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Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
Born to Trouble: The Clan Donald Saga Book 4 by Regan Walker continues the superb historical fiction series built around the Donalds and their kin in the Highlands and Isles of Scotland around the 15th century. Alexander is Lord of the Isles and heir to the Earldom of Ross. Much loved as the lord of these fierce and loyal men, Alexander is excited but wary about his return to Scotland after many years in English captivity by King James. Initially finding favor with the monarch, Alexander has to continually walk a fine line between favor and treachery. For Alexander, the years ahead will be filled with intrigue, backstabbing, and shifting alliances as the lowland lords seek to influence the king against the Lord of the Isles, whose father had soundly defeated them at the Battle of Harlow. What Alexander seeks is peace and tranquility for him, his family, and his people but politics is a game of shifting alliances and loyalties.
Born to Trouble is as enjoyable and exciting as the previous three books. Author Regan Walker has done a superb job of chronicling the history of the North Western part of Scotland. The characters are real historical people and this gives their relationships, interactions, loves, and losses a degree of authenticity that puts the novel alongside more academic historical work as a companion read. What I particularly appreciate is the depth of day-to-day activities chronicled in the narrative which lifts the story out of the historical battle scenes into a more personal, intimate view of noble life in Scotland in the 1400s. The length of the story allows the author to develop and illuminate more than just the main characters. Although much of the focus is on the political machinations of the king, the lords, and the church and their conflicts, the author never loses sight of the romance and humanity that was so much a part of Alexander’s makeup. His relationships with his mother, brother, close friends, and the three women he married are given as much emphasis as the political intrigues, which creates a wonderful balance. I highly recommend it.
