Lauren Reay has been dreaming of a remote castle that she feels compelled to find so she can learn what the dreams mean. Lauren’s family has a history of the “sight” but it drove her father over the edge and Lauren is scared that this will happen to her. Someone sends her grandfather a calendar with a picture of the castle, called Blackness Tower, from her dreams and Lauren learns that her family originated from that region of Scotland and maybe even from the castle itself. She travels to the coast of Scotland to learn the truth about her family and maybe the meaning behind her dreams. But Lauren never anticipated that the trip could be putting her in danger and that she may have been drawn to the castle by someone trying to manipulate her. Who is her enemy- one of the three men who also seem to have been drawn to the castle? Will Lauren lose her life or find her future?

This story is truly a cross-genre book. Blackness Tower by Lillian Stewart Carlcontains elements of historical mysteries through flashbacks in time with Lauren’s “sight;” science fiction or paranormal elements in the mysterious skull shaped watch that holds untold powers and from the ghostly presents in the tower; suspense elements in that someone from either now or the past wants to stop Lauren from finding her answers; and romance for Lauren and one of the men at the tower. This is a wonderfully entertaining story!

Lauren is a modern woman, strong willed and intelligent and she resents that someone is trying to manipulate her. There are three different men at the castle, one of which may prove to be her future and one who may be her enemy. Each of the men has his own agenda and reasons for being at the castle. There is David Sutherland who is an ex-soldier that owns and is restoring the tower, Ewan Calder who is an archaeologist and searching for a lost shipwrecked boat dating back to the Spanish Armada, and Magnus Anderson who is a television personality looking for paranormal activity to feature on his show. There are a lot of characters to keep up with in the story but it isn’t too many and they are well integrated into the tale. Because the tale is complicated I recommend you set aside uninterrupted time to read this book. Anyone who enjoys any of the genres mentioned above will love this book!

Reviewed by: Stephanie B.