Requested thinking I was about to read one thing. I ending up reading something else. This is a great read for fans of the a Historical Fantasy Paranormal book reader. Cathal is looking for someone gifted to beat the enemy. Sophia is looking for adventures. Together will they find the adventure to beat the enemy. Enjoy the read.....

A wonderful beginning for what I suspect will be a wonderful series!

Highland laird Cathal MacAlasdair has a lot on his plate. Being responsible for his people, as well as a dragon-shifter in secret, he needs someone to help him battle through it all. Yet, instead of the warrior he prays for, he gets alchemist enthusiast Sophia Metzger. She may not be physically strong, and her womanly wiles may indeed make his insides burn with need against his will. But she's the one he didn't know he actually needed to assist him - if she can only prove so by healing his friend.

I enjoyed the ride with this book. Not only do we get Scotland - I mean, yes, I'm biased, I'm in love with the freaking country, can you blame me?! - but we also get dragons! Actually, dragons with kilts - yeah, I'm drooling, sue me!

But it's not just my personally favorite things that drew me in. The story is a love story, sure. Yet it takes a while to actually happen! Sophia and Cathal know they're attracted to each other. But they also understand they have duties to deal with, and they try their hardest to make things work. Healing Cathal's friend took a hell of a lot of this book, but it was understandable and I loved it. I mean, plot-wise, Sophia's presence in Cathal's home is necessary to heal poor Fergus - it would be really unfair and foolish to simply dismiss the urgency of the matter just because their sexual tension was off the charts. They do come to terms with their feelings, don't get me wrong, but they did so in the right time and place, not a minute sooner!

I really can't wait to read about the rest of the MacAlasdair family - especially Douglas, oh, that man did things to me, I tell you!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

The war may be over, but so long as English magic controls the Highlands, not even a dragon laird can keep his clan safe. What Cathal MacAlasdair needs is a warrior fierce enough to risk everything, yet gifted enough to outwit an enemy more monster than man.
This was a decent enough book. However, the author overdid it with the details and brought the book down a bit for me, causing me to skim some parts. The characters themselves were well-written. Overall, not bad.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Interesting and unforgettable is what I think of this book. The author does an exciting job of adding mysticism and Dragons together to created a memorable story between relationship weary Sophia and Cathal. Though they both don't really trust each other they need each other to save a life.

It was gutsy of Sophia and her friend Alice to travel so far and go to a place that hates people of their kind so that Sophia could help many people. Her alchemy process was intriguing and how she works to save Cathal's friends soul was mesmerizing

The fact that she went after the bad guy by herself was either very foolish or extremely brave but it sure made for an intense storyline. This situation throws Cathal and her together a lot leading to a see saw relationship. But I guarantee that the reader will be deeply satisfied by the end of the book.

For this reason I give it 4 STARS.

Different in pacing than the first in the series, this is Moiread’s story – a dragon shifter with some 300 years behind her, she’s a member of the MacAlasdair clan, although they are often off on their own adventures, and rarely together. In the 14th century, Scotland and Wales are under near-constant siege from the English, but a small break in hostilities between the Scots and the English has just started with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton after the end of the first war for Scotland’s independence. No one expects the peace to last, and to that end a Welshman, Madoc of Avandos has come to the MacAlasdair’s to gain their assistance in his quest to visit sites of power and use his skills as a sorcerer to keep the hands of the English from falling too harshly on his people. An alliance of long-standing between the families, and while Madoc believes that his beloved Wales will never be out from under English subjugation, his quest is to do what he can, using all means possible, to mitigate the impact. He requires a bodyguard, and Moiread, being both fierce and at loose ends takes the challenge.

Moiread is wonderful here: their story takes place almost entirely on the road as she is supporting, protecting and enjoying her time with Madoc. He’s not overtly rebellious, and doesn’t have any true date by which his quest must end, but haste in all things – and the two are moving quickly throughout Scotland, Wales and even England as he seeks out sites of power, obtains assent and assistance from various families of power, avoids assassins and slowly comes to find Moiread as wonderful and capable, not to mention intriguing, as he had first thought. For her part, she realizes that Madoc is and must focus on his quest, and everything that she wants from a man – including a lifetime together, has to be put aside until his purpose is fulfilled. He’s long lived as a sorcerer, but she also knows that she could outlive him by centuries, and we are always wondering if either of those two facts play on her mind even as they find themselves drawn closer together. When you add in their attraction, the fear of assassins, the fact that the MacAlasdair’s are not the only, nor the most powerful dragon clan out there and there are powers that even rival Madoc’s own, there are more than a few moments where it looks as if they have no chance to succeed.

