Legacy by Jeanette Baker

"THE LAST OF THE MURRAYS.....

Christina Murray is elated to inherit her family's ancestral home in Scotland. But upon her arrival she is confronted by her breathtakingly handsome new neighbor, Ian Douglas...and an ancient family curse that comes with the castle.

A VIOLENT LEGACY OF PASSION...

Seduced by Ian's easy Scottish charm by day, Christina dreams at night of three raven-haired beauties, ancestors who fell victim to the curse one generation after another: Katrine, the fiery Jacobite supporter who lost her heart to an Englishman; Jeanne, an accused witch; and Mairi, who shared a forbidden passion with the King of England.

Now it's Christina's turn to lie in that cursed bed....and loving Ian might just cost her her life."(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

I'm always on the search for a good story that combines some of my favorite elements: Scottish history, romance, and time travel, and Jeanette Baker's Legacy fits the bill. It is the story of four women, all of whom share a legacy of tragedy and an ancient curse.

Christina Murray is the modern day heroine, a thirty-eight year old American who has spent her life studying Gaelic history and exploring Scotland's history. But after many years teaching at Boston College and experiencing a painful divorce, she travels back to Scotland when she is mysteriously summoned to Traquair House, Scotland's oldest manor house. Upon her arrival, she is presented to the dying Lady Ellen Maxwell, who becomes terrifyingly agitated when she sees Christina, and suddenly dies. Christina learns that upon the death of Lady Maxwell that she in now an heiress and has inherited Traquair House! And if that was not enough of hitting the jackpot, the manor house also comes with it's own gorgeous, unattached neighbor, Ian Douglas.

Here's where the story really kicks into high gear -- Ian and Christina quickly develop a very interesting and close relationship, but she is troubled by several strange events. She is a diabetic and knows the weakness and fatigue that can occur if she does not have her insulin; however, her moments of fatigue and illness are turning into visions or dreams of the past, where she begins to experience glimpses of ancestors who, the reader learns over time, are all linked through a witch's curse and an ancient secret of Scotland's stone of destiny. Stories from the thirteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, and modern day times are woven together to finish with a very dramatic and page-turning conclusion. Great for those who enjoy a nice mix of romance, fantasy, and Scottish history.

By the way, Traquair House really exists, dating back to 1107 as a hunting lodge for Scottish kings and queens.

3.5/5 stars

Title: Legacy
Author: Jeanette Baker
1996, 2011
Sourcebooks Casablanca
368 pages
genre: historical romance/time travel