| Title | : | The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackenzies McBrides, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0843960434 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780843960433 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published April 28, 2009 |
| Awards | : | All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll Best Romance & Most Tortured Hero & Best Historical Set in the U.K. & Best Love Scenes & Honorable Mention for Best Romance Heroine (2010), Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Award) Most Innovative Historical Romance (2009), DABWAHA Romance Tournament Best Historical Romance (2010), Readers' Crown Award by RomCon® (Romance Conventions Inc.) Best Historical Romance (2010) |
The youngest brother, Ian, known as the Mad Mackenzie, spent most of his young life in an asylum, and everyone agrees he is decidedly odd. He's also hard and handsome and has a penchant for Ming pottery and beautiful women.
Beth Ackerley, widow, has recently come into a fortune. She has decided that she wants no more drama in her life. She was raised in drama—an alcoholic father who drove them into the workhouse, a frail mother she had to nurse until her death, a fussy old lady she became constant companion to. No, she wants to take her money and find peace, to travel, to learn art, to sit back and fondly remember her brief but happy marriage to her late husband.
And then Ian Mackenzie decides he wants her.
The first of a new historical series.
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackenzies McBrides, #1) Reviews
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5 Crazy in love Stars
First read May 2nd 2015
Reread 8/14/2016
Re reread 6/24/2017
Re re reread lol July 18th 2020
*I love that no matter what mood I'm in or how many times I read this book I can pick it up and get lost in a beautiful love story!*
*Spoilers*
“When I saw you, I knew I had to take you away from him. He had no idea what you were worth, just like he can’t price the damn bowls. He’s a philistine.”
Let me just say that with Historical Romances I either love em or I hate em. I loved this one so much! OMG it was so different and freaking awesome that I couldn't put it down. Hell I didn't even want to stop long enough to write this review. I wanted to just move on to the next book in this series... This was such a beautiful and heartwarming story about Two flawed people finding happiness with each other just the way they are!
“It’s part of the very intriguing package that is Ian Mackenzie.”
What this book is about
Beth Ackerley is a widow who just inherited enough money to be set for life. Engaged to a man she thinks is respectable, Beth is ready to start a drama free life and to find a little bit of happiness since the loss of her beloved first husband. Everything changes when she meets Lord Ian Mackenzie at the opera. While shaking her hand he slips a note into her glove. When she reads it, it tells her that her soon to be husband has women on the side and has a slave fetish. Upset by the news she flees the Opera to get fresh air, where Ian grabs her and asks her to marry him instead! She knows what everyone says about Lord Ian Mackenzie (that he is crazy), but she feels drawn to him. Then he kisses her and she doesn't care if he is crazy she just wants more! What is a respectable woman to do? Run for her life or take her chances with Mad Mackenzie.
“Belong to me.” “No one here to dispute that at the moment.” “Always mine. Always, Beth.”
Ian:
“Is this what love feels like?” he whispered to her. “I don’t like it, my Beth. It hurts too much.”
Ian stole my heart. He is one of the most endearing and memorable characters I have read in a long time. Ian is considered mad. It is obvious that Ian has Asperger's Syndrome, of course back then they didn't know what any of that is so he was labeled mad, beat , tossed in an asylum to be tortured with electric shock therapy and, beat some more until his father dies and his brother the Duke gets him released. Ian believes he can't love and he doesn't understand others emotions, he also has a lot of pint up rage, but Ian is a fighter. A overcomer that knows he doesn't fit in, but makes a life for himself anyways. I love him with Beth how hard he tries to understand what she is feeling, trying hard to look her in the eyes and he even tries to make a joke or two. He was a pure and in-depth Character that you can never forget!
“We don’t fit in, you and me,” he said. “We’re both oddities no one knows what to do with. But we fit together.” He took her hand, pressed her palm to his, then laced their fingers through each other’s. “We fit.”
“Your being with me makes it stop. It’s like the Ming bowls—when I touch them and feel them, everything stops. Nothing matters. You are the same. That is why I brought you here, to keep you with me, where you can please make . .. everything . . . stop.”
“For God’s sake.” Ian spun away, unable to stand still. “I’m not your Thomas, your vicar. I never will be. I know you’ll never look at me the way you looked at him.” She stared at him, white-faced. “What do you mean?” He turned back. “You look at me like I’m the Mad Mackenzie. It’s in the back of your mind all the time.” He tapped the side of her head. “You can never forget about my madness, and you pity me for it.”
Beth:
“I am a wicked, wicked woman,” she murmured. “Kiss me again.”
Beth is perfect for Ian. She is sweet and loving. She is also strong willed and stands up for Ian and what she believes in. She is very outspoken and said what is on her mind! She's had a hard life which gives her courage and a backbone, but it makes her not fit in so well in social settings. I loved how Beth loved and accepted Ian just the way he is not trying to fix or change him. She makes him laugh, smile and she believes in him. She also really wants Ian and is not shy about it.
“Explain to me what loving feels like, Beth. I want to understand.” “The love for another’s body. But also love for their heart and their mind, and for all the silly things they do, no matter how absurd. Your world brightens when they walk into a room, dims when they leave it again. You want to be with the beloved so you can see him and touch him and hear his voice, but you want his happiness as well. It’s selfish, but not entirely so.”
“I am Ian’s wife because I choose to be,” she said. “Whether we live in a grand mansion or a tiny boardinghouse, it makes no difference.”
“I like it,” she said. “I love how hard your staff is, yet the skin is silken. I remember how it feels under my tongue.”
“I’m the Mad Mackenzie.” Beth pressed his face between her hands, anger suddenly rising. “That is other people’s explanation, because they don’t understand you.”
“Never mind. You are a rogue and a scoundrel, and I love every single second of it.”
Beth and Ian are a sweet couple and you could feel the strong connection they have like they are real people. They have some steamy chemistry and both really enjoy carnal relations. The other Mackenzie brothers are loud, rude , manly and totally lovable. This story touched me deeply. I have a niece with autism so reading a book where pure love overcomes differences and difficulties to live happily ever after gives me hope that someday she will get hers too.
“My Beth,” he whispered, his breath hot on her swollen lips. “Thank you.” “For what?” Beth couldn’t stop crying, but she smiled, her face aching with it. “Setting me free.”
I can't wait to read the others. Below I leave my favorite moment in the book:
“I love you,” he said. Beth caught her breath, and sudden tears blurred her vision. “Love you,” Ian repeated. His gaze bore into hers harder than Hart’s ever could hope to. “Love you, love you, love you, love you, love you love you love you...” “Ian.” Beth laughed. “Love you,” he murmured against her lips, her face, against the curve of her neck. “Love you.” “I love you, too. Are you going to say it all night?” “I’ll say it until I’m in you so hard I can’t speak.” “I suppose I’ll have to put up with that. It might be difficult, though I wouldn’t mind finding out.” He paused. “Are you joking?” Beth laughed until she slid out of the seat, but when she landed on the floor, Ian was right beside her. “Yes. I was joking.” She caught lan’s lapels in her hands. “I believe carnality is definitely called for. Perhaps we should send for Curry to pull out the bed.”
http://jessicasoverthetopbookobsessio... -
“Is this what love feels like?” he whispered to her. “I don’t like it, my Beth. It hurts too much.”
This is one of the best books I've read.
This is one of the best historicals I've read.
This book has one of the best heroes I've ever read.
This book has one of the best heroines I've read.
This book has a fantastic story.
This book has made me love two women.
This book made me love four men.
This book made me want to read five books at the same time.
This book is in my heart and it will never go out.
“Your being with me makes it stop. It’s like the Ming bowls—when I touch them and feel them, everything stops. Nothing matters. You are the same. That is why I brought you here, to keep you with me, where you can please make ... everything
... stop.”
The story
Ian decides to save a widow from an unfortunate marriage, and ends up proposing to her in the same evening. She is something fascinating to him, and he wants to have her.
The widow is Beth, who recently became an heiress, and is extremely attracted to Ian. Still, she declines and goes to Paris. Ian, of course, follows her :D
In Paris, Beth meets Ian's brother Mac and his wife Isabella, who are separated. Isabella takes Beth under her wing and decides to do a bit of matchmaking :D
At the same time, a detective is investigating a murder that leads to Ian, and he does everything he can to prove it.
Beth can't stop thinking about Ian, and after some time, she proposes they have an affair. She knows he can't fall in love with her, but can she keep herself from falling in love with him?“I am incapable of love. I will not offer it to you.”
Beth wondered what was more heartbreaking, the words themselves or the flat tone of voice with which he delivered them.