Cooper brings the places and tension to the fore in this one, with the romance being secondary for may good and valid reasons, even as their connection and interactions show just how well suited they are. While we don’t really have moments of settled down roots, the pacing and the ‘road trip’ feel that the story brings just adds to the intrigue and engagement. With plenty of moments set with some actual historic events and in real places, the story has a sense of ‘possible’ even as it’s wholly fantastical. The fragile peace from the treaty wasn’t to last long, just a year, but this story stops before that, yet doesn’t miss on action, intrigue or emotion.

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.

Review first appeared at <a href=” http://wp.me/p3OmRo-9s7/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Isabel Cooper’s romances have a Lovecraftian edge – most notably her glorious debut No Proper Lady, a time-traveling tentacle-monster miracle best described as “Terminator 2 meets My Fair Lady.” Even without the tentacles, there’s always the sense that something sinister is muttering about blood in the shadows. This new book kicks off a medieval prequel series to Cooper’s Victorian-set Highland Dragon shifter books, which now that I write it out sounds like the most Peak Romance thing you can make without having to send a check to Colin Firth. The year is 1304 and our Scottish dragons are fighting hard in a doomed rebellion to cast off their recent conquest by the English king. By the time Jewish alchemist heroine Sophia is explaining to semi-immortal dragon shifter hero Cathal why the deer he just killed is not kosher, I was in love. This is a tender, slow-burn romance in a dark and eldritch world – more Gothic than grimdark, thankfully. The magic is delightfully medieval: herblore, sympathetic influences, planetary alignments, dream worlds. The plot is a trifle too straightforward but the richness of the atmosphere and the gentle power of the romance more than makes up for it. Bonus points for a big, burly, warrior hero who is also kind, careful of his strength, unsure of his leadership skills, and unshakeable in his belief in the heroine’s intellect.

It would be nice for the dragon to appear more in the story. Overall Highland Dragon warrior is a good book.

An interesting read for sure. It was somewhat of a slow moving story but that aspect worked. I did enjoy the alchemy throughout. Most paranormal romances focus only on the magic or creatures. This one focused on the use of alchemy in medieval Scotland.

Historical romances are few and far between for me to pick up and read, but when I saw it featured dragon shifters, well I just had to give it a try.

Highland Dragon Warrior was an interesting and pleasant read. It’s set in medieval times with magicians, sorcerers, dragon shifters, demons, and alchemy. It’s got mystery, action, and romance.

Sophie our heroine is a strong and determined women. She’s smart and stands up for what she believes in. Cathal our hero is a powerful and fierce warrior. He’s fiercely protective of his family and those he cares for and looks after.

I enjoyed the story. I loved the Scottish setting and the paranormal elements where fascinating. The author did a good job creating an intricate and appealing world, but man was the world-building extensive. I had a little trouble with the story; mainly their was just so much information with the world-building and historical aspects that the book felt slow. I also felt like I was back in school learning a lesson; especially when it came to Sophia’s alchemy and all the explanations that went into those scenes.

Now for the dragons their weren’t that many scenes with the dragon shifters and their magic. I would have liked more. Their also wasn’t much action either, until the very end, when Sophie’s soul is endangered.

As for the romance between Sophie and Cathal it was light and slow to bloom. I wish there was more interactions between these two to help build the romance. They spent a lot of time apart, watching each other across a room or briefly talking at dinner, but not doing much to move the romance along.

Highland Dragon Warrior is not a simple read. The world-building is extensive and various discussions that take place where excessive and a bit overwhelming. It’s an interesting set up and I’m intrigued, but I was a bit bogged down and felt like I was back in school.

Rated: 3 Stars

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

I loved the concept and theme of this story and the two protagonists really appeal to me. The story however is very slow paced and I lost interest and found myself turning pages trying to get it to go faster.
I am sure the level of detail and pacing will appeal to some fans but I found myself distracted and ultimately ended up just abandoning the story.

DNF at 25%. The pacing of this one was too slow to hold my interest. I would have liked more focus on the dragon, or war, or for the romance to have started by now.

