what the warriors looked like when they let their god transform them. Even more than that, I loved that each warrior that held a different god transformed into a different colored creature. The big baddie in the storyline is interesting, and I can't wait to see how the whole thing wraps up, which I hope won't be for another several books. On that note, the next book in the series is "Forbidden Highlander".. and seems to be Fallon MacLeod's book.

So to wrap this up, I would give "Dangerous Highlander" by Donna Grant a FOUR out of FIVE. I liked the idea, I liked the characters, even loved some of them. And yes, I will check out the rest in the series. But this just didn't feel like a five star book to me. But definitely check out "Dangerous Highlander" and come up with your own conclusions.

Happy Reading!
~!~Morning Glow

Review of "Covet" by J.R. Ward

You think since I love any and all things vampires, I would have read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward, right? Well, actually.. Nope! "Covet" was the first book by J. R. Ward I've ever read, and wow.

From the back of the book:
" Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about - his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sings. And failure isn't an option.

Vin diPietro has surrendered himself to his business - until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior, and a woman who makes him question his destiny. With an ancient evil ready to claim him, Vin has to work with a fallen angel not only to win his beloved over... but to redeem his very soul. "

When I started reading this book, after learning about the great "ball game" for earth, and meeting Jim, I honestly thought I was in for something fun. Some quickly read, humorous romance that leaves me with a happy feeling at the end. But this book really blew me away. It was darker than I expected, and it had me so hooked I was up until 4am last night reading it. And when it was over, I'll be honest with you all, I wanted to cry. I'm not sure why.. maybe relief, or maybe because I felt like I was going with Jim on this new phase in his life.

I assume this will be a series, since Jim has to help seven people, and Vin was just the first. So that means that the questions I have from the first one will, hopefully, be answered. Such as, I'd like to know more about his organization that Jim used to work for. It gets to be pretty obvious what he did, but.. so much is left out. It's maybe a little too secretive for my taste. And Jim's tattoo.. I want to know more about it. I'm fairly positive I know what it means, but I'd like to have my suspicions confirmed or denied.

I'm so happy I read this book, really. "Covet" actually makes me want to go back and try to read the Black Dagger Brotherhood novels. I tried them, I really did, but I couldn't get past the first twenty some odd pages of the first book. But I got so emotionally invested in the characters from "Covet," I want to see if J.R. Ward can make me feel that way in the others, as well.

As for the rating, I'm giving "Covet" by J. R. Ward FIVE out of FIVE stars. It's heart warming, wrenching, and just.. good. As I said, I got extremely invested in this story, in Jim and Vincent's life, and I hope against all hope that I can read more about Jim soon. I love this, I am definitely re-reading it again (and again, and again), and I'm recommending this to.. everyone I know, probably.

Happy Reading! And be sure to check out "Covet" by J. R. Ward if you haven't already!
~!~ Morning Glow

Disclaimer:
Book was purchased by the reviewer. Neither book nor money was given in exchange for the review.

Review of "Dragon Actually" by G.A. Aiken

I just happened upon this book while going through a large stack of older novels, and I consider myself lucky for finding it! I think the title caught my eye first - What, you didn't believe that? Alright, the handsome looking man caught my eye first, but really, the title interested me. Honest.

From the back of the book:
" It's not always easy being a female warrior with a nickname like Annwyl the Bloody. Men tend to either cower in fear - a lot - or else salute. It's true that Annwyl has a knack for decapitating legions of her ruthless brother's soldiers without pausing for breath. But just once it would be nice to be able to really talk to a man, the way she can talk to Fearghus the Destroyer.

Too bad that Fearghus is a dragon, of the large, scaly, and deadly type. With him, Annwyl feels safe - a far cry from the feelings aroused by the hard-bodied, arrogant knight Fearghus has arranged to help train her for battle. With her days spent fighting a man who fills her with fierce, heady desire, and her nights spent in the company of a magical creature who could smite a villiage just by exhaling, Annwyl is sure life couldn't get any stranger.

She's wrong.
[ And just wait until you meet the rest of the family...] "

I really enjoyed this. In fact, I got home about six-ish, started reading it almost immediately, and couldn't put it down until I finished a few hours later. I just loved the characters of Annwyl and Fearghus. And I like the fact that Annwyl couldn't defeat her brother on her own, not because she wasn't strong enough, but because her absolute anger would trip her up somehow, would leave her open to attack. And that is what the strange knight is helping her with, to overcome her anger and make sure she's ready to face her enemy. I also really, really loved the family dynamic between Fearghus and his siblings, and even with his parents, as well. Obviously that last bit on the back cover signals the reader to the fact that this will be a series - which I am sooo excited about. In fact, "Dragon Actually" includes a shorter story in the back of the book, "Chains and Flames," that tells the story of Fearghus' parents and how they got together. I quite enjoyed that, as well.

This wouldn't be a fair and balanced review unless I talked about any and all cons of the book, but it'll be hard to come up with anything substantial. Really, the only thing I had issues with were names, and that was because I didn't know how to pronounce them. Annwyl and Fearghus.. Nope, still not sure. I almost wish there had been a pronunciation guide included somewhere. And I'm not sure I liked the fact that Annwyl never really bothered to get the knight's name, especially as things progressed between them. But I, who can be quite nitpicky, was willing to overlook these things because I enjoyed the overall story so much.

I'm giving "Dragon Actually" a FIVE out of FIVE stars. I loved it, I'm going to re-read it, I've already got my hands on the second in the series and I can't wait to read it. I hope you all get a chance to check this book out, as well. As far as I know there are at least three in the series, and I hope there will be more to come. Fearghus has quite a few siblings. I certainly plan to do some more research on this author.

Happy Reading! And definitely check out "Dragon Actually" by G. A. Aiken
~!~ Morning Glow