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Highland Dragons #3
Night of the Highland Dragon
Acclaimed author Isabel Cooper’s thrilling paranormal romance series continues with a sexy Highland dragon shapeshifter and an inquisitive hero…
William Arundell is a detective working for a secret branch of the English government. When a young man is found dead, William’s investigation leads him to a remote Highland village and the intoxicatingly beautiful lady who rules MacAlasdair Castle.
The charismatic Judith MacAlasdair is not what William expected. The only daughter in a long line of shape-changing dragons, Judith is wary of William and his unrelenting questions. However, when William’s investigation takes an interesting turn, they must put aside years of bad blood and a mutual distrust of outsiders to band together to save the British Islands from its deadliest foe…
William Arundell is a detective working for a secret branch of the English government. When a young man is found dead, William’s investigation leads him to a remote Highland village and the intoxicatingly beautiful lady who rules MacAlasdair Castle.
The charismatic Judith MacAlasdair is not what William expected. The only daughter in a long line of shape-changing dragons, Judith is wary of William and his unrelenting questions. However, when William’s investigation takes an interesting turn, they must put aside years of bad blood and a mutual distrust of outsiders to band together to save the British Islands from its deadliest foe…
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 2, 2015
60 people are currently reading
915 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Cooper
24 books163 followersIsabel Cooper lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her boyfriend and a houseplant she's managed to keep alive for over a year now—a personal best. By day, she's a mild-mannered editor at a legal publishing company. By night, she's really quite a geek: polyhedral dice, video games, and everything. She only travels through time the normal direction, and has never fought any kind of demon, unless you count younger sisters. She can waltz, though.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 21, 2025
Night of the Highland Dragon was a fun, fanciful, historical, dark paranormal adventure.
Detective William Arundell is investigating the death of a young man in a remote area of the highlands. His investigation brings him to MacAlasdair Castle, where a family of shape shifting dragons reside, namely Judith MacAliasdair.
Judith MacAliasdair is a dragon shifter, wary of outsiders, she is reluctant to assist William in his investigation until an evil presence is revealed. Judith recognizes that without William’s help they might all fall to this new threat.
The attraction is slow building, with a careful amount of wariness even though the sexual chemistry is strong.
With this read of the Highland Dragon series, I felt that I was missing something. The plot seemed disjointed and I don’t know whether to chalk that up to unfamiliarity with the previous storylines or not.
I’m a huge dragon, especially shape shifting dragon, fan so that was a big plus for this book.
Night of the Highland Dragon provides a good bit of humor, intrigue, mystery, and dark fantasy which I enjoyed. I found the story entertaining but would like to revisit past stories to see if it would improve my perception of the story's flow.
I received this ARC copy of Night of the Highland Dragon from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca in exchanged for a honest review. This book is set for publication June 1, 2015.
Detective William Arundell is investigating the death of a young man in a remote area of the highlands. His investigation brings him to MacAlasdair Castle, where a family of shape shifting dragons reside, namely Judith MacAliasdair.
Judith MacAliasdair is a dragon shifter, wary of outsiders, she is reluctant to assist William in his investigation until an evil presence is revealed. Judith recognizes that without William’s help they might all fall to this new threat.
The attraction is slow building, with a careful amount of wariness even though the sexual chemistry is strong.
With this read of the Highland Dragon series, I felt that I was missing something. The plot seemed disjointed and I don’t know whether to chalk that up to unfamiliarity with the previous storylines or not.
I’m a huge dragon, especially shape shifting dragon, fan so that was a big plus for this book.
Night of the Highland Dragon provides a good bit of humor, intrigue, mystery, and dark fantasy which I enjoyed. I found the story entertaining but would like to revisit past stories to see if it would improve my perception of the story's flow.
I received this ARC copy of Night of the Highland Dragon from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca in exchanged for a honest review. This book is set for publication June 1, 2015.
June 28, 2015
Cooper transports you back in time. The consistent use of phrasing throughout the narrative and dialogue really sets the scene for this. It gives it that ‘old time’ feel. She also takes you into a world beyond the one we live in, while at the same time making it completely believable. There is a sense of mystery and danger that permeates this well written novel, keeping you on your toes. Combined with Cooper’s vivid descriptions and upbeat narrative, this story kept me truly engaged.
I liked that I got a sense of who the main characters were both together and separately. The way that they try to stay separate, yet come together out of necessity was charming. Not only that, but I enjoyed getting to know each of them in their own way. They were both so true to themselves, yet willing to compromise. This was a truly enjoyable cast of characters.
As a whole, this was a truly enjoyable dragon-shifter novel. The loveable characters combine with the uniquely captivating storyline in an unforgettable manner. I will suggest, however, that you read the other novels in the series first for context. It will really add to the story.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
I liked that I got a sense of who the main characters were both together and separately. The way that they try to stay separate, yet come together out of necessity was charming. Not only that, but I enjoyed getting to know each of them in their own way. They were both so true to themselves, yet willing to compromise. This was a truly enjoyable cast of characters.
As a whole, this was a truly enjoyable dragon-shifter novel. The loveable characters combine with the uniquely captivating storyline in an unforgettable manner. I will suggest, however, that you read the other novels in the series first for context. It will really add to the story.
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2024
Review from 2017
I've given this an A for narration and a C for content at AudioGals -technically it should be 4 stars, but the story really doesn't warrant it.
Even though I was very disappointed in the previous book in this series of historical paranormals (The Highland Dragon's Lady), I remembered reading the print version of Night of the Highland Dragon a couple of years back, and thought I’d give it another go-round in audio. The final member of the MacAlasdair family of shape-shifters is Lady Judith, who resides at the castle of Loch Arach and takes good care of all those who depend on her and the castle for their livelihoods. Into this Highland idyll comes William Arundell, an investigator for a secret branch of the government who starts asking uncomfortable questions about Judith and her family in the course of his investigations into a gruesome murder. The two are suspicious but drawn to each other, although sadly, the romance is fairly lacklustre and the story as a whole is somewhat dull and lacking in direction. There’s also a severe lack of background information about William’s work and of scene-setting in general. The story is set in a late Victorian era in which magic and witchcraft exist, and listeners are just asked to accept that without any further explanation of how, why, where and who – which this listener found somewhat frustrating.
William works for D Branch, a secret department which is neither police nor military and which is tasked with keeping Britain safe from the supernatural, satanic cults, ghouls, ghosties and, as William himself puts it, “basic strangeness”. While he’s not a wizard and doesn’t have any sort of supernatural power, he does use magic and various gadgets supplied by their very own version of “Q” in his investigations; protective charms, silver bullets and some sort of gizmo that enables him to see dead people. Or their spirits, at least.
He has been sent to a remote area in the Scottish Highlands in order to look into what appears to be the ritual killing of a local boy, and in the course of his enquiries, hears rumours about the lady of Loch Arach which pique his interest. Nothing, however, prepares him for the reality of the lady herself when he meets her – Judith MacAlasdair is like a warrior queen; beautiful, poised, independent and strong – and quite possibly his prime suspect.
Judith takes the welfare of her dependents at the castle and in the village very seriously, and the sudden arrival of a stranger – albeit a very attractive one – who starts very subtly asking questions fills her with anger and suspicion. Like her brothers, she is a shape-shifter who can take the form of a dragon, although she spends most of the book in her human form.
William and Judith circle warily around each other even as neither can deny the frisson of attraction that sparks between them. Judith doesn’t want an outsider poking his nose into her business, and William is suspicious of her wariness and resentment, but when it becomes obvious that something truly evil is at work in Loch Arach, they agree to join forces to defeat the malevolence that is threatening the village, and possibly the country at large.
As with the previous book, anyone expecting Judith to spend any length of time in her dragon form is going to be disappointed. But the biggest problem overall is that none of the three elements to the story – romance, mystery, paranormal – are fully exploited, which leaves a rather unfocused and disjointed whole. As I said at the outset, this version of Victorian England is never explained or developed, and we’re never told how William is able to use magic without having some sort of magical ability. His previous assignment, to investigate a mysterious, dangerous cult called the Consuasori is referenced a few times, but feels like little more than name-dropping in order to set up the eventual dénouement. And while I liked William as a character – he’s intelligent, competent and methodical, and isn’t threatened by Judith’s powers or superior strength – Judith is harder to warm to and the romance between them springs almost from nowhere. There is little – if any – build up to their first kiss and their relationship seems built more on lust than any emotional understanding or connection.
