Highland Beast (Anthology)

Highland Beast is a paranormal anthology featuring stories by Hannah Howell, Heather Grothaus and Victoria Dahl. It is similar in feel to last year's Nature of the Beast anthology which also featured a story by Hannah Howell. I reviewed that last October.

All three stories take place in Scotland in the past, all are in the 80-90 page range and all feature vampires. Given those similarities, it is surprising how different the stories felt. They all shared one important thing, though--they were all excellently written.

It's hard to pick out a favorite this time, which is rare in anthologies where the quality usually varies, but if I had to it would be the first one in the book. In "The Beast Within" by Howell, my one quibble is with the hero's name Gybbon. All I can think of is the ape, not really what I want to picture when I am thinking of a romantic hero. Other than that minor issue, the story is wonderful. Gybbon is searching for the Lost Ones who share his MacNachton bloodline when he comes across Alice Boyd who has been running from hunters for years. Both Gybbon and Alice are very strong characters and there was a lot of action and suspense. I'm rating this 8.5 out of 10.

The second story is "The Vampire Hunter" by Heather Grothaus. Beatrix Levenach is a witch who lives in the Scottish highlands where she runs an inn and protects the village from vampies. The villagers come to suspect her of the deaths the vampires are causing and Alder the White comes to her rescue. He's a vampire who can only regain his humanity if he kills Beatrix. This is a very exciting tale, full of non-stop action and a variety of paranormal activity. I'll rate this 8.0 out of 10.

The last story in the collection is "Laird of Midnight" by Dahl which is set in Scotland in 1595. Finlay Maclain is a vampire who has been hunting those vampires who killed his family and he only has one more to take care of. He finds the widow Kenna Graham working at a tavern and she is threatened by his nemesis, Jean. The sexual tension is delicious and the pace never lets up. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and watching both of them change. I'll rate this one 8.0 out of 10.

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

I had read some stellar reviews of this book which is why I picked it up but I was skeptical that it would be that good. I've read a few books by Jennifer Ashley and while I enjoyed them I was not blown away. Well, I WAS blown away by The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. It's one of the three best historicals I've read so far this year.

There's so much to love about this novel, but for me the character of Ian Mackenzie was the highlight. How often do you see a hero who is actually mentally ill? Ian has Asperger's Syndrome, (which I didn't know until I read the reviews,) which causes him to be unable to meet people's eyes, have a photographic memory, be unable to lie, to take things literally, to be mesmerized by patterns, etc. Ian has spent time in an asylum where he was subjected to what we would consider torture but was considered treatment for his madness in the 19th century. The author does a marvelous job of taking us into Ian's world and showing us why he is a brave and worthy hero. I was so glad that there was no miraculous cure at the end of the book (a device that has ruined books for me before.)

The heroine is also wonderful and unusual, though not so unusual as Ian. Beth Ackerly is the daughter of a French con-man and spent time in a poorhouse as a child. She is also the widow of an impoverished vicar and it was refreshing to find that she actually had a very happy, if brief, marriage. First marriages in romances are so seldom happy, and an astonishing amount of the time they aren't even consummated. After she was widowed, she spent time as a companion to an elderly woman who left Beth her fortune. Beth is far from naive but her past has not hardened her and she shows an amazing amount of patience and understanding with Ian and his brothers (who all have their own problems.)

I haven't even mentioned the fascinating mystery of the book, the marvelous secondary characters (what a surprise Inspector Fellows turned out to be!) and the way Ashley brings the settings of London, Paris and Scotland to life. There is much to praise in the book and nothing I can think of to criticize. If you like historicals, you'll love this original and highly satifying novel.

Fortunately it is the first in a series of four books about the Mackenzie brothers. The next is Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, which will be released next year.

I'll rate The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie 9.0 out of 10.

Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Medeiros

It's been a while since I read a book by Teresa Medeiros and Some Like it Wicked reminded me of how much I enjoy her work. I now plan to look for the books I've missed.

I was predisposed to like this book since it has a sexy Scottish hero and a brave, smart heroine. Pamela Darby meets Connor Kincaid when he is holding up her carriage. Yep, not that original but Medeiros does it very well. She does have a few plot twists that require suspension of disbelief, but I was having so much fun I didn't mind. Pamela convinces Connor to pose as the long-lost heir to an English Duke and it's great fun to watch them scheme.

I thought one of the strongest parts of the book was the characters. It was not only Pamela and Connor who were so well done, but almost everyone mentioned. I really had a soft spot for Connor's "valet" Brodie. I also thought what she did with Connor's cousin Crispin was excellent. He could have so easily been a cardboard villain, but instead we have a character who is both good and bad and we come to care for him. The real villain turns out to be someone else entirely.

The book moves quickly and there are a couple moments of real suspense. There is a lot of humor in the book, but also some sad memories that are dealt with. I have to admit there were two scenes where I teared up. I loved the ending, it was perfect.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys British historicals. I'll rate it 8.0 out of 10.

Possessed by the Highlander by Terri Brisbin

If you're in the mood for a Scottish historical, Possessed by the Highlander is an excellent choice. The story is a variation of the forced marriage plot, but it is much more than that implies.

The strength of this book is in the characters and their growth. The plot is minimal, with little action other than in the beginning and end of the book, but it kept me mesmerized. The hero and heroine felt very real and I was really rooting for them. I liked that the hero was known as the Peacemaker and was not the usual warrior Highlander. I really liked the ending which I felt was quite unusual and very satisfying. The story made me tear up three or four times, which is an indication of how good the writing is.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an insightful Scottish medieval romance, and I'll rate it 7.5 out of 10.

With Every Breath by Lynn Kurland

With Every Breath is the latest in Kurland's series about the MacLeod and de Piaget families in Scotland. Many of them involve time travel and/or ghosts. My favorite in the series is Stardust of Yesterday, one of my favorite romance books. They can be read out of order, but if you read them in order you get to revisit old characters which adds to the fun.

Although I really love Kurland's writing, I have to reluctantly say With Every Breath is not her best. I still enjoyed it, but it has some fairly major flaws. The first is that it is too long and could have benefited from some editing to condense the narrative. There are too many pages in which not very much happens. Another problem is that the heroine is always crying. I mean, ALWAYS. It got very irritating. I understand she was upset, but to spend three-quarters of the book weeping is too much. I also found it totally unbelieveable that she was still a virgin at 33 and that they didn't do anything more than kissing in the book.

There was a secondary plot line that wasn't well developed until the very end, when it came together and made sense. I also would have liked to have had more time travel. The heroine, Sunshine, goes back in time to 1375, but she's only there for about 84 pages of a 386 page book.

Every author can have an "off" book and I will certainly buy her next book. If you haven't read anything by Lynn Kurland, I'd recommend starting with one of her earlier books, like Stardust of Yesterday, If I Had You or Another Chance to Dream.

I'd rate this book 6 out of 10.