Now, these are just the happenings in the book. The REAL story is Ian. How everyone sees him, how he sees himself, his terrible past, and his love affair with Beth.
I can't say how much I loved it. Ian changes so much through the book, it's amazing!
I loved the rest of the story too, the murder mistery was interesting and I couldn't guess who did it until the end, although I had my suspicions on who DIDN'T do it pretty early :D
This was a slow build, introduction to a lot of characters that will have their own books, and it was done SO WELL that I wanted to start those books while I was reading this one! I seriously can't wait to read them all, I know I won't stop until I finish this series.
The writing style is GREAT, easy to read, although I noticed some modern expressions.
The sex was hot, even though one scene (and that is my only objection with the book) did seem weird for a historical, as in, the first I've read where the heroine does a It wouldn't be that weird if it was an experienced widow in question, but she's never done it, Anyway it may have been hotter if it wasn't described by her writing it down in her diary. Seriously not hot.
About the modern expressions, I think Ian at one point said that "she went down on him" :D I really don't think they said that back then :D Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't know...
But ok, like I said, my only objection, everything else in the book was fabulous and I absolutely loved it <3“You make no sense, my lord. If you don’t care about my fortune or whether I love you, why on earth do you wish to marry me?”
Ian reached for the curl again as though he couldn’t stop himself. “Because I want to bed you.”
He’d marry her for a very basic reason: to have her with him every night, every day, every afternoon, and every time in between. He walked down the boulevard, something in him awakening and breaking free.
The characters
Beth’s fragile trust was in Ian’s hands. He’d growled that he didn’t want to be protected, but the instinct to protect her was strong. Beth was so alone in the world, so vulnerable, and she didn’t even realize it.
Ian
Everyone thinks he's mad. His father put him in an asylum when he was just a boy, where he went through hell. After his father's death, his brother Hart set him free, and it took him a long while to adjust.
I won't tell you more because it's just heartbreaking and you'll feel it more when you read it for yourself.“What was it like?” His words were so low she barely caught them. “Explain to me what loving feels like, Beth. I want to understand.”
Ian has a light form of autism. He doesn't look anyone in the eye, and has some OCDs. He isn't able to read people's faces, recognise their emotions, he basically has to be told what they're thinking.
He has some form of photographic memory, he's a genious. He remembers every conversation and everything he's ever read, is good with numbers, but bad with people. He gets fascinated by simple things and ignores everything else.
He is just such a complex and incredibly written character!
I couldn't NOT feel for him, and I couldn't NOT adore him! Especially because he began to change gradually through the book, all of it thanks to Beth. Even though he said he isn't capable of love, I think he fell in love with Beth pretty early, but just didn't understand it.
The more it went, the more we found out about his past, and I can believe the asylum made him worse, gave him more fears, and made him shut down more. Being with Beth set him free, made him laugh, made him wish to spend more time with her, instead of being alone. It was just beautiful to watch him change, and my heart went out to him every step of the way. And when he looked her in the eyes
Ian is definitely one of the most complex characters I've read, and I just love him to pieces!"Ian’s life was dictated by other people—events and conversations swirled past him before he could follow them; other people decided whether he’d live in an asylum or out of it, whether he’d go to Rome or wait in London. Events flowed and ebbed, and as long as they didn’t interfere with his interests, like finding elusive Ming pottery, he let them happen.
Now Beth had landed in the swift stream of his life, and she’d stuck there like a rock.
Everything else swirled past him, but like an anchor, Beth stayed."
"I do not think of him as Lord Ian Mackenzie, aristocratic brother of a duke and well beyond my reach; not as the Mad Mackenzie, an eccentric people stare at and whisper about.
To me, he is simply Ian."
Beth
She's a widow, recently became rich, and recently became fiancéless due to the divine intervention of Lord Ian Mackenzie.
After nine years of being alone, she wants company, wants to feel desire again, and it happens every time she's near Ian.
She doesn't see him as a madman, she knows he's different, but not crazy.
After they begin their affair, she begins to fall in love with him, knowing he can't love her back."Ian cannot do something so simple as hold a woman’s hand. He moves his thumb up my wrist and under my glove, finding points that shoot wild heat through my body. He caresses the inside of my palm with soft fingers, and then he threads his fingers through mine and holds hard, as though teaching me that my hand belongs there with his."
Beth is a fantastic heroine! She is so understanding, and smart! She has courage and doesn't let people walk all over her.
I just loved the way she didn't judge anyone, especially Ian. She doesn't jump to conclusions, and asks Ian to tell her everything (instead of all those heroines that hear something, get mortally wounded in the heart for the hero deceiving them and they run away to another city or something until they get together again). Nope, nothing like that here. Ian and Beth had a very mature relationship, even though Ian refrained in telling her anything about the murders, but she managed to find that out for herself :D
She stood up to the inspector, and to Hart when he was overprotective, and damn I could just go on and on :DDDD Love her! The end!Beth fixed him with an icy stare. “Rest assured, I am not prone to swooning. I might have the footmen throw you out, yes, but swoon, no.”
The rest of the Mackenzie family
I love them already!!!! It isn't normal, but I guess the author did an excellent job with the introductions, they wormed their way inside my brain and I won't be still until I've read all the books that are published!!!!
Isabella, I love her too! I feel very sorry for her because I know she still loves Mac, and I desperately want to know what happened between them!!!!!
Cameron and his son are interesting as well, can't wait too read his story too. I wonder what happened with his wife and all. Sounds terrible! And I wonder who his love interest will be :D can't wait!
Hart.... Wow that guy is intense! I think the first BDSM hero in a historical!!! Well, at least what I could gather, it was something like that :D The guy is into some kinky stuff!!!! There was mentioned a lady that ditched him, can't remember her name, but I bet she'll be in his book :DDDD Can't wait for that one too!!!“All of us are mad in some way,” Ian said. “I have a memory that won’t let go of details.
Hart is obsessed with politics and money. Cameron is a genius with horses, and Mac paints like a god. ...
We all have our madness.
Mine is just the most obvious.”
I don't know what else to say about this book except - READ IT!!!
I recommend it to every historical fan, and to those of you who are not!
It's that good, and it's that much worth reading!
Amazing.
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Edited to add a note from the author which can be found at the end of this review.
Review contains minor spoilers
This is my first read of any of Jennifer Ashley’s works and I was not disappointed, in fact, I was very, very pleased. I found her writing style to be flowing and well thought out, and her ability to weave a tale that kept me wondering, *sighing* and hopeful through the entire novel made this, for me, a story that was “un-put-downable” (Yep, I made up that word. ) *grins*
This is one of those times that, even though much of the story is based on Ian’s past, we didn’t need to have it all laid out in a prologue. Instead, we learn through flashbacks told from his brothers’ points of view, as well as Ian’s, about the youngest Mackenzie being institutionalized and subjected to all manner of horrible experiments performed under the guise of "treatments." Jennifer Ashley did an excellent job of giving us just enough details of his dismal existence for us to really understand what Ian had been subjected to, without going into so much detail as to make this an uncomfortable read.
From what I understand from reading other reviews, Ian’s “madness” is a form of autism, Aperger's Syndrome, though I don’t remember anywhere in the book where they gave it any specific medical name, not even one accepted during the time of this story. “Madness” is such an all encompassing word, but I suppose with the way the characteristics of his condition manifested themselves, “madness” would have summed it all up quite well.
I loved that we were introduced to Ian right away, and got a glimpse of one of his “quirks” – his passion for Ming vases – early on. A man of complex contradictions, Ian is often withdrawn, yet easily enraged. He has a childlike honesty about him – he literally doesn’t know how to lie – yet understands that he can avoid telling the truth by withholding it. If I were a licensed psychiatrist/psychologist, I would likely still be on page 1 trying to unravel the complex and intricate weave that makes Ian, Ian – a hero unlike any other hero I have ever read about, and I can’t tell you how refreshing that is.
Beth, a compassionate, nurturing woman unconcerned with society’s ideas of propriety and morals spent most of her life giving service to those in need. She had cared for her alcoholic mother until she passed, then as the wife of Thomas, the vicar, she cared for those in his flock. When, after only a year of marriage he became ill, Beth cared for him until he passed. She was fortunate enough to then become the companion of an wealthy, opinionated old woman with whom she spent many years, and when the woman became ill, Beth cared for her, too, until she died. Care, care, care…caring for people who were unable do so for themselves was something Beth was all too familiar with. Only a person who had walked in Beth’s shoes could see past the rumors and the lies which shroud the Mackenzie family. She was able to peel away the layers and see that there was much more to them than they allowed people to see. It took very little time for her to realize how much Ian needed her, but knowing what I did about Ian, I had expected that this would turn out to be a story of unrequited love. I believed that Beth would care for him, maybe even grow to love him, in spite of his madness – or perhaps because of it – yet never feel his love in return. Nor would she expect it because he had made it clear to her that he couldn’t… literally could not, love her.
