Great Highlander series ( )

Great Highlander series ( )

Dark Seduction
3.5 Stars

Malcolm of Dunroch is a Master of Time, an esoteric brotherhood of Highland warriors who travel through time fighting evil demons. On a mission to secure a sacred text, Malcolm travels to the future and encounters Claire Camden who has become a target and is in need of protection. The two leap back in time to Medieval Scotland where they must confront an ancient threat bent on destroying everything the Masters hold dear.

The world building has potential and the plot is absorbing, but neither the hero nor the heroine are particularly appealing.

Malcolm is a sexist Neanderthal, which is not unexpected given the fact that he is born in medieval times, but he has travelled to the future so he should at least me aware that a woman like Claire would not put up with his overbearing condescension.

Claire is not much better. She complains incessantly about Malcom’s behavior toward her, but spreads her legs at every opportunity, and comes across as both arrogant and superior.

Claire and Malcolm’s romance is non-sensical and is based solely on physical attraction. Their sex scenes are excessive, mechanical and emotionally detached. Moreover, the idea that a woman can be mesmerized into having sex against her will and even enjoy the experience is completely abhorrent.

In contrast, the secondary characters are far more engaging whether it be Malcom’s uncle, Royce, who appears to have given up on life, or his fellow Master, Aiden, whose bad boy tendencies hide a vulnerable heart. Even the arch-villain, Moray, who is undeniably a nasty piece of work, is more intriguing than the main couple.


In terms of the writing, Joyce’s prose style flows although the inclusion of Gaelic phrasing is unnecessary. In addition, the prologue contributes nothing to the story and only serves to confuse the reader by creating the impression that something has been missed.

All in all, the story has potential and the next book focuses on Royce so I’m willing to give it a try. ( )

4 stars for a mindless, not-overly-time-wasting reading with a plot that might have been mildly interesting (if overused) if it hadn't been because of all the (funny) sex.

1 star because, really... Multi-insta-orgasms, un-sexy descriptions of stuff leaking (ugh? lol), repetition, repetition, repetition, 200 pages too long, and annoying FMC with no sense (hey, random guy is going to take me away to somewhere potentially dangerous- what should I wear? Oh, I know! A thong and a mini skirt!).

But I needed some brainless reading after my last book, so meh, I'm being generous and adding a star to my actual 1-star rating. ( )

This was a good book...thought some of the story line was lost with the massive amount of sex. Near the end the story emerged and I thought it was really great! ( )