I was in a historical fantasy mood (and someone recommended a really interesting sounding one) so I started my weekend with Highland Dragon Warrior, the first in a very promising prequel series to Isabel Cooper’s Highland Dragon series. Instead of the 19th-century setting of the first series, Highland Dragon Warrior is set in the time of Braveheart, when Scotland is fighting for its own sovereignty. The titular dragon warrior, Cathal, is home from foreign wars, looking over the family keep, when Sophia, a Jewish scholar and alchemist (alchemist!) arrives with one request: a few of his scales. He offers to grant them, if she helps him out with a mystical problem he’s having. His friend is dissolving. Dissolving. Sophia takes up the challenge, and her awesomeness and fortitude are what will keep you turning pages until you reach the very end (at which point you will be grasping for Highland Dragon Rebel, which takes place twenty years later, features a badass dragon warrior, and unfortunately has none of Cathal or Sophia except in passing mention).

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. The journey Sophia took brought her to the bedside of a man who was under an evil spell. Sophia and Cathal, a dragon shifter, work together to save his friend Fergus. Sophia fights evil in her own way and is successful. The book has a dragon shifter, magic and wizardry written into it. The book is a good read and I would recommend.

This was a very different book from what I thought I would find. It's romantic fantasy/magic more than shifter/highlander. I was looking forward to reading my first Isabel Cooper book when I was granted surprising access through NetGalley. Yes there's a Dragon Warrior, Cathal MacAlisdair who is the youngest son and currently holding down the castle for his family. But, this is more about the Jewish alchemist Sophia Metzger, who is seeking a dragon scale for experimentation. He agrees to give her one in exchange for trying to revive his "brother"-in-arms Fergus who is wasting away to a ghost after he and Cathal tangled with the wizard Valerius, who was fighting for the English. Sophia agrees to try and so the adventure begins.

Personally I found this book pretty slow going with not a lot of action until the end. It builds and builds and then they get a break gleaning vital information about who and where "Valerius" home is. I found it fascinating learning about alchemy. I've never read a story like this in romance. It felt like something my son would find in his fantasy section of the bookstore. Romance almost played a back seat to the magic. Yes, Cathal and Sophia fall in love but it's not central to the story of saving Fergus.

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. And thank you for giving me access to the next book in the series. I will be delighted to read and review it as well.

4.5 stars

Dragons are a favorite of mine. When I saw Highland Dragon Warrior, the first of the Dawn of the Highland Dragon series, I couldn't wait to read it. I wasn't disappointed. Sophia Metzger has travelled to the home of the MacAlasdairs' for an object which she hopes will help with her alchemical experiments. She finds what she came for, but she gets a lot more than she expected.

Cathal is a warrior, but he is standing in for his father to keep everything running as it should in Castle MacAlasdair. When he meets Sophia, he barely notices her. Later, when they do talk, they come to an agreement: Sophia will get what she seeks, if she will attempt to cure his friend from an evil wizard's spell, or prove she can't. She agrees, and so begins a tale of alchemy, evil magic and love (with a dragon!)

This book is a journey of discovery. It's a search for knowledge, full of suspense, courage and a gradual growth of a couple's relationship. I loved that the book was a build up of not only suspense, but of sexual tension accompanied by a more real unfolding of Sophia and Cathal's closeness. I'm all for love at first sight, but sometimes love is a thief, who sneaks up on people without them realizing it.

I definitely recommend this book!

An ARC was received for an honest review.

I didn't go into this book looking for lessons on alchemy or proper behavior between a man and a woman, but that's what I got for the majority of this book. And that made it kind of rather boring for me. The last 20% or so picked up enough that I was actually interested in what was happening, but it just wasn't enough for me to say I liked this book. When I'm told it's a dragon shifter romance, that's what I want. Unfortunately, here it seemed to be more the alchemy and magic that took center stage. Heck, we only see the dragon a handful of times and then he's only flying or sitting there. Neither of the main characters impressed me much, but they also didn't make me dislike them so I was pretty ambivalent about both. Fortunately their relationship seemed natural and believable, sometimes even sweet.