I found it interesting that Ian believed he couldn’t feel a person’s love for him, nor could he return that love and yet, he felt and reacted to fear, anger, disgust, compassion, lust… so this didn’t make a lot of sense to me. When he first met Beth, he had to have felt something for her or he wouldn’t have been compelled to help her. As the story progressed and situations came about, he reacted much the way a man in love would; he became protective, possessive, domineering and demanding. So, I found myself thinking that perhaps because he had never felt this kind of love for someone, he didn’t know what to label these new emotions, or how to express them. Thankfully this issue was resolved to my satisfaction towards the end of the book.
I would love to go on and on, dissecting each little nuance of both Ian and Beth, but there are so many *sigh* moments and subtle things to love about them both that it would take pages and pages - and honestly, I don’t want to deprive you of finding them yourself because it’s those moments that make this, for me, a truly great story.
Ian’s 3 brothers, Hart, Mac and Cameron, played big parts in this book and their characters, as well as their checkered pasts, were so well developed that I am already impatiently awaiting their stories.
While The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is not exactly what I had anticipated, it turned out to be more than I had hoped for. By page 5 I was completely captivated by Ian and by page 13, I wanted to bring him home with me and love him forever. *sigh* But I will have to be content in knowing that he has his Beth to love him like no one else ever could.
Note: For my friends who I know are concerned about the sexuality of the book - having read some reviews calling this erotica - while I would say that the “heat index” on this is pretty high, the sex itself could be considered pretty mainstream - no menage, no anal. (Hope this helps)
Update: There have been many discussion about Ian's "madness," and what it is exactly. I sent Ms. Ashley an email today and asked her if she would share with us some insight into writing Ian, his "madness," and her research. I was thrilled to have gotten an answer right away and with her permission, I'm posting her reply:
"Ian has Asperger's (which, as you say, is high-functioning autism). I wanted to explore what it would be like to have Asperger's before it or autism was recognized or even had a name.
People with Asperger's can have a variety of traits, and not every person has the same (e.g., some are fine with looking into other people's eyes, some have a great sense of humor, while others are painfully shy and take everything literally). So Ian has Asperger's and a little OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). A great memory for certain things, usually very focused on details.
I did a ton of research on Asperger's and autism (heartbreaking stuff), and then started writing. Once I was writing, though, I totally fell in love with Ian! He was the toughest hero I've ever written, but he was worth the pain. :-)
Jennifer Ashley"
My sincere thanks to Ms. Ashley for sharing that information with us, and for giving us Ian, a truly *sigh* worthy hero. -
Almost everyone who's read this book loved it to pieces, so my expectations were pretty high when I started it. High expectations can be a blessing... or a curse. Now that I finished this read, I can't help wondering what is "wrong" with me because, I'm sorry to say, I don't understand what all the fuss is about.
I liked Ms. Ashley's writing - this was my 1st book by her - and I thought the premise - the hero is "mad" - was interesting and unique, but the romance didn't work for me. Lust was very well depicted and the sex scenes were steamy hot, but love was nowhere in sight, IMHO. How can you fall in love with someone you only meet between the sheets? Ian and Beth had barely exchanged a few conversations before they found themselves in love with each other, and that pattern didn't change after they got married. I had a hard time buying their love - especially because I was constantly reminded that Ian didn't understand what Beth said half the time. He became completelyobsesseddevoted to her from the moment they met and I can go along with that - hey, I have bought that scenario in several books before and I will keep doing that, no doubt about it - but I need to feel that special connection between the H/h. Sadly, I didn't feel that with Ian and Beth.
Halfway through the book, the story took a turn and the romance was left aside to give space to a convoluted murder mystery. I won't go into details here because I don't want to give any spoilers away, but the "investigation" conducted by Beth was silly. I can't understand how she just solved something that Hart (Ian's older brother) and the Scotland Yard itself had failed for 5 years! Super Woman, thy name is Beth.
That 2nd half of the story annoyed me and made me drop my rating to 3 stars. I still needed Ian and Beth to convince me they were in love, but I had to content myself with pages and pages of Beth digging into the Mackenzies' past and working on solving the murder mystery.
Another "problem" I had with this book is, it screamed "First Book in the Series". Ian's brothers - all future heroes in the series, I'm sure - and their problems were featured in detail, taking my attention away from Ian and Beth.
All in all, this wasn't an altogether bad read to me. I really enjoyed the 1st half of the story, when Ms. Ashely was still developing Ian and Beth's relationship. But then, wham! They were in love and I didn't know how that had happened. Oh well... -
2.5 stars
So, first things first. The male lead in this book, Lord Ian MacKenzie, has Asperger Syndrome.
I just set you on edge, didn’t I? You’re having flashbacks to Real, aren’t you?
Go ahead and release that breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding, because I’m here to tell you that this aspect of the novel is handled very well.
Ian hyper focuses on objects, he’s obsessed with patterns, he doesn’t always like to be touched, he has issues with eye contact, and he struggles to follow conversations if more than one person is involved. And this just skims the surface of the way his autism manifests throughout this novel.
His quirks are at times endearing, at times confusing, and at times frustrating, for both the reader and the cast of characters surrounding him. And they’re meant to be, which is wonderful.
You can tell that Ashley really did her research here, and I applaud that.
What I found to be incredibly disappointing is that beneath those quirks, Ian is the same old tired, overused male lead I’ve found in so many other historical romances.
I started to dread this being the case the moment he met the female lead, Beth, whose name I just had to look up even though I literally finished this book five minutes ago (that should tell you something, more to come on her later).
So he meets Beth at an opera house. He knows her fiancé. He knows her fiancé is a huge tool. And he came ready to warn her away from him, with a detailed note detailing the man’s dalliances and perversions.
Whether or not he gives the note to Beth is entirely dependent on whether or not he deems her worthy:
“I wrote it before I came tonight, in case when I met you I thought you’d be worth saving.”
Seeing as how they didn’t even speak to each other before he slid her his missive, it’s safe to say her worth is based solely on her appearance. S’cuse me? Are you for real right now? Is that in any way supposed to endear him to me?
WELL, IT DIDN’T.
Then they actually speak, and during their first verbal interactions Ian began to covet Beth, to think of her as ‘his’. This mindset only became more pronounced as the book went on. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, as a tie in to his autism, but his possessiveness of her, and her easy acceptance of it really bothered me because of how it was portrayed. It was domineering, dehumanizing, and objectifying.
“Tell Isabella’s gentlemen friends to keep far from you. I don’t want them touching you.”
“Only you can touch me?”
He nodded, brows together. “Yes.”
“I don’t think I mind that,” she said softly.
I do. Cut that shit out.
They refused, and Ian even goes so far as to force Beth into marrying him. This whole scene made me see red. Beth is a widow, not some blushing virgin terrified of her reputation being ruined. She’s very clear from the beginning that she only wants a physical relationship with Ian, and even turned down an earlier proposal from him.
Then they get caught out during a liason by a douchebag cop named Fellows who has it out for the MacKenzies, and this happens:
“Ian turned around. “We are leaving by the front door. Be damned to Fellows.”
“I thought you said he was ready to arrest us.”
“Why should he?” Ian’s voice hardened, and he glanced at her with a look she didn’t understand. “He has no reason to arrest a man for spending a night in a pension with his wife.”
Beth stopped. “But I’m not your…”
She took in the priest, Mac’s expression, Curry’s innocently blank face.
“Oh, no,” she said, her heart sinking. “Oh, Ian, no.”
Yuuuuuuuup. Yup. Yup. Yup. Silly, woman. This is the nineteenth century, what you want doesn't matter. Especially not to the one fucking person it should matter most to.
Once they’re married, he continues to force his will upon her, even going so far as to use sex as a weapon when he doesn’t like the words coming out of her mouth:
“She bit her lip, white teeth on red, and his desire rose swiftly, inconveniently. But if he made love to her, if he rode her until she couldn’t breathe, she’d stop asking questions, she’d stop thinking, she’d stop looking at him.”
Ew. That’s just…disturbing.
Beth’s character is no better. She judges the females around her as gossip-mongering nitwits, and then goes on to relish in gossip with her friend, she betrays the male lead’s trust time and time again, and at the end of the book her TSTL tendencies drove me up the fucking wall.
