Dangerous Highlander (Dark Sword #1)

This novel is #1 in the series, “Dark Swords” by author; Donna Grant. This novel is definitely for “Adults Only” to read. There was plenty of HOT romance, passion, HOT Scottish alpha males who have an “inner God” within them which makes them immortal warriors and when their God is unleashed, they can cause destruction, there was also lots of action and suspense. This novel also introduces the Druids (Celtic beings with magical powers from nature). Also, this novel is the beginning of one of my favorite series, “Dark Kings”, it actually begins to introduce all the key characters and intertwines them with all future novels. The main characters are very likable and the reader wants to know all their back stories. This is a great novel to begin with if you enjoy this genre. Happy Reading!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this and I loved it! Typically I am not a historical romance person, but I admit this one has gotten me intrigued!

Lucan MacLeod is the middle child of the three MacLeod brothers who have been cursed for all eternity. He is a Warrior who holds a god from hell within him and it has taken all of his focus to get the god under control. Together he lives with his brothers in their abandoned castle after their clan was horribly slaughtered over 300 years ago. They are hiding from the evil drough, Deirdre, who is trying to unbind all the gods within the Warriors and create an army so she can be queen of the world. Ever since escaping from their Deidres prison, the brothers have hid themselves away until Lucan happens upon a young lass who awakens something he thought died long ago.

Cara has never believed the rumors that surround the MacLeod castle until she nearly falls to her death by the cliff and is saved by a Highland warrior. From then on Cara is thrust into a world she never knew existed, one that is filled with Druid, magic, evil and gods. Little did she know she has a huge part to play that will soon be put to the test as Deirdre desperately wants to take Cara from the MacLeods and she will do everything she can to do so.

I will admit this was a bit slow for me at first and it took a bit to get really into it, but once I did I couldnt put it down. Lucan is the butter that holds his family together, between his drunk riddled eldest and the rage filled youngest, he has his hands full. But when Cara walks into his life, he cant help but feel a huge attraction and fierce protectiveness over her. Similarly Cara has lived her life in a nunnery after her parents were murdered never belonging to the clan that raised her. When the MacLeods save her and take her in she cannot help but feel a strong desire for Lucan even with his god from hell.

I love Cara as a character, she was strong, new what she wanted, and tried to never let her fear show. These were truly remarkable qualities considering everything that has happens din her very short life. Lucan was a perfect match for her as he was fiercely protective but also taught her how to fight and be stronger knowing that he cant always protect her.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book because lately I have been reading books that have very similar ideas. This series is one that has very little similarities to other series I have read and I am super thankful for that! Also it is long which means YAY lots of books!

The only thing that really irked me and why it only go 4 stars is because(below contains a spoilernot too major but it is still a spoiler. Read at your own risk.)

I get she is mortal and he is immortal but typically with a romance book something happens where one is switched to the other so they can live together. Instead this book just kind of ended with them pledging their love and dealing with it as it comes. Okay yes thats lovely and old but what happens in 20 years when shes old and hes still the same? As I said, irksome, but hopefully that gets resolved somewhere along the many books.

Summary: Lucan MacLeod and his two brothers have been trapped in their dilapidated castle for 300 years. They could leave if they wanted to, but they don’t trust themselves to control the beasts that live within them. Instead, they hide behind the castle walls, scaring away potential intruders with rumors and legends of dangerous creatures.

The MacLeods come from an ancient Druid bloodline that possesses the ability to transform into creatures of mass destruction. Only after their entire clan is murdered are their beasts unleashed. The female dark Druid who is responsible for both the bloodshed and their transformation remains diligent in her pursuit to trap and control the brothers. She intends to use the power of all the remaining warrior bloodlines to gain control over the rest of the world.

One day, a young woman named Cara is drawn toward the castle. She has heard the stories of the monsters that live within, but her curiosity gets the better of her. Lucan is watching her from beyond the castle walls, and when he sees her lose her footing and fall over the edge of a cliff, he can’t stop himself from rescuing her. He unleashes his beast in order to find the speed and strength to catch her before she can crash to her death.

From this point on, Cara and Lucan begin to form a tentative bond. As their relationship grows, so too do they begin to divulge their deepest secrets to each other. Unfortunately, they are not able to find peace. Cara and the brothers are all being hunted, and it becomes evident that they face a dangerous war. Can they locate other Warriors in time to help them defeat their viciously dangerous enemy?

Review: This book started out very strong. I was immediately drawn into the MacLeods’ lives, both past and present. I was also captivated by Cara’s mysterious history. The plot and the love story were immediately interesting. Even the villain in this story has her merits.

Unfortunately, there were a few things that fizzled my interest as the story progressed. There is a point in the story when Cara runs into a Warrior from another bloodline. It takes her less than a day away from the castle to find this man. It just seemed unbelievable to me that the MacLeods had never sought out their fellow Warriors in 300 years. Once we discover that there are MANY others like them, it seems obvious that the MacLeods literally wasted the last 300 years of their lives. I wanted to call them a bunch of idiots for locking themselves away for no reason.

The other thing that bruised the story for me was the appearance of the beasts. When the MacLeods transform into their beasts, they all look the same: black in color, claws, and dragon-like. But when the Warriors from the other clans are introduced, they are a plethora of different colors: green, royal blue, red, etc. I did not like this feature at all. What began as an insidious creature, suddenly became cartoonish. It was disappointing.

However, I do still intend to read on in the series. The two things that bothered me in this book are things that won’t need to be reintroduced in future installments. The stupid decision to stay hidden for 300 years is behind them. And now that I’m over the initial disappointment about the rainbow of colorful creatures, I think I can ignore that part in future books. The rest of the storyline interested me enough to keep going.

I’d like to recommend this book to fans of Highlander novels, but I can only do so conditionally at this point. I think there is real potential here, but my final verdict will have to wait until I see where book two takes me.

i love this author, i just spent the last few day reading these book from the very beginning. talk about sizzling. there’s usually danger they have to overcome, which never gets old as the story is action packed and the dialogue is quick witted. looking forward to the next in the series love love love donna grant

just started reading it so far enjoying it.

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