5 comments about Return of the Highlander.

1. I really didn't know what to expect from this book as I have not read any of Mackenzie's books. This was a very interesting take on Scottish history that weaved together ancient superstitions and beliefs and the modern world. I loved the concept of the "sleeping" warriors who will have a story to tell. My one small complaint would be in the length of time it took for Maclean to have a complete corporal body. Outside of that I loved the chemistry and relationship between Bella and Maclean. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.



2. My sister loaned me this book, but I'm afraid she won't get it back - I'm putting it on my keeper shelf! I loved it. The cover is gorgeous, the back blurb enticing, the first pages grabbed my attention and I was hooked throughout.
   
   The characters are believable and likable. The Highland setting is a favorite of mine. The story tells how the power of love bring together the heroine, Bella, and the man of her dreams -- what she thinks is her fantasy lover --the Black Maclean.
   
   I've been reading and loving time travels since the '80's and this one is a grand example. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to others by this author!



3. Who was that? Maybe a " Ghost over" Maclean and Arabella ( Bella) were a perfect match. This book had everything......Fantasy, mystery, passion, and showed such strength of character. I was even a bit scared towards the end.



4. Without going into the plot which you will be able to read from the above description, I would highly recommend this book to all who love a love story. Strong characters with indeed many flaws. So human that they make you want them to succeed, learn, grow, and love together. It is a feel good novel. Isn't that why we buy these type of books anyway ? One warrior's search. The right woman. A great romance. Maybe 4, 5, or 6 more to exact....SARA are you listening ?!! Anyway, I recommend all three of MacKenzie's 'Immortal Warrior' series...



5. I really like thse Highlander books by Sara Mackenzie. I find them fun and easy to read.I don't believe in time travel, but these books make me want to try it out.

5 comments about Scotland (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides).

1. I would recommend Scotland the Best! The one true guide first, but this was also good to review for the history, and the pictures before I arrived. It also helps to prepare you for the money, road signs, airports; things you will need to know if traveling abroad for the first time. Once I was there, I rarely looked at this book, but I would recommend this to prepare if you don't know the area at all. It is a good starter book.



2. Haven't taken our trip to Scotland yet but this book was great in planning our intinerary, lodging and meals. Worth the money.



3. This travel book is attractive and expensively produced. The content is probably quite satisfactory for travelers interested primarily in historic sites, castles, distilleries, restaurants, and posh places to sleep at night. However, I had hoped for travel tips that would help me explore the rugged Scottish coast, find places to see wildlife, and locate out-of-the-way places of interest to the adventurous, not just the affluent. I should have read the book's cover more carefully. It highlighted "Sights in Edinburgh & Glasgow," "Malt whiskies & where to enjoy them," " Outstanding golf courses," "Best hotels," "Liveliest pubs and clubs," "Best restaurants," and the like.



4. This is a small book, but it starts with a detailed map inside the front cover that shows cities, airports, main roads, ferry ports and rail lines. It has ferry routes between the islands of Scotland and from points in Scotland to Ireland. There are great pictures of just about everything from cows to castles. It has lists of the best hotels, restaurants, pubs and places to visit on Scotland's islands. If you drink there are places you can enjoy the best malt whiskey. I'm not a golfer but I loved the section on golf courses after years of watching the British Open. The book is divided into three sections: Scotland's Top 10 castles, fishing spots, golf courses, etc. The middle of the book takes you around Scotland by car, train, ferry, etc. The last section of the book is called "Street Smart" and gives you places to get additional information, how to plan your trip to Scotland, things to avoid, health care and security, the best restaurants, and hotels (from budget to bed and breakfast). The book is about 6 inches long and four inches across, but easy to read. It has much more information than I expected.



5. If you are planning a short trip to Scotland this is a must have book. It covers excellent restaurants and wonderful places to stop and shop. The essential sights are all listed by region and are explained in enough detail for one to decide if they want to visit. If you are going for a longer period of time I would recommend a bigger guide but I would still get this one to walk around with.

1 comments about Michelin the Green Guide Scotland (Michelin Green Guides).

1. Many years ago, I purchased the First Edition of this guide. With an upcoming trip in mind, I bought this new one.
   
   Essentially, they've rearranged the former text, and that's really about it. More white space on the page, maybe a bit easier to read, but the earlier copy was quite legible.
   
   Some sights, which were highly rated before, have been downrated with no explanation.

4 comments about Fodor's Scotland, 20th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. "Fodor's Scotland" is heavy on facts for planning and light on wow factor. This guide, the 20th edition of the series on Scotland, contains an enormous amount of updated and useful information on planning a trip to Scotland.
   
   The guide provides useful descriptions of Scotland's many natural and historical attractions, including breakdowns by regions that can serve as the basis of a travel itinerary. The regional breakdowns include suggestions for accomodations and dining, along with price ranges. There are inset notes about local history. The usual travel tips about traveling to and around Scotland are addressed at the beginning of the guide, along with a calendar of special events by month. The latter should be carefully consulted, as the presence of a music festival or highland games can easily overwhelm limited local room and board facilities outside major urban areas like Glasgow and Edinburgh.
   
