ARC Review: The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley

The Duke's Perfect Wife

(Highland Pleasures #4)

by Jennifer Ashley

Describe the book in three words

Suz: I love Hart...hmm or maybe Contains Hot Highlanders!

Annie: HART.IS.MINE.

Suz: ACTUALLY, I think you will find Hart is mine

*tug of war over Hart commences, Suz wins ofcourse, hehehe!*

The cover: Love it or Hate it?

Suz: Not a fan, I think that the other covers are better, especially Cam's book!

Annie: LOVE IT! It’s Paul Marron. In a Kilt. As Hart Mackenzie. Must I go on?

Hart Mackenzie: Sexy Dominant Highland God or Controlling Manipulative Bully?

Suz: Definietly sexy highland god with a nice wide dom streak, I loved that about Hart. I don't think he would be the same if he wasn't quite as manipulative and interfering as he was. You know that it all comes from a place of love, he just wants to protect his family and those he loves and he thinks he is the best man for the job!

Annie: It’s quite obvious what my answer would be to this one. Hart is a Highland god through and through. His dominant tendencies in and out of the bed make him so irresistible! How can you deny a man who knows exactly what he wants and how he wants it? Not only do we see Hart’s dominance and arrogance in this book, but we also see the vulnerable and parental side to him as well. Ashley does a great job of displaying different sides to Hart’s character.


What did you think of Eleanor Ramsey?

Suz: I really like El, I loved her habit of talking on and on and despite having a fairly hard life struggling through poverty, she never whines, she just gets on with it cheerfully. And what I really really loved about her was that she never backed down from Hart and that she was never afraid of him, as deep down she knows she can always trust him. She was a great heroine

Annie: El is my newest favourite historical romance heroine. I loved her spunk and attitude and the way she keeps Hart on his toes. Despite the fact that her family is in an uncomfortable position, she doesn’t allow the burdens of life to dampen her spirits. She’s a fun, flirty gal who knows how to handle a man like Hart Mackenzie and I have to admire that talent. Not many can match someone so bold as a Mackenzie highlander.

Hart and El, were they a match made in heaven?

Suz: I am not normally a fan of rekindled romance, but I do think that El and Hart were a great couple. Hart needed El, she stopped him from becoming a shell, who only have his political ambitions for succor. I did think this book would be hotter then it was. There is some steamy scenes, but I think Cam and Ian's books were far more erotic.

Annie: Absolutely! There’s no question. The chemistry is potent from page one and undeniable throughout the rest of the book. El matches Hart in the way they are both determined to see through certain events until their expected results happen. While I thought the sex scenes would be more steamy and involve ..err...something extra, the love scenes between Hart and El were still fantastic.


The MacKenzie clan has grown from four solitary brothers to a horde of mini Highlanders and their wives, what do you think of the familial relationships and their inclusion in the book and their affect on Hart?

Suz: I think one of the best things about the Highland Pleasures series is the relationship that the four brothers have with eachother. The brotherly bonds are especially strong as they all lived through an abusive childhood, terroized by their father. Hart being the eldest has always protected his brothers, first from their father then from themselves and it has been the keypoint in his life. What was great about this book was it showed the tight connection that Hart and Ian (my two favourite Mackenzies!) had. Hart would do anything for Ian and is almost more like a father then a brother.

Annie: Actually, one of the biggest reasons why I follow this series is because of the big familial relationships throughout the series. Ian plays a big part of this book and I loved reading about him again. In this book, we see more of Hart’s experiences with his abusive father and the possible fallouts of their actions if Hart didn’t do what he did. I LOVE the fact that Ashley incorporates a different kind of love in her romances. Romantic love is important, but a family is what makes a character's life full.

Any general thoughts on the book, and will you be looking forward to the next one The Seduction of Elliot McBride?

Suz: I loved this book! I have been looking forward to Hart's book since the The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and I wasn't disappointed it was a heartwrenching and emotional book and I can't wait to see what What Ms Ashley has in store for us next.

Annie: YES! After devouring this book, it actually makes me want to go back and read the rest of the series to relive my favourite moments until the next book comes out. I’m actually regretting the fact that I read so quickly.


Any Favourite Quotes?

"We're Mackenzies," Mac said, his gaze steady. "Remember that we break what we touch."

That was what Hart Mackenzie always wanted, she realized. For others to surrender to him, to let him be their master. Not because he wanted to punish them, or to have his own way, but for their own good, beacuse he wanted to take care of them. Those who didn't understand that dashed themselves to bits on him.

