Review: The Highlander Next Door

Book Review: The Highlander Next Door, by Janet Chapman

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Birch Callahan has seen the trouble men can cause. After witnessing her mother’s four marriages, Birch now runs a women’s shelter and doesn’t want a man in her life. But there’s something about her neighbor, Niall MacKeage. Birch can’t figure out how the cop can be so big and gruff and yet so insightful and compassionate—and sexy. Or how she’s falling for a man who acts like someone from the twelfth century.
 Niall knows that Birch is attracted to him, even if she seems to distrust all men. Yet he also knows she has a secret—something that drives her to place herself in harm’s way for the women of her shelter. Niall would gladly rush to Birch’s side to protect her from harm, but with their secrets standing between them, he’ll have to reveal his own truth.

Genre: time travel/paranormal romance

Publication date: August 2014

Mature content: yes, but nothing overly graphic

Review: The Highlander Next Door turned out to be totally different from what I expected, and I'm having difficulties in deciding if that's a good or a bad thing.

The beginning of the book was extremely confusing, but that's mostly my fault since The Highlander Next Door is book six in the Spellbound Falls Romance series and I didn't read any of the previous five books. It was hard to place all the characters and it was hard to even decide what was the main subject of the book. Definitely not to be read stand alone.

And frankly, all that magic stuff mixed with time traveling highlanders and ancient gods popping out here and there, is a bit weird. I happen to like time travel romance novels and I have nothing against a well written paranormal book, but The Highlander Next Door was a bit too over the top for me.

There were also some details in the story that irked me, like for example Birch saying that she would never consider Niall as husband material because cops don't make enough money. Sex and and affair are Ok, but not marriage. Really? And Niall is the one supposed to have 12th century mentality? I'm all in favor of people being realistic in their relationships, but is marriage supposed to be just about money? Shouldn't there be love involved too?


Well, to sum things up, The Highlander Next Door didn't work for me, I couldn't really get into the story and the characters, not in the romantic part of the plot neither in the suspense part. But as I didn't read the previous books, to be fair I'm rating this one with three stars and I leave it up to you to decided if you want to give it a try or not.


Happy Readings, 


the book worm, book blog

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