Then we have this little gem:
“This was the third day Beth had sat there studying the vista of Paris, the third day her paper had remained blank. She’d realized after her initial excitement of purchasing pencils, paper, and easel that she had no idea how to draw.”
That’s right. She’s so stupid she forgot she’d never had an art lesson before, never so much as attempted a sketch on her own.
-______________________________-
Lastly, there was the plot. It was not only predictable, but riddled with gaping holes wide enough to drive a carriage through, which I won’t get into because spoilers.
In the end, the well-portrayed autism and the well-researched setting just weren’t enough to surmount this book’s many, many other issues.
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The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie established to me that it would be a great read from the first page. Ian is such an unusual hero, and he is thoroughly lovable. And Beth is one of those rare heroines who really does deserve a hero like Ian. Their relationship felt right and it felt meant to be. Watching them grow closer, to acknowledge their unique, rich relationship, was very gratifying. Their bond was emotional, sensual, spiritual, and intellectual. Although there were parts of each other that they didn’t fully grasp, they kept their hearts open to coming to accept and understand each other. There were no judgments against each other given. Romance stories like this are my favorite kind: where two people can find love with each other, without judgments or the fear that they have to let go of who they are or lose who they are to be in a fulfilling relationship with each other.
Ms. Ashley did a wonderful job of showing me who Ian was. That what others considered a ‘madness’, a defect, a shortcoming, was merely a different way of processing things, and very beautiful and worthwhile in its uniqueness. The depiction of Ian’s condition reminded me of
Water Bound by Christine Feehan, another book that looks at a main character with a form of autism. It was not exactly the same as Ian’s, but I saw some commonalities in Ian and Rikki. They looked at the world in a profoundly different way, saw beauty with an enhanced detail that few of us are able to appreciate. Although that makes it hard to filter out sensations, the artist, the lover of beauty in me wonders how this can be a bad thing, if the person has the love and understanding, the space to breathe when things get too intense for them. Apparently Ian has
Asperger's Syndrome. Back in the 19th century, no one would have known what this was, or understood it, and so for Ian to be able to function and to be productive, wonderfully so, was so lovely to read about. To see how his shame became a triumph. It was just beautiful to see. It really was. I loved the hope that Ms. Ashley gave me as I read. I know that she never tried to deny that Ian’s life wouldn’t be easy, but he had the love of his family, their acceptance, and the love of Beth to help him through it. So his affliction was really a gift. That is so true to life for us. Those of us who are different look at ourselves as flawed. However,I believe that our differences are God-given, and they are given to us for a reason. We may not see it that way, but as we walk through life, we come to realize that because of who we are we can give something special to the world that no one else can. That’s how I perceived Ian’s madness. Definitely a gift in disguise.
I loved seeing Ian’s family. All big, tough, larger-than-life men, none of them perfect. They reminded me of my father’s family of brothers. A room full of big, loud-talking men. It made me smile. I am very much looking forward to reading stories about each and every one of them, and hopefully Ian’s nephew Daniel will get a book when he’s older too.
This book was rich and fulfilling. I read it pretty quickly, because it fed my soul. I want to thank Ms. Ashley for giving us Ian and Beth’s beautiful love story. -
★★★★★! Book 1 in the Highland Pleasures series. A gem. The most amazing, memorable and special hero, Lord Ian Mackenzie.
I was not a GR member when I read all my historical romances. Thus I never wrote a review, only rated each book.
Lord Ian Mackenzie (27 years/youngest son of a Duke/$$$/dark brown-auburn hair/amber eyes)
Beth (29 years/widow/dark brown hair/blue eyes)
Ian is on my list of top-100 heroes. For me he is unforgettable! Beth was wonderful - everything Ian needed. She not only settled all his demons, but she anchored him.
It’s such a treat to get to follow Beth and Ian through this series. I find myself basking in those moments that Ian reappears.
***If you are into alpha males, you’ll like the oldest brother Hart Mackenzie, Duke of Kilmorgan. You’ll meet him extensively in book 1 (and learn that he is into kinky sex). His story, book 4 might have fizzled slightly (4.5 stars), but I do recommend it as well as the series.
***
Hero rating: 5+++ stars
Heroine rating: 4.5 stars
Story line concept rating: 5 stars
Story ending rating: 5 stars
Sex scenes rating: 5 stars
Sex scenes frequency: 5 stars
******************************
Overall rating: 5+ stars
Would I recommend this book: Yes!
Would I re-read this book: Yes.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes. -
4 Stars (Originally Read 6/25/2017)
4 Stars (Re-Read 12/18/2020)
Overall Opinion: This was a super cute and enjoyable read! I enjoyed it, especially because of the H. I floved him! My heart broke for all that he went through and how misunderstood he was for his time. I also really appreciated how the h cared for him how he was, and never tried to change who he was. I would recommend this for anybody trying out the HR genre. I don't normally read the HR genre, but this has to be one of my favorites so far 😊
Re-Read Note: This was a fun re-read and it’s going to keep the same rating as a well as have it stay on my favorites shelf. I still think Ian made the book for me, but that’s probably because I have a son that is an Aspie that he reminds me oh so much of. My heart broke for him and what he went though because of his differences. Beth was amazing too! She was so compassionate and strong. I loved how she never hesitated with him even though others warned her off plenty. The ending was still disappointing enough to make it 4 stars instead of 5 though. But it is still a goodie that I’d recommend!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Beth and Ian's story. Ian is a collector of Ming bowls, and he meets with an acquaintance that is trying to procure the same one as him. He soon finds out that this acquaintance is planning to marry a newly wealthy widow, Beth. He steps in and warns Beth, because this acquaintance is not what he seems and he starts his strong pursuit of her in his place. There is a police detective that has a bone to pick with Ian's family and starts harassing both him and Beth over a couple of murders. There is a little suspense and mystery, a few laugh-out-loud moments, and some sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.
POV: This alternated between focusing mainly on Beth and Ian in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed, and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: Kind of. I tolerated it though, because they don't voice their feelings or even realize them themselves until much later. Re-Read note: I didn’t feel as though it was instalove this time. I felt like it was instalust for sure, but love came later
H rating: 5 stars! Ian. I LOVED him! I have a son that has Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning autism), and I am certain Ian was an aspie too ~ which I always love!!
h rating: 4 stars. Beth. I liked her spirit and the way she cared about Ian. Re-read note: I’m actually going to up her rating to 5 stars this time because of how great I thought she was for the H
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Not really
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes/HR style 😉
OW/OM drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: No
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had pretty good closure and a jump ahead epilogue with a HEA ending Re-Read note: Not nearly enough closure for me! While I did think it was cute it wasn’t enough of a glimpse into their HEA!
How I got it: I got it on loan through my public library.
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers -
*****5 ~Wickedly Sinful Stars *****
"I’ve never been with a lady before.
I don’t know the rules."
Lord Ian MacKenzie
Lord Ian is mad!! Or at least everyone thinks he is. But there is so much more to him than meets the eye. He is a collector of precious things and he wants Beth in his bed!
“When I saw you, I knew I had to take you away from him. He had no idea what you were worth...
Beth
Beth may be a beautiful, rich lady, but she's no angel. From the moment Lord Ian Mackenzie catches her eye, she is lost to desire. Her late husband taught her to enjoy making love. But Ian wants so much more!!
"I want to see you bare and I wish to kiss your cunny."
"Are you wet?”
I love Ian's dirty mouth and he loves to talk during sex !!
Ian is the prime suspect in a murder investigation only because he is different and spent time in an asylum. But the whole truth of his life was nothing like I had expected and so much better. Beth is the perfect heroine!! She is respectful, but refuses to be trampled upon. She is a lady in public, but a wicked lady in bed.
This is just a wonderful story about a beautiful unconditional love. There is no unnecessary angst due to lack of communication. Ian and Beth are honest with one another and play no games. I loved the character development and can't wait to read more about the secondary characters. Especially Ian's brothers.
I Highly recommend this book to anyone that loves historical romances!! I can't wait to start book 2 of the series!!
Sexxy MacKenzie Reviews:
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron
The Duke's Perfect Wife
A Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift
The Untamed Mackenzie
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie
Scandal and the Duchess
Rules for a Proper Governess
-
Rereading after 6 years of reading it for the first time 💜
Still one of my favorite HR ever! This book is so unique. Love Ian and Beth! -
"Ian cannot do something so simple as hold a woman’s hand. He moves his thumb up my wrist and under my glove, finding points that shoot wild heat through my body. He caresses the inside of my palm with soft fingers, and then he threads his fingers through mine and holds hard, as though teaching me that my hand belongs there with his."
