The Bride of Black Douglas by Elaine Coffman is a powerful story of a ghostly legend, hidden treasure and a love that can span the boundaries of birth.

The legend of Black Douglas says that the ghost will return to one person alone and lead them to the hidden treasure that would save the Douglas clan.  No one knew when he would return or who to, they only knew that one day he would…and that is what gave them their hope during their darkest time.

In 1785 Robert Douglas is proud and Scottish and at risk of losing everything.  He has been ordered by the English King to take an English bride or lose his home (Beloyn Castle) and his noble name.  He is also given very little time to complete the task, only three weeks, or be forced to marry someone of the King’s choosing.

Setting off for England he vows to find a wife before the time runs out no matter how distasteful it is to contemplate marriage to an English woman.

Meanwhile in England the headstrong Lady Meleri Weatherby is about to break her engagement to a man she has been betrothed to since childhood.  She has grown apart from the man over the years and has found him in recent years to be far too cruel for her to care for.  Since he has shown no great rush to wed her she believes that it will not be difficult to persuade him that breaking their engagement is the right thing to do.

Philip Ashton, Marquess of Waverly is at first not to unhappy to have the engagement called off but his pride has been hurt and in the scene that follows Meleri threatens that she will marry the first man she sees before wedding him.

Running away from home before Philip changes his mind (with the good wishes of her half-sister) Meleri decides to travel north to Scotland and her old nurse.  On the way she comes across Robert Douglas on his search for a bride.  Explaining her dilemma he suggests that they solve both of their problems by wedding each other.

Philip’s father meanwhile is not happy with the broken engagement and orders Philip that he must marry Meleri (for her money) or be written out of his will.  Philip then has no choice but to follow after Meleri and wed her before she marries another.  And if she is already married when he finds her he will have no choice but to rid her of her husband and make her his own.

Neither Philip nor Meleri realise that in Robert Douglas Philip has an enemy more dangerous and revenge driven than anyone knows.

A powerful story of revenge, love and ghostly intervention that sweeps the reader from Northumberland to Gretna Green and to the ancient Beloyn Castle where events will reach their climax and a ghostly presence guides events and amuses the reader with his forthright opinions.

Although the ghostly aspect of this novel is a little thin on the ground at first as the story reaches its closure the ghost of Black Douglas makes his presence known and brings this wonderful novel into the paranormal romance genre.  Enthralling from the first page, it grabs your attention until the very last.  Superb!
 

RATING : 
(if you need an explanation of the hearts ratings see my homepage)

Links to  online stores

Visit Elaine Coffman's Website