I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m not sure why I did this to myself because I wasn’t a huge fan of the first one. I had the same issues with this one. The book was long and very drawn out. It had a good premise but I just wasn’t a huge fan I had started reading this several times and just couldn’t finish it. Finally, forced myself to finish it and I hate reading books like that when it becomes a chore its just not fun.

Madoc of Avandos is on a journey to cement alliances. Targeted by an assassin, he needs a companion who can fight. When dragon shifter Moiread MacAlasdair returns from war, he knows she's the best woman for the job. Duty and political strength compel Moiread to agree, but when they cross into the otherworld and Madoc's life is threatened, Moiread jumps into protection mode-and will do whatever it takes to keep the man of her dreams alive.
This story was decent enough. We follow Mioread on an adventure, but it was slow at times for me. It tended to be a little confusing at other times.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This series is seriously unique. I appreciate the mix of fantasy and history. I like that Cooper's heroine's are always defined by interesting interests and hobbies.

A heroine who is a warrior dragon shifter bodyguard?! SIGN ME UP!!! I loved this story and series, A highly entertaining, fast-paced, action adventure romance. I didn't know I needed to read this series until I picked up the first one at the library. I jumped at the chance to read the second and am all in for the rest of the series.

A slow-burn, road trip with a female bodyguard protecting a sorcerer on a mission. It's a fun world to dive into for a few hours and I highly recommend it to fans of fantasy adventure romances.

Great addition to the series! Love seeing a kick ass female take on challenges.

I couldn't finish this story, which surprised me. I enjoyed the previous book in the series, but this story did not hold my interest at all.

Though the ending felt a little abrupt, watching Madoc and Moiread fall in love on a medieval magical road trip was great fun all around.

Moiread and Madoc are brought to brilliant life as readers join them on their quest to protect the future of Wales. Along the way the couple enjoy a light hearted romance that they both seem to believe can’t really go any further due to some pretty interesting concerns which keeps readers wondering until the very end.

Their romance as well as their quest is fraught with danger and suspense as assassins seem to pop up everywhere with the determination to keep them from accomplishing their goal. The thrilling uncertainty certainly keeps readers on the edge of their seat as magic and dragons add wonder and excitement for readers and characters alike.

The story is set in long ago Scotland, England and Wales as well as another magical realm which adds spice and beauty to the journey for the readers and the pace is a nice even one that keeps readers glued to the pages. I have to say that keeping the romance on such an intriguing last minute timeline kept the “happily ever after” in question throughout and then there was a spectacular final battle between Madoc, Moiread and the assassin to liven things up while adding an inspired and surprising twist that I didn’t see coming.

I haven’t read the first book in the Dawn of the Highland Dragon series yet, but I am definitely going to be remedying that before the release of Highland Dragon Master in March and not just because I love dragon shifters. Isabel Cooper used well written descriptions to paint vibrant settings and brilliant characters that I just fell in love with so I can’t wait to visit the Highland Dragons once again.

Dragon shifter Moiread MacAlasdair returns from war only to find that she is to be sent away from her family again to act as protection for Madoc of Avandos. However, when both Madoc and Moiread give into their mutual attraction, sparks and danger fly.

Verdict: This is the 2nd book in the Highland Dragon Rebel series. Okay, so admittedly, I have not read the one that came before, and it might have impacted how much I liked this one -- meaning: I really had a hard time getting into it and was confused for the first third of the book. Because of this, I felt no great attachment to the MCs or rush in finishing. I also didn’t like or care for Moiread all that much. She was so different from the typical historical highland lass trope that I struggled to accept her role.

Delightful world building, strong kick ass female, sex positive relationship. Personally, this type of fantasy is not my cup of tea as I have a hard time rooting for immortals, but hard to find fault with it.

This is the second book in is series that is following the MacAlasdair dragon shifter family. This story is about warrior daughter Moiread. She's fresh back from the war for Scottish independence. Her father calls her to be a bodyguard for an ally to the family, Madoc of Arandos. We never really find out what Madoc is besides human but he's a spellcaster. His mission is to cement alliances against the British and someone doesn't want him to accomplish that mission. He has assassin's hunting him and Moiread's father has faith that Moiread can keep him safe to finish his very important journey. The circle of alliances must not be broken to keep all safe.

