Highland Dragon Warrior

What I like most about the book are the characters. They are deeply thought out and no one appears two dimensional or only there to satisfy a cliched character space. Even the best girlfriend has an interesting back story that supports her character development.

What I found disinteresting and compelled me to set aside the book every now and then is the flow of writing itself. Events seemed sporadic and shifted without proper build up or explanation. The chemistry between the leading characters comes off as forced without any support or reasoning for their attraction to each other. The omnipresent/third person point of view is often confusing. One moment we are reading events from Cathal's point of view, then the next paragraph is Sophia's, then back to Cathal.

I feel more editing could have benefited the writing. The storyline itself was intriguing.

Travel to the early 14th century, and see the world that Isabel Cooper has built: Magic, mysticism, fantastic beasts and alchemy are all alive and well, and plenty of intrigue abounds. Sophia Metzger is an alchemist, strange enough to be a woman learned in this art, but she also has other differences. Self-supporting, Jewish and a world traveler, she’s far more modern than most others of her time, and isn’t afraid of asking for what she needs or wants. When she hears of the MacAlasdairs and that they may be dragons, she heads off to their holdings to beg scales for use in her alchemy.

Cathal MacAlasdair is in a quandary: an evil wizard has captured the spirit of his best friend in the hopes that Cathal will work for him. Knowing evil when he sees it, Cathal doesn’t want to bargain with the mage, even if there seems no other choice. With Sophia’s arrival and simple request, he makes a deal. He’ll give her scales if she works a way to free his best friend. He’s not expecting a miracle, in fact he almost feels like he doesn’t believe she is capable of the task, but if she’s open and honest with him, and tries honestly, he’s happy with the bargain.

Slow burn, plenty of action, Sophia and Cathal are wonderful together – working to free his friend, Sophia earns Cathal’s admiration and esteem. And, he’s not averse to trying to make her his. But she, as a Jew, knows that she wouldn’t be an acceptable wife for the laird’s son, and despite her attraction she’s unwilling to risk his position and her heart. Slow to develop in both plot and romance, the story is a gradual build to the final confrontations that bring her face to face with the evil mage and her own heart.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.