Derek Perkins once again does his very best to enliven a dull story, but there is little he can do to make Night of the Highland Dragon much more entertaining than its predecessor or anything other than it is – a predictable mystery with unmemorable characters and writing that I am charitably going to call “workman-like”. His performance is every bit as good as I have come to expect – well paced, expertly differentiated and beautifully delivered – and I freely admit that there were times I just let myself sink into the sound of his lush baritone and the rhythm of his speech without really taking a lot of notice of what was happening (and then had to rewind!) He’s become something of a go-to narrator for Scottish-set romances by virtue of the fact that he can produce a convincing and consistent Scottish accent (I never have to wince at mispronunciations or an over-done brogue), which he employs intelligently, quite rightly toning it down for the upper-class, more educated characters, and roughening it up for servants and villagers.
Listening to Mr. Perkins is always a pleasure. I just wish he’d had better material to work with.
I've given this an A for narration and a C for content at AudioGals -technically it should be 4 stars, but the story really doesn't warrant it.
Even though I was very disappointed in the previous book in this series of historical paranormals (The Highland Dragon's Lady), I remembered reading the print version of Night of the Highland Dragon a couple of years back, and thought I’d give it another go-round in audio. The final member of the MacAlasdair family of shape-shifters is Lady Judith, who resides at the castle of Loch Arach and takes good care of all those who depend on her and the castle for their livelihoods. Into this Highland idyll comes William Arundell, an investigator for a secret branch of the government who starts asking uncomfortable questions about Judith and her family in the course of his investigations into a gruesome murder. The two are suspicious but drawn to each other, although sadly, the romance is fairly lacklustre and the story as a whole is somewhat dull and lacking in direction. There’s also a severe lack of background information about William’s work and of scene-setting in general. The story is set in a late Victorian era in which magic and witchcraft exist, and listeners are just asked to accept that without any further explanation of how, why, where and who – which this listener found somewhat frustrating.
William works for D Branch, a secret department which is neither police nor military and which is tasked with keeping Britain safe from the supernatural, satanic cults, ghouls, ghosties and, as William himself puts it, “basic strangeness”. While he’s not a wizard and doesn’t have any sort of supernatural power, he does use magic and various gadgets supplied by their very own version of “Q” in his investigations; protective charms, silver bullets and some sort of gizmo that enables him to see dead people. Or their spirits, at least.
He has been sent to a remote area in the Scottish Highlands in order to look into what appears to be the ritual killing of a local boy, and in the course of his enquiries, hears rumours about the lady of Loch Arach which pique his interest. Nothing, however, prepares him for the reality of the lady herself when he meets her – Judith MacAlasdair is like a warrior queen; beautiful, poised, independent and strong – and quite possibly his prime suspect.
Judith takes the welfare of her dependents at the castle and in the village very seriously, and the sudden arrival of a stranger – albeit a very attractive one – who starts very subtly asking questions fills her with anger and suspicion. Like her brothers, she is a shape-shifter who can take the form of a dragon, although she spends most of the book in her human form.
William and Judith circle warily around each other even as neither can deny the frisson of attraction that sparks between them. Judith doesn’t want an outsider poking his nose into her business, and William is suspicious of her wariness and resentment, but when it becomes obvious that something truly evil is at work in Loch Arach, they agree to join forces to defeat the malevolence that is threatening the village, and possibly the country at large.
As with the previous book, anyone expecting Judith to spend any length of time in her dragon form is going to be disappointed. But the biggest problem overall is that none of the three elements to the story – romance, mystery, paranormal – are fully exploited, which leaves a rather unfocused and disjointed whole. As I said at the outset, this version of Victorian England is never explained or developed, and we’re never told how William is able to use magic without having some sort of magical ability. His previous assignment, to investigate a mysterious, dangerous cult called the Consuasori is referenced a few times, but feels like little more than name-dropping in order to set up the eventual dénouement. And while I liked William as a character – he’s intelligent, competent and methodical, and isn’t threatened by Judith’s powers or superior strength – Judith is harder to warm to and the romance between them springs almost from nowhere. There is little – if any – build up to their first kiss and their relationship seems built more on lust than any emotional understanding or connection.
Derek Perkins once again does his very best to enliven a dull story, but there is little he can do to make Night of the Highland Dragon much more entertaining than its predecessor or anything other than it is – a predictable mystery with unmemorable characters and writing that I am charitably going to call “workman-like”. His performance is every bit as good as I have come to expect – well paced, expertly differentiated and beautifully delivered – and I freely admit that there were times I just let myself sink into the sound of his lush baritone and the rhythm of his speech without really taking a lot of notice of what was happening (and then had to rewind!) He’s become something of a go-to narrator for Scottish-set romances by virtue of the fact that he can produce a convincing and consistent Scottish accent (I never have to wince at mispronunciations or an over-done brogue), which he employs intelligently, quite rightly toning it down for the upper-class, more educated characters, and roughening it up for servants and villagers.
Listening to Mr. Perkins is always a pleasure. I just wish he’d had better material to work with.
June 16, 2015
William and Judith will have to put aside their differences and band together to save the British Islands from its deadliest foe in this riveting paranormal romance.
Working for a secret branch of the English government, William’s investigation leads him to a remote Highland village but his suspect is not what he expected at all and the reader can’t help but be fascinated by this romance as Judith stirs sizzling desires in William even as he tries to uncover all her secrets. The strong compelling characters grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning and the steady to fast paced plot keeps anticipations high with suspense, mystique and romance.
Expectation and excitement build throughout the story as the mysterious happenings lead William and Judith on a path straight into danger especially as they are at cross purposes which leads to some subtly challenging encounters which spice up the story quite a bit and just wait until William discovers Judith’s true nature. The story captures the imagination and brings the story to life with vivid imagery and the clues keep readers guessing right along with Judith and William while the historical Highland setting adds just the right ambiance to the story.
The author has created a fascinating world with dragons and magic with an interesting feel to it, while the story is definitely historical with just the right amount of Scottish dialogue to add to the Highland feel without going overboard, it also has a kind of slight steampunk feel to the story, probably because of William’s magical gadgets. I was completely caught up in the story from the very beginning and found it quite enjoyable but I am still a little unclear on just what the bad guys wanted Judith for…other than they were up to no good of course.
- eva
Working for a secret branch of the English government, William’s investigation leads him to a remote Highland village but his suspect is not what he expected at all and the reader can’t help but be fascinated by this romance as Judith stirs sizzling desires in William even as he tries to uncover all her secrets. The strong compelling characters grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning and the steady to fast paced plot keeps anticipations high with suspense, mystique and romance.
Expectation and excitement build throughout the story as the mysterious happenings lead William and Judith on a path straight into danger especially as they are at cross purposes which leads to some subtly challenging encounters which spice up the story quite a bit and just wait until William discovers Judith’s true nature. The story captures the imagination and brings the story to life with vivid imagery and the clues keep readers guessing right along with Judith and William while the historical Highland setting adds just the right ambiance to the story.
The author has created a fascinating world with dragons and magic with an interesting feel to it, while the story is definitely historical with just the right amount of Scottish dialogue to add to the Highland feel without going overboard, it also has a kind of slight steampunk feel to the story, probably because of William’s magical gadgets. I was completely caught up in the story from the very beginning and found it quite enjoyable but I am still a little unclear on just what the bad guys wanted Judith for…other than they were up to no good of course.
- eva
February 11, 2018
A sleuthy murder mystery with Isabel Cooper's delightful dragon shifters! An "older lady" heroine, even by romance standards - 250 YEARS OLD. Competence! Feelings! Intrigue! Consent! Responsible relationshipping paired with enthusiastic sexytimes!
I just really like this author, it turns out. I wish I knew how to find her fic, because I would read the heck out of that too...
I just really like this author, it turns out. I wish I knew how to find her fic, because I would read the heck out of that too...
June 12, 2020
That was a v. enjoyable read. And...unusual. Why? Well, the time period for one. It's set in 1898. The h is dubiously considering having the castle wired for electricity. Most historicals are vaguely regency (some more than others, presumably because authors can't be bothered to research the time period). The other unusuality is that the *h* is a dragon, and the H merely a suspicious human who happens to work for an agency aware of "other" things.
The plot is simple - a dead person sought out someone having a seance and clued them in to his being ritually sacrificed. The H is sent to investigate. Comments from locals at a nearby town suggest the lady who lives at the castle never ages, and the village is...odd. The lady in question's meeting with him sets off warning bells with both of them - she, because she doesn't believe a word he says (well, I guess if you're a nearly 200 year old dragon, you've probably learned to sniff out deceit), and he, because what he'd already heard coupled with well, something was off about her.
