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The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackenzies & McBrides, #1)

Jennifer Ashley

Start date: February 1, 2011

Finish date: February 28, 2011

Discussion: Group Reads

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What Members Thought

May 24, 2018 Juliana Philippa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance-historical, hr-mental-illness, hr-series, 0-this-is-main-gr-edition, romance-series, 4-half-to-5-romance-books, hr-emotional-read, hr-hero-nice-guys-dont-finish-last, hr-hero-silent-quiet-type, hr-hero-younger-than-heroine

4.5 stars
I have heard about this book for such a long time now and I CANNOT believe it took me this long to finally read it—because WOW was it fantastic!! Definitely one of my new top favorite romances. Ian is incredible, Beth is amazing, together they're priceless. Ian is a really, really unique hero and Ashley did a superb job with him, truly. ...more

24 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2010 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favs, ashley-james

I was hesitant going into this book. A hero that has Aspergers? How would that work? Well let me tell you how that worked. Ian was lovable, endearing, wonderful, awesome and I could go on. Ashley did a fabulous job of writing about Ian. I wanted to pack him up and take him home with me, forever. I was totally sucked in by Ian's brothers also. This book when straight to my favs shelf. ...more

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May 08, 2009 Holly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance

I loved this book. The romance between Beth and Ian while wonderful, started off very matter of factly. Lord Ian Mackenzie takes one look at Mrs. Beth Ackerley and knows he must have her. It's typical alpha male possessiveness right off the bat from an atypical hero. Beth was also a very welcomed change from other romance heroines in the fact that she could barely keep her hands off of him during their first meeting. She was intelligent, witty and very compassionate and she quickly became the gr I loved this book. The romance between Beth and Ian while wonderful, started off very matter of factly. Lord Ian Mackenzie takes one look at Mrs. Beth Ackerley and knows he must have her. It's typical alpha male possessiveness right off the bat from an atypical hero. Beth was also a very welcomed change from other romance heroines in the fact that she could barely keep her hands off of him during their first meeting. She was intelligent, witty and very compassionate and she quickly became the grounding reality for Ian to lay his head on.

It's pretty much love and lust at first sight. Beth has fallen in love with the brilliant yet mad Lord Ian and Ian has fallen into instant lust with Beth. I say lust not love because he makes it very clear that he will never fall in love with her. Not because he doesn't want to, but because he doesn't understand the concept of love. (But this is a romance book so never fear!) He does however understand the concept of making love and with his heightened senses, courtesy of his specialized form of Autism, Ian happily shows Beth all the things she's been missing since she became a widow. :D

Enter the Inspector Javert wannabe Simon Fellows who has made it his mission in life to destroy the Mackenzie family. He hounds them day and night and once Beth steps into Ian's life, he quickly begins hounding her, too. Ian is outraged to the point of violence that Fellows has dragged Beth into his sordid family past and he uses the very real threat of Fellows using Beth to bring down his family as an excuse to bamboozle her into marriage. After an impromptu marriage ceremony they leave the Bohemian gaiety of Paris (which reminded me of the movie Moulin Rouge) for the lush landscape of Scotland and right into the watchful gaze of Ian's older brother, the Duke of Kilmorgan. Now this book turns into a kind of gothic horror piece, where you never know who is telling the truth and Beth becomes desperate to solve the mystery that has been haunting Ian and hopes to set him free from the past.

Ian was a fascinating character. While he was a typical hero in some ways. Possessive, domineering, sexual, and exasperated in a very male way when his heroine doesn't stay put, he was also very unique. He was coldly logical and yet touched with a vulnerability that made you want to take care of him. His form of autism has made his life very hard and it never makes an appearance just for the sake of storytelling. Beth and Ian must live with his handicap day in and day out, as must his family and caretakers. The brief glimpses into his thoughts was fascinating but you also get a sense of how terrifying it must be for someone on the outside looking in. While Beth and Ian's love is sort of a needy love, (this actually reminded me of a gentler version of Anna Campbell's Claiming the Courtesan) Beth is definitely a calming influence on him, yet it's still balanced in that Ian wants to take care of her and protect her. Which is a common theme in this book. Everyone is trying to help without knowing what the problem is and of course the only sane one in this houseful of obsessive men is the female.

