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When I first read The Immortal Highlander by Karen Moning, I wasn’t quite sure if
I liked it or not. On first reading, the characters were under-developed, the plot had
holes large enough to drive a Mack truck through, and the dialogue bordered on insipid.
Things weren’t looking good for the review of Ms. Moning’s book. However, something told
me to give the book a second chance. I’ve always loved romance novels (after all, one
can’t read Shakespeare all the time), especially ones involving the Scottish Highlands –
don’t ask why; maybe I’ve seen Braveheart a
few too many times. The Immortal Highlander also involved the supernatural (in
this case, the Fae, or Fairies) – which piqued my interest, and I just had to read it
again; I’m glad I did.
Re-reading the book made me realize that it wasn’t
a bad book – it wasn’t a classic, by any means, but it didn’t deserve a Bulwer-Lytton
award, either. The main character, Gabby O’Callaghan (age 24), is likeable despite being
a bit thinly drawn. She speaks in a tone that sounds as if it could have come from me or
any one of my girlfriends. She, and other characters, make references to pop culture and
use certain slang phrases and words that make the characters modern and believable.
Gabby’s foil, the Fae Adam Black (age six thousand) is made out to be a right bastard at
first, but the reader soon learns that all is not what it seems. On top of the
characterization, the “naughty” scenes were worth re-reading. While the “good parts” are
few and far between, they are quite steamy and get an A in my estimation.
By and large the story follows the tried and true formula of romance
novels: young beautiful woman (Gabby) meets a rogue male with a secret (Adam Black).
Adam’s secret, in this instance, is that he is a Fae – the preferred term for “fairy,”
since Adam certainly is no Tinkerbell. Gabby has spent her life with a secret of her own:
she can see the Fae, while Adam has been banished to the mortal world by the Fae Queen.
The two characters bond over pending danger and fall in love, even though they didn’t
like or trust each other in the beginning. The man’s enemy tries to separate them,
there’s a big fight between the two, and in the end the good guy is victorious. Everyone
– human and Fae alike – live happily ever after. The End.
As I’ve said,
the book isn’t without its flaws. There were times when the plot or dialogue got a little
out of hand, and I found myself muttering “Oh please,” and “Come on!” when I had a hard
time suspending my disbelief. Often, Moning relied too much on repetition, as if she
didn’t trust the reader enough to remember key facts.
All in all, the
pros outweighed the cons regarding The Immortal Highlander. I really liked this
book and would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of romance novels – especially those
who enjoy ones based in Scotland and involve the supernatural or time travel. The book
has an underlying message of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” and is entertaining to
read.