I enjoyed the journey these two embark on and their adventure that ends in love neither expects. Moiread casts an illusion so she appears as a lad. Madoc on occasion has difficulty remembering that. It's fun to see them each learn the other's strengths and how they can aid each other in battle. They fit well together. They meet several groups of assassins along the way and each must help the other to overcome. Neither is looking for a mate but surprisingly they find one.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the NetGalley ARC for this review.

I have a t-shirt that says, “I’m done adulting, let’s be Dragons!”

Moiread MacAlasdair has been an adult for three centuries, but she still gets to be a dragon. Putting it another way, Moiread has lived three centuries because she’s a dragon. A dragon shifter, at least. And that’s a pretty awesome thing to be.

But being a dragon, and a member of the MacAlasdair clan of dragon-shifters, means that Moiread, along with the rest of her family, spends a lot of time away from home, fighting to keep her home, her clan, and her country safe from predators, both human and not-so-human.

In the early 14th century, when the Dawn of the Highland Dragon series takes place, those enemies, as was true so often in Scottish history, were the English. As this story opens, peace has just broken out between Scotland and England with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton at the close of the First War of Scottish Independence.

It’s a peace that no one expects to last. And it doesn’t. But the resumption of hostilities just a few short years after this story ends is not part of the action in this book – not that I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in a later entry in this series.

At the moment, Moiread is not technically a rebel. However, the man she is set to guard certainly is.

Diplomacy has been labeled as “war conducted by other means”. But Madoc of Avandos hasn’t traveled from his native Wales all the way to the remote MacAlasdair stronghold just to conduct a bit of peacetime diplomacy.

Instead, Madoc plans to conduct his bit of war through much more arcane means. Madoc is a sorcerer, and he has come to the MacAlasdairs to invoke the ancient alliance between their families. He has devised a rite that he needs to conduct in places of power, including one such place on the MacAlasdair lands. And he requires a bodyguard to protect him on his quest to raise the ancient powers of the lands, and equally ancient alliances with other magical families, in order to safeguard dangerous treasures of the Welsh people that he dares not let fall into English hands.

The Welsh subjugation by the conquering English is already inevitable. Wales as a separate kingdom ceased to exist two generations ago, and Madoc knows that his homeland may never be independent again – and that it will certain not happen within his lifetime. But, as a powerful sorcerer, there are things he can do and rites he can perform that will make the hand of the conquerors fall less heavily on his people.

His quest is to do what he can. Moiread’s charge is to keep him alive while he does so. While they are increasingly aware that they have a sorcerous enemy dogging their every step, the greatest threat to their mission turns out to be the secrets of their own hearts.

Escape Rating A-: Highland Dragon Rebel reminded me of just how much I loved the author’s first Highland Dragons series. Highland Dragon Rebel really re-captured the magic.

I also have to say that Highland Dragon Rebel, in spite of being the second book in this series, has a completely different pace and feel from the first book, Highland Dragon Warrior. Because the members of the MacAlasdair clan seldom spend a great deal of time together, there is very little crossover between Warrior and Rebel, to the point where it doesn’t feel as if it matters if you’ve read one before reading the other.

They are also very different kinds of books. Warrior is paced rather slowly, and that pace matches the way that the heroine’s alchemical experiments come together. Everything takes time.

Rebel, on the other hand, is a road story. Moread and Madoc’s relationship occurs completely within the context of his quest to visit all the sites of power across Scotland, England and Wales, perform the necessary rituals, dodge the persistent assassins, and then move on down the road.

Lots of stuff happens, it happens relatively quickly, and then they move on. While Madoc’s quest doesn’t have a time limit per se, he does need to move at a quick pace. Even being guarded by a very capable dragon shifter, he can’t dodge endless waves of assassins indefinitely. He has to succeed before they eventually do.

One of the things that I loved about Highland Dragon Rebel was the character of Moiread. She is just so imminently practical. She’s lived three centuries, she’s seen a lot of change, and she knows that she’s going to live long enough to see a lot more. She’s also very grounded in who she is and what she believes, and there’s a certain amount of emotional drama that she is just impervious to.