Eventually they do manage to figure things out, both personally and professionally. It is...amusing really...when he does finally learn her secret. I'm not sure what he thought she was prior to that as we're not privy to his inner speculation but he had to have been a little suspicious after the alley fight.
There was one line that had me a bit baffled. I'd have to get the first two and read them but I don't recall another sister.
The plot is simple - a dead person sought out someone having a seance and clued them in to his being ritually sacrificed. The H is sent to investigate. Comments from locals at a nearby town suggest the lady who lives at the castle never ages, and the village is...odd. The lady in question's meeting with him sets off warning bells with both of them - she, because she doesn't believe a word he says (well, I guess if you're a nearly 200 year old dragon, you've probably learned to sniff out deceit), and he, because what he'd already heard coupled with well, something was off about her.
Eventually they do manage to figure things out, both personally and professionally. It is...amusing really...when he does finally learn her secret. I'm not sure what he thought she was prior to that as we're not privy to his inner speculation but he had to have been a little suspicious after the alley fight.
There was one line that had me a bit baffled. I'd have to get the first two and read them but I don't recall another sister.
May 7, 2019
Nicely written fantasy. Different from other paranormal books. This one features a dragon heroine.
September 16, 2016
I've given this a C+ at AAR, so that's 3.5 stars.
A shape-shifting dragon-lady in late Victorian Scotland is not my normal cup of tea (well, the late Victorian part is, but not the dragon-lady part!) but I do occasionally like to pick up something a bit different, and this seemed like a good prospect. Night of the Highland Dragon is the third book in a series featuring the MacAlasdair siblings, who are all descended from an ancient line of shape-shifters, and this book features the single female member of the family, Lady Judith.
With her two brothers now happily married and settled elsewhere, Judith is responsible for looking after the family’s extensive estate, for the welfare of everyone in the local village of Loch Arach, and it’s a responsibility she takes very seriously. Strangers in the neighbourhood are rarely seen, so the arrival of a handsome, but gently inquisitive gentleman from London is something she views with suspicion.
William Arundell is an agent for a secret government department whose job is to protect the populace from the various paranormal and supernatural elements that threaten them, whether it be things-that-go-“bump”-in-the-night, satanic cults, or, as William himself puts it, “basic strangeness” . His most recent assignment has involved the thwarting of a dangerous cult known as the Consuasori, and now, he has been sent to the Scottish Highlands to investigate what appears to be the ritual killing of a local boy. In the course of his investigations he hears rumours about the lady of the castle which pique his interest – but nothing prepares him for the reality of Lady Judith MacAlasdair, beautiful, independent and extremely capable; and quite possibly his number one suspect.
William and Judith tread warily around each other, even as they recognise the frisson of attraction between them. She doesn’t want anyone from the outside poking his nose into her business – but when it becomes clear that there is more at work than simple bad luck she and William decide to join forces to defeat whatever evil forces are threatening the village and the country at large.
I enjoyed the book overall, although to be honest, it wasn’t as “different” as I’d expected, as Judith spends probably 90% of the time in her human form – which I didn’t mind – and the rest of the story is an undemanding but entertaining mystery with a few supernatural elements thrown in which only come into really sharp focus towards the end. The problem with the book as a whole is that it’s a paranormal-mystery-romance in which none of those three elements is fully exploited. If I had to choose the part of it that works the best, I’d have to say it’s the mystery – which is intriguing, even though the identity of the villain is fairly obvious. The paranormal elements work well enough, but there is so much that seems to just come out of the blue with no explanation that I was left with more questions than answers. I wondered if perhaps that is because I haven’t read the previous books in the series, although from reading the synopses, I suspect I’d be saying the same even if I had read them. For example, there are quite a few references made to William’s investigation into the Consuasori but it’s little more than name-dropping and a way of setting up the dénouement. He uses a form of magic in his investigations, yet we’re never told how it is he is able to do this.
William himself is an attractive character, clearly intelligent, competent and methodical, and I liked that he is confident enough in himself and his own abilities not to feel threatened by Judith’s powers or strength. I found Judith harder to warm to, though, because she’s so determined to go it alone, she comes across as overly stern and cold as a result. I liked that she was the sort of woman who saw what she wanted – William – and felt comfortable making the first move on more than one occasion, but ultimately the romance is under-developed and there is a lack of chemistry between the leads. Their first kiss comes with practically no build-up, and their relationship seems to be based on lust rather than any deeper connection or understanding between them.
In spite of my reservations, I quite enjoyed Night of the Highland Dragon, although I would have liked a little more consistency of approach in terms of the key elements that made up the story. The book is well written and often wryly humorous, which I appreciated, and I would certainly not be averse to reading more by Ms Cooper, but I can’t give this one a wholehearted recommendation.
A shape-shifting dragon-lady in late Victorian Scotland is not my normal cup of tea (well, the late Victorian part is, but not the dragon-lady part!) but I do occasionally like to pick up something a bit different, and this seemed like a good prospect. Night of the Highland Dragon is the third book in a series featuring the MacAlasdair siblings, who are all descended from an ancient line of shape-shifters, and this book features the single female member of the family, Lady Judith.
With her two brothers now happily married and settled elsewhere, Judith is responsible for looking after the family’s extensive estate, for the welfare of everyone in the local village of Loch Arach, and it’s a responsibility she takes very seriously. Strangers in the neighbourhood are rarely seen, so the arrival of a handsome, but gently inquisitive gentleman from London is something she views with suspicion.
William Arundell is an agent for a secret government department whose job is to protect the populace from the various paranormal and supernatural elements that threaten them, whether it be things-that-go-“bump”-in-the-night, satanic cults, or, as William himself puts it, “basic strangeness” . His most recent assignment has involved the thwarting of a dangerous cult known as the Consuasori, and now, he has been sent to the Scottish Highlands to investigate what appears to be the ritual killing of a local boy. In the course of his investigations he hears rumours about the lady of the castle which pique his interest – but nothing prepares him for the reality of Lady Judith MacAlasdair, beautiful, independent and extremely capable; and quite possibly his number one suspect.
William and Judith tread warily around each other, even as they recognise the frisson of attraction between them. She doesn’t want anyone from the outside poking his nose into her business – but when it becomes clear that there is more at work than simple bad luck she and William decide to join forces to defeat whatever evil forces are threatening the village and the country at large.
I enjoyed the book overall, although to be honest, it wasn’t as “different” as I’d expected, as Judith spends probably 90% of the time in her human form – which I didn’t mind – and the rest of the story is an undemanding but entertaining mystery with a few supernatural elements thrown in which only come into really sharp focus towards the end. The problem with the book as a whole is that it’s a paranormal-mystery-romance in which none of those three elements is fully exploited. If I had to choose the part of it that works the best, I’d have to say it’s the mystery – which is intriguing, even though the identity of the villain is fairly obvious. The paranormal elements work well enough, but there is so much that seems to just come out of the blue with no explanation that I was left with more questions than answers. I wondered if perhaps that is because I haven’t read the previous books in the series, although from reading the synopses, I suspect I’d be saying the same even if I had read them. For example, there are quite a few references made to William’s investigation into the Consuasori but it’s little more than name-dropping and a way of setting up the dénouement. He uses a form of magic in his investigations, yet we’re never told how it is he is able to do this.
William himself is an attractive character, clearly intelligent, competent and methodical, and I liked that he is confident enough in himself and his own abilities not to feel threatened by Judith’s powers or strength. I found Judith harder to warm to, though, because she’s so determined to go it alone, she comes across as overly stern and cold as a result. I liked that she was the sort of woman who saw what she wanted – William – and felt comfortable making the first move on more than one occasion, but ultimately the romance is under-developed and there is a lack of chemistry between the leads. Their first kiss comes with practically no build-up, and their relationship seems to be based on lust rather than any deeper connection or understanding between them.
In spite of my reservations, I quite enjoyed Night of the Highland Dragon, although I would have liked a little more consistency of approach in terms of the key elements that made up the story. The book is well written and often wryly humorous, which I appreciated, and I would certainly not be averse to reading more by Ms Cooper, but I can’t give this one a wholehearted recommendation.
June 21, 2015
This is the third book in the series and tackles the third MacAlisdair sibling. Judith has been in the background through the first two books and she actually lives in the family castle high up in the Scottish Highlands so I was excited to get her story. I'm not sure if this is the last of the series, but she is the final dragon sibling so I'll assume that's the case.
