Review – The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackensies and McBrides, Book 1) by Jennifer Ashley (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 338 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 2, 2011
ASIN : B004RKXHTK
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Mackenzies series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 5/5 stars
“It was whispered all through London Society that Ian Mackenzie was mad, that he’d spent his youth in an asylum, and was not to be trusted—especially with a lady. For the reputation of any woman caught in his presence was instantly ruined.
Yet Beth found herself inexorably drawn to the Scottish lord whose hint of a brogue wrapped around her like silk and whose touch could draw her into a world of ecstasy. Despite his decadence and his intimidating intelligence, she could see that he needed help. Her help. ”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Mackenzies and McBrides series. There are currently eleven books in this series, with more to be published. I bought a copy of this book for my Kindle.
Thoughts: While I am not a huge fan of pure historical romance, I enjoyed this. I prefer some fantastical/supernatural/paranormal elements in my historical romance. However, this was a very solid book. I like there is a well done murder mystery plot woven into the romance here. There is also a lot of mystery around the Mackenzie family that I really enjoyed.
The characters here are what really make the story. Ian Mackenzie is autistic which has labeled him as “mad” very early in life and he spent a lot of his youth in an asylum because of this. He is an intriguing character and I love how Beth learned to work with his peculiarities and see them as strengths in character rather than weaknesses. Beth is a strong character in her own right; she is a vicar’s widow who has come into fortune via an odd route. She is strong, determined, and honorable and I love watching her navigate both Ian and his family.
All of the Mackenzie brothers and the women who love them are intriguing and interesting characters. I mean really, this book is about the intriguing characters that fill it, they are soooo well done. The writing here is also incredibly well done. There is humor, irony, well done romance scenes, and beautiful settings. I love that there is complete mystery story woven through this book too and that the overall mystery of the Mackenzies is going to go over multiple books. This is pretty much everything I expected and more.
This is also one of those books that practically reads itself. I was always excited to sit down and read this and found myself completely absorbed in the story. I kept wandering off to sneak in extra reading time.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this historical romance novel. The characters are unique and engaging and the book was incredibly engrossing and well written. If you are looking for a good historical romance I would check this one out. This is a wonderful blend of romance, intriguing characters, engaging mystery, beautifully written love scenes, and majestic settings. I will most likely continue the series at some point. I am not huge on straight-up historical romances but there is enough going on here that the next time I am in the mood for a historical romance this is the series I will go to.
