HIghland Magic

Review of Last Wish by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
It’s not easy pretending to be dead – especially when it feels as if you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Between an unfulfilled prophecy, the demon-occupied Lowlands, the continuing power of murderous Aifric Moncrieffe – not to mention her constant yearnings for Byron – Integrity Adair has a lot to worry about.

Still, how hard can it really be to save Scotland, maintain her morals, get the guy and keep her sense of humour?

Review:
Finishing out the book series I originally read in 2017…

This book was awesome. Integrity grew and learned so much about her powers, about trust, about her true family and why people cared about her. I loved the mention of Hercule Poirot, and always the hot pink. I absolutely adored that we finally got to see Byron and Integrity have some spice. I also adore how love is described as accepting each other as you truly are and knowing that people aren’t an idealistic fantasy- there will be things you hope they change or are working on. In the end, this book had a great ending with a few extra twists that I still didn’t see coming (a la May). I would recommend this series to people who like modern fantasy featuring sidhe.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

Review of Veiled Threat by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Integrity Taylor has regained possession of her ancestral lands – and inherited a whole host of new problems. The spectre of what really happened to her parents is casting a shadow over everything while Fomori demons are being sighted up and down the Highlands. It doesn’t help that Aifric Moncrieffe still seems determined to see her dead and emerald eyed Byron remains stubbornly blind to his father’s true nature.

Integrity is determined to stay in control of her own destiny, however, even if it means confronting the darkness across the Veil yet again. And at least she’s still got a sense of humour…

Review:
Once again, I am rereading this book series so if this seems familiar… well, I’m sure I’m highlighting different parts than last time.

This book was deep. There were a lot of problems that had to be waded through and it was awesome to see how Integrity’s friends always had her back and supported her- like the found family they are. While Integrity might have been raised clanless (or not even raised before she met Taylor) it was awesome to see just what happens when someone is raised with kindness and the belief that everyone deserves respect. It’s admirable that while there is a heavy romantic something between Byron and Integrity that isn’t the plot; it’s a subplot. Their affection towards each other doesn’t diminish or change the overall plot of what’s going on/being worked for. I wish Byron could have been brought into the fold without the drastic measures of the ending, but I am so glad for everyone else’s fealty and involvement.

There was one line that really ripped me away from the story and that was, “The heady scent of his masculinity made it difficult for me to think though.” (Chapter 7) Just… no. Describe the woods, describe his aftershave, but otherwise, what are you describing? Sweat? No one finds that attractive.

The banter between everyone was still perfect, and I loved the quip Bob made about feeling like he was talking to Skeletor. I absolutely adore how in with current trends, tv shows, pop culture Bob is. There is an absolutely perfect blend of magic and modernity, especially with only having certain characters experience such.

Now that this book is done, I will eagerly start book 4!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

Review of Honour Bound by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Integrity Taylor should have been a Clan princess. Instead she’s lived a life on the very periphery of society. Now that she’s learnt more about her heritage, however, and the magic that she’s capable of wielding, she’s not going to hide in the shadows any longer. The once-in-a-generation Sidhe Games are going to provide the perfect opportunity for her to win back her birthright – and the fact that she’ll be going head to head, toe to toe and mouth to mouth with golden haired Byron Moncrieffe might just be the icing on the cake.

Review:
Same disclaimer as previously stated- read this book series a number of years ago and am rereading now. It’s so interesting the differences in what grips you with age.

One thing I absolutely love about this series it the play with words that the other had, in calling this Honour Bound, in having the heroine call herself Integrity. One thing I absolutely love about this book is that it shows just how much honour Bryon has, despite being the steward’s son. It was a rather quick read, and I love that we begin to see beyond people’s façade to what they may actually want in life. I absolutely love all the quips between Integrity and Bob. As soon as I finished this I immediately started book 3.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Gifted Thief by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Orphan. Runaway. Thief.

