Dangerous Highlander: A Dark Sword Novel (Dark Sword, 1)

I recently finished Dangerous Highlander by Donna Grant, the first novel in her Dark Sword series. The book was published in paperback by St. Martin's Press in 2010. I don't usually give five stars to romance novels (though I am a big fan of them), but this one earned my respect early on. By chapter three I was completely hooked on this series. The three MacLeod brothers--eldest Fallon, middle brother Lucan, and youngest Quinn--are simply irresistible. It's not just that they're gorgeous Scottish Highlanders, either. Thanks to the workings of ancient Druid magic, originally used to fend off the Romans, the three brothers share an ancient god trapped inside them. A madwoman seeks to capture them because of this, and because of their secret, their clan was slaughtered. For three hundred years, the immortal brothers lived alone in the ruins of their castle with only their vengeful god for company. When an innocent young nun-in-training, Cara, ventures near their forbidden hold, she senses there's something magical about the place, but she never expects to fall in love with one of the brothers. This book was the perfect blend of romance and sword and sorcery, with moments of action but also a great heart, great chemistry, and an unforgettable band of brothers. I took Donna Grant's Dark Sword quiz on FaceBook, and the quiz suggested "my" brother is Fallon. Okay, so Fallon does slightly resemble my husband, but so far I think I like Quinn a little better. I won't really know until I get my hands on the next book in the series, Forbidden Highlander. I plan to do that on my next trip to the bookstore.

I'm not one who generally reads historicals, but I picked up Donna Grant's book after meeting the author at a conference and hearing about her new series. I'll readily admit that once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. It absolutely captivated me from the very first page, and the premise of the three cursed brothers is so well drawn that I can't wait for the next in the series. Dangerous Highlander does everything a good book should do--it immediately got me hooked, entertained me from beginning to end, and got me totally caught up in the author's mythology and her terrific characters. I can definitely recommend this book.

Great book. I have to admit that I bought the book simply for the cover but as soon I read it I could not put it down. I would give Donna Grant 10 stars if I could. Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this book! I couldnt put it down and ended up finishing it in about 12 hours. I loved the characters. Normally I fall in love with a book's main character and sometimes find it hard to get into a sequel centered around another, but the author set the characters up perfectly to continue on with a sequel in a way that made me excited for their stories. The book was a perfect blend of highland hunks and supernatural beings. I will definitely be reading this book again.

The Roman legions overwhelm Britannia including the Highlands. The Celtic tribes turn to the Druids for help. The Drough Druids use the dark magic of human sacrifice enabling them to free ancient evil gods from hell who repels the Romans. Afterward the Druids are unable to send the gods back to hell so they trap them inside of Warriors who are unaware what has become part of their heritage from generation to generation. Three centuries ago the powerful MacLeod clan is destroyed in a single night. No one claimed credit for the massacre. However, three brothers who were away, Quinn, Lucan and Fallon searched for the source. Instead they became prisoners of the culprit, Deirdre the Drough, who thirsts for power to dominate the earth through the release of the evil gods, but eventually they escaped. In 1603, Cara the orphan picks mushrooms near Castle MacLeod when her mother's heirloom falls off her neck and she falls off a cliff during a nasty storm. Lucan who, with his siblings, resides in the castle saves her life. When Deidre sends her wyrren and Warriors to capture Cara and the heirloom called Demon's Kiss, the MacLeod siblings save her from the monsters who killed everyone else in the village. As Lucan and Cara fall in love, Deirdre continues to send her beasts after them as she needs the woman, the heirloom, and the brothers to complete her quest. This is a super historical romantic fantasy that grips readers from the onset and never slows down yet introduces the underlying premise, a strong support cast (the good, the bad and the monsters) and a terrific lead couple inside of vividly described realm. Fans will appreciate Donna Grant's great opening Dark Sword while looking forward to the adventures in love and supernatural war starring the drunken widower Fallen the Laird of no clan and raging Quinn whose anger remains stratospheric. Harriet Klausner