Review: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Lord Ian Mackenzie isn’t your typical historical romance hero. “Mad” Mackenzie was locked away in an asylum at a young age. He suffered terribly during his stay there where they forcefully placed him in cold baths and electro-shocked him. Now free from the confines of the mad walls, Ian still feels haunted by his past. Plagued with headaches and occasional bouts of confusion, Ian makes for a complex and intriguing hero that I fell in love with!

What was most interesting about Ian was the fact that he was unpredictable. You could never tell if he was in a good mood or not. Most of the time he is indifferent, but other times he is filled with passion. Trying to decipher his mood was part of the appealing nature of Ian.

I also found myself enjoying Beth’s character. She is a strong-willed woman who doesn’t shy away from taboo subjects. She is quite the seductress and can definitely carry herself well in times of trouble. I trusted her judgement of Ian and his family and respected the fact that she didn’t try to change Ian or save him. She simply loved him for who he was.

The entire Mackenzie clan was such delight! I loved reading about Mac and Cam and even Hart! They each have their own distinct personalities and I thought that Ashley did a great job with her characterization. Isabella was also a great character. I cannot wait to read about her soon!

I also want to rave about Ashley’s writing style and how it flowed beautifully. I breezed through this book and didn’t find it difficult to lose myself in the story. Ashley writes very well and I feel kind of envious of her!

But there was one thing that irritated me a little bit. There were a few instances where she referred to a man’s penis as an “organ” or even more unflattering, as an “appendage”. Gah! How un-sexy does that sound? This is a ROMANCE novel. Don’t be shy, Ashley. Spell it out!

But I guess that may be too forward for her tastes.

Bottom line? I loved this book! Great writing, great characters and overall, an enjoyable read!

Favourite Quote:
“You’ll have a Scots accent before you know it,” Mac said. “The ladies like it.”
“God, no.”
Daniel chuckled. “Ye mean ‘Och, noe.’”