Explain to me what loving feels like, Beth. I want to understand.
Jennifer Ashley
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family—rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. A lady couldn’t be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround them—of tragic violence, of their mistresses, of their dark appetites, of scandals that set England and Scotland abuzz.
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.
Point of view:
3rd person.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
I’ve listened to this a few times and enjoy it more each time. I generally don’t like “regency” type romance novels. In my (granted, limited) experience there’s a lot of sex with questionable consent, and the stories aren’t very strong. Everything is consensual here. While there were definitely some steamy scenes in this one – the story was would stand on its own as excellent even without them.
Ian was referred to as “mad”, though many of his issues were really that he just interacted with people uniquely. Not picking up on humor, missing social cues, not looking people in the eye, intense focus on topics to the exclusion of others, etc. Beth is a widow of “new money” and only recently in his social circle. They have a fairly immediate interest in each other.
Local police have named Ian a suspect in a crime and this is where the mystery/suspense comes in.
Ian becomes quite endearing, especially as Beth learns and begins to appreciate his quirks. His brothers are a fun addition and I’m looking forward to their stories.
Note: Since originally writing this – I’ve found more historical romances I enjoy.
Narration:
I loved Angela Dawes narration. Her accents are varied and delivered flawlessly. I became completely immersed in the story.
About the author:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley has lived and traveled all over the world, and now lives in the Southwest. She writes historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance as Jennifer Ashley; mysteries as Ashley Gardner; and paranormal romance and urban fantasy as Allyson James.
Jennifer’s/Allyson’s/Ashley’s more than 100 novels and novellas have have been also been translated into French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Norwegian, Hungarian, Italian, Thai, Indonesian, and several other languages.
Jennifer enjoys writing and reading above all else, but her hobbies include cooking, hiking, playing flute and guitar, painting, and building miniature rooms and dollhouses.
You can connect with Jennifer Ashley here:
My Favorite Quotes
We’re both oddities no one knows what to do with. But we fit together. – The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by @JennAllyson #Audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe #HistoricalRomance #Mystery #Scottish
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He didn’t always know how to express his emotions, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel them deeply. – The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by @JennAllyson #Audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe #HistoricalRomance #Mystery #Scottish
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Explain to me what loving feels like, Beth. I want to understand. – The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by @JennAllyson #Audiobook narrated by Angela Dawe #HistoricalRomance #Mystery #Scottish
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Rellim Reads 