LEGEND OF THE HIGHLAND DRAGON by Isabel Cooper is magical, fantastic, and a great read for any dragon lover. I give it 4 stars and look forward to reading more of Isabel Cooper's work.
In LEGEND OF THE HIGHLAND DRAGON, Lord Stephen MacAlasdair is plagued by an old enemy who has returned to England with some mysterious magical powers. Miss Mina Seymour, troubled by an interaction between her boss and Lord MacAlasdair, unwittingly runs straight into Lord MacAlasdair's drama and learns more about him than he wanted.
In order to reassure Stephen that she will protect his secrets, Mina agrees to stay in his London home as his secretary until Stephen resolves the issue with his old foe. As time passes, the two build a friendship and ultimately fall in love, but will that be enough to save Stephen from his enemy's revenge?
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I loved the dragon lore and magical underworld. Enough information was provided to give the reader a visual foundation of the magical world, but not so much that it was overwhelming. The plot was straightforward and easy to follow. I would have liked to see more mystery and depth in the plot via the family journals, but that is more personal preference than something the novel needed to be enjoyable.
The pace is likewise easy; the action and suspense flow well in and out of the quiet and intimate scenes. The action scenes could have been longer and more elaborate, but again, this is personal preference. The romantic development is gradual and believable, and the romance itself was on the graphic side, making this book appropriate for adults.
The book could have used a title that better represents the gist of the book. While the book certainly is about the highland dragon, the legend didn't seem to be a large part of the plot. Legends were only occasionally referenced when Stephen talked with Mina about his progress in locating his enemy's lair. The title as it is now invokes an image of Mina and her professor employer searching for clues, excavating ancient sites, digging through old tomes to locate the lair of the highland dragon; this is so not what the book is about.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book, and perhaps there is (or will be) a prequel written to give the legend of the highland dragon greater depth and intrigue. I will certainly be on the lookout.
**Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=12159.