“You were supposed to burn this,” Hart said. He couldn’t get up, could not move, drained from what he’d just read.
Eleanor closed the door and came to the table littered with letters. “I couldn’t, somehow.”
He noticed that she did not need to ask which letter he meant. “Why not?”
“I don’t know, really. I supposed, because, of all the people you could have told, you chose to tell me.”
“There was no other person,” Hart said. “No one in the world.”

*ARC provided by publisher

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

The Many Sins of Lord Cameron (Highland Pleasures #3)

by Jennifer Ashley

Historical Romance

The Mackenzies, what a delectable and decandent treat! They are like a box of chocolates full of your favourite flavours how the hell are you supposed to pick!? You have the nutty Ian Mackenezie, the silky smooth Mac Mackenzie and now the dark chocolate treat that is Cam Mackenzie, I say dark chocolate one, because it is my favourite and two because like dark choclate Cam is slightly bitter. And frankly who can blame him? Like some of the best heroes he has a tortured past, when he was young he impulsively married, not realizing until too late that his wife was completely mad (shades of Jane Eyre in this book, but don't worry, she isn't hiding in the attic!) and she preceded to make Cam's life miserable until she died under some rather suspicious circumstances.

As you can tell I completely loved Cam, I always liked him in the previous books and this one he managed to exceed my expectations. He was a little rough, he liked horses, drink and women, exactly in that order, but you know he is a good man by the way he treats his brothers and how he's tried bumbling through being a parent to his son Daniel. What was fantastic was watching him soften a little as Ainsley becomes important in his life, he doesn't become all gooey but he definitely melts a little.

Ainsley, I liked her, like all the heroines in this series so far she isn't some blushing debutante but a grown woman who knows her own mind and knows what she wants. That is another thing I like about this series the heroines seem more like real women with pasts and inseurities of their own that make them stand out a little more in this genre.

Now to the SEX factor, they were hot together, the chemitry between them was fantastic you could feel the heat and the longing as you read it and it may be wise to carry around a fan with you whilst reading it because it is knicker changingly good.

So, Lord Cameron Mackenzie is my flavour of the month, I recommend you all get your teeth in to him!

My Favourite Quote:

"I don't want to be friends with you, Ainsley Douglas. I want to be your lover. I want to bury myself inside you. I want to find out whether you taste as good all the way down, I want to feel you squeezing me, and I want to hear your cries as you take me inside you."

My Next Flavour of the Month Hart Mackenzie

"Hart wants to win by proving he's right-about everything- not with tittle-tattle and bedroom gossip. Hart wants to be God Almighty. No, he already thinks he's God Almighty. Now he wants to prove it to everyone else."

Reviews: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (Highland Pleasures #2)

by Jennifer Ashley

Historical Romance

I LOVED Ian MacKenzie so I was a little sceptical about reading about Mac and Isabella. Don’t get me wrong, I found them both likeable characters but after starting off with such a great book, I was honestly expecting something less than spectacular for this one. After all, I’m not usually a fan of rekindled romances.

The reason being that is that half of the romance has been told before the actual book. Therefore, we only get glimpses here and there of their past love and the writer has to work extra hard to establish that yearning and that spark in a shorter amount of time.

But with Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage, I found that Ashley did a pretty good job of getting that constant yearning and distress onto the page. I liked that she added the not-so-happy scenes where they yelled the house down during their marriage and Mac’s careless drunkenness. It briefly showcased their problems that showed why they separated in the first place. I could see her efforts to try to get those feelings across but I didn’t always feel it.

In comparison to Ian’s book, I thought Mac’s book was equal in its goodness, if not more. Ashley really heats things up in Mac’s book! I don’t recall Ian’s love scenes to be this steamy. That scones and cream scene?? Yeah, totally unexpected but very,very HOT!!!

The only thing I wish there was more of is....I can’t believe I’m saying this but, WHERE’S INSPECTOR FELLOWS?! He makes a few appearances but after the first book and the whole reveal at the end, I thought he would play a much larger part in the storyline.

I love this series and this book was an easy one to devour. Mac is so tempting in those Mackenzie kilts! Paired with that wicked smile and his charm, there is no reason why Isabella wouldn’t find herself falling hard for her husband again.

My advice? PICK.THIS.BOOK.UP!! I can’t wait for Cam’s book!

Favourite Quote:

"I loved and adored you, but I drained you like a thirsty man at a spring. I loved what you could give me - your admiration, your acceptance, your love, your forgiveness. I forgot to love you for yourself."

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.’”