The story is obviously part of a series, but like the other two, it can be read alone or out of order though it's obvious that the siblings stories go in a certain order.
The story opens with Crown special agent, William Arundell, sent out on a mission to solve the possible ritual murder of a boy and curious way of killing some livestock near a remote highland village where the local lady of the castle is reclusive and mysterious. William has been doing his job long enough to believe most anything is possible and danger can lurk in the most innocent of disguises. He observes everyone, notes anything out of the ordinary, and is struck by the Lady Judith MacAlisdair who is definitely more than she seems, but is she guilty of killing and black magic?
Judith has lived a long life and with her brothers has successfully preserved the family secrets. She does not need a curious outside poking around in her village and nosing about for his own mysterious purposes. She definitely doesn't need a dangerous killer who may or may not be human. She has cared for her people and her lands for a long time and by claw and flame or her own strong will, she will continue to protect them. However, her long drought from intimacy has her interested in Mr. Arundell and for more reasons than just to suspect his activities and his investigations.
I love dragon shifter stories and I also love historical romance particularly set in the Highlands so this was an easy please me. And for the most part, I did enjoy it and found it engaging.
That said, it took a long time to get going so that it was well over the half-way point before any dragon sightings or excitement begins.
The same is true of the romance. They had some sparks sizzling before that and after a time got up to some real heat between them, but thoughts of any sort of relationship or romance wasn't present until near the end. I do like that at least it wasn't an insta-anything and I certainly thought William and Judith were a great pair together all around.
It was pretty cool that William was like the James Bond of the Victorian age with his spy work and magical gadgetry and that Judith was this experienced and engaging woman who had already seen it all. There was a real sense of her age unlike many paranormal romances achieve. She is dragon and powerful. William has no insecurities on that score and doesn't mind taking turns with whose in charge so that was definitely a plus.
The conflict was pretty exciting and wow that was an intense grand finale and denouement for the main characters. I was a tad disappointed when the explanations behind the villainy occurred because it stayed vague. I was given clues that there was some complexity, but not much on explanation. So I got the full force of the evil activity and the rap-up without the psychology behind it if that makes sense.
Like I said, I'm not sure if this was the end, but I liked how things were updated with the other MacAlisdairs and left things with a clear direction for all their futures.
In summation, it got off slow, but built to an exciting and rewarding finish. There was dragon excitement, a paranormal mystery, a strong heroine, an exciting Victorian spy, and a satisfying all around story. Historical Paranormal Romance lovers would probably adore it.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.
The story is obviously part of a series, but like the other two, it can be read alone or out of order though it's obvious that the siblings stories go in a certain order.
The story opens with Crown special agent, William Arundell, sent out on a mission to solve the possible ritual murder of a boy and curious way of killing some livestock near a remote highland village where the local lady of the castle is reclusive and mysterious. William has been doing his job long enough to believe most anything is possible and danger can lurk in the most innocent of disguises. He observes everyone, notes anything out of the ordinary, and is struck by the Lady Judith MacAlisdair who is definitely more than she seems, but is she guilty of killing and black magic?
Judith has lived a long life and with her brothers has successfully preserved the family secrets. She does not need a curious outside poking around in her village and nosing about for his own mysterious purposes. She definitely doesn't need a dangerous killer who may or may not be human. She has cared for her people and her lands for a long time and by claw and flame or her own strong will, she will continue to protect them. However, her long drought from intimacy has her interested in Mr. Arundell and for more reasons than just to suspect his activities and his investigations.
I love dragon shifter stories and I also love historical romance particularly set in the Highlands so this was an easy please me. And for the most part, I did enjoy it and found it engaging.
That said, it took a long time to get going so that it was well over the half-way point before any dragon sightings or excitement begins.
The same is true of the romance. They had some sparks sizzling before that and after a time got up to some real heat between them, but thoughts of any sort of relationship or romance wasn't present until near the end. I do like that at least it wasn't an insta-anything and I certainly thought William and Judith were a great pair together all around.
It was pretty cool that William was like the James Bond of the Victorian age with his spy work and magical gadgetry and that Judith was this experienced and engaging woman who had already seen it all. There was a real sense of her age unlike many paranormal romances achieve. She is dragon and powerful. William has no insecurities on that score and doesn't mind taking turns with whose in charge so that was definitely a plus.
The conflict was pretty exciting and wow that was an intense grand finale and denouement for the main characters. I was a tad disappointed when the explanations behind the villainy occurred because it stayed vague. I was given clues that there was some complexity, but not much on explanation. So I got the full force of the evil activity and the rap-up without the psychology behind it if that makes sense.
Like I said, I'm not sure if this was the end, but I liked how things were updated with the other MacAlisdairs and left things with a clear direction for all their futures.
In summation, it got off slow, but built to an exciting and rewarding finish. There was dragon excitement, a paranormal mystery, a strong heroine, an exciting Victorian spy, and a satisfying all around story. Historical Paranormal Romance lovers would probably adore it.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.
February 22, 2016
While the tale is a little slow to get off the ground, with many introductions, introspections and conversations, we can sense that a gradual buildup to dark deeds is occurring. Set in Scotland at the turn of the 19th to 20th century, this shapeshifter story includes dark magick and demons. An English gentleman from a secret department arrives in a Scots village to find out what is happening after a person has died mysteriously. William Arundell meets a lady laird, whose villagers and tenants are fiercely loyal, maybe because there were no Highland Clearances here. Apparently she is well preserved, for her age, doesn't socialise and rides astride when not in polite company. Some livestock are found dead and mutilated, much as the traveller was.
I find the writing good at providing details of the times, and weaving in just those which will be needed later in the story. We also learn that Lady Judith MacAllister has been secretly a soldier or sailor in past years, acting a man while her supposed ladyship is absent from the castle and is said to have died abroad, before she returns as a relative looking the image of her grandmother. This aspect reminds me of the Diana Wynne Jones story Fire And Hemlock. The demons are a new departure and are creepily and convincingly written; they were like a Janny Wurts story. I also enjoyed the shapechanging sequences featuring a green dragon. When we get action there is plenty of it.
Romance also features because it wouldn't be a castle without a beauty and a beast, though not as that legend normally goes. This is an adult romantic tale with strong paranormal aspects and some gruesome scenes. However, there is also plenty of wooded Scots countryside and fresh air, which gets William out of smoggy London and stifling dinner engagements. Just as well he brought some silver bullets.
I find the writing good at providing details of the times, and weaving in just those which will be needed later in the story. We also learn that Lady Judith MacAllister has been secretly a soldier or sailor in past years, acting a man while her supposed ladyship is absent from the castle and is said to have died abroad, before she returns as a relative looking the image of her grandmother. This aspect reminds me of the Diana Wynne Jones story Fire And Hemlock. The demons are a new departure and are creepily and convincingly written; they were like a Janny Wurts story. I also enjoyed the shapechanging sequences featuring a green dragon. When we get action there is plenty of it.
Romance also features because it wouldn't be a castle without a beauty and a beast, though not as that legend normally goes. This is an adult romantic tale with strong paranormal aspects and some gruesome scenes. However, there is also plenty of wooded Scots countryside and fresh air, which gets William out of smoggy London and stifling dinner engagements. Just as well he brought some silver bullets.
June 18, 2015
William and Judith will have to put aside their differences and band together to save the British Islands from its deadliest foe in this riveting paranormal romance. The author has created a fascinating world with dragons and magic with an interesting feel to it, while the story is definitely historical with just the right amount of Scottish dialogue to add to the Highland feel without going overboard, it also has a kind of slight steampunk feel to the story, probably because of William’s magical gadgets. I was completely caught up in the story from the very beginning and found it quite enjoyable but I am still a little unclear on just what the bad guys wanted Judith for…other than they were up to no good of course.
See my full review at:
http://paranormalhaven.com/2015/06/re...
See my full review at:
http://paranormalhaven.com/2015/06/re...
February 9, 2017
Immensely compelling. Entertaining. Paranormal mystery in a small highland village. Satisfying romance. *happy sigh*
September 23, 2017
This is the best of the three. All are good but this one I liked the best. Good characters and an interesting plot.
June 2, 2015
Third and final book in this series, Night of the Highland Dragon brings Judith, sister to Stephen and Colin into the story-finally. She had been mentioned several times throughout the last two books, so I was more than ready to see what was in store for her in this read. And of course to see her get her HEA.
