I love it when a book lands on my desk that has all the elements I enjoy in a romance; time travel, paranormal, mystery, a kilt wearing warrior and a kick-ass smart heroine. Awaken the Highland Warrior, the first in the Connor Clan series by debut author Anita Clenney is a cleverly written book and a fresh start to what promises to be an interesting new series.
For many, it might be hard to imagine how so many sub-genres can be written into a plot – but it’s done with a finesse that neatly unfolds as you get deeper into the story. The author builds the relationship between the hero and heroine for a number of pages before you realize this isn’t your typical time travel hero who has to learn to adjust to modern times and win the girl.
Our hero, Faelen Connor is a warrior who was trapped in a time vault 150 years ago by an ancient demon whose sole premise was to rid the world of humanity. Buried in a crypt in upstate NY, Faelen is released when history fanatic Bree Kirkland uncovers the vault in her backyard and accidentally releases him. Bam! Instant attraction, mixed emotions and eerie feelings of knowingness surround them leading to a relationship that has them both fighting the threatening evil and discovering things about themselves they never knew.
While there is a strong paranormal element in this book, the mystery is what keeps it fast paced. The reader is kept on their toes, having to guess who is a demon and who is human and what exactly each one is after. There is no predictability in the prose, dialogue or character development leaving you with a well crafted “what-is-going-on-and-how-does-this-end” feeling. I usually pride myself on being able to figure out what’s going on in a book, TV show or movie before its revealed, but in this case I was given some interesting surprises and the slow reveals paid off.
If you love series like I love series, characters that have powerful abilities, a mystery not easily solved and a sigh worthy romance, then you’ll enjoy Awaken the Highland Warrior.
So – do you enjoy a romance with multiple sub-genres?
Maria Lokken is an avid romance reader and an award winning television producer
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