A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

THE RETURN OF BLACK DOUGLAS

Author: Elaine Coffman ISBN: 9781402250743 3/2011 HISTORICAL Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS
Time Period: Time Travel- The present and Scotland 1515

The Return of Black Douglas by Elaine Coffman
Longing for a man like Mr. Darcy and haunted by the feeling she was born two hundred years too late, Isobella Douglas never dreamed she would get what she wished for—until she was hurled back five centuries to the Isle of Mull in the year 1515. She arrived in the midst of a battle between the Mackinnon’s and Maclean’s, only to be abandoned there by the capricious ghost of Black Douglas. Left to the mercy of her fate, she prayed for a hero when she saw him, a man as fierce and wild as the barbarous place that surrounded her.

Alysandir Mackinnon was a man who lived by his wits and the edge of his sword. He was a man of strong desires and in his prime, but what he wanted now were the answers to a lot of questions: Why is she here? Who sent her? And what am I going to do with her? In spite of suspicion that she is an English spy, Isobella adapts readily to castle life, and being an archaeologist, is soon up to her elbows digging in broken crockery bits, ancient bones and priceless relics, in spite of being forbidden to do so. Alysandir finds it difficult to trust the headstrong woman, or believe her preposterous time-travel story and battles the desire and distrust he feels, for Alysandir has been betrayed before...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: Top Pick

Oh, what is there not to love about Black Douglas?  The minute I heard that Elaine Coffman was coming out with another Black Douglas book, I knew I was going to fall fast in love.  And that's exactly what I did!  Everything about THE RETURN OF BLACK DOUGLAS made it one I was destined to fall in love with.  Time travel, hunky men, educated women, a good old fashioned war of wills... all these things put together make for one heck of a good book!

Isabella is on a mission to forget the man who promised her marriage and then broke her heart.  And what better way to do that than to drag her twin sister all over Scotland to old Scottish ruins?  While visiting these ruins, Izzy feels overwhelming sadness and sympathy for the plight of our dear ol' Black Douglas.  This sympathy, and Izzy's wish to meet her very own  Mr. Darcy, make for the perfect recipe for Black Douglas to dig his nose right in where it doesn't belong and get Izzy her man! 

And get her a man, he does.  Alysandir Mackinnon is a take-no-BS kinda guy.  Laird of his clan—and gorgeous to boot—he is in no way looking for a woman to love.  He has responsibilities and a whole clan of people to tend to, and a woman is the last thing he needs.  Not to mention that he is closed off and scarred from an old relationship that destroyed his trust in women.  But when a damsel in distress literally "pops up" in a field where he is in the midst of a battle with a neighboring clan, he has no choice (of course), but to save her!  And in the process of saving her, he just might save himself. 

The sparring between our hero and heroine is the best part of the book.  I laughed out loud on more than one occasion at some of the dramatics that go on between the couple.  Izzy, in particular, had a great wit about her and really handled herself well in the face of this big, bossy man.  However, being a historian and knowing what the Middle Ages are all about, still doesn't prepare Izzy for life in the 14th century, although it sure does save her arse a few times! 

One little thing tweaked me a teensy tiny bit.  I both loved and didn't love that Izzy was so educated.  I loved it because she did save herself, time and time again, with her knowledge of both time periods.  And also I loved what she was able to bring to the Mackinnon clan because of her education in their time period.  I "hated" it for the opposite reason.  It would have added a little bit of humor to the story to see our heroine kinda fumbling along, trying to figure out how to use a chamber pot, or trying to analyze a dish of food she was eating or an odd statement made by Alysandir.  This didn't take away from the story at all, in my opinion; it just would have added a little something. 

I love the idea of Black Douglas, with all of his meddling ways.  I grew to really like the old, nosey man before the end of the book, and I was almost brought to tears when his work was done, and he had to say goodbye. 

THE RETURN OF BLACK DOUGLAS reminds me what a great storyteller Elaine Coffman is!  It has been a long time since I have read one of her novels.  Irresistible is the word I would use to describe this book!  If you don't have it, go get it, as soon as it is released!  You won't regret this purchase one bit and, as a matter of fact, you will find yourself rearranging your keeper shelves to make room for this one. 

Kristal Gorman

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