Early Book Review: Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper

Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper is a paranormal, historical romance which is currently schedule for release by Sourcebooks on December 3 2013 (however it was originally published in January of 2013). Mina Seymour is a smart independent woman in 1894 London. Despite coming from meager beginnings she has become the secretary for a famous scholar. When her concern for her employer brings to to an acquaintances door she had no idea that she was about to encounter much more than a Scottish gentleman. Stephen MacAlasdair is the heir of a prestigious but secretive family. When an old enemy brings trouble to his door he strives to protect those around him, including Mina's employee with who he had worked with in the past. Circumstances make Stephan and Mina allies as they try to thwart a dangerous enemy. Mina discovers a world she never new existed, and Stephen opening up and sharing secrets that he never planed on sharing. Can the unlikely pair defeat the enemy, and can they find a way to make their attraction kindle into something much stronger?

Legend of the Highland Dragon is a book that shook me out of a reading slump. Sometimes I try to read so much, so fast, in order to keep this blog regularly updated that I stop ENJOYING the reading- which is a crime! This book brought me back from that place and had me turning pages and looking forward to reading more. Stephen was a great  alpha male. The elemental nature of his dragon combined with his powerful but thoughtful man aspect made him very appealing. I liked that Mina was a strong, hardworking woman. While not ashamed for her past, she worked to remover her accent in order to move forward and earn a honest wage. However, she has no animosity towards those unable to break the cycle of poverty and still spends significant time and thought for her family. I really liked the strength that Mina displayed throughout the story.

I highly recommend Legend of the Highland Dragon and think it was a a great take on dragons and the historical period. I liked the melding of historical and paranormal, and the strong female characters. Readers that particularly enjoy strong female characters, historical romance, and paranormal romance will all find something here to make them smile.  I hope that the story continues, and we get to see Stephen's brother find love as well. I have hope that Cooper will not disappoint me there. I really enjoyed the writing style and will be checking out her previous books as soon as I get a chance.