Judith is the oldest of these dragon siblings, and at this time she is the lady of the manor-or in this case castle in Scotland. Finally one of these books takes place in Scotland! She only stays at the castle for a couple of decades, or so at a time, doesn’t age, and so she has to leave. Then a faked death, and sometime in the future her ‘granddaughter’ will return. If she looks exactly like her grandmother, well, only the elderly will notice-nothing a little magic spell can’t take care of. And there’s plenty of magic in the small village of Loch Arach-too much so at this time. Bodies of both animals and a young man are found-at a time and place where livestock is the very livelihood of the villagers so something needs to be done. William comes to Loch Arach to investigate. As an agent for a secret branch of the British government, William goes undercover wherever magic is being abused. Judith is his number one suspect, and not because he knows she is a dragon(he doesn’t), but because there have been rumors about her family and magic for years, and it has never been checked out until now.
Whereas the second book was a bit slow, this book pulls the reader into the story and keeps them interested throughout, at least I thought so. William finds himself slowly drawn to the lady of the manor, Judith. For her part, she is drawn to him as well, but she is all about keeping the secrets of her and her siblings lives, and protecting the people of her village. She doesn’t trust him, just as much as he doesn’t trust her.
It was fun to see the two, both with the same objective-find the one responsible for the deaths-slowly start to trust each other. The characters were fairly interesting, I just wish there had been more chemistry between the two prior to the first love scene. I think it would have been more believable, but maybe since the year is 1895 or so, that’s just how some people were back then. However, I thought the chemistry between Colin and Reggie in the second book was immense compared to this. Judith is a bit more straitlaced as lady of the manor, than Reggie was, as daughter of the manor.
As in the first two books, I ended up wishing for more from the dragon. Of course there is some, and even a dragon/demon fight, I just wanted a bit more. However, this book was full of action, some violence, and spooky (at times) magic. I would consider it a paranormal romance/mystery, although I knew who the bad guy was early on, but that didn’t ruin the read for me at all. The whole last half of the book had me reading non-stop, and when I finished, I literally said out loud, I enjoyed that!
Recommended for adult paranormal romance readers-ones that don’t mind a historical time period. Actually, I thought the time period was perfect for all three of these books. I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. (RabidReads.com)
Judith is the oldest of these dragon siblings, and at this time she is the lady of the manor-or in this case castle in Scotland. Finally one of these books takes place in Scotland! She only stays at the castle for a couple of decades, or so at a time, doesn’t age, and so she has to leave. Then a faked death, and sometime in the future her ‘granddaughter’ will return. If she looks exactly like her grandmother, well, only the elderly will notice-nothing a little magic spell can’t take care of. And there’s plenty of magic in the small village of Loch Arach-too much so at this time. Bodies of both animals and a young man are found-at a time and place where livestock is the very livelihood of the villagers so something needs to be done. William comes to Loch Arach to investigate. As an agent for a secret branch of the British government, William goes undercover wherever magic is being abused. Judith is his number one suspect, and not because he knows she is a dragon(he doesn’t), but because there have been rumors about her family and magic for years, and it has never been checked out until now.
Whereas the second book was a bit slow, this book pulls the reader into the story and keeps them interested throughout, at least I thought so. William finds himself slowly drawn to the lady of the manor, Judith. For her part, she is drawn to him as well, but she is all about keeping the secrets of her and her siblings lives, and protecting the people of her village. She doesn’t trust him, just as much as he doesn’t trust her.
It was fun to see the two, both with the same objective-find the one responsible for the deaths-slowly start to trust each other. The characters were fairly interesting, I just wish there had been more chemistry between the two prior to the first love scene. I think it would have been more believable, but maybe since the year is 1895 or so, that’s just how some people were back then. However, I thought the chemistry between Colin and Reggie in the second book was immense compared to this. Judith is a bit more straitlaced as lady of the manor, than Reggie was, as daughter of the manor.
As in the first two books, I ended up wishing for more from the dragon. Of course there is some, and even a dragon/demon fight, I just wanted a bit more. However, this book was full of action, some violence, and spooky (at times) magic. I would consider it a paranormal romance/mystery, although I knew who the bad guy was early on, but that didn’t ruin the read for me at all. The whole last half of the book had me reading non-stop, and when I finished, I literally said out loud, I enjoyed that!
Recommended for adult paranormal romance readers-ones that don’t mind a historical time period. Actually, I thought the time period was perfect for all three of these books. I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. (RabidReads.com)
July 19, 2025
A murder mystery set in 1898 Scotland with a dragon shapeshifter and a demon or two - and good smut. Oh yeah, I could not resist. This is also the 3rd in Isabel Cooper's Highland Dragon Trilogy, the first 2 of which I loved, though this one falls a little bit short.
Judith is Lady MacAlasdair, the current family member of the centuries old family of dragon clan of dragon shapeshifters who govern and own the remote Loch Arach, its castle and town, located deep in the highlands. William Arundell arrives at Loch Arach investigating the mysterious and terrible death of a young man outside a nearby village that looks to have involved magic and/or the supernatural - demons even. William works for a secret agency known to few outsiders that is tasked with stopping harmful spiritual and magical threats to Her Majesty, the government, the commonwealth, and its citizens. Other strange and in some cases bloody incidents/accidents occur raising Judith's suspicions that something evil this way comes. Initially of course they are suspicious of each other while feeling quite the attraction, but soon, they join forces and succeed in uncovering the evil and saving all. Of course, that only happens once William has seen Judith as a dragon, actually transforming into a beautiful green one.
I do feel this wrapped up very quickly, shifting from demon slaying and evil ousting to a more personal story involving joining a human with a dragon shapeshifter. There's a lingering sense that the evil is still out there, there was only a 'local' resolution, not a final one. But even with that, I still gave it 4 stars. Perhaps there will be a 4th at some point -- or an offshoot trilogy. I definitely need to look into more of this author's dragon books.
Judith is Lady MacAlasdair, the current family member of the centuries old family of dragon clan of dragon shapeshifters who govern and own the remote Loch Arach, its castle and town, located deep in the highlands. William Arundell arrives at Loch Arach investigating the mysterious and terrible death of a young man outside a nearby village that looks to have involved magic and/or the supernatural - demons even. William works for a secret agency known to few outsiders that is tasked with stopping harmful spiritual and magical threats to Her Majesty, the government, the commonwealth, and its citizens. Other strange and in some cases bloody incidents/accidents occur raising Judith's suspicions that something evil this way comes. Initially of course they are suspicious of each other while feeling quite the attraction, but soon, they join forces and succeed in uncovering the evil and saving all. Of course, that only happens once William has seen Judith as a dragon, actually transforming into a beautiful green one.
I do feel this wrapped up very quickly, shifting from demon slaying and evil ousting to a more personal story involving joining a human with a dragon shapeshifter. There's a lingering sense that the evil is still out there, there was only a 'local' resolution, not a final one. But even with that, I still gave it 4 stars. Perhaps there will be a 4th at some point -- or an offshoot trilogy. I definitely need to look into more of this author's dragon books.
August 3, 2015
Night of the Highland Dragon is the third book in Isobel Cooper's Highland Dragon series. While it is a series, I read this as a standalone and I enjoyed it. It did not feel as if I missed anything within the story. Judith MacAlasdair is a dragon-shifter. She is the only daughter of a long line of family dragon shifters. William Arundell is a detective working for a secret branch of the English government. He has fought his whole life against monsters. He comes to the Highlands investigating a young man's murder. Once there, his investigation leads him to MacAlasdair Castle and the lady of the castle, Judith MacAlasdair.
William is quite baffled by Judith. Judith is wary of William. All his questions just rubs her the wrong way. She's reluctant to help in the investigation until the investigation twists and they find they must work together against a common evil. Their chemistry is simmering throughout the book.
This story was an adventure for me as I typically read historical romance novels. The paranormal aspect, which I liked, added to the drama and entertainment of the story. Definitely a different spin on historicals! Our main characters are written well and the world they are living in was vividly depicted! I could see the lush land and smell the sweets from the bakery! William thought he was just following a lead and he becomes involved in an area where fantastical creatures actually live peacefully amongst the locals. Who would've thought?? The story is fun, sultry, and even dangerous! The only thing I would've liked was to have more dragon shifting! Dragons are a bit uncommon so that was the allure for me. That being said, I enjoyed the adventure and would highly recommend this read if you are a fan of historicals or paranormals.
3.5 stars/3 flames
This book was provided to me by The Jeep Diva for the express purpose of an honest review. The opinions and rating in this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
William is quite baffled by Judith. Judith is wary of William. All his questions just rubs her the wrong way. She's reluctant to help in the investigation until the investigation twists and they find they must work together against a common evil. Their chemistry is simmering throughout the book.