Since the moment I was ripped from my mother’s womb, I’ve been an outcast amongst my own kind. The Sidhe might possess magical Gifts, unbelievable wealth and unfathomable power but I don’t want a thing to do with them. I ran away from their lands in the Highlands of Scotland when I was eleven years old and I’ve never looked back. I don’t need a Clan. I’ve got my own family of highly skilled thieves who mean more to me than any Sidhe ever could.

Unfortunately for me, the playboy heir to the Moncrieffe Clan has something I desperately need. To get it back, I’m going to have to plunge myself back into that world, no matter what the consequences may be. I suppose it’s just as well I have sense of humour. I think I’m going to need it.

Review:
If this seems familiar to you, that is more than it did to me. Kindle told me I’d previously taken this book out, and yet, I didn’t remember it enough for anything to spark when I started it again- so therefore, here’s a second review for it. I have read my previous review and it’s interesting how your perspective changes and what grips you more is different with your own age increase.

I absolutely love Integrity. She had a rough start but once she found her people she persevered. Seeing how her “family” works together seems very reminiscent of most good close friend groups of people who deeply care for and love one another. I absolutely loved that no matter what happened Integrity stuck strong with her morals and wasn’t willing to take the bait and fall to another’s level.

The world was well built; the magic system was strong, unique, and interesting. The story flowed well, and there was never a point where I found myself wanting to skip ahead. I enjoyed that the Sidhe were completely connected to the average folk and how their connections worked in the human lands. The ending did leave on a bit of a cliffhanger where it seems like while one point may have been resolved, I was left with far more questions about what may happen next. Already looking forward to continuing on, and of course I recommend Harper to anyone who loves the modern fantasy genre, with a hint of spice.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

Review of Last Wish by Helen Harper

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Last Wish
Highland Magic Book 4
By Helen Harper

Star Rating: 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Number of Pages: 314

Date Started: November 28, 2017
Date Finished: November 30, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
It’s not easy pretending to be dead – especially when it feels as if you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Between an unfulfilled prophecy, the demon-occupied Lowlands, the continuing power of murderous Aifric Moncrieffe – not to mention her constant yearnings for Byron – Integrity Adair has a lot to worry about. Still, how hard can it really be to save Scotland, maintain her morals, get the guy and keep her sense of humour?

Review:
There were many twists and turns I didn’t necessarily expect, and it was overall a great ending to the series. There were several things I had picked up on that Integrity hadn’t, but that didn’t detract from the story at all. I thought that the way to save Scotland was almost too easy– something I’d pieced together from the previous book, though it made sense. In the end I still had many questions, such as, if the Fissure was only created about 300 years ago, how did the Fomori live before that? While this might remain puzzling, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of this novel or series as a whole.

The villain turned out to be far more heinous than expected, which was somewhat sad because it turned him into more of a stock character than he needed to be. It would have been nicer for him to have some redeeming qualities.

I wish that Sorley and the trolls had a larger role in this novel and that we heard more about them. The connections between other clans were powerful, and the ending was a perfect send off for the series, mostly thanks to Bob.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that’s she lucky enough to do so!

Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.

She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.

Review of Veiled Threat by Helen Harper

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Veiled Threat
Highland Magic Book 3
By Helen Harper

Star Rating: 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Number of Pages: 244

Date Started: November 26, 2017
Date Finished: November 28, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Integrity Taylor has regained possession of her ancestral lands – and inherited a whole host of new problems. The spectre of what really happened to her parents is casting a shadow over everything while Fomori demons are being sighted up and down the Highlands. It doesn’t help that Aifric Moncrieffe still seems determined to see her dead and emerald eyed Byron remains stubbornly blind to his father’s true nature.

Integrity is determined to stay in control of her own destiny, however, even if it means confronting the darkness across the Veil yet again. And at least she’s still got a sense of humour…

Review:
Integrity continues to try to learn about her ancestors but always keeps her personality about her. While her joking might be annoying to those around her, I found it endearing that no matter the situation, her sense of humor remains.

