Laird of Darkness by Nicole North

Half-Fae Laird Duncan MacDougall is cursed. His nights are haunted by Otherworld creatures sent to kill him. The only way to stop them is to possess the magic bow currently in the hands of his enemy half brother, Kinnon MacClaren. In desperation, Duncan plans to take MacClaren's bride-to-be hostage and exchange her for the bow.

Lady Alana Forbes has never met her intended, but she hopes he is handsome—and a good lover, for Alana is no innocent virgin. On her way to Castle Claren, Alana and her escorts are intercepted, and she is kidnapped by a man with extraordinary abilities—and every attribute she longs for in a mate.

Duncan didn't expect the woman he thought of as a mere pawn to be so beautiful, and so arousing. Alana is drawn to him as well—but Duncan still needs the bow, and Alana is betrothed to another. How far will Alana go to save the life of the man she's come to love?


The idea behind this book is promising, a Fae lord who captures a maiden after which chaos ensues, but the results leave something to be desired.
Characterization is sorely lacking, all the readers get is cardboard characters that do not have any life in them. Their actions are bizarre and their mood shifts verging on the psychotic. I could not understand how the supposed kidnapped woman could fall madly in love with her captor in the space of two pages. It just boggles the mind and makes me wonder at how the author’s head works. I know that a romance novel is all about the romance, but I think we still need plot development and believable dialogue.
A lot of the issues could have been solved by adding pages to this short novel. It all feels much too rushed, the resolutions to problems appearing so quickly we are left reeling in disbelief. Perhaps if the author had taken a bit more time with the story it would have been better. As it is, I’m hesitant to recommend it.