The Return of Black Douglas - Guest Review

Reviewed by Courtney

For years, readers have begged Elaine to tell the stories of the ancestors of the Mackinnons in the Scottish Highlands, and bring back the devious Black Douglas ghost… The Return of Black Douglas tells the tale of Isobella Douglas who is transported to 16th century Scotland by the powers of the mischievous ghost of Black Douglas, and finds herself among the Mackinnon ancestors. Dropped in the middle of a clan skirmish, Isobella is at Castieal Marrach, the seat of the Mackinnon clan.

Alysandir Mackinnon rules his clan with an iron fist. He has no time for softness or as he sees it, weakness, in his life. But when he encounters a bewitching English “spy,” with her strange magic contraptions—an iPod?—Alysandir’s hard heart softens toward the intriguing, if at times infuriating, lass. But the more time they spend together, the more Isobella begins to wonder if this is where she belongs after all…

I was expecting a "bodice ripper" read and was pleasantly surprised as it was not as graffic as I thought it was going to be. This book was an interesting mix of romance and "paranormal". A lot of extra "time" was spent on the descriptions of scenary and secondary situations and while these were beautiful and created a picture in the mind they were not necessary for the story. There were exciting parts and parts that took some force to get through which made the book move a little slowly for my taste. Coffman wrote in the dialect that would be used during the 16th century, which made it hard to follow at times, but did a good job of setting the tone and immersing you in the story. The ending was not what I expected and for me it made the book worth reading.

Author: Elaine Coffman
Published: March 31, 2011
Pages: 448
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Thank you Courtney for guest reviewing today!



This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Danielle at Sourcebooks Casablanca and in no way influenced my review of this book.  These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.”