While many keep speaking of a prophesy, it’s obvious that those around her understand that Integrity cares about the clanless and that she’s willing to help anyone who asks. Though she seems surprised that so many are willing to abandon their lives to be with her, it makes sense that those who were otherwise unprotected would want help from someone who understands their plight and has lived like they have.

Despite the heartache and distrust, this is an intriguing continuation of Integrity’s story, and a great set up for the end novel.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that’s she lucky enough to do so!

Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.

She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.

Review of Honour Bound by Helen Harper

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Honour Bound
Highland Magic Book 2
By Helen Harper

Star Rating: 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Number of Pages: 290

Date Started: November 24, 2017
Date Finished: November 26, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Integrity Taylor should have been a Clan princess. Instead she’s lived a life on the very periphery of society. Now that she’s learnt more about her heritage, however, and the magic that she’s capable of wielding, she’s not going to hide in the shadows any longer. The once-in-a-generation Sidhe Games are going to provide the perfect opportunity for her to win back her birthright – and the fact that she’ll be going head to head, toe to toe and mouth to mouth with golden haired Byron Moncrieffe might just be the icing on the cake.

Review:
This book enthralled me and got me invested far quicker than the first in the series. Watching Integrity try to fit in with the people she’d been a pariah to, and seeing how she slowly gained other’s trust was interesting.

Bob was great in this book, and I quickly came to like Angus as well. While it seems that Byron and Integrity may be fated to be together I certainly wouldn’t mind her spending more time with Angus.

There’s a great set up behind the veil for the next book and this book is quite action packed. I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the games since it seemed like an excuse to get all the sidhe together, but I found the interactions of contestants entertaining and quite a good addition to the story line, allowing characters previously thought as one sided villains to be more fleshed out.

Did find a couple of grammatical errors, but perhaps only two. While the story wasn’t thrilling, it was decent, and while parts of the challenge didn’t seem original (because many series have challenges perhaps) they weren’t necessarily bad.

The ending has a twist I didn’t expect(more like hoped for yet didn’t think it would come to fruition), but it set up an interesting dynamic between Integrity and Byron for the book 3.

 

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that’s she lucky enough to do so!

Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.

She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.

Review of Gifted Thief by Helen Harper

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Gifted Thief
Highland Magic Book 1
By Helen Harper

Star Rating: 
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Number of Pages: 348

Date Started: November 22, 2017
Date Finished: November 24, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Orphan. Runaway. Thief.

Since the moment I was ripped from my mother’s womb, I’ve been an outcast amongst my own kind. The Sidhe might possess magical Gifts, unbelievable wealth and unfathomable power but I don’t want a thing to do with them. I ran away from their lands in the Highlands of Scotland when I was eleven years old and I’ve never looked back. I don’t need a Clan. I’ve got my own family of highly skilled thieves who mean more to me than any Sidhe ever could.

Unfortunately for me, the playboy heir to the Moncrieffe Clan has something I desperately need. To get it back, I’m going to have to plunge myself back into that world, no matter what the consequences may be. I suppose it’s just as well I have sense of humour. I think I’m going to need it.

Review:
Perhaps I was too lost in The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic world because I found this hard to get into. While the setup wasn’t bad, it took me quite a while to feel connected with the story.

I enjoyed Integrity’s determination and loyalty to her morals and her family. She’s a good heroine that’s easy to empathize with. I found the secondary characters equally amusing. Although some might find that they treat each other callously, I thought the way her real family interacts was realistic.

It was frustrating that at one point she gained great leverage, but then did nothing with it– it was as if it only mattered for that one chapter. While it served to bring forward other things, it was annoying to not see more happen because of it.

Towards the end I started to become more invested in the novel, but it seemed over too soon, with nothing truly resolved. A good set up for the next book, but not exactly satisfying. Although it may seem there are a decent number of pages in the book, the end of the book is a preview of the next in the series.

I plan to read the entire series, but I do not think it’s on par with The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic. Slow to start, but once I became involved, I looked forward to seeing what else might happen.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that’s she lucky enough to do so!

Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.

She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.