AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Dangerous Highlander (Dark Sword #1)

Dangerous Highlander (Dark Sword #1), by Donna Grant
Publish Date: December 29, 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: audiobook, purchased
Genre: adult paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) 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.

Cara doesn't believe the rumors about the 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...

Swashbuckling Scots with a paranormal flair set in medieval times - there was no way I wasn't going to love Dangerous Highlander. And I did love it - particularly when read in Antony Ferguson's sexy British accent. I've been meaning to read this series and its spin-offs for a long time now. Having been published more than seven years ago, Dangerous Highlander has been around for awhile. But, now that I've finally got book one under my belt, I feel like I can't read the rest of them fast enough. 

In Dangerous Highlander, we get a lot of backstory. It's to be expected - this is the first book in a paranormal series with good druids and bad druids and gods and beasts and warriors. The reader needs to learn about how we came to be where we are now, who the good guys are and what they're fighting for. There were times in the beginning when the info dump threatened to be a bit too much, but once the story got going and we got to know the characters, I really got into it. 

There's a lot going on in Dangerous Highlander, but the story centers around the romance between Cara, a sweet, orphaned would-be nun and Lucan MacLeod, a tortured, 300-year-old Scottish warrior who has an ancient god living inside him. There are obvious barriers to them being together - Lucan's skin turns black from time to time and Cara is harboring powers she doesn't understand yet. Plus, there's a nasty druid out there trying to capture Lucan and his two brothers, and she's pretty darn determined. 

Dangerous Highlander has a lot of awesome stuff going for it. It is super swoony and sexy. Lucan is one hot, sexy Scot, and the connection he has with Cara is intense and immediate. He is the alpha male, even though he's the middle brother. He's incredibly protective of his brothers and of the woman he falls in love with. He's everything I love in a hero. 

There's also some awesomely cool mythology at play. The backstory of how the three MacLeod brothers got an ancient god locked inside of them and how that god gives them powers is interesting. I liked watching Cara start to discover her powers. And the other warriors with the different gods inside them was clever. 

We learn a lot about Lucan's brothers Quinn and Fallon and the differences between them. They all have handled their situation very differently, and I can tell that that will affect their future happiness. And, of course that will drive me forward into the next book. 

I listened to the audio version of Dangerous Highlander, and I really loved it. Antony Ferguson is a British narrator who does a fantastic Scottish accent. I really loved his performance and hope he does the other books in this series. Because I will assuredly be listening to them.