I am simply in love with this book!
I am in love with Ian! I am in love with Beth! I am in love with all Ian's brothers!
One of the most beautiful historical romances I've read! So magical!
Ian's "madness" made me love him even more!
I loved everything in this book! The story was amazing! The characters were AMAZING! The writing was simply beautiful!
BETH
I loved every thought that crossed her mind, everything she said, every move she made... everything!
She is not like some typical HR heroines and I think that is the reason why I loved her so much. She is not shy, she is not ashamed of her past, she is proud and will not allow anybody walk over her. The way she understands Ian, the way she makes him feel better, and the way she doesn't think of him crazy is just beautiful to read. She loved once and lost that love, and she is aware that Ian could break her heart, but she still wants to explore that desire she feels with him. I loved how she didn't let anybody walk over Ian too, even his brothers. I loved how protective she was even though she knew Ian could not love her back the way she wanted.“It is the most divine thing imaginable,” she tried.
“I don’t want to hear about divinity. I want to hear about flesh and bone. Is love like desire?”
“Desire is part of it,” she said slowly. “The love for another’s body. But also love for their heart and their mind, and for all the silly things they do, no matter how absurd. Your world brightens when they walk into a room, dims when they leave it again. You want to be with the beloved so you can see him and touch him and hear his voice, but you want his happiness as well. It’s selfish, but not entirely so.”
IAN
I was literally mesmerized with his mind! If this book was only his POV I would give it 10000 stars if I could!
The first time he saw Beth he just knew she was unique like his porcelain bowls, and he just had to have her. But not only for one night, he had to have her forever. So even though he always says he is not capable of love because of his "madness", I think he fell in love with her at first sight. She made him calm, she made him happy and she made him laugh, which he didn't do since he got back from asylum. He thought that everything he touches brakes and he only wanted to protect her from everything, even from himself. He never looked her in the eyes long enough because he would lost himself in them and he wanted to remember everything he did with her. He wanted her to belong to only him.“Right there in the damn box, with the opera blaring on. I’d take you, make you my own.” He put his hand on her neck over the spot where he’d given her the love bite. “I branded you.”
Beth smiled. “You, too.” She touched his neck. “I branded you.”
He laced his fingers hard through hers and pressed her hand to the bed. “Belong to me.”
“No one here to dispute that at the moment.”
“Always mine. Always, Beth.” Thrusts punctuated the words. Always."
"He pulled her close. “Your being with me makes it stop. It’s like the Ming bowls—when I touch them and feel them, everything stops. Nothing matters. You are the same. That is why I brought you here, to keep you with me, where you can please make... everything... stop.”
“Because when I look at you, I forget everything. I lose all track of what I’m saying or doing. I can see only your eyes.” He laid his head on her pillow and rested his hand on her chest. “You have such beautiful eyes.”
THE STORY
I am speechless! There is nothing I could say to give justice to this beautiful story! It captured my heart from the beginning! Even though I knew it had HEA, I just couldn't stop myself from crying near the end.
I think everybody needs to read this story, and needs to do it ASAP!“Is this what love feels like?” he whispered to her. “I don’t like it, my Beth. It hurts too much.”
-
***Updated 4/12/13***
In my original review, I said I thought I allowed my own expectations to ruin it for me and I was right. After a second read, I was struck by how awesome this book truly is. In fact, it's going on my favorite list, with Ian leading the way. He is a one of a kind character and I adore him.
Original Review:
I went into this book with high expectations due to the high reviews and I think those expectations ruined the book for me. I still liked it though. 3.5 stars. -
Just finished my reread of this book, and I think I loved it even more the second time around. <3 This will always be a favorite. Definitely continuing to Mac and Isabella's story this year!
-
(2.75) dnf @ 45%
is it me? is it the genre? somehow i have not had the best experience w/ HR. i kept having a harder time getting into a romance that is set on the historical time (old days) than the modern ones. and i'm just wondering whether that is bcs the HR genre is not for me or is it cuz i just haven't found the right books yet?
[detective Peralta, out]
anyway bout this book : as i said before, i haven't had any HR book in my 'favorites' shelf, so i was looking for a HR that has more unusual trope, expecting to like it better. (it was an experiment). hearing this one has a hero that has autism intrigued me.
um... well suffice to say i was expecting more. i’ve got nothing bad to talk bout this book. just that it didn’t meet my usual personal preferences is all. the majority here was about their liaison & i’ve no interest in that. i wanted more love story y’know, preferably a non insta-love (i also don’t like insta getting together) -
When I picked this book up knowing that it featured a hero with Asperger's, I imagined the crux of the story would be about Beth and Ian learning to love each other despite his emotional detatchment. I didn't feel like I got that.
There's no real discussion of how Ian and Beth came to love each other. I noticed they had great, wall-banging sex often, but that was the extent of the romance, it seems. There were few scenes that showed them interacting with their clothes on over something mundane. Sure, she supported him through a murder mystery, but how often will that come up in a lifelong marriage? I needed to see them becoming attached to each other and enjoying each other's company despite his communication quirks. I wanted to see them dealing with how utterly annoying an Aspie can be and how bewildering she could be through his eyes. Instead, he dominates her in typical alpha style and she accepts sex as attachment.
Oh, and there's a murder mystery with a ton of plot holes.
And a bunch of sex scenes thrown in for no particular reason other than to be graphic and to titillate.
And a ton of obvious series set-up.
Meh.
Really, this is not the sort of character pairing that lends itself well to a suspense subplot (as half-baked as this one was) as there's plenty of conflict to mine from their personalities alone. I wanted a good book, a character study, and instead I got a paint-by-numbers romance novel like any other. It's not a bad book, just an exceedingly average one. -
FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED
It's beautiful. It's thoughtful. It's special.
"Love you."
The man who couldn't look anyone in the eyes was making himself do it, no matter what the pain. He was giving her a gift, the greatest one he could, straight from his heart.
4.5 stars.
London, 1881
Ian had lived with a raw pain for so long. He doesn't always know how to express his emotions, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel them deeply. Ian is a special man. He avoids to look people into their eyes and his attention wanders when he is spoken to, and he interrupts conversations with inappropriate comments or questions that have nothing to do with the topic at hand. He can't follow a conversation when he's with a crowd. Further, he can't read hints from others. A person has to tell him a thing plainly. During Ian's stay at the asylum, he had to undergo a horrible "treatment". Obviously ice cold baths, beatings to suppress his rages, and electric shock "therapy" were common at that time. Since the electric shock therapy he suffers from terrible headaches on a regular basis. Ian was labelled as a madman, yet he is anything but mad. He's got incredible skills.
"I can play this piece note for note," Ian said, his breath warm in her ear. "But I cannot capture its soul."
On top of that, Ian has outstanding maths skills and a terrific memory for certain things.
It happens not all the time but for once I can say that I adored the heroine! Beth is kind-hearted, determined, stubborn, and she's got a will of steel. I think this woman can hold her own, and she did it all the time. She was Ian's constant source of strength and showed him a tremendous understanding. Beth is definitely exquisite porcelain and not a fake!
On his trip to discover the true meaning of love, Ian has to struggle from time to time.
Explain to me what loving feels like, Beth. I want to understand."
"Desire is part of it," she said slowly. "The love for another's body. But also love for their heart and their mind, and for all the silly things they do, no matter how absurd. Your world brightens when they walk into a room, dims when they leave it again. You want to be with the beloved so you can see him and touch him and hear his voice, but you want his happiness as well. It's selfish, but not entirely so."
"I can feel desire and wanting. I find you beautiful, and I want you."
"Is this what love feels like?" he whispered to her. "I don't like it, my Beth. It hurts too much."
Ian is such a tortured soul and he did find his soulmate when he met Beth. This hunger and desire that both of them felt for each other was so palpable and ever-present. I was pondering about the word accessible. I guess autistics are difficult to access at times, yet I just felt that Ms. Ashley did a fine job in making Ian very accessible. I got an insight into his mind and I feel very grateful for that. We always have a need to voice everything. However, communication and understanding even work without a single word. Maybe we should listen more to our heart and our feelings. And facial expression and posture are other forms of communication.
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is a beautifully written story. It's thoughtful, passionate and very sensual. The main protagonists are very likable and refreshing. Moreover, the author offers the reader a great cast of secondary characters as well. The story is nicely wrapped up by a lovely epilogue. I'm looking forward to reading the whole Highland Pleasures series!
Ultimately, Beth claimed Ian's body AND soul and she helped him to control his "rage" and to deal with the misery that his deceased father did cause him.
