Warning this review contains spoilers.Actually, no just one big spoiler. And it's not really a spoiler, but you know how precious some people can be.This cat just had the ending of Shadowfever spoiled...Okay, so this is a romance novel. You pretty much know how they all end, right? Happily Ever After with lots of sex and pregnancy/babies.So far this is the only one I've read that HASN'T ended with pregnancy. All I can say is THANK YOU!What the hell is romantic about meeting a man and finding out a month later that you're pregnant? Or, according to a previous book, being pregnant with TWINS?!Twins. Two bodies. One soul. One very evil soul...I wouldn't wish twins on my worst enemy!Why do people think parenthood is romantic? Allow me to illuminate what parenthood basically is:"Harry, put your pants on." "No flashing your willy, Harry." "Put your willy back in your pants!""Why are you crying?" "Do you want a drink?" "Why did you throw your drink on the ground?""Why are you crying now?" "Are you sure you want a drink this time?" "Why did you throw your drink on the ground AGAIN?!""Do you need to go potty?" "Are you sure?" "Why is there stinky poo in your pants?" "WHY IS THERE STINKY POO ON MUMMY'S WALLS?!""No mummy doesn't want to kiss the shark anymore." "I'm sorry, mummy will kiss the shark now." "Why did you hit mummy with the shark?""You can have ONE train." "No. One." "Now you broke the train." "Why are you crying?! You're the one who broke the train!" "Okay, mummy fixed the train." "Why are you crying?" "Well then you shouldn't have broken the train, AGAIN!""Where's mummy's phone?" "No, that's not mummy's phone, that's a carrot." "Why is mummy's phone in the veggie keeper?""Do you want to watch thomas?" "No, mummy doesn't want to watch Aristocats again." "Because mummy will do bad things if she watches Aristocats. AGAIN." "Fine, we'll watch Aristocats." "No mummy's not crying.""Don't run away!" "No, mummy said not to run away!" "It's not funny!" "Come back!" "Thank you, stranger, for returning my beloved child." "You are in so much trouble!""Do you want some cheese for lunch?" "Okay, here's your cheese!" "Why did you throw your cheese on the ground?" "But this is mummy's cheese!" "It's exactly like the cheese she gave you!" "Fine, have mummy's cheese." "WHY DID YOU THROW MUMMY'S CHEESE ON THE GROUND?""No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "No, don't touch that." "I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH THAT!!!!!!!!!!!" Rinse. Repeat. Do it all again tomorrow.Do you want to know the truth? Children are evil. Now, I wouldn't go quite so far as to say that they're little Stewies in the making.Though I won't dismiss the theory...But babies do three things from the moment they're born.1) Struggle to learn their mother-tongue so that they can use the same word, 'No!', over and over again.2) Struggle to learn to move, walk and run so that they can throw things at you and then run away while cackling with fiendish laughter.3) Study you to learn your weaknesses.They don't have anything else to do! They eat, sleep and poop and they're learning how to bring you down and crush your spirit while doing all three of those tasks - all the while knowing that if you ever chose to, you could crush them with your giant adult fists.Look at that... pure, malevolent evil...And yet, people still procreate, why? There are childless people reading this right now. And I bet you. I BET you that they will probably still have children despite everything that I have said.You know why? WHY?! Because either they think I'm exaggerating and "it won't be THAT bad!" Or they're cocky little bastards who think that, "Sure, kids CAN be like that. But not mine. MY kids will be fantastic."Yes. You keep thinking that. That's what I thought too. Certificate III in childcare and a childhood development course and I thought I would be Mummy Extraordinaire. My best friend, who is a trained and practising Child Psychologist, thought so too. She thought I never saw her look of contempt at my screaming child and that I couldn't see the idea as plain as day in her head, "Well, MY child won't do that!" Hahahaha! I got the last laugh on that one, bitch!ITS WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK!There is NOTHING romantic about having babies. Nothing. You will get a massive belly, need to pee all the time. Then you will go through childbirth and while recovering from this "experience" you will be tending a newborn. You will bleed constantly for six weeks while your nipples leak and you can't remember the last time you got a good night's sleep. Your hormones will trick you into thinking your grandpa-faced little newborn is beautiful and people will lie to you because they realize that with the birth of your child has begun your decent into insanity. People will coo over your child who will be perfectly well-behaved until they bugger off and then you're left alone with a screaming infant WHO CAN'T BE REASONED WITH!Yes, I love my son, he's the light of my life, blah de blah, blah. But I can't take anymore of these Happily Ever After WITH BABIES endings! Why can't we have Happily Ever After, with a lot of money, sex and freedom to travel the globe, eat in expensive restaurants and have even MORE sex except this time on the kitchen floor, endings?No. Instead we get this:The little jerk... I keep ending these novels with super-happy couples petting their lovely pregnant bellies and all I can think is, "Poor bastards! Don't even know what they're in for..."
