Customer Reviews

Highland Beast

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Beast Within" by Hannah Howell. In 1513, when Gybbon MacNachton of a clan of vampires rescues Alice Boyd, neither can believe the attraction.

"The Vampire Hunter" by Heather Grotaus. In 1104 Beatrix is the last white witch in the Highlands, but is accused of the misfortune that has hurt nearby villagers, who soon attack her. Only Alder can keep her safe, but his clan of vampires killed her ancestors a century ago.

"Laird of Midnight" by Victoria Dahl. In 1595 Finlay, the only survivor of clan Maclain, seeks to kill the vampires who destroyed his family and converted him five decades ago. He has no plans to live after he kills the last vampire until he meets tavern serving wench, Kenna whose life he saves from a deadly assault.

These are three enjoyable vampire historical romances starring strong lead characters.

Harriet Klausner

Three stories for the price of one. Fun stories with supernatural alpha males looking for romance. Hannah Howell is one of my favorite.

Highland Beast is a typical PNR anthology with its ups and downs. It starts out with a bang in the form of The Beast Within by Hannah Howell. It is by far my favorite of the novellas. It is possibly my favorite of all of Howell's Highland Vampire tales. Gybbon is a captivating hero and Alice is one of the best leading ladies in the series. I really liked the way their relationship developed, particularly how Howell tackled the issue of Alice's rape and how it affected her relationship with Gybbon. It was well written, and even though it is a novella the author did not cut many corners. The pacing was just right. For me, the price of the book was definitely worth it just for that story alone. The Vampire Hunter by Heather Grothaus seemed to be the weakest of the stories. The premise was good and the leading lady, Beatrix, was strong and likeable. I just could not get past my dislike for the hero. Alder the White was not likeable, in fact I could not care for him at all for most of the story, and by the time he changes his ways it is almost too late. The novella itself seems poorly paced. It takes too long to really get moving and then the ending is too abrupt. You can take more time getting to the action with longer stories, but novellas are too short for that kind of thing. In the end the story was ok, but definitely not one I would read again. Laird of Midnight by Victorie Dahl was a different story altogether. I really enjoyed it, and while it was not as good as Howell's story, it was definitely worth the read and probrably a re-read. This is a typical case of a hero making a story. Finlay McClain was just adorable. He is the type of hero you cannot help but fall a little in love with even knowing he is just a fictional character. Kenna was a good leading lady, but Finlay was really the one who carried the tale. The story was well paced, eventhough it was a very simple plot with not a lot of depth to it. Then again, it is a novella and most are not meant to be deep and well explained (With certain exceptions of outstandingly well written novellas that come along once in while like JR Ward's Story of Son). Still, Dahl's story is entertaining and passionate. A solid novella to finish up this anthology. I would recommend this anthology for Howell's story alone, but Dahl's story makes it a highly recommended book despite having what I consider to be one very weak story.

Collection of stories. Hannah Howell's was very good; the other two not so much.