This story was an adventure for me as I typically read historical romance novels. The paranormal aspect, which I liked, added to the drama and entertainment of the story. Definitely a different spin on historicals! Our main characters are written well and the world they are living in was vividly depicted! I could see the lush land and smell the sweets from the bakery! William thought he was just following a lead and he becomes involved in an area where fantastical creatures actually live peacefully amongst the locals. Who would've thought?? The story is fun, sultry, and even dangerous! The only thing I would've liked was to have more dragon shifting! Dragons are a bit uncommon so that was the allure for me. That being said, I enjoyed the adventure and would highly recommend this read if you are a fan of historicals or paranormals.
3.5 stars/3 flames
This book was provided to me by The Jeep Diva for the express purpose of an honest review. The opinions and rating in this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
June 6, 2015
ARC REVIEW
Night of the Highland Dragon is book three in Isabel Cooper's Highland Dragon series. Don't let that deter you it is quite a pleasant stand alone story. A paranormal shifter story with a bit of horror in it to make it exciting, because scary little monstrous demons tend to make things a bit horrific. I really liked the story I enjoyed the writing, the story and the characters, I just wish there could have been a bit more romance development between the two main characters; and it was predictable I guessed the real culprit from the start.
In the Scottish Highlands is an isolated little village that is the ancestral home of the MacAlasdair family. Lady Judith has stayed there content until a stranger comes to visit. William Arundell works for a secret government agency that handles all the things that normal police don't understand. He and the other operatives handle the paranormal things that do more than just bump in the night. His latest case has brought him to a sleepy little Highland village and the rumors of a strange Lady who does not age.
Suspicious of each other at first but soon they come to a tenuous truce when it becomes obvious that neither of them have anything to do with the mutilations going on around the village. Judith is very forward, after all she is no shy country miss, and she is not afraid to show her attraction to the handsome William. She knows without a doubt she can trust him especially after he inadvertently discovers her true self and he reveals who he works for. They work together to try and discover who is behind the summoning of the demon creatures. Things never go as planned and the realization of whom and the why comes a bit late and William and Judith are almost lost to each other.
Overall it was a really good read; entertaining and a definite page turner.
Night of the Highland Dragon is book three in Isabel Cooper's Highland Dragon series. Don't let that deter you it is quite a pleasant stand alone story. A paranormal shifter story with a bit of horror in it to make it exciting, because scary little monstrous demons tend to make things a bit horrific. I really liked the story I enjoyed the writing, the story and the characters, I just wish there could have been a bit more romance development between the two main characters; and it was predictable I guessed the real culprit from the start.
In the Scottish Highlands is an isolated little village that is the ancestral home of the MacAlasdair family. Lady Judith has stayed there content until a stranger comes to visit. William Arundell works for a secret government agency that handles all the things that normal police don't understand. He and the other operatives handle the paranormal things that do more than just bump in the night. His latest case has brought him to a sleepy little Highland village and the rumors of a strange Lady who does not age.
Suspicious of each other at first but soon they come to a tenuous truce when it becomes obvious that neither of them have anything to do with the mutilations going on around the village. Judith is very forward, after all she is no shy country miss, and she is not afraid to show her attraction to the handsome William. She knows without a doubt she can trust him especially after he inadvertently discovers her true self and he reveals who he works for. They work together to try and discover who is behind the summoning of the demon creatures. Things never go as planned and the realization of whom and the why comes a bit late and William and Judith are almost lost to each other.
Overall it was a really good read; entertaining and a definite page turner.
June 19, 2016
William Arundell is a detective working for a secret branch of the English government seeking the reason a young man is found dead by non natural means. The search leads him to a remote Highland village and MacAlasdair Castle. There he finds Judith MacAlasdair, a woman unlike any he's ever met and the ruler of the Castle, and the whole town.
There are several things to like about the story, but the characters are the best of those things. First, both characters are older. Judith by centuries but William is also in his forties. William is dedicated to his role but doesn't force his views on anyone. He's kind in his way, helpful, and fascinated by Judith. There was only one time I really wanted to smack him. Judith has seen it all. She's forthright and strong. She doesn't play games and takes everything thrown at her as the centuries have taught her that even the deepest pain will become memory in time. So when William advises he must disclose her presence to his agency, she accepts it for what it is and moves on.
Beyond that I enjoyed the story and felt the author was creative in solving the 'how will they live happily every after' dilemma.
And finally dragons. Judith is a dragon and takes care of business while in that form. I'm a little shaky on the magic behind it but have decided I don't care anymore. This was a book that was fun to read and that's enough for me.
There are several things to like about the story, but the characters are the best of those things. First, both characters are older. Judith by centuries but William is also in his forties. William is dedicated to his role but doesn't force his views on anyone. He's kind in his way, helpful, and fascinated by Judith. There was only one time I really wanted to smack him. Judith has seen it all. She's forthright and strong. She doesn't play games and takes everything thrown at her as the centuries have taught her that even the deepest pain will become memory in time. So when William advises he must disclose her presence to his agency, she accepts it for what it is and moves on.
Beyond that I enjoyed the story and felt the author was creative in solving the 'how will they live happily every after' dilemma.
And finally dragons. Judith is a dragon and takes care of business while in that form. I'm a little shaky on the magic behind it but have decided I don't care anymore. This was a book that was fun to read and that's enough for me.
April 29, 2015
William Arundel has spent most of his adult life investigating supernatural incidents for the mysterious D Branch. Now his investigation has taken him to the Scottish Highlands where he encounters an isolated village with a mysterious ruling family. Judith MacAlasdair is the one in charge. She is experienced at keeping secrets including the secret that she is a dragon who has lived for more than 200 years.
William is looking for a murderer and finds Judith suspicious but there are other potential suspects in the town from the friend of the doctor's who is a surgeon studying blood to the local man who left to make his fortune and who has now returned home.
I enjoyed the highland setting. I liked the way the relationship between William and Judith grew. And I thought the plot was both interesting and scary. This is the third book in the Highland Dragons series. It stands alone quite well. I would like to read the others so that I can have the complete story, though.
Fans of paranormal romances and dragons will enjoy this story.
William is looking for a murderer and finds Judith suspicious but there are other potential suspects in the town from the friend of the doctor's who is a surgeon studying blood to the local man who left to make his fortune and who has now returned home.
I enjoyed the highland setting. I liked the way the relationship between William and Judith grew. And I thought the plot was both interesting and scary. This is the third book in the Highland Dragons series. It stands alone quite well. I would like to read the others so that I can have the complete story, though.
Fans of paranormal romances and dragons will enjoy this story.
February 17, 2018
A greatly enjoyable paranormal romance with a hint of mystery to keep the plot going.
William Arundell, English government agent, is in Scotland investigating the suspicious, potentially occult, death of a young boy. His investigation takes him to a remote village in the Scottish Highlands where he finds Lady Judith MacAlasdair: noblewoman, dragon, super sexy lady.
Nice characterization; some steamy love scenes; a decent mystery, although at the end of the book I was still waiting for one more piece of the mystery, I felt like the foes were vanquished a bit easily. I was a little confused by all the characters introduced at the beginning, but they may be familiar from the previous two books in the series.
William Arundell, English government agent, is in Scotland investigating the suspicious, potentially occult, death of a young boy. His investigation takes him to a remote village in the Scottish Highlands where he finds Lady Judith MacAlasdair: noblewoman, dragon, super sexy lady.
Nice characterization; some steamy love scenes; a decent mystery, although at the end of the book I was still waiting for one more piece of the mystery, I felt like the foes were vanquished a bit easily. I was a little confused by all the characters introduced at the beginning, but they may be familiar from the previous two books in the series.
May 11, 2015
Judith MacAlasdair is a dragon shifter. As all her family is and has been for generations.
William Arundell is a supernatural investigator for the crown, a normal man who has spent his life fighting monsters!
He came seeking a killer, but he is led into a world of supernatural creatures living in peace with their human neighbors.
This is an unusual story for me...I love scifi, paranormal, and urban fantasy....I also like historical romance.
But I rarely like a combination. This one I liked!
I had not read the earlier ones, but I will now.
A full review will be posted on Smart Girls Love Scifi on June 1st!
William Arundell is a supernatural investigator for the crown, a normal man who has spent his life fighting monsters!
He came seeking a killer, but he is led into a world of supernatural creatures living in peace with their human neighbors.
This is an unusual story for me...I love scifi, paranormal, and urban fantasy....I also like historical romance.
But I rarely like a combination. This one I liked!