I dont know which of the twin's stories I like best- Drustan's (Kiss of the Highlander) or Dageus's (The Dark Highlander)- but both are top of the game. At the end of Drustan's story we find Dageus sacrificing his sanity, for all he knew, his very life to see his beloved brother reunited with his mate- but at a cost.The Dark Highlander begins with Dageus alone in 20th century Manhattan desperately searching for a way to free himself from the 13 evil spirits taking up residence within his body for breaking an ancient pact for personal gain. But he's not alone long, after intrepid Chloe Zanders takes it upon herself to investigate the artifacts spread throughout Dageus's palatial home while making a less than routine delivery. Chloe has no idea that she's just changed her world forever and that the man who holds the key to ancient Celtic artifacts recently gone missing also holds the key to her heart.It will take them both to set The Dark Highlander free once and for all but can they do it before Dageus gives in to the darker urges pressing in on him, which will loose the darkness on the unsuspecting world and bring about cataclysmic destruction?These two books, along with the final book in Moning's popular Highlander series (Spell of the Highlander) are by far my favorites. The men are sexy and in Dageus's case, extremely duressed, yet show all the noble characteristics we love in a romance novel hero. Strong in mind and spirit, Dageus knows his time is short and he's barely keeping the evil within him under control- until he meets the woman who will save his life. He doesnt know this of course, but he does know he needs to protect her, even from himself. Yet Chloe is too clever and curious by far and when she finds out what's really going on-matches him every way! Perfect H/h and hot romance at its best. Dont miss it!(Dageus is definitely a precursor to another popular character in Moning's Fever series- if you cant get enough of Barron's read this book- plus it gives some subtle clues as to what's going on in the Fever world!)
What do You think about The Dark Highlander (2002)?
I have not read any of the others in this series, but this reads fine as a stand-alone. This is the story of Dageus (the "dark" one with the evil Druid spirits possessing him) and Chloe and their HEA.I think I did a few times. This is flat out B-O-R-I-N-G and has all the romance tropes present. This was written in 2002, but it's still got that cheesy 90s romance vibe going on. This pretty much sums up the book:I think I'm just WAY over this kind of romance. The sex scenes aren't sexy, there's no real plot, the characters are blah. Karen Marie Moning's Fever series is way better. Skip these.
—Sh3lly (Not all those who wander are lost)
5 Delicious stars!Dageus finds himself cursed with evil Druid spirits, after saving his brother's life, by using time travel for personal reasons, which is forbidden by Druid law. And the only woman that can save him is Chloe his fated bride. Chloe is sweet and I adored her strong will and determination to save her warrior.Dageus oozes sexuality from the very first page and is everything you could want in an alpha male. He's dangerous with a wild heart, in a body of a jaded man. "I'm going to love you know, slow and sweet, but when you come, I'm going to fuck you the way I need to. The way I've been dreaming about since the moment I saw you."Wow, that man is a walking sex on a stick! *sigh*This is edgy dark and wonderfully sensual read with a touch of PNR, and lots of hot and sexy tooping. Loved it!
—Wendy
I LOVED Dageus!!! Even though i really enjoyed the last couple books they were a little bit slow starting for me but NOT this one...this had me glued to the pages from the "get go!" I'm also a sucker for the "bad boy" Whether he was in a kilt, leather trews..yummy!!..or modern day black trousers...the man just screamed SEXY BAD BOY!! This was definitely my favorite so far! :)**i also really enjoyed the story between Silvan and Nellie that ran throughout both Drustan and Dageus' books...very sweet!!!
— ~V~
