REVIEW: Highland Mist by Donna Grant

This was the first Donna Grant book I ever read. I WAS not much for novels such as this because I find usually, the story-line is either all sex, or a lack of story-line at all. So I tool a chance reading this on a request from my sister and found that putting this book down was near impossible. I would get lost in this book and lose track of time! 

Highland Mist is the first book in Donna Grant's six-book series, Druid's Glen. Highland Mist, set in the 17th century Scottish highlands, centers around a prophecy, a rescue and revenge. The story opens as Glenna Sinclair, the third daughter of a spoken prophecy, narrowly escapes death as an infant at the hands of MacNeil, an evil man bent on pillage and destruction. To further his aims, MacNeil adopts Glenna as his daughter, using her fire-starting powers as a frightening weapon to cow others into submission. The rescue comes 18 years later in the form of Conall MacInnes, a Scottish laird, who rides to MacNeil castle to rescue his kidnapped sister Iona. The sister is missing, so Conall instead takes the 18-year-old Glenna as hostage. But as they return to MacInnes lands, Glenna doesn't feel shackled or kidnapped, recognizing that Conall is to become an important factor in her life. The reader recognizes this, too, as the hot attraction between these two is almost instantaneous, complete with a fiery encounter at Beltane. But Conall is a man with a few axes to grind, namely his anger at the druids for not protecting his sister or clan, not to mention resentment of his own druid blood. Then there is Conall's resentment of the druid blood flowing in Glenna, which dampens his attraction to her -- at least temporarily. Will Conall's stubbornness prevent the prophecy from coming to fruition? Or will Scotland suffer under the evil MacNeil's yoke because of Conall's refusal to face facts? On the other side, will headstrong Glenna's guilt and anger prevent her from realizing her own powers and potential? The plot here is intriguing, as are the characters. Despite Conall's heard-headedness, a reader can't help but like him for his honesty, his dedication to family and clan and sense of honor and fairness (the fact he's a good-looking hunk with dark hair and gray eyes doesn't hurt, either). Despite her rescue early in the book, Glenna isn't some helpless, dewy-eyed clingy heroine. Grant paints Glenna as a woman unafraid of making the sometimes painful decisions necessary for survival. Glenna is also a wonderful helpmeet for the stubborn Conall, working with him to solve his problems, rather than being the author of them. While Donna Grant does tie some loose ends by the end of Highland Mist, more are left hanging, to be answered in the next book and presumably, books beyond. But judging from this first book in the Druid's Glen series, I was going to be reading for a good long while...

I have given this book 5 Shields and look forward to reading the rest of the series!