Reviewer: Holly The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #5
Also in this series: Spell of the Highlander
Publication Date: October 1st 2002
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 400
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Journey to a world of ancient magic, breathtaking sensuality, thrilling time-travel.... Journey to the world of The Dark Highlander. Crisscrossing the continents and the centuries, here is a novel as gripping as it is sensual—an electrifying adventure that will leave you breathless....
I am Dageus MacKeltar, a man with one good conscience and thirteen bad ones, driven to sate my darkest desires…
From his penthouse lair high above Manhattan, Dageus looks out over a glittering city that calls to the darkness within him. A sixteenth-century Scot trapped between worlds, he is fighting a losing battle with the thirteen Druids who possess his soul, dooming him to an eternity of sexual pursuit. When Chloe Zanders, student of antiquities, is drawn into his world, she finds the insatiable alpha male an irresistible lure.Before long, she is caught up in an ancient prophecy that will sweep her back into time to medieval Scotland. Plunged into a world of timeless magic and dark seduction, she will soon face the challenge of a lifetime: fighting thirteen evil spirits for the heart of one irresistible man....
From the Paperback edition.
I remember loving The Dark Highlander back in the day. Dageus was my favorite character of the series. Rowena and I used to fight over him all the time. It’s been many years since I read this and I’m sorry to say I didn’t love it as much this time around.
Dageus MacKeltar is filled with the spirits of 13 powerful and evil Druids. He used his power for his own purposes when he went back in time to save his twin brother, and the Druids are the consequences. He’s barely holding on to his sanity and his humanity. His hope is to find a cure in some old texts. Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to acquire all the texts legally.
Chloe is charged with bringing him some texts he’s borrowing from the museum she works at, and finds the ones he stole. He ends up kidnapping her and holding her hostage while he finished his work in New York. After, she agrees to stay with him to help him find the cure he needs.
The story here is well done and kept me interested. I couldn’t wait to see how Dageus would be saved ( I’d forgotten the details) and I loved the parts from his POV. Especially his interactions with his family.
What didn’t work for me this time around was Chloe. She acted like a brainless twit for most of the book. She constantly put herself in danger, rarely thought before she acted and was, in general, a total peahen. I don’t remember hating her this much before, but I admit when I thought about this book at all it was Dageus that came to mind, so I guess that says something.
I’m sad that my fond memories are somewhat marred by the heroine, but I’m glad to know Dageus is still worth reading about.
3.5 out of 5
This book is available from Dell. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
A “D” for me back in the day when I read it. I wanted to beat Chloe until she was brain-dead. Oh wait – that won’t take long! I was mostly indifferent on Dageus. His emotional range seemed to be horny and more horny. Which is actually pretty OK for a romance hero (ha!) – but I was disappointed more wasn’t done with those 13 evil spirits he was supposedly possessed by (maybe they were just horny spirits?).
This is actually my quibble with KMM in general. She seems overly fond of “innocent” heroines. Which sometimes she pulls off (I liked Mac in the first few Fever books although I dropped the series when I hit paranormal burn out) and sometimes we get….ugh, Chloe.
Hi Holly,
I just wanted to point out that this is book 5 (not 3) in KMM’s Highlander Series. I really liked all the Highlander books but I agree, of all the heroine’s Chloe was my least favorite. Have a great week.
Coleen
I remember loving this series. Chloe was the most difficult to stomach of the heroines though.
Wendy, I remember you not loving this book. I’m not sure why I loved it so much back when. Course I also loved Cin’s book and everyone else seemed to hate it.
@Coleen, I know it’s really number 5, but I greatly dislike the first two books so I sort of pretend they don’t exist. I know, I know. I’m a terrible person. 😉
@Patricia, I read Drustan’s book before this one, and I thought it held up pretty well. So it must just be Chloe.
All of KMM’s heroines were pretty annoying. Good job the men were so good!