It’s been a while since time travel novels were in vogue and I wasn’t sure to expect when I started seeing them again. At its best, this can be a fun premise, but in the wrong hands it can be almost unbearably treacly. Luckily, Sara MacKenzie manages to avoid this and creates a more believable sort of time travel tale…perhaps because like the other two books in this series, it is also a ghost romance. The beauty of two lost souls finding one another, even across the distance of many centuries, will draw many readers to this book. Though this novel has its share of saccharine-laced moments, there is still enough genuine sweetness to this story to make it well worth reading.

Powerful warrior Reynald de Mortimer once inspired fear and respect in the hearts of those who knew him. Known as the Ghost, this fair-haired Marcher Lord lived and died in the unstable Welsh Marches of the 13th century. After his betrayal and death, he lingered seven centuries between worlds until being recalled to life by a sorceress. He does not know the exact purpose for this return to the world of the living, but he knows that he has been given a chance to make things right.

However, this chance requires Reynald to enter a frightening and seemingly blasphemous new world. In the modern era to which Reynald is returned, the skills of the warrior are seen as games rather than respected callings and people behave in a manner that makes little sense to the careful and honorable man. One of the first people Reynald meets is an unsual woman named Amy Fairweather and, though her way of life shocks him to the core, Reynald cannot help being drawn to her.

At first Amy does not realize that Reynald really is the Medieval warrior he claims to be. She assumes him to be merely in fancy dress, but even so, she finds herself wanting to protect him from the scrutiny of others who wonder at his oddness. Having grown up in a rough neighborhood and living a life of varying degrees of abuse and exploitation, Amy is swept off her feet by Reynald’s courtly manners and the respect with which he treats her.

There is a lot to like in Amy and Reynald’s love story. While I could have used a bit more historical background, the lead characters still manage to be rather compelling. Each has regrets in their past and together they are able to heal one another. The author takes us into the hero and heroine’s heads far enough that this healing feels real and is actually quite touching. In addition, the author also does a superb job of showing Reynald’s complete surprise and wonder at the odd world in which he finds himself. I would have expected a bit more bumps along the way in Reynald’s adjustment to the modern world, but it is still interesting to see his view of modern life.

While some of the secondary characters – particularly Amy’s brother Jez – do add some depth to the story, the world-building in this novel does wear a little thin at times and a bit more background would have made for a richer story. As it is, the sorceress and many of the other paranormal elements to this tale appear to have been thrown in haphazardly. If the paranormal aspects were not important to the central story, this would hardly matter, but when it is the focus of the book, it makes things much rougher going than they need to be.

Still, even with the flawed paranormal plot, MacaKenzie’s book is still a fun one to read. The healing love of her main characters is a very sweet story and, even with the eyeroll-inducing moments, the book is truly enjoyable. Readers who enjoyed time travel stories when they were last in vogue or those who simply want to try something new may want to give this book a try.