   Northern Scotland has limited road and rail networks, few large population centers, and correspondingly fewer tourist accomodations. Visitors planning to enjoy the wild and beautiful Highlands and Islands should plan ahead carefully. The inclusion of website addresses for many hotels and other facilities allows some useful comparisons.
   
   Fodor's Scotland has no photographs or other illustrations beyond maps; visitors seeking a sense of place and scale should consult elsewhere. The level of detail even in a 400 page guide is necessarily limited. Travelers with particular interests such as hiking are advised to do additional research. Fodors does not include the rating system for hotels, guest houses, and B&Bs already in use in Scotland; these ratings are normally advertised on individual websites and are a useful comparison measure. This visitor to Scotland found them to be fairly accurate.
   
   This guide is recommended to the traveler planning a trip to Scotland and needing lots of basic information with which to plan.



2. We buy Fodor's guides before we go to a new place. The guides give details tht make you familiar with your destination which takes a lot of anxiety away. Fodor's Scotland is no exception.



3. i love the few day must sees recommendations before each chapter
   they give idea on what is important to see
   and they also have plans for quick stops in 1-2 days to nearly 1 week for each place
   layout and information as expected similar to lonely planet stuffs
   personally i like the way the info was presented in this series better



4. Great book - I visited a friend in Scotland who had never been a "tourist in her own country" and we both found the book to be very helpful in choosing what sites to see. Will use it the next time I visit.
   
   The only drawback is that it's hard to figure out exactly where the restaurants are in relation to the visitor attractions. Maybe a map with the the restaurants noted on it would help.

2 comments about Best Bed & Breakfast England, Scotland, Wales 2008-2009 (Best Bed and Breakfast in England, Scotland, and Wales).

1. We purchased this book in anticipation of a trip to UK. While the pictures were lovely, we didn't find many listings for the areas where we planned to visit, and I didn't find the book real easy to use...maybe it is just me. We ended up leaving it with our kids who live in UK, hoping they might find it helpful for a weekend getaway in the future.



2. I am disappointed in the subject book because the print is so light that it is extremely difficult to read. The content is excellent as usual, but I cannot understand why the print is so faint. I have purchased this book in years past and never had this problem. I would like to know the reason for this change.

1 comments about Scotland Map.

1. This was a very helpful map for getting from city to city in Scotland. It would have been even better if it had small inserts with more detailed maps of the larger cities. Otherwise, accurate & helpful in locating interesting tourist attractions.

4 comments about Seasons on Harris: A Year in Scotland's Outer Hebrides.

1. David Yeadon has been composing beautiful hymns to remote places for many years, and here is another in a distinguished list of books he has written. If Seasons on Harris doesn't impel you to plan a trip to Scotland and more specifically the Outer Hebrides, well then, you should consider shopping for a tombstone. I understand the next in his "seasons" series will be on the Beara Peninsula in southern Ireland, and with a name like O'Reilly, I can't wait for that one.



2. By the end I loved this book, but it is slow going in the beginning, and keeps to a very leisurely pace clear through. Mr. Yeadon does a fine job of describing many of the more notable characters in the area, and a superb job of describing this most beautiful of locations. I had just returned from Scotland when I read this book, and it made me want to hop right back on the plane, regardless of airport hassles, and return. However this is not a book for people looking for a tourist guide. More a meditation on the slow but rich life in the Outer Hebrides. Hence the pace of the book matches the pace of living described within.



3. David Yeadon's book on his experiences in the Outer Hebrides is unfortunately rather dull. The style is bland, riddled with clichés, and the only truly interesting descriptions we get are in the form of quotations. There are some bright spots; his conversations with local residents are intriguing. I only wish that he would have allowed them to speak for themselves; virtually every interchange with the residents is punctuated with David's insipid observations and framed by his own rather portly ego.



4. I'm a fan of all things Scottish, so I enjoyed this book. I love his descriptions of the simple pace of life and the beauty of the area. It could have been a bit less intrusive. So much recent writing is focused on the author's reactions to events and places. I would rather see the author just describe the events and places, and let the reader react for herself.

3 comments about Castles: England + Scotland + Ireland + Wales.

1. I really wanted a nice comprehensive book about this subject. This is a wonderful product but the only thing I would suggest to make this a 5 star book would be more intensive pictures. There are a lot (multitudes in fact) of places, castles, ruins that are simply listed with no pictures or in-depth facts to accompany the listings. That was somewhat disappointing.



2. 
   Firstly what a wonderful name for an author of such a book, secondly what a wonderful book he has written. The British Isles is littered with castles of varying sizes and in various states of repair, or disrepair as the case may be. This book attempts to give you a guided tour of some of the best and there are far more than you think that are complete or almost complete.
   
