Book Review -- Daughters of the Glen Series

I've decided to do some reviews of the authors I've not read before from the book post. Perhaps, you'll find a new author to try!

Melissa Mayhue has become one of my must buy authors. I came across her on Amazon while searching for new authors I might enjoy. More than one review compared her with Karen Marie Moning and I set out to find her books. (I found the 4th one locally but waited to read it until I could find the other 3 which I did at Powell's while in Oregon.) Like KMM's Highlander series, Mayhue's stories revolve around hunky Scotsmen, spunky heroines, powerful and often irresponsible Fae (faerie or fairy...so not Tinkerbell), and a happily ever after (HEA). Who could pass that up? Not me!

The series is called the Daughters of the Glen and deals with humans descendant from the Fae to one degree or other. Genre is Romance (man-woman) with sub-genres of paranormal, historical, time travel, and fantasy.

In the first book Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband (The Daughters of the Glen, Book 1) the reader is introduced to the MacKiernan clan, all of whom are descendant from Pol (a Fae prince). With a bit of Fae magic, Caitlyn Coryell travels back to 1272 to help Connor MacKiernan save his sister from marrying the old and unsavory Laird of the MacPherson. (Published June 2007 by Pocket Books - Paperback Edition - 356 pages)

In the second book Highland Guardian (Daughters of the Glen, Book 2) Ian McCullough is a half-mortal descendant of the Faeries, a Guardian for over 600 years, and the Sworn Protector of the Mortals. All of which is threatened by author Sarah Douglas who has come to Scotland on a working vacation to recapture her muse. A Nuadian (evil) Fae attempts to use Sarah to open a Portal thus putting both the Mortal Plain and Faerie Realm at world-ending risk. Published November 2007 by Pocket Books - Paperback Edition - 354 pages)

In the third book Soul of a Highlander (The Daughters of the Glen, Book 3) Nuadian Fae, Ramos Servans, is redeemed and sent to serve as a Guardian for Mairi MacKiernan (a woman without a time). Together, they travel back to 1295 to save the last Daughter of the MacKiernan. (Published May 2008 by Pocket Books - Paperback Edition - 352 pages)

In the forth book A Highlander of Her Own (Daughters of the Glen, Book 4) Ellie Denton, a previously unrecognized Daughter of Pol, comes into her powers and is sent spiraling back in time. In 1304, Caden MacAlister, heir to the clan MacKiernan, has more trouble than he can handle and the last thing he needs is more as a result of Fae Magic. (Published January 2009 by Pocket Books - Paperback Edition - 325 pages)

The fifth book A Highlander's Destiny is due out January 2010...I wait with baited breath.

Mayhue did a wonderful job weaving incredible but energetic plots with characters who have depth. The heroes (hot, intelligent, and overprotective) and the heroines (smart, witty, and a touch quirky) in this series often reminded me of Moning's. If the Fae legend wasn't so very different from Moning this could easily be considered a spin off of her Highlander series. Moning followers will enjoy this series. Romance and magic beautifully combine to entice the reader in this series. And while each book is a strong stand-alone romance, there is enough back story in each book for the reader to follow, the reading experience is richer when read in order.