The Highland Dragon’s Lady
Author: Isabel Cooper
Reviewer: B.
Rating: A-
What I’m Talking About:
Brought by his friend, Edmund, to his family’s estate to investigate unusual happenings that have been occurring since it passed into their keeping, Colin MacAlasdair is initially only interested in the supernatural occurrences that seem to be plaguing the place. Having lived for over three hundred years, he doubts that there’s anything he hasn’t encountered in some form or other before, and simply can’t resist such a rare and welcome novelty. But, dragon or no, nothing could have prepared him for the beautiful, quick-witted, and curiously-gifted Regina Talbot-Jones, a woman unlike any he’s ever known before.
Having been stung by the aristocracy years ago, Reggie is far different from the other young noblewomen she knows. Often outspoken and tired of the restrictions placed on her by her family’s good fortune, she would happily run back to her flat in London if she could do so with a clear conscience. Unfortunately, she’s got a brother to save from an insufferable potential fiancé, a houseful of guests to help entertain, and a ghost to deal with as well. And if that wasn’t enough, there are appearances to keep up, especially since she has secrets of her own.
The Highland Dragon’s Lady is the second in the Highland Dragons series, and is every bit as exciting as the first. This time, we’re taken to a country estate called “Whitehill” where our two main characters must fight what initially appears to be a malevolent spirit, but turns out to be something even worse. Not merely a ghost tale, the action here is persistent until the end of the story. Even after the initial mystery surrounding the disturbances is solved, Colin and Reggie realize that the battle for her family home, as well as their very lives has just begun. The entire novel is filled with the characters’ anticipation of the horror that may be waiting around every corner, and I occasionally found myself holding my breath right along with them.
I liked both Reggie and Colin a great deal, even though I was rooting for Reggie, especially, the whole way. Both have plenty of intelligent observations and snappy comebacks, and Reggie’s internal monologues alone make the entire book a pleasure to read. While Colin is left to handle many of the physical altercations within the narrative, Reggie is just as heroic, if not more so, simply because she defies the prescribed constraints of her gender and station so thoroughly at times (such as throwing a skull at an evil entity during a particularly ferocious battle) that she deserves any sort of happiness she might achieve.
Once again, Ms. Cooper has written a clever, intriguing, humorous tale of good, evil, and the upending of social strictures by delightfully self-sufficient women. Reggie and Colin are both wonderful independently, but band together almost perfectly in the face of their mutual nemesis. Reggie shines particularly brightly throughout the story, dismantling the shackles of her station with intent and precision. The attraction between them is evident early on, and there is a lovely wildness to them both that makes them easy to believe in. There is still one more Highland Dragons title to go, but if it ends as well as has been indicated so far, it will definitely be a series to keep.
My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot
About the Book:
Regina Talbot-Jones has always known her rambling family home was haunted. She also knows her brother has invited one of his friends to attend an ill-conceived séance. She didn’t count on that friend being so handsome…and she certainly didn’t expect him to be a dragon.
Scottish Highlander Colin MacAlasdair has hidden his true nature for his entire life, but the moment he sets eyes on Regina, he knows he has to have her. In his hundreds of years, he’s never met a woman who could understand him so thoroughly…or touch him so deeply. Bound by their mutual loneliness, drawn by the fire awakening inside of them, Colin and Regina must work together to defeat a vengeful spirit-and discover whether their growing love is powerful enough to defy convention.
Release Date: December 2, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Series: Highland Dragons #2
ISBN: #978-1402284700
Genre: Paranormal Historical Romance
Format(s): paperback (384 pages), e-book
Book Source: NetGalley
Purchase Info:
The Highland Dragon’s Lady (Highland Dragons #2)
Reviews in the Series:
Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper
Great review! I have this series on my TBR. 🙂