   Many of the most famous castles in our history have crumbled to little more than a pile of stones and we can only romanticise about how they looked, who built them and lived there and the events that occurred during their long history
   
   But on the reverse of the coin we have castles that are still inhabited even today and one of the oldest, the tower of London is still in an excellent state of repair. Windsor is inhabited by the Queen and Warwick Castle and Leeds Castle look almost as good as the day they were built.
   
   In Scotland, Edinburgh and Stirling have stood the rigours of time and Caernarfon Castle in Wales is a legacy of Edward I, being built on the site of what was a Roman fortress and then a Norman motte and bailey. Another Welsh castle in the beautiful town of Conway has not stood the test of time so well, but the superstructure is more or less still there. There is something magical about a castle when you are inside it. Perhaps it is the presence of long dead residents, or the mighty deeds and events that happened within those enormous walls. Whatever it is this book helps to bring to life our history with a profusion of photographs and information galore. Almost everyone likes a Castle and this book takes you on a enchanting tour from ruins through to the splendour of a fully preserved structure.



3. My husband and I just returned from an amazing trip through England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, so this book seemed like the perfect Christmas gift for him. The book has beautiful photographs of some of the best known castles, however I was a little disappointed that the information on each castle was minimal. I was hoping for a little more background history on each one. I was also disappointed that our favorite, Ross Castle in Killarney Ireland was not included. Overall, it will make a nice keepsake to remember a trip of a lifetime, and I'm sure will have a place of honor on our coffee table for some time.

1 comments about The Malt Whisky Map of Scotland.

1. If you are a single malt man or woman, you will love having this map! If you are just learning about single malts you will find it very helpful to keep straight the places it's made. If you a re a seasoned single malt fan you may end up using this map to plan your trip to the land of the thistle to see for yourself and to sample a wee dram.
   Happy map reading while you enjoy a tipple.

5 comments about My Heart's in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland.

1. Have you ever desired to visit Scotland? If you love Scotland, but can't afford the trip, there's no better way to visit that My Heart's in the Lowlands by Liz Curtis Higgs. This armchair travel guide is written more like a novel than the non-fiction reference book one would expect. Higgs makes you feel that you're part of the story, part of the events happening all around you.
   
   Liz Curtis Higgs makes traveling to Scotland with her a realistic experience as she describes each step of the journey. She doesn't miss a detail - from her description of a Scottish church service to enjoying second breakfast - you'll feel like you're right there with her.
   
   The areas of Scotland that you visit in this book were also the settings for Higgs' historical novels. Dumfries and Galloway will win your heart all over again as you learn more about the places that captured your imagination in Thorn in My Heart, Fair is the Rose, and Whence Came a Prince.
   
   Award winning author Liz Curtis Higgs takes readers on a new type of adventure in My Heart's in the Lowlands, an armchair travel guide like no other. You'll have to remind yourself while reading that this is true to life because you'll feel like you're in one of Higgs' amazing novels.
   
   Review by:
   Jill Hart, CWAHM.com



2. This is a very unique yet enjoyable book. The author writes to the reader as a personal friend, invited to accompany her on a 10-day vacation rambling through the Galloway region of Scotland (the setting for some of her novels). The author draws upon her extensive knowledge and research of the region, as well as her personal travels, to take the reader along on a detailed journey, including packing bags, airline flights, car rentals, road conditions, language idioms, money, etc. on an imaginary trip through the sights and attractions of the area. The reader gets to vicariously meet people and see sights along the way, including experiencing jet lag, attending a local church, eating in wayside nooks, shopping, etc. and encounter Scotland "off the beaten path" as only a well-traveled companion could reveal the area. The book is enhanced with numerous evocative illustrations of the sights/scenes encountered, as well as a map of the area so you can follow along.
   
   I greatly enjoyed this book - for some pleasant hours, I felt like I WAS in Scotland. The "journey" was all too short, and I hope that this book might start a new genre, not only from this author but from others...



3. It was my fault, as I did not pay attention to the description. I was sooo excited that she had written another Scotish historical fiction, that I just ordered it.



4. Liz Curtis Higgs portrays her love of Scotland in this delightful book, as she takes the reader on a virtual tour of the beautiful country and its greatest charms. Higgs has always had a wonderful way of making her readers feel as though they're right there with her, and this book is no different: throughout it, she refers to you as her companion and even encourages you to buy a particular scarf on a shopping trip! Her charming wit and exuberant spirit shine throughout and held my attention the whole time: I couldn't get enough of her descriptions and stories of historical events!
   
   Sprinkled throughout the book are beautiful lines from all her Scottish novels and quotes from the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Vivid black and white drawings accompany her descriptions and serve to further breath life into the experience. This book is a new favorite for me and I recommend it to everyone! Enjoy, lads and lassies :)



5. As always, Ms Higgs takes the reader on a delightful journey with her warm, friendly descriptive writing. In this offering, we actaully accompany her on a trip through the lands of her fiction books....(which I adore so much that I have TWO sets in case one I lend out doesn't make is't way back to me...)and where her characters live, and love, and fight for life.
   For a wonderful journey this winter, snuggle up with a copy of this book.