Review: Rogue on the Rollaway by Shannon MacLeod

Rogue on the Rollaway
Author: Shannon MacLeod 
Reviewer: VampBard
Rating: A+, 5 stars

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What I’m Talking About:

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I’m not quite sure exactly what draws me in about a hot Scot displaced in time.  Whatever it is, however, Shannon MacLeod has totally entranced me with Rogue on the Rollaway. With a strong hero and a believable heroine, I found that I was rooting for the couple and their star-crossed relationship throughout the title.

I really enjoyed the fact that Faolan and Colleen built a relationship before jumping into bed.  Yes.  That means they’re not rolling in the sheets in the first 30 pages.  It’s still hot.  I was entranced at the way Ms. MacLeod showed the inner conflict of the characters – Does he like me?  Does she like me? – at the beginning of the title.  The fantasies, the descriptions of how the characters felt about the other, I found to be heartwarming and quite honest.  Yes.  I like a healthy dose of reality with my fantasy.  Thankyouverymuch.

Colleen was a completely believable and realistic female lead character.  This. Was. Fabulous.  Many times, we have female leads that are either wishy-washy, or they’re so head-over-heels in love with the hero that they lose themselves.  Not so with Colleen.  She kept her job, she maintained her connections (at least superficially) with other people.  She actually taught Faolan about this new place in time where he’d landed.  Instead of him magically understanding everything, we watched her fret over the little things, like not burning down the house using appliances.  We watched her open-mouth, insert-foot a couple times and ultimately recover and reconnect with Faolan.  Making her a very relatable, honest and intense character for me.  Which I enjoyed.

Faolan is really one of the most honest male characters I’ve read this year.  Sure, he’s cursed.  Sure, he’s too nice to just manipulate someone into ending his curse.  Sure, he’s hot as hell.  But in the grand scheme of things, Faolan trusts his heart, and damn all the nay-sayers.  He believes in true love, and with that belief, anything is possible.  He begins the story thinking he could finally end his curse but realizes rather quickly that there’s entirely too much going on with this woman for things to be simple.  Protecting her as much as possible, Faolan puts Colleen and her safety first at all times.  That’s one of the things I absolutely adore about him.  Even though he isn’t completely forthcoming with Colleen about the curse and how to reverse it, he was acting in her best interests.  And that’s really OK with me.

There is time-travel in Rogue on the Rollaway, and the time spent away from present-day was fabulously written.  It seemed accurate and maintained the integrity of the characters themselves.  Neither was actually compromised in the act of time-travel; I felt that while Colleen was out of her element, she was as self-assured as she could be in the situation.  Faolan’s behavior was very telling, and I appreciated being able to see those aspects of his character.  I suspected they were there, but it was nice to see.

The last ten percent was heartbreaking.  But, it IS a romance, so you know there’s a HEA!  Ms. MacLeod does a fabulous job of resolving the over-arching conflict, but still leaves room for conjecture or cameos in other titles.  I, for one, wouldn’t balk at seeing Faolan in the future!  Once again, Ms. MacLeod has woven a historically believable tale rich in believable paranormal elements.  I positively adore her writing style, and can’t wait to read more from her in the near future.

5 stars: Personal favorite – a must read (A+)

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About the Book:

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Hell hath no fury like a faery scorned.

A man out of time. Enchanted by a jealous faery, 13th century warrior and druid Faolan MacIntyre has his work cut out for him. In order to break his curse, he must entice a woman to fall in love with him. His love comes at the highest possible cost, however…for the woman.

A woman alone. Rebuilding her life after an ugly divorce, merchandising director Colleen O’Brien lives vicariously through movies and romance novels. When the sexy bespelled Scot crash lands in her living room unannounced, her resolve to never love again is sorely tested. After admitting her love, Colleen finds herself in 14th century Ireland. Now she’s scared and alone, until Faolan finds her and they are both pursued by their jealous enemy.

Thrown together by destiny but held together by love, Faolan and Colleen must work together if they are to survive. But for two headstrong people–a man accustomed to giving orders and a woman who refuses to take them–it’s much easier said than done.

Release Date: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Historical/Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (248 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher

Purchase Info:
Rogue On the Rollaway