Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jerjen

The Highlander Next Door by Janet Chapman is a book that combines romance, mystery and magic.  This is the sixth book in the Spellbound Falls Series.

Birch Callahan runs a women’s shelter and she is fiercely loyal and protective of those who reside in the shelter.  She has brought her mother to live with her because she is afraid if her mother is left alone, she will find husband number five.  Birch is very wary of all men and is not interested in having any permanent relationships.  And she sure is not looking for anything developing between Niall MacKeage, the lawman who lives next door to the shelter.  The two are always bumping heads and disagreeing about the abusive men that the women in the shelter are hiding from.  Even Birch’s dog Mimi does not like Niall’s dog Shep and tries to attack Shep whenever she can.  But legend says that the mist from Spellbound Falls carries love and no one is immune to it’s magic.  Will Birch and Niall fall under the spell of the Falls?

Birch is a strong willed women who is not afraid to do whatever it takes to protect the women who live in the shelter.  She presents a tough-as-nails exterior, not allowing others to see her more tender side.  But deep down she has fears and longings like all women do.  The more time she spends with Niall, the more she wants him to be the one to break down her walls.

Niall MacKeage is a time-traveler who has ended up in Spellbound Falls and has been chosen to be a lawman.  He is big and brusque and intimidating.  But he is also caring and compassionate and loyal.  Even though Birch aggravates him most of the time, he finds himself falling for her and wanting to protect her.  He must decide if he can trust her with the fact that he is a time traveler.

I really enjoyed the present day actions and storyline of Birch and Niall.  The banter and bickering of the two characters are humorous and endearing.  I really enjoyed reading how Birch kept trying to save the residents of the shelter and Niall trying to keep the peace in the community and trying to keep Birch safe.

What I did not enjoy so much was that, to me, there were too many characters introduced in the book.  I think that the fact that this was the sixth book in the series, and I had not read any of the other books, was a problem for me.  I had a very hard time keeping track of all the characters, all their relationships, and the magical powers they possessed.  That’s not the authors fault, it is my fault. I would suggest to read the books in order so that you know who everyone is and how they are related.

The writing style flows easily and this book is a fast read.  Janet Chapman writes very descriptively and it is easy to picture what she is writing about in your head.  Her descriptions of Spellbound Falls had me wanting to go there to visit.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a magical, mystical book.  But as I said before, I would recommend reading the books in order.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*