"I'll make you sure. You said yourself he caused you too much misery and that you and your brothers need to be done with him. Please, Ian. Let him go."
Ian did let him go and he said to Beth:
"I love you."
On a personal note
Thank you, Kristen, for sharing your knowledge about autism and the link:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
I appreciate it, and I truly hope that you will find your right and special moment to read this story -
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THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE has been on my radar for the better part of a decade. The book is on many lists on Goodreads, ranking at #21 on 100
Historical Romances To Read Before You Die and #25 on
Favorite Historical Romance Novels. The fact that it boasted a hero with Asperger's disorder made TMOLIM even more compelling, especially with a price drop that brought the book down to $1.99
on Amazon.
Now that I've read TMOLIM, I'm not sure what to think. There were aspects of the story that I liked a lot, and there were aspects that I think could have been done better.
Things I liked:
+ The relationships between the Mackenzie brothers. It was obvious they all cared about one another, even if they had difficulty expressing that. I also liked how they never felt interchangeable.
+ Ian's Asperger's was handled very well, for the most part. He has trouble looking people in the eyes and grasping humor and metaphors. He enjoys patterns, numbers, and has obsessive interests.
+ Beth was a step up from most romance novel heroines. She doesn't stomp her foot or pout. Even though she's a widow, she's not one of those stereotypical "virgin widows" and she loved her late husband, who was - gasp! - an engaged and attentive lover and not gay/impotent/abusive (as the trope often is).
+ Isabella was an AWESOME character. I'm hoping she stays awesome, seeing as how the next book is her story and sometimes characters I liked in previous books undergo curious personality changes so that they fit the plot of the story, but in this book she was great. Wish she'd had more page time.
Things I didn't like:
- The relationship between Ian and Beth was almost entirely sex- and attraction-based. I didn't really see why they liked each other, apart from each thinking that the other had pretty eyes.
- Beth wasn't an awful character, but she didn't seem fully realized, either. I would have liked to have seen her portrayed with more complexity and compassion.
- At time, Ian's character seemed a bit cliche. He has a near-perfect memory - can recall entire discussions exactly for weeks, can play songs after hearing them once, is amazing at calculating the odds for gambling, etc. I know that there are people who are like this, but the
savant trope tends to walk hand-in-hand with most representations of autism or autistic spectrum disorder, so it was a bit disappointing to see TMOLIM succumb to this cliche.
I felt ambivalent about the murder mystery. On the one hand, I never guessed whodunnit. On the other, I found the guilty person(s)'s reasons for committing the murder in the first place circumspect and lame.
TMOLIM wasn't a bad book. I wouldn't say it lived up to the hype, but it still manages to stand out in a genre that tends to be overrun with wallpaper historicals that all end up looking alike after a while. Would I read more by this author? Yes. Absolutely.
2.5 stars! -
NB : On kindle sale today 20th May 2021 for USD 1.99
I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 60 on my shelf. This is book 5.
(Tropes: Widow, Tortured Hero (Asberger))
This is how my 5th re-read held up.
I LOVE Ian. And I really want Ian to find love, peace and happiness. And for sure he finds that in Beth. So his needs are met. Happy ending for him. YAY!
Beth. Will a man who is emotionally (almost) unavailable, has no filter, can’t lie, can’t look you in the eye, can’t understand or is not interested in what you say, be enough in the long run?
In this book yes…? In the real world? I struggle mightily to see it.
I want it to be enough, but I certainly could not handle it. I believe that communication and emotional support are some very important keys to a happy relationship. And humor! Beth likes to joke, Ian doesn’t get them. I could never be in a relationship with a guy who does not look at life and burst out laughing.
While Ian certainly “improves” with Beth’s presence in his life, I don’t see a lot of the benefit in this relationship for her (well, apart from the sex of course…we all know great sex cures all 😊)
Also, Ian and his brothers are very heavy handed. Beth is constantly dragged, pulled, lifted, pushed, held tight, and ordered about in a way that I have clearly overlooked in the past, but on this reading I found problematic.
Frankly, I found Ian’s brothers very off-putting.
This book also threads on my crude tolerance boundary (Ian has no filter). Now I will admit, my crude tolerance is weak, so others might scoff at it, but for me it occasionally pushes the book from romantic and hot into not my kind of porn :D Just not my flavor. (I am talking about the language, not the actual acts.)
Still, I am really torn, I love so much about this book, and I really don’t like certain things in this book.
So the re-read dropped from a 5 to a weak 4.
Doesn’t stop me from quoting some of my favorite moments though.
************
- Ian never knew what went on behind people’s expressions. Everyone else instinctively knew the signs of rage and fear, happiness or sadness in others. Ian had no idea why people burst into laughter or into tears.
- “I wouldn’t expect love from you. I can’t love you back.”
Beth plied her fan to her hot face, her heart stumbling. “Hardly flattering, my lord, for a woman to hear a man won’t fall in love with her. She likes to believe she will be the center of his abject devotion.” Mather had said he’d be devoted. The crumpled letter burned her again.
“Not won’t. I can’t love you.”
“I beg your pardon?” She’d been using the phrase so often tonight.
“I am incapable of love. I will not offer it to you.”
- She studied the sharp profile of his face, the high cheekbones, the square jaw. A woman would want to run her hands through his thick hair when she held him in bed. It would be warm, damp with sweat as he lay heavy-limbed on top of her.
Beth dared to reach up and smooth his hair back from his forehead.
Ian’s gaze snapped to her. For one instant, he pinned her with his stare. Then his eyes slid sideways. Beth stroked his hair again.
He sat still under her touch, quivering with tension like a wild animal.
- A tear rolled swiftly down her cheek. She put a quick hand on Ian’s, and the piece stumbled to a halt. “You don’t like it,” he said, his voice flat.
“I do—only, could you play something a little happier?”
Ian’s gaze skimmed past her like a beam of sunlight. “I don’t know whether a piece is happy or sad. I just know the notes.”
- “When I was first released from the asylum I wouldn’t speak for three months.” He heard her stop behind him.
“Oh.”
“I hadn’t forgotten how—I simply didn’t want to. I didn’t know it distressed my brothers until they told me. I can’t read hints from others. A person has to tell me a thing plainly.”
- Ian’s life was dictated by other people—events and conversations swirled past him before he could follow them; other people decided whether he’d live in an asylum or out of it, whether he’d go to Rome or wait in London. Events flowed and ebbed, and as long as they didn’t interfere with his interests, like finding elusive Ming pottery, he let them happen. Now Beth had landed in the swift stream of his life, and she’d stuck there like a rock. Everything else swirled past him, but like an anchor, Beth stayed. He needed her to stay forever.
- I’m falling in love with you, she wanted to say into their clasped hands. Do you mind awfully?
- “My memory is too damned good. I can’t blot out things. I want to remember you alone here with me, or in that pension in Paris. You and me, not Fellows or Mather or my brother, or High Holborn . . .”
His words died and he began to rub his temple, frustration glinting in his eyes.
Beth put her hand over his. “Don’t think of it.”
“It plays over and over and over again, like a melody that won’t stop.”
Beth softly rubbed his temple, his hard fingers beneath hers.
He pulled her close. “Your being with me makes it stop. It’s like the Ming bowls—when I touch them and feel them, everything stops. Nothing matters. You are the same. That is why I brought you here, to keep you with me, where you can please make . . . everything . . . stop.”
- “Is this what love feels like?” he whispered to her. “I don’t like it, my Beth. It hurts too much.”
-
RELECTURA: 4 estrellas porque el libro es muy sexoso jajaja y no me acordaba!!! yo recordaba puro romanticismo pero PAR YISUS ESE IAN ES INSACIABLE!!!
Obviamente lo sigo amando jaja.
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Le había puesto 4 estrellas en mi reseña del blog, pero es que... es Ian, y LO AMO, soy muy debil cuando se trata de él, así que serán 5 estrellotas esta vez para él.
http://www.virivillarreal.com/2014/12...
La verdad ni me acuerdo porque no le puse 5 si la reseña es tan fiel a lo que siento ahora!!!! ajajaj como sea, igual lo amoooooooooooooooooooooo <3 -
“You are a rogue and a scoundrel, and I love every single second of it.”
Lord Ian Mackenzie was deemed a lunatic at an early age by the courts and thrown into an asylum until his brother, the Duke, rescued him a few years later. He is known as the "Mad Mackenzie." He has rages and quirks that most people just can't comprehend in this time in history. He is also extremely intelligent and can remember conversations verbatim. Oh yea did I mention is he tall, gorgeous, protective and sexy as hell? Well he is, so go ahead and check those of the list too.