I had not read the earlier ones, but I will now.
A full review will be posted on Smart Girls Love Scifi on June 1st!
July 26, 2017
3.5 Goodreads; 4 Amazon. Only not a solid 4 because mutual distrust isn't my favorite beginning
I've quite enjoyed this trilogy. This third volume gives a different perspective of the MacAlasdairs, with a different sort of dragon in two ways: a woman, and the one who's stayed home in the highlands, managing the family estate and village, for the past twenty years or so. Judith has an interesting background we get glimpses of, though: for many years, after eagerly leaving home in her youth (once she'd learned to control the dual nature that develops in adolescence), she spent many years as an enlisted "Navy man", merely adding one more concealment of her nature, and accumulating painful memories of battles and mortal deaths that made the generally quiet and isolated life at Loch Aranoch a relief to return to. She's no innocent, but a practical, commanding, and generally cool figure, who intrigues wary investigative agent William Arundell soon after his arrival.
Although a prolonged period where the leads feel attraction to each other only in spite of distrust, and even suspicion that the other might be behind the terrible things happening, is not my favorite sort of relationship conflict, the gradual growth of feelings was well-drawn. I liked the way the story ended, on the personal basis, though it's not completely settled whether anyone else in London was involved with the perpetrator[s]. I'm not sure whether Ms. Cooper plans more in the series, now that the siblings have each had their happy ending, but it would be interesting to see the evolution of the MacAlasdairs' interactions with the villagers and especially with D Branch, now that some secrets are less secret. Given the changing, modernizing world they're living in, seeing the next generation might be even better — Simon already has a little girl, and she surely won't be the only one. I notice in the list of the author's books that there is another part of the Highland Dragon saga already, but it's BACK in time, rather than forward. We'll see.
I've quite enjoyed this trilogy. This third volume gives a different perspective of the MacAlasdairs, with a different sort of dragon in two ways: a woman, and the one who's stayed home in the highlands, managing the family estate and village, for the past twenty years or so. Judith has an interesting background we get glimpses of, though: for many years, after eagerly leaving home in her youth (once she'd learned to control the dual nature that develops in adolescence), she spent many years as an enlisted "Navy man", merely adding one more concealment of her nature, and accumulating painful memories of battles and mortal deaths that made the generally quiet and isolated life at Loch Aranoch a relief to return to. She's no innocent, but a practical, commanding, and generally cool figure, who intrigues wary investigative agent William Arundell soon after his arrival.
Although a prolonged period where the leads feel attraction to each other only in spite of distrust, and even suspicion that the other might be behind the terrible things happening, is not my favorite sort of relationship conflict, the gradual growth of feelings was well-drawn. I liked the way the story ended, on the personal basis, though it's not completely settled whether anyone else in London was involved with the perpetrator[s]. I'm not sure whether Ms. Cooper plans more in the series, now that the siblings have each had their happy ending, but it would be interesting to see the evolution of the MacAlasdairs' interactions with the villagers and especially with D Branch, now that some secrets are less secret. Given the changing, modernizing world they're living in, seeing the next generation might be even better — Simon already has a little girl, and she surely won't be the only one. I notice in the list of the author's books that there is another part of the Highland Dragon saga already, but it's BACK in time, rather than forward. We'll see.
June 23, 2015
Originally published at Reading Reality
This series just gets better and better. And we finally get a little more dragon.
In this third book in the Highland Dragons series, after Legend of the Highland Dragon and The Highland Dragon's Lady we also finally get to see the clan seat of the dragons in the Scottish Highlands, in the remote village of Loch Arach.
We also get an unusual heroine and hero. Not just because Lady Judith MacAlasdair is a dragon in her mid-180s, but also because the hero, William Arundell, admits to being 45. While there is a bit (more than a bit) of an age gap, it is great to see a romance where both the hero and heroine are mature adults and not only act like grownups but need their experience to solve the mystery.
And the hero and heroine take turns saving each other, both by fighting and by magical means. This is a partnership of true equals, and it is done well.
It helps that the chemistry between Judith and William is smoking hot, and not just because Judith is actually capable of belching smoke (and fire) in her dragon-form. These are lovers who both know what they are doing and are quite pleased that the other knows as well. Once they finally trust each other enough to get down to cases. And beds. And, for that matter, up against trees.
The story is that there is something wrong in the state of the Highlands, and Arundell’s colleagues at Special Branch D have traced it to Loch Arach. This branch of Her Majesty’s government investigates demon activity, or anything else supernatural that threatens the realm and its people. They have evidence, ghostly evidence, that someone in Loch Arach is summoning demons, and that never ends well. Or without a string of corpses.
Arundell’s colleagues also wonder about the mysterious MacAlasdair family. There is clearly something odd about them, and concern that it might relate to something sinister. Of course Judith is currently in charge of making sure that the dragonish side of the MacAlasdairs’ nature does not become common knowledge, or even rumored knowledge outside of Loch Arach.
But the MacAlasdairs have no truck with demons, so Judith and Arundell find themselves unlikely allies, and even more unlikely lovers, once they mutually agree that whoever is summoning demons, it isn’t either one of them.
Now they are both marked for death, along with anyone in the village who gets in evil’s way. William and Judith don’t put the pieces together until it’s too late.
Or is it?
Escape Rating A: One of the fascinating things about this book in the series is that we get a much broader glimpse of paranormal and magical activity in this story than the hints that we have had previously.
Colin, in The Highland Dragon’s Lady, definitely dabbles in magic, but the existence and organization of William Arundell’s Special Branch D shows that there is a lot more magical activity going on than anyone seems to realize. Also that his group is well-organized because their opposite numbers are also, and they are fighting fire with fire, and sometimes other spells.
One ends up wondering exactly which branch of the government Arundell’s Special Branch D is a special branch of. It’s clear that it is not Scotland Yard, but in our world, MI-5 wasn’t established until 1909 (as the Secret Service Bureau). But this is not quite our world, so maybe.
Whoever they are, in this story it is clear that they are one of Britain’s players, or perhaps puppetmasters, in the Great Game of Empire that led to World War I, which is also on the horizon in this mid-1890s story. As it was in real history.
Perhaps we’ll see.
One of the things I loved about this story is the maturity of the hero and heroine. Arundell reflects on his own maturity and mortality, in that his knees may not last much longer as a field agent, but that his experience still sees him through.
While Judith may look under 30, she never hides the experience that her years have given her. She is in control and in charge of Loch Arach every minute. Arundell generally defers to her, once he has discovered her true nature. (Before that he doesn’t trust her enough, not that he doesn’t recognize her command).
These people are just plain good together, and are a match for each other. Nor does Judith change to a simpering miss when she falls in love. She’s still Lady MacAlasdair, it is still her land and her people, and she is still very much in charge, even when she is desperately worrying about the fate of her lover.
Speaking of which, the story does a good job of dealing with the problem of what the ultimate result will inevitably be when a near-immortal falls in love with a mortal. It’s a solution that is just barely possible. Blood transfusion did not become widespread until World War I. But in the late 1800s it did exist. It was regarded as not merely risky but downright dubious, but it did exist. The circumstances set up in the story are just plausible, and add to the drama at the end.
I also liked that the dramatic crisis in this story was NOT precipitated by any willful misunderstanding between the protagonists. They are working together, very successfully, but are overcome by events that they did not quite figure out in time. For this reader, it heightened the tension deliciously.
Although this is the third book in the series, because the setting and characters are so different from the previous books, this would definitely be a place where one could enter the story without having read the previous books. That being said, the first two books are also a whole lot of fun.
I hope that the author will return to this series. I’m going to miss these Highland Dragons.
This series just gets better and better. And we finally get a little more dragon.
In this third book in the Highland Dragons series, after Legend of the Highland Dragon and The Highland Dragon's Lady we also finally get to see the clan seat of the dragons in the Scottish Highlands, in the remote village of Loch Arach.
We also get an unusual heroine and hero. Not just because Lady Judith MacAlasdair is a dragon in her mid-180s, but also because the hero, William Arundell, admits to being 45. While there is a bit (more than a bit) of an age gap, it is great to see a romance where both the hero and heroine are mature adults and not only act like grownups but need their experience to solve the mystery.
And the hero and heroine take turns saving each other, both by fighting and by magical means. This is a partnership of true equals, and it is done well.
It helps that the chemistry between Judith and William is smoking hot, and not just because Judith is actually capable of belching smoke (and fire) in her dragon-form. These are lovers who both know what they are doing and are quite pleased that the other knows as well. Once they finally trust each other enough to get down to cases. And beds. And, for that matter, up against trees.
