Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Review: A Highlander's Passion

A Highlander's Passion (Highlander's Beloved - Book 2) by Vonnie Davis

Publication Date: 04/07/2015
Publisher: Random House
Imprint: Loveswept
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 257 (print)
File Size: 3967 KB
ASINB00N6PD78S


(Received for an honest review from Loveswept)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, itunes, Kobo

Vonnie Davis on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series

Highlander's Beloved

1. A Highlander's Obsession
2. A Highlander's Passion

Coverart




Synopsis:

Two of the wildest hearts in Scotland fight for their destiny in this searing-hot romance, sure to be devoured by fans of Jennifer Ashley’s Shifters Unbound series and Shelly Laurenston’s Pride Stories.
 
As a bear-shifter in a pack roaming the Scottish countryside, Bryce Matheson embodies brute force and untamed abandon. As a widower, he’s running scared. When Bryce attempted to open his scarred heart to another, she grew tired of waiting for him to state his intentions, and the unearthly beauty spurned him for someone who wasn’t worthy. But now that fate has conspired to set Kenzie Denune free once again, Bryce vows to finally win her love.

Kenzie is a witch who summons her powers to protect those too weak to care for themselves. After surviving an abusive husband, she swears off men—even men like Bryce, whose iron muscles make her knees weak, and whose piercing eyes fill her with longing. Her life’s purpose is to help others. However, dark forces have different plans for her gifts. To save herself, Kenzie must team up with the shifter who has always stirred her soul—and trust in a passion powerful enough to set her blood aflame.


Thoughts:

Vonnie Davis brings readers the second book in the Highlander's Beloved series, The Highlander's Passion. The Matheson brothers are back and this time it's Bryce who must learn to move on and find love again. Davis combines both the charm of the Highlands and the allure of magic to give readers a fantastic paranormal read. It's not werewolves or vampires either, these are bear-shifters, what an invigorating idea! Readers who like their romances with a lot of steam and a Scottish brogue will find this one irresistible.

The Highlander's Beloved series has taken hold of my imagination and my heart. I love the way that Vonnie Davis has combined two of my favorite things and made a series out of it. I love Scotland, for a lot of reason, the most prevalent being that I am of Scottish ancestry myself. But I love a good paranormal romance, as well. And having them both together in one book is always a pleasure. 

I take the Scottish aspects of these kinds of books very seriously and apparently so does Vonnie Davis. It's not easy to get a Scottish brogue right on the page. I've heard it often and it's hard to write. Davis has certainly done her homework. I love the way a Scot sounds, the way the words flow off the tongue, so hard to get right in a book, but Davis does it with style. Not only that, but her descriptions of Scottish life, both contemporary and in the past are spot on. I like to see the Highlands written in a way that celebrates the spirit and heart of it's people and Davis does that very well here.

In the first book in the series, The Highlander's Obsession, we had a veterinary student who could hear the thoughts of animals. In this book we have a witch, with a passion for helping others. There are also castles and ghosts and lots of other little details that will keep the reader glued to the pages. The passion is fiery and the characters spirited and full of zest. Not only does the author excel at the paranormal aspects and the Scottish aspects of the book but she gives all the little things just as much detail as the big ones.

Let's talk about shifters. Now, many of you know I love a good paranormal read and I like shifters in general. Of course the most popular paranormal titles usually involve werewolves the most famous of shifters or vampires. Vonnie Davis takes a different route. Her shifters are bears. I thought that was so original and what a great animal to choose. One of the kings of the forest and what do you have a lot of in Scotland?  Lush old world forest lands. A perfect match. It was both refreshing and really interesting. I liked the details of the pack and how it worked. I liked the details of Kenzie's Wiccan beliefs as well. Davis combines a lot of different details her to give the reader an amazing read.

Bryce is a widower and he has had a hard time moving on. He tried with Kenzie, but in the end was unable to let her know how he really felt. Which led Kenzie into a terrible marriage with someone else. As fate would have it, she is once again free in this novel. Now Bryce has to show her how he feels and he can't hold back a second time, because now she has been hurt too. The passion is fierce in this one. These are two characters that have strong determination and a deep regard for what they are and how they use the gifts they have been given. When Kenzie uses her powers to help those less fortunate, she gets herself into a mess and it's up to a Highland bear shifter to help her get out of it. It makes for a steamy read, and really great romance.

Bottom Line:

I can't recommend this one enough. I thoroughly loved it. I liked the characters, the background of the series. It was set in Scotland and had men in kilts. What more could you ask for in a great book? Witches and castles and ghosts. Family and love and commitment. This one has it all. You've got to check it out!

The Highlander's Passion is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!





About the Author:


Vonnie Davis, who studied English at Penn State, likens herself to a croissant: crusty, wrinkled, flaky—and best served with strong coffee. After a career as a technical writer, she’s spending her retirement playing fairy godmother to her characters, giving them their happily-ever-afters. Six fantastic, talented kids call her “Grandma” and brighten her world in so many ways. She lives in Southern Virginia with her husband, author Calvin Davis.

1 comment:

holdenj said...

Interesting, slightly paranormal side with the bear-shifting. Sounds good!