Forbidden Highlander by Donna Grant (Dark Sword #2) 
May 25, 2010
Paranormal Romance
Paperback, 338 Pages
St. Martin’s


Why I read: Received for review from publisher.

Fallon MacLeod is a Warrior, forced to accept a God into himself. He is immortal, having been alive 300 years and within him and his two brothers rests the god of revenge. Deirdre, a drough, a druid that has given herself to black magic captured Fallon and his brothers Lucan and Quinn all those years ago. But now Deirdre has Quinn in her grasp again, hidden away in her fortress and Fallon is desperate to get him back.

Fallon’s family has lost all their land, but he wants to ensure they get to keep their castle forever. He has opened the castle as a sanctuary to Warriors and druids, so they don’t suffer at the hands of Deirdre. He arrives in Edinburgh to meet with the king to discuss these matters, and it is here he meets Larena Monroe. One glance and his lust goes into full gear. Ironically, Larena is at the castle for information about him. Larena is a female Warrior, maybe the only one of her kind, and she needs Fallon’s help.

Fallon hears a rumor there is a scroll that contains all the names of every person that has been inhabited by a god. He knows Deirdre would do anything for this list – possibly trading his brother Quinn for it. When Larena learns that Fallon wants that scroll, she has a secret that changes everything.


Forbidden Highlander quickly turned into a frustrating read for me. The foundation of my frustrations lay at the attraction, and subsequent relationship of Fallon and Larena. It is lust/love at first sight for them, which is fine. I don’t love that scenario, for as much as sexual tension gives me heart burn, these relationships need a certain degree of it. They went straight to bed the first night. But what REALLY got under my skin is the familiarity they have with each other less than 24 hours together. For example, after only knowing each other a few hours:

She wanted months, nay years, with him.
”You are a good man, Fallon McLeod.” She tilted her head to look at him. She didn’t know any other Warrior who would go against Deirdre in such a manner.

She doesn’t even KNOW him!! Another example:

Not even his admission of having been a drunk had any effect on her wanting him. He was trying to change from what he had been, and who was she to judge him after everything he had been through. She had known by being around him that he no longer drank. The reason he had started she could understand, and she was happy to hear that he stopped.

Again, she has known him one day. She knows he no longer drinks for one day? That doesn’t even make sense. How can she judge or even form an opinion from someone who she really doesn’t know?
As Larena is unconscious after an attack, the druid asks Fallon is he knows what the ring she wears is. His response:

“I know she never takes it off. It goes everywhere with her.”

No he doesn’t know this. Unless I missed something, how does he know this ring is important to her or that she always has it on?

I will say, in the beginning of chapter 14, Fallon admits to himself:

She should have known him better.
We were only together a few hours.
Fallon sighed. It seemed as if he had known Larena for centuries, not hours.

Although he makes this admission, it does not make up for the conversations in the beginning of the book.

Larena also must deal with her secret, that she actually has the scroll hidden on the ring on her finger. They love each other from the start, but Larena is scared if Fallon knows she has the scroll, he will first take it and give to Deirdre and then be upset that she withheld that information from him. Even this didn’t add tension to the story because eventually Larena just gives in. She breaks the vow she gave to never tell of the scroll, even to her husband. Deirdre, the villain couldn’t decide if she was evil or if her minions should do all the dirty work. Plus, she orally rapes Quinn and I really don’t think that added anything to her storyline. Nothing worked for me in this book.


Rating: 1.5/5

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