The story is that there is something wrong in the state of the Highlands, and Arundell’s colleagues at Special Branch D have traced it to Loch Arach. This branch of Her Majesty’s government investigates demon activity, or anything else supernatural that threatens the realm and its people. They have evidence, ghostly evidence, that someone in Loch Arach is summoning demons, and that never ends well. Or without a string of corpses.
Arundell’s colleagues also wonder about the mysterious MacAlasdair family. There is clearly something odd about them, and concern that it might relate to something sinister. Of course Judith is currently in charge of making sure that the dragonish side of the MacAlasdairs’ nature does not become common knowledge, or even rumored knowledge outside of Loch Arach.
But the MacAlasdairs have no truck with demons, so Judith and Arundell find themselves unlikely allies, and even more unlikely lovers, once they mutually agree that whoever is summoning demons, it isn’t either one of them.
Now they are both marked for death, along with anyone in the village who gets in evil’s way. William and Judith don’t put the pieces together until it’s too late.
Or is it?
Escape Rating A: One of the fascinating things about this book in the series is that we get a much broader glimpse of paranormal and magical activity in this story than the hints that we have had previously.
Colin, in The Highland Dragon’s Lady, definitely dabbles in magic, but the existence and organization of William Arundell’s Special Branch D shows that there is a lot more magical activity going on than anyone seems to realize. Also that his group is well-organized because their opposite numbers are also, and they are fighting fire with fire, and sometimes other spells.
One ends up wondering exactly which branch of the government Arundell’s Special Branch D is a special branch of. It’s clear that it is not Scotland Yard, but in our world, MI-5 wasn’t established until 1909 (as the Secret Service Bureau). But this is not quite our world, so maybe.
Whoever they are, in this story it is clear that they are one of Britain’s players, or perhaps puppetmasters, in the Great Game of Empire that led to World War I, which is also on the horizon in this mid-1890s story. As it was in real history.
Perhaps we’ll see.
One of the things I loved about this story is the maturity of the hero and heroine. Arundell reflects on his own maturity and mortality, in that his knees may not last much longer as a field agent, but that his experience still sees him through.
While Judith may look under 30, she never hides the experience that her years have given her. She is in control and in charge of Loch Arach every minute. Arundell generally defers to her, once he has discovered her true nature. (Before that he doesn’t trust her enough, not that he doesn’t recognize her command).
These people are just plain good together, and are a match for each other. Nor does Judith change to a simpering miss when she falls in love. She’s still Lady MacAlasdair, it is still her land and her people, and she is still very much in charge, even when she is desperately worrying about the fate of her lover.
Speaking of which, the story does a good job of dealing with the problem of what the ultimate result will inevitably be when a near-immortal falls in love with a mortal. It’s a solution that is just barely possible. Blood transfusion did not become widespread until World War I. But in the late 1800s it did exist. It was regarded as not merely risky but downright dubious, but it did exist. The circumstances set up in the story are just plausible, and add to the drama at the end.
I also liked that the dramatic crisis in this story was NOT precipitated by any willful misunderstanding between the protagonists. They are working together, very successfully, but are overcome by events that they did not quite figure out in time. For this reader, it heightened the tension deliciously.
Although this is the third book in the series, because the setting and characters are so different from the previous books, this would definitely be a place where one could enter the story without having read the previous books. That being said, the first two books are also a whole lot of fun.
I hope that the author will return to this series. I’m going to miss these Highland Dragons.
August 2, 2019
I thought this was a romance novel, and because of this it took me a while to get used to it not being one, just because the structure was far different than I expected.
I liked the characters well enough, I liked the intrigue, the magical elements, the demons, all of that was just fine, the only thing I didn't actually like was the romance. It didn't build believably to me. There wasn't enough chemistry for me to buy their first kiss- I was kind of shocked by it, actually, just because i couldn't see it coming. I mean, the characters definitely expressed an attraction to one another, but to me it hadn't gone beyond that. I might actually have liked this book better if the romance had been done away with and it had been the story of a dragon and a paranormal investigator teaming up against all odds.
So yeah, I don't have anything bad to say about the rest of it. Liked the book, hated the romance elements.
I liked the characters well enough, I liked the intrigue, the magical elements, the demons, all of that was just fine, the only thing I didn't actually like was the romance. It didn't build believably to me. There wasn't enough chemistry for me to buy their first kiss- I was kind of shocked by it, actually, just because i couldn't see it coming. I mean, the characters definitely expressed an attraction to one another, but to me it hadn't gone beyond that. I might actually have liked this book better if the romance had been done away with and it had been the story of a dragon and a paranormal investigator teaming up against all odds.
So yeah, I don't have anything bad to say about the rest of it. Liked the book, hated the romance elements.
December 2, 2020
I picked this book up because of the central theme of a Lady who could transform into a dragon. The story started out pretty slowly with an investigator who was sent into her village to determine why there are strange happenings whivh may or may not be due to magic.
Being a dragon in disguise, Lady Arach does not age the way ordinary mortals do, so that adds to the mystery.
The story is set in an alternate universe very much like the ours, but where magic is more normal. The time period is around 1898 and royalty is a normal part of life.
It took this story a long time to gain momentum, but the ending was good. Even though I did not start with the 1st book in the series, I didn't find it to be a problem.
I will try one of the earlier books as this one caught my attention, even though it took a while.
Being a dragon in disguise, Lady Arach does not age the way ordinary mortals do, so that adds to the mystery.
The story is set in an alternate universe very much like the ours, but where magic is more normal. The time period is around 1898 and royalty is a normal part of life.
It took this story a long time to gain momentum, but the ending was good. Even though I did not start with the 1st book in the series, I didn't find it to be a problem.
I will try one of the earlier books as this one caught my attention, even though it took a while.
December 13, 2023
The final book in the Highland Dragon trilogy, this story is centered on Lady MacAlasdair who is the sibling currently presiding over Loch Aranoch. Like the other books in the series, it is equal parts paranormal mystery and romance. William is an interesting hero with as many secrets as his lady love. I enjoyed the way they danced around each other as their attraction blossomed into an uneasy trust. Lady MacAlasdair was a wonderful character, comfortable in her skin with a fierce dragon heart. The story stood on its own, with only a few references to the previous books, so if lady dragons in the wilds of Scotland are you thing, feel free to jump in here. I highly recommend the series for anyone who enjoys historical fantasy, and especially shapeshifting dragons.
July 18, 2024
As the third installment of this series, it was as equally delightful as the other two. This time actually set in the highlands (lol) it took a more old-time murder mystery vibe with a metaphysical twist. Love how the author used this era, so rich in all the social things going on, to set the books in related but unique context. 1940s archeological adventure, seances and ghosts, and now murder mystery. The characters were all progressive and egalitarian, each valuable and respected. The mien of the dragons perfect for creatures that have lived hundreds of years and yet still mingled with contemporary times (not on easy feat for many authors). The whole series was delightful and I highly recommend.
May 25, 2025
I enjoyed that this one did, in fact, take place in Scotland. I liked the devotion and relationship Judith has with all her people that live in Loch Arach. This book seemed to move a lot slower with regards to William discovering she is a dragon. Comparative to the other two, it took twice as long for her secret to come out. This book felt like it moved a lot slower than the other two, but I still liked the dynamic of the two main characters and their chemistry. I did feel like the main mystery wasn't really closed out fully and left some things to be desired. Otherwise, I enjoyed this series and the extra paranormal mysteries that accompanied each book.
April 26, 2018
Judith's book was a bit different from Stephan and Colin's book. She didn't seem as confident in herself. I really liked William's character though. He was a great match for Judith.
Per usual, I ended up figuring out the guilty party really early in the book, but it's always fun getting to the actual reveal and ending. However, the was a bit of a twist I didn't see coming ... which I should have.
This was a nice ending to the trilogy ... but it definitely sets it up for a continuation.
Per usual, I ended up figuring out the guilty party really early in the book, but it's always fun getting to the actual reveal and ending. However, the was a bit of a twist I didn't see coming ... which I should have.
This was a nice ending to the trilogy ... but it definitely sets it up for a continuation.
July 3, 2022
Set in a fantasy Victorian world where magic is real. William works for a secret agency dealing with magical problems. Judith is a dragon who can take human form. William comes to her village to investigate a murder. Soon the two become romantically involved and work together to uncover the evil that has come to the area. It is the third in a series, so there are points where I feel like I am missing information because i haven't read the prior books. I would be interested in going back to read the first two books.
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