“There, my dear, goes an eccentric.”....“Mad as a hatter. Poor chap lived in a private asylum most of his life, “and he runs free now only because his brother the duke let him out again..."
He does not understand feelings, he can't tell whether people are joking, happy, sad and he doesn't know how to love.
“Explain to me what loving feels like, Beth. I want to understand.”
“The love for another’s body. But also love for their heart and their mind, and for all the silly things they do, no matter how absurd. Your world brightens when they walk into a room, dims when they leave it again. You want to be with the beloved so you can see him and touch him and hear his voice, but you want his happiness as well. It’s selfish, but not entirely so.”
He meets Beth at the opera and he's immediately drawn to her in the same way that he's drawn to his Ming pottery. He knows she's worth keeping and he will do anything to have her as his wife.
“Your being with me makes it stop. It’s like the Ming bowls—when I touch them and feel them, everything stops. Nothing matters. You are the same.”
Beth Ackerley is a widow of a vicar and she inherited enough money to be comfortable from an heiress she worked for. She's not really looking for love, just a partner to spend time with. That is until she meets Ian and everything changes for her and I do mean everything. He is just so easy to love...well I think he is anyway. She is also strong, proud and doesn't back down to no one.
“Do I love you?"
“I never understood before. It’s like fear and hope, both warm and cold. All mixed together.”
So the story begins and it's is so beautiful watching the transformation in Ian. Just little things that we do everyday and take for granted he can't do.....things as simple as eye contact. So watching him learn and want to do things for Beth.....its swoon worthy!!
This book has it all........love, madness, sorrow, suspense, borderline crazy family, family ties, twists, sex, courtesans, and so much more. I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book and I can't wait to start the next one:))
“All of us are mad in some way,”
Very well said Ian, we are ALL crazy in our own way!!!!!!!!!! Each and every one of us have issues and quirks that will drive someone crazy. It was very interesting to me and very real how she portrayed the views of mental illness from a stand point in 1881, even a case as Ian's which by today's standard would be considered a mild from of autism...I would think. I can imagine to this very proper society it was deemed crazy and eccentric, where as we probably wouldn't blink an eye to it.
If you like historical books or are willing to try one, this is the ONE to try....it's absolutely fantastic! I just can't put into words how beautiful it is but read it and find out for yourself!!!!!! I'm going to put in 1 more quote that was my favorite even though it really has no meaning as to the story line other than maybe how Ian's mind works.
“He stared at the droplet, something inside him singing at the perfection of the ball of ink, the glistening viscosity that held it suspended from the nib. The sphere was perfect, shining, a wonder.
He wished he could savour its perfection forever, but he knew that in a second it would fall from the pen and be lost."
Buddy read with Vishous......it was verra good V:)))))) -
SO MANY people have told me that I need to read this book because of how much I love Scottish historical romances. I finally got the audiobook from my library and COULD NOT STOP until I was finished with this book.
Immediately when this book started, I fell in love with Ian's character. It's not explicitly stated, but it is inferred that Ian is on the autism spectrum and no one in society knows what to do with him. He spent a lot of his life in asylums and being degraded by his father because of the way he was. I loved how close he was to his bothers and how protective they were over Ian, especially because they had no control over what had happened to him when he was younger. I loved how Beth actually loved those aspects of Ian's personality that people were scared of and how she was never scared off from him like so many people are.
I really loved the pacing of the relationship between Ian and Beth. It just started off of as attraction and heat and slowly developed into something more. They obviously cared for each other, but Ian thought he wasn't capable of ever loving someone. My heart broke for Ian throughout this whole book and I just wanted him to be happy. And I loved how Beth was a widow. I haven't run across many romances with a widow, so I enjoyed that aspect and how she had more freedom as a woman to explore a relationship with Ian because she had already been married.
If you can't tell, I absolutely loved this book. I am so excited to read the rest of the Mackenzie's stories because I fell in love with all of their characters in this book. I highly recommend you pick this up! -
Wow! How can I rate a book more than five stars? Even after all the hype, this book still held up. I guess all I can do is put it on my “all-time-favorites” bookshelf.
Lord Ian is intense and he leaped off the pages and into my arms. I wondered how
Jennifer Ashley was going to present his POV, since he has Asperger syndrome, and at times it was almost as if it was written by someone else, the tone is so substantially different.
Here is a scene, from the heroine’s POV, from early in the book when the hero, Ian, has just met the heroine, Beth, at the opera for the first time. You can see she is attracted to him, yet he is disconcerting her; while Ian doesn’t know how to take her teasing:Lord Ian drew a thin curl between his fingers, straightening it. He let it go, his eyes flickering as it bounced against her forehead. He drew the curl out again, watching it bounce back, and again. His concentration unnerved her; the closeness of his body unnerved her more. At the same time, her own wanton body was responding.
I liked the humor in the heroine, Beth; it is delicious when she finally makes Ian laugh out loud, something he never does. Still, she is also a tenacious woman out to solve a mystery. It is nice to see a heroine worthy of the hero.
“You shall take all the spring out of it,” she said. “My maid will be so disappointed.”
Ian blinked, then returned his hand to the arm of his chair as though having to force it.
The three brothers, Isabella, and the servants were very, very real; their dialogues believable. I found the relationship between Ian and Hart thought-provoking. Each brother thinks the other is guilty of something. I loved that Hart, the Duke, was earthy - but also so arrogantly rude to Beth - believing her to be not good enough for his brother, only worried about her safety with regards to how it would affect Ian; conversely, at the same time rude and dismissive toward Ian feelings, while still relying on him for his abilities. On second thought, Hart is rude to everyone. Ms. Ashley has created complex characterizations here and they are fun, intense, emotional and subsequently button-pushing. A wonderful love story about a woman learning to love again and a man, who thinks he can’t, learning to love for the first time!
Ms. Ashley is a new-to-me-author and I will definitely be purchasing, not borrowing, more of her works.
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Fabulous fabulous book. I can't say enough good things about the deft development of characters, the remarkable pacing and the emotional punch. I loved every word of it. It's an instant favorite, and one I will reread again and again. Brilliant.
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Una historia muy atractiva, una combinación de romance e intriga con personajes que escapan al estereotipo que se suele encontrar en las novelas de este género. Ian tiene un trastorno conductual que en la actualidad es adecuadamente diagnosticado y tratado, pero no sorprende que en la época en que está ambientada la novela se considerara como un tipo de locura y, que quienes lo padecían, terminaran en un manicomio con los horribles tratamientos que se detallan.
Por otro lado está Beth, que tal como la describe Ian, es una mujer auténtica, con un enorme sentido del humor, que no está enviciada con las reglas de la aristocracia por lo que se complementan a la perfección. Me reí mucho con las bromas que le hacía Beth y que Ian jamás entendía. Los secundarios también destacan, en especial Curry, el ayuda de cámara de Ian ¡qué personaje!
Me gustó mucho la pluma de Jennifer Ashley, es el primer libro que leo de ella y de seguro no será el último. Si hay que ponerle un pero, es que da muchas cosas por sentadas respecto de la familia Mackenzie; a veces incluso era para dudar si este era el primer libro de la serie. Fuera de eso una muy buena lectura.
Reto #47 PopSugar 2017: Un libro con un personaje excéntrico -
5-Madly-Obsessed-with-Mackenzie-Stars!!!!
Before anything else I would like to say that if you decide to read this book be prepared for an insatiable hero because Ian Mackenzie is clingy as fuck and I absolutely adore him for that.
What really hooked my interest with this is Ian because in the blurb he was described as mad/eccentric/strange. He and his family are quite notorious to the ton with the family scandals and all. He was portrayed as the no-nonsense brother who is extremely intelligent but has a difficulty expressing and understanding emotions. He was misunderstood and he misunderstoods most of the time which makes him so innocent in some ways. I was drawn to him like a moth drawn to a flame because I dig eccentric heroes you know... like a lot.
I also really loved Beth. She was so cool, funny, smart and a hell lot of sassy. I admired her in this book because she cared a lot. She made an effort to understand how Ian's brain work. She accepted his eccentricities and wished him to be who he was. I love how determined she is to help the Mackenzies to clear up their names. She's the kind of heroine that makes you want to keep on reading a book. 0 percent annoying attitude from yah girl Beth here!
Now let's talk about their relationship here.
“Is this what love feels like?” he whispered to her. “I don’t like it, my Beth. It hurts too much.”