When Sophia travels from France to Cathal's lands, it wasn't with the intention of dealing with him. It just happened that Cathal and his family take turns as lord of the keep and it was his turn. Sophia went there hoping to be able to get some dragon scales for her alchemy experiments and such, so she accepts Cathal's terms of her trying to heal one of his men in exchange. This man has had his soul stolen by an enemy and Sophia is way out of her league, but she's determined to do all that she can with what she does know. During which time both her and Cathal find it harder and harder not to act on how they feel about the other. Like I said, the ending picks up nicely. Sophia must travel into enemy territory, where she barely escapes and then confront the evil in a dream world of his creating.

There were some things I liked here, but nothing to make me want to read it again. Perhaps things will get better with the next book, but I most likely will not be finding out.

'Highland Dragon Warrior' by Isabel Cooper is the First Book in a New Series called "Dawn of the Highland Warrior'. This is the story of Sophia Metzger and Cathal MacAlasdair.
Sophia and her friends are world travelers which for that time period is a real accomplishment. In addition she is Jewish who is a alchemist which in it self is a wonder.
Cathal is dealing with trying to save his best friend who is at the mercy of an evil wizard. Cathal and Sophia come to deal that she will try an help him and he will give her some of his Dragon Scales . Sophia is finding that she cared a great deal for Cathal but he is a lairs son and her being Jewish wouldn't be able to have a respectable relationship. But they find it hard to fight their feelings.
Really enjoyed Cathal and Sophia's story and can't wait for more in this series!
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Highland Dragon Warrior was a really interesting and unique paranormal romance. This book had dragons, magic, sorcerers, mystery, action, and romance! There was a lot of world building and I thought the author did a great job at creating this intriguing world. I also loved the Scotland setting. The author was so descriptive that I felt like I was there in Scotland with the characters!

Sophia was the main female character, and she was a strong and determined woman. Sophia was a smart woman and I loved how she stood up for what she believed in. She was ready to take down any evil that came her way, which was really inspiring. I really liked that her Jewish faith was brought up because it is nice to see other religions brought up in novels. Cathal, the main male character, was a powerful and fierce warrior. He was fiercely protective and fought for those he cared about. Sometimes his protectiveness was a little overbearing, but I know he was coming from a good place.

The paranormal elements of this book were intriguing. I loved that the author created such an immersive and unique world. I will say that the world-building sometimes took over the plot of the book, which led to the book feeling very slow at times. I also think there should have been more scenes with the dragon shifters and magic. However, when the action was introduced with the dragons, the story was addictive and hard to put down!

The romance in this book was steamy and full of sexy moments. I thought the author did a great job at creating a delicious and steamy romance. I actually would have liked to see more romantic moments between the two and for it to develop with a slower burn, but it was still a good romance.

Overall, this was an interesting start to a series! I am intrigued to see how it continues to develop!

3 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *

Fantastic start to a series, I was hooked from page one, magic, alchemy, sexy scottish dragon warriors, what more could a girl want.

I received an advanced copy and I voluntarily leave my own opinion

Legend claims
When Scotland fell to English rule
The Highland dragons took a vow:
Freedom at any price.

The war may be over, but so long as English magic controls the Highlands, not even a dragon laird can keep his clan safe. What Cathal MacAlasdair needs is a warrior fierce enough to risk everything, yet gifted enough to outwit an enemy more monster than man.

What he needs is Sophia.

Alchemist Sophia Metzger traveled to Loch Arach in search of knowledge. She never dreamed she'd learn to do battle, ride through the stars on the back of a dragon, or catch the eye of a Highland laird. But as her quest turns to sizzling chemistry and inescapable danger, she'll soon discover the thrill of being caught in a dragon's claws.




Review:




I had not read this Author before and thought this is the first in a new series, so perfect time to start. I found out later it is an even better place, as this is a prequel series to one of her other series.




I quit enjoyed the Author's work. I thought she mixed history and the supernatural into a very cohesive story. I thought making Sophia Jewish added a interesting and unique twist to the story. One I had not read before, especially for this time period. I loved that Sophia uses alchemy and no one blinks an eye about it. Sophia is also incredibly strong and perseveres through everything that she is doing and has gone through. Cathal is a what I would think of if I were picturing a Scottish Dragon, moody, alpha-male and sexy. I also liked that there was more than meets the eye to him. Cathal's and Sophia's romance is a slow brewing one that fit them perfectly. They do have an instant chemistry and once the sexy starts, it gets more interesting for them as a couple. Besides romance, there is a lot of supernatural happenings and action to keep readers interested. I will continue to read this series before diving into the other series.




4Stars

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*