She’s also very, very aware that Madoc’s quest comes first and always, and whatever she feels for him, and whatever he feels for her, she firmly believes that duty comes before personal happiness. And she is also very cognizant of the fact that whatever they might have together, happily ever after is not an option. Not that they might not want it, and not that his magic does not give him a much longer lifespan than average, but, barring a epically catastrophic mishap, she will outlive him by centuries.

But even within those constraints, it is still clear that they love each other and want to try for whatever future they can manage, assuming they survive the present danger.

There are older and more fell things in Moiread and Madoc’s world than dragons, and there are dragons older and more powerful than the MacAlasdairs. It would not be a true quest, after all, if there wasn’t a real possibility that our hero and heroine had bitten off just a bit more than they can chew – even with dragon-sized jaws.

The third book in this series, Highland Dragon Master, is coming out next spring. I can’t wait to see where the Highland Dragons fly next.

Review goes live on Butterfly-o-Meter Books on Nov 7 at 00.00 am gmt+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later,

In a Flutter: Interesting journey!
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: Cool fantastic elements of dragons, fair folk, magic, air sprites, shifters, sorcerers, demons – and all in a Scottish and English setting in the 1300’s.
Characters: I loved Moiread, off leading troops in battle. She is badass. One of the things that drew to the story was alpha-like role of warrior and dragon shifter. She’s practical, no-nonsense, smart, and very funny. Sort of in the vein of a woman of our times, but scaled down a bit for hers.
Madoc was nice, and big on diplomacy. Such a gentleman, too! All that pent up desire made him so hot xDDD
They had awesome chemistry from the first meeting. I loved the sense of them being equals. They spar – no damsel in distress here. Awesome banter, all proper and apropos.
Plot: The story is very much in the vein of adventure, the quest of reaching certain locations for rituals was fun and eventful. The romance was very slow burn, but sweet and tense.
Writing: Third person, past tense narrative, his/her POV. Olden times flavored style to suit the historical setting and the epic-like structure of the story.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy material for my historical PNR moods.

I recommend Highland Dragon Rebel to fans of epic-flavored fantasy romance and historical PNR, dragons, and role reversals when it comes to who the badass in the couple is or beta males in the pairing.

a nice read, found that I kept putting it down a lot though, and wasn't as engaged as I would have liked. But it was interesting

Madoc of Avondos undertakes a challenging quest to form alliances to preserve a future against English tyranny. He entrusts his protection to Moiread MacAlasdair from the assassins, whose main objection is keeping the Welsh wizard from completing his mission. At each destination of power, Madoc performs the necessary rituals with the land’s overseers to solidify an alliance. As the journey progresses, he learns more about his fascinating company. Will Madoc cast off his responsibilities to have a future with Moiread? Or will he ignore his feelings for Moiread to safeguard his people?
Moiread MacAlasdair is a Scottish-born dragon-shifter. She returns home from the war against the English only to leave again as a Welsh wizard’s bodyguard. Moiread uses a spell of illusion to cloak herself as a young squire. The assassins challenge her combat experience. Their relationship slowly deepens on the journey. Can Moiread keep Madoc safe throughout their difficult journey? Will she be able to leave him once the quest is complete?
Madoc is an easy hero to like. I like his congenial disposition. He is neither alpha nor beta, but a perfect in-between. It is a nice change of pace from overly arrogant hero-types. I love how Madoc’s confidence in his abilities did not come across as vain or over-confident. But what I like the most about Madoc is how he is not intimidated by Moiread’s combat skills or her dragon but accepts both.
I always adore Gaelic names, and I wonder about the correct pronunciation of Moiread. Moiread is a strong-willed woman who is comfortable in her own skin. She is not afraid to lead her people in battle against their foes. I love the role reversal where a woman is the warrior in the story instead of the man. I enjoy the easy camaraderie between Moiread and Madoc. It made their transition into lovers believable.
HIGHLAND DRAGON REBEL is book two in Isabel Cooper’s paranormal-historical series, DAWN OF THE HIGHLAND DRAGON. Unfortunately, I have not read the first book, and I sometimes felt as if I missed important information. Other than that, the story can easily stand alone. I adore the author’s usage of historic Celtic names I have not seen outside of research books.
HIGHLAND DRAGON REBEL is a story of two unlikely beings embarking on an important mission and falling in love along the way. I like how the author created her own otherworldly race instead of using the Tuatha De Danann or any other Celtic supernatural races.

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.

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