The sexual relationship between Beth and Ian was very passionate. These were two people who were free to indulge and they indulged! Ian's frank speech was quite, ahem, startling, but I enjoyed him a lot and Beth, while a very enlightened woman for her time (1880s) was still shown quite a few tricks by the very naughty Lord Ian. Jennifer Ashley throws in a few spicy diary entries from Beth that had me grinning, but I would rate this book as medium on the spice-o-meter.

Although Jennifer Ashley pours on the sequel baiting quite thick, I admit I can't wait to get my paws on the brother's stories. Of course I can't wait to read about Mac and Isabella (what happened between them?!) but I'm really looking forward to Hart's story. Now there is a twisted anti hero. Cameron's son, Daniel, really reminded me of the impish Jeremy from Johanna Lindsey's Malory's series and I hope he gets a story some time in the future and I hope he escapes the madness that seems to surround ALL the Mackenzie men.
...more

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Sep 30, 2011 NatalyaVqs rated it really liked it

Shelves: nook, unputdownable

4/2016 This novel had a lot going for it, an engaging writing style, a murder mystery, refreshing characterization (H with aspergers, well portrayed in his straightforward ways, his inability to look in the eye, his uncontrollable anger flashes, also immensely smart; h an independently wealthy widow with a humble childhood which gave her an atypical woman-of-the-world experience, making her unafraid to face the harsh realities of life.) An added bonus is the intriguing cast of secondary characte 4/2016 This novel had a lot going for it, an engaging writing style, a murder mystery, refreshing characterization (H with aspergers, well portrayed in his straightforward ways, his inability to look in the eye, his uncontrollable anger flashes, also immensely smart; h an independently wealthy widow with a humble childhood which gave her an atypical woman-of-the-world experience, making her unafraid to face the harsh realities of life.) An added bonus is the intriguing cast of secondary characters such as his brothers and their various assorted past and present wives which clearly hold a treasure trove of anguish to be explored... however, this was not to be, as I abandoned at 107/268 due to getting fed up with Beth. What seems like strength in the beginning seems obtuse as things get heated up, as she blithely ignores common sense and just plows along towards carnal pleasues. It just seems implausible and out of character. Great premise though, hope the books about the brothers are better.

2/2018 Having just read The Devil Takes a Bride with an OCD hero, I decided to give this one another try. This time I was curious enough to stick all the way through. Even though there was a lull in the middle, it accelerated nicely towards the end and has a strong whodunit plot. Ian is a remarkable character in his brilliance and limitations, especially given his abusive childhood. Beth was likable for her maturity and unashamedness of her background, which seemed a source of her impressive confidence and tolerance. Where she fell short for me is in my understanding of why she fell in love with Ian. With a special hero like that, the gap to bridge towards love runs wide and deep, so simple acceptance of who he is and thinking he is a beautiful specimen of masculinity, just does not cut it. It didn't fit her character to simply be flattered by him being so single mindedly in love with her, she seems too inquisitive to be that complacent. The strength of Devil Takes a Bride was in its heroine coming to terms with her beloveds condition, having gone through stages of being scared and appalled by it. Beth could have benefited from being humanised in such a way, instead of rushing to bedroom Olympics and then plunging headfirst into clearing his name and mending his family feud. Overall a creative and well woven story, and the scene on the train at the end was especially powerful. Glad I gave it another chance, upgrading from three to four stars. ...more

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Sep 12, 2009 Stamatia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance-keeper

I'm so glad Julie's review persuaded me to buy this book! -Thank you JJ!
A most unusual story in that the hero and heroine are not what fairytales are made of . Espescially the hero has serious problems communicating with the rest of the world and is not "miraculously" cured of them. Ms Ashley had me "believing" her story and I think I'm going to follow this series. I like this author's way of narrating. ...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Katie rated it it was amazing

LOVED IT. SO FANTASTIC. It is definitely a different take on your typical romance novel. Highly recommended!

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Jan 04, 2012 Pet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dhggrc

I imagine any form of autism in the 19 hundred would have been treated as here. But I love that despite so much against them he found love and hung on to it with all his might.

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