Dageus MacKeltar is a sixteenth century Highlander living in Manhattan.  Carefully avoiding his brother lest he see the evil inside him and be forced into a deadly confrontation, Dageus seeks the ancient manuscripts so he can find a way to rid himself of the thirteen Druid entities that possess him.  Chloe Zanders, a dealer and lover of antiquities, goes to his high-rise apartment to take him the priceless reproduction of the third Book of Manannan.  However, once she arrives, she is greeted with an unlocked door.  Loathe to leave the priceless book just lying about, she waits for Dageus to return.  She discovers that his home is filled with untold treasures, ancient artifacts, yet they are nearly new.  Fascinated, she walks through his home wanting and needing to know who this man is that has such a wealth.  She quickly realizes that he must be the silent, slippery thief called the Gaulish Ghost.  Only when she is caught does she realize that she is in deep trouble.

Chloe can't believe that she is being tied up to the gorgeous womanizer's bed - and he doesn't do anything!  Not that she's outraged particularly since he's a thief and clearly has an insatiable need for sex, but there's something about him that makes her tingle with excitement.  There's also something more to Dageus that she can't fathom.  Whatever it is, she can't help but be intrigued and eager to find out more about this sexy Highlander.

Dageus knew the moment he saw Chloe out on the street and again in his apartment that she was his.  True, he had to tie her up for her own (and his) good, but he would never hurt her.  His time was drawing short and he had to find out the information he needed to try and save himself.  The battle waging within him threatened him at every turn.  The evil ones inside him, begging to be free, pushed him closer and closer to the abyss.  The only way he could feel human again and ward off the inevitable was sex.  He needed and wanted Chloe to an almost dangerous level.  Yet, he needed to coax her along and gradually seduce her.  He had to leave to return to Scotland and he wasn't about to leave her behind.

The Draghar within him would be stronger on his own soil, but there was no alternative.  The book he needed wasn't available in the twenty-first century, but it was available in his own time - the sixteenth century.  After a meeting with his brother, he and Chloe embark on a journey back in time.  There, Dageus must find a way to rid himself of the Draghar and his only tether to his humanity is Chloe's love.  Will she still love him once she realizes what he is?  Dageus' love for Chloe could just very well be his own death...or his salvation.

If I seem to gush about this book, it's just because Moning's writing is filled with hundreds of fascinating tidbits of information and detail.  The ancient lore of the Celtic Druids becomes more tangible as the story is told.  In essence, the Tuatha De Dannan (a fairy type immortal race) had a pact with the human race.  The Keltar became the chosen to protect the earth, nourish it and rebuild the land.  A Compact was made between the two races.  When Dageus used time-travel to save his brother, the Compact was broken.  Don't worry, I'm not giving away anything in the book as this is all told in the first two prologues.  When Dageus broke the Compact, the thirteen Druids that turned to dark ways as they wished to be immortal like the Tuatha De Dannan and were subsequently cast out into the outer realms, then possessed his soul.  Dageus, however, is a strong-willed man, fighting against his turning, still seeking and hoping for a way out.  Moning captures the reader immediately with this ancient lore, then pushes it another notch given the fact that Dageus' only foothold to remaining human is sex.  With sex, he can feel, so he becomes this powerfully sexual man, driven with strong appetites and desires.  Only when he is faced with needing Chloe does he have to put a damper on his urges, thereby endangering him even more.  Moning doesn't go overboard and bombard the reader with non-essential sex scenes.  They are well placed and carefully written.

Thoroughly fascinating, DARK HIGHLANDER is a deeper, more thought-provoking romance than its predecessor.  I would highly recommend reading KISS OF THE HIGHLANDER first, but it's not necessary in order to appreciate and understand Dageus' story.  The characters are well defined, their actions very much plausible and necessary.  Moning leaves no detail unturned.  We once again see Drustan and Gwen and feel their helplessness as they can only watch Dageus fight his own battle.  The romance is stunning, cleverly and passionately written.  Drustan's love for his brother, Dageus' love for Chloe, Silvan's love for his son, all are so thick with gripping emotion, the reader can nearly feel the love that surrounds this book.  The ending had me in tears.  I can't say more but suffice it to say this one is going on my all-time favorites list and keeper shelf!  I sincerely loved this book - a truly outstanding story.