Hot damn. Ian and Beth are borderline obsessed with each other (especially Ian to Beth). Ian was so clingy to Beth, it's like I-would-die-if-you-die kind of love. He wants to be with her all of the time, the can't stop touching you/can't stop kissing you type of relationship. It was so cute that I can't help myself but to swoon every time they show affection with each other. Their madly in love and perfect for each other.
"Do you mind my madness? Even if you're right that I can contain the rages, I will always be mad. I won't get better." "I know." Beth snuggled against his chest. "It's part of the very intriguing package that is Ian Mackenzie."
See? I told you. Perfect!
The other things that I loved about this book were:
The mystery- didn't expect to have this one in this look but I bloody loved it. It added lots of thrill in the story.
The character development- this was not just for the main characters but also from the side characters. I was drawn to the Mackenzie brothers. there's just something about them that I want to explore. The author's excellent hint-dropping of future stories made me invested with the series.
The writing style- even if it was a historical romance the words used by the author is very easily understood even if english is not your native language.
I don't know what else to say, this is amazing. It's very heart-warming.
Perfect.
Brilliant.
A masterpiece.
Unputdownable.
Addicting.
I wish I could put Ian in a valise and never let him go. He is now my baby. Ugh. -
I had no idea what a cunny was and why the hero wanted to kiss it, but now I do.
Meet Ian. The mad MacKenzie.
He apparently suffers from Aspergers syndrome. I can't say that I wasn't interested to discover how that would work out; a fluffy romance hero with a mental condition to swoon over. But my starting point was expecting to enjoy the interesting edge that Ian's autism would bring to the story.
There's so much going on in The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie though, none of which is executed properly. Ian's mental issues are completely downplayed. He is just your typical barbarian, who follows his swollen organ and is hardly able to utter a coherent sentence. Why he and the meh heroine, Beth, are instantly infatuated with each other remains a riddle. Their sudden love is never explained by the author, other than that Ian finds Beth beautiful and she appreciates his rock-hard bod and amber eyes like brandy, flecked with gold as though the sun danced on them.
Shortly after having met Ian, the heroine takes off to Paris to learn how to paint. Upon her arrival she accidentally bumps into, somewhere on top of a random hill, Ian's brother. Who happens to be a painter no less! Beth then also meets his gorgeous ex-wife Annabella, who takes her under her wings immediately and - again without the author making any of it appear plausible - the two become besties. Then - surprise! - Ian pops up in Paris...
I'm a sucker for the courtship rituals that this genre often offers; the Old World politeness, the amusing banter as the slightly sarcastic hero and the heroine are trying to outwit each other, the games of pushing and pulling... Since in this book I was stuck with a hero who could not even process humor, emotions and conversations, I was obviously out of luck.
Still, I would like to finish on a amusing note. So it's time to move on to the sweet berries, swollen organs and wanton hands! What about this rather unconventional erotic scene?
"Are you wet?" Ian whispered, teeth on her earlobe.
"Yes." She tried to swallow. "If you must know, I am quite, quite damp."
"Good." His hot tongue circled the shell of her ear. "You understand such things. Why you need to be wet."
"My husband explained on our wedding night. He thought that ignorance on the woman's part was the cause of much unnecessary pain."
(...) He wanted Beth to apply her mouth to his nipples, then let her sink down to her knees to take his staff into her clever mouth and practice giving him love bites there. At last his clothes parted, and she was able to reveal that part of a man's anatomy that is the cause of so much wickedness." -
When I saw that this historical romance had a lead male character with Asperger's, I just had to read it. I've known a few people with this syndrome and was curious to see how the author would handle the interpersonal relationships between Ian and his loved ones. The people I have known with Asperger's struggle with relationships and have a hard time getting people to understand their mannerisms. Understanding social cues is something that most of us take for granted and don't realize how important it is, and how awkward things can be when another person doesn't have this skill. My son's friend with Asperger's is such a sweet kid but has a hard time keeping friends because he doesn't understand things like when it is time to go home, when to wrap up a conversation, and how not to smother another person. It always breaks my heart when he tells us about failed attempts at relationships.
So, Ian MacKenzie had Asperger's during a time when any deviation from the norm would get a person locked up in an asylum. And, so that is where he spent many years of his life, undergoing horrendous atrocities in the name of "medicine." Luckily, his older brother got him freed from this torture as soon as their father died and he took over the estate. Ian has a brilliant mind and has helped his brother double their family fortune with his perfect memory and mathematical brain.
Beth is a widow who inherited a fortune from a lady that she had worked for, as a companion. She is engaged to a total player, but doesn't know it. She is trying to get established in London society, and with all of her money, the offers poured in.
she liked to laugh that a young widow who'd just come into a good fortune must be, to misquote Jane Austen, in want of a husband.
Ian knows her fiance and decides to warn her about what a dog this guy is. Ian is a bit obsessive and finds himself obsessed with her. He proposes to her the very night they meet, but of course she declines. However, she is very intrigued by him... and so it begins.
Beth is an awesome character because she is amazingly patient and understanding of Ian's eccentricities. She has a way of warming him up and breaking through his barriers - such as the fact that he cannot look into people's eyes or understand jokes.
Ian grinned, then burst out laughing...
"Beth likes to joke," he said without looking at the others. Beth felt the frost of Hart's rigid stare. Daniel's mouth was open in surprise, and Cameron sat very still. Something had happened, and Beth wasn't certain what...
..."Tell me something, Daniel," Beth said. "In the dining room, when Ian laughed at me, you all stared like the ceiling had come down. Why?"
Daniel wrinkled his forehead. "Why? 'Twas because Ian laughed. I don't think any of us have ever heard Uncle Ian laugh out loud before."
That was so sweet. She keeps breaking through to him and it is heartwarming. But, I do like that the author doesn't "heal" him and have him suddenly stop having Asperger's. That would have ruined the story because it isn't realistic. Beth just helps Ian function at a higher level with her unconditional love and patience - she doesn't (and cannot) "fix" him.
Not all of Ian's problems are Asperger's related, though. He is suspected of murder, and has been very traumatized by his past. There is a mystery wrapped up in the story, and Ian is terrified that Beth is in danger. However, Beth is a smart and resourceful person. She wants to clear Ian's name and is determined to help him.
The only negative thing in the book, to me, was that there was some weird sexual language. Maybe it is Scottish lingo, but it threw me. Other than that, I loved the overall story and characters of Ian and Beth. -
Goodreads tells me this is my third time reading this. Well, Goodreads, if I have I am starting to get worried about myself!!! Have zero recollection of the storyline at all. I see I purchased it in 2012 - 6 years ago - so maybe I read it back then but definitely did not read it since then!!! I really enjoyed it.
"Ian, you are so bad for me," she said. He gave her a half smile. "I'm the mad Mackenzie."
"I wouldn't expect love from you. I can't love you back."
My heart broke for Ian for most of this book. Tragic childhood.
He stared into her eyes ... so blue, so beautiful, like the skies in the middle of summer.
"Is this what love feels like?" he whispered to her.
"I don't like it, my Beth. It hurts too much."
-
Thanks to Princess Under Cover's recent racy updates:
https://www.goodreads.com/user_status...
I can't get the Scottie Hottie out of my head! So of course I turned to one of my fav historical Scottish romances, this one.
It's got one of my fav tropes in terms of MCs: a "disabled" unusual Hero - I think he's likely autistic. I love these types of Heroes. 1) I like seeing how their minds work 2) there's a real innocence and purity about them because they don't think the way average people do.
Some other readers mentioned that they didn't like Beth, the heroine very much. She was fine for me. I thought she balanced Ian pretty well. She's strong willed, knows what she wants, a little too risk taking, goes with her gut, but then, it takes someone like that to be a good match for Ian. She needs to take care of him.
Mostly tho, I love Ian. I love how he has such deep depths of emotion and feeling despite his autism. His rages are because he cares so much. And then when he realizes what love is, the ending tho... made my face about split with a smile!
Highly recommend! -
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
1st book in the Mackenzie & McBrides series. Historical regency romance.
Beth is engaged per society rules until Ian shares the news of womanizing and scandal. When Ian proposes, Beth refuses and decides to be a rich single widow and travel on her own. Ian’s not satisfied and follows Beth to pursue a relationship and protect her from the vengeful ex-fiancé and a determined detective.
Interesting characters and wonderful romance. Since I’m not an expert at autism or aspergers, I didn’t realize Ian’s lack of eye contact was because of that. Once I understood that, it was easier to understand him but thought it was mentioned way too many times.
I really liked Beth’s strength and not forgetting her working class background. Her inheritance may have increased her class standing but it’s her intelligence that stands out.
Lovely. I look forward to reading more from this series.
