|Review| Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

Title: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage
Author: Jennifer Ashley 
Series: Highland Pleasures #2

Published July 6th, 2010 by Berkley Sensation

Genre: historical romance
Rating: A

Goodreads summary:

Only one man could match a lady like this—scandal for scandal.

Six years ago, eighteen-year-old Lady Isabella Scranton scandalized all of London by eloping the night of her come-out ball with the notorious rake, Lord Mac Mackenzie. After three turbulent years of marriage, she scandalized London once again—this time by leaving him. 

Now Mac has resurfaced, every bit as charismatic, and with one goal: to seduce Isabella back into his life and his bed even if it means acting like a real gentleman. But when Isabella rises to the challenge of posing nude for Mac's erotic paintings, her pent-up hunger for the decadent rake is exposed as well, and she finds herself unable to resist the smooth strokes of an artist at work.

But someone's been watching them—dangerously close. This ingenious forger with designs on Mac's paintings also sets his sights on Isabella herself. Deciding to become Isabella's protector, Mac vows to never leave her side, whether his independent and proud lady likes it or not.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is the second book in the Highland Pleasures series and while I loved the first book, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie |my review|, I did not think it could be topped because it's just THAT good, BUT Jennifer Ashley certainly delivered and equally fantastic historical romance!

Here's what's spectacular about Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage: Mac, the hero, loves his estranged wife, Isabella. Isabella loves the husband she left. Mac knows Isabella loves him. Isabella knows Mac loves her. Mac knows that Isabella knows that he knows that she loves him. Isabella knows that Mac knows that he knows she loves him. EVERYONE knows Mac and Isabella love each other so... what's the problem?

In romance books, we get to see the couple fall in love, have great sex, most likely slay some traumatic demons then get married and live happily ever after. What's next? This is Mac and Isabella's story. The Ever After years. Mac and Isabella met then they got married a few hours later because they were that smitten with each other. They have the awesome sex, they get to know each other a little bit, they have fun together and they fall in love. But in Mac's words:

"Passion without love and trust was empty,"

So this is the essence of Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage. Mac and Isabella have the passion and love but they needed to work on the trust part because newsflash: it takes more than love to actually be married to someone and I'm glad that a romance novel actually tackled this. There is no petty excuses or doubts in Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage and thank god for that. I need a break from "he loves me, he loves me not! She loves me, she loves me not!" drama and the "must protect my heart so I'm going to lie about my feelings" blah blah that's in a lot of romance books. Seeing Mac and Isabella come to learn how to manage their love for each other was awesome and I loved every second of this book. Congratulations to Jennifer Ashley for giving us an honest (and hot!) romance tale that breaks quite a few annoying romance "norms". To be honest, I don't know how I'm going to go read other historical romance books by other authors because I'm just obsessed with Jennifer Ashley's storytelling. It's historical romance at its best made better by the fact that Jennifer Ashley stays away from popular romance eye-rolling behavior.

If this book wasn't great enough, it was made even better by the side characters. I'm obsessed with the Mackenzie family. OBSESSED!!! And I don't say that lightly! I literally could read about the Mackenzie clan forever and ever. I was not joking, y'all, I have fallen in love with Jennifer Ashley's storytelling and characters and I don't want to read anything but the Highland Pleasures series. Just give me the Mackenzies. All I want is the Mackenzies written by the amazing Jennifer Ashley.

Fun fact: Mac's name? ROLAND Ferdinand "Mac" Mackenzie! This made me laugh.

Rating: [A] An excellent follow up to the excellent first book in the series, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. I'm officially obsessed with this series!

First:

Isabella’s footman rang the bell at the house of Lord Mac Mackenzie on Mount Street, while Isabella waited in the landau, wondering for the dozenth time since she’d set off whether this were wise.

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Favorite:

"What she would see was a cock that had elongated into a rigid pole. She could hang her St. Leger Ladies' Day hat on it... and oh, Lord, why did he just just think of that?" LOLOL!

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Teaser:

"What the devil are you doing her, Mac? And why is Isabella seving you breakfast instead of dropping you down the cistern?" "My house burned down," Mac said from behind his paper.

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|Review| The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Title: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: Highland Pleasures #1

Published April 28th 2009 by Leisure Books

Genre: historical romance
Rating: A

Goodreads summary:

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.

I've had The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie for a while and it was supposed to be the first historical romance I read but I ended up reading Confessions from an Arranged Marriage (which is beyond excellent) first. So I kept telling myself (and Sharon) that I would read Ian Mackenzie next but here I am, 13 months later and I've just read this book and... I'M SO STUPID. Why did I wait this long?! Like I predicted and like a hundred reviews told me, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is an excellent historical romance novel.

Ian is unlike any romance hero because he's autistic and this book is set in 1881. That's not a good combination. Ian was deemed a madman and was even admitted to asylum by his father and submitted to torture to "cure" him.

He touched the tip of his tongue to the bowl, reflecting that it was far better than ten carriages with matched teams.

I loved Ian and his love for Ming bowls. I just loved reading and learning more about him! How he didn't understand jokes or emotions and how he had to be taught to do some things like clap at the end of an opera performance but he never actually learned why people do that. I pretty much fell in love with Ian and could have read about him forever. He's just so smart and interesting and can I just huggle him?

I also loved the heroine, Beth. I really appreciated something Jennifer Ashley did with this book and that is how Beth is widowed but she loved her husband. He wasn't secretly evil or awful but she actually had a healthy, beautiful marriage before she met Ian. I don't see a lot of that in romance. The heroine's past relationships are either nonexistent, abusive or horrifyingly bad so it was nice to have  heroine who got to experience something good in love because sometimes, the world is good to you that way. Beth was also pretty normal. She liked clothes (I'm so fucking tired and DONE with the heroines who are fashion-challenged and how that's a good thing because apprently liking fashion and being girly is a "bad" thing but that's an argument for another day.) and balls which is pretty nice because heroines who are above everything society does and use the excuse of "not fitting in" or something ridiculous like that make me go blahhh.

The romance between these two was so explosive.

“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.” 

Is that quote not just full of swoon? That's how it was between Beth and Ian. A whole lot of sweet swoon because Ian was rather precious ♥ However, Beth didn't shelter him and protect him like his brothers did.

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.

This goes back to the previous quote, how Ian and Beth fit together perfectly because they understood each other. Beth knew how to handle Ian and and Ian behaved in his own, sort of unusual way that worked for beth. It was great. Plus the book was hawt. Talk about the perfect book!

“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. You are the same. That is why I brought you here, to keep you with me, where you can please make...everything...stop.” 

The MacKenzie clan, Ian's brothers, all made frequent appearances in this book. Hart. Cameron & his son Daniel. Mac and the wife he's separated from, Iseballa. I loved all of them and I'll definitely get my hands on their books soon but I'm trying to pace myself instead of reading the entire series in one week. I also loved Curry who is Ian's valet. I just loved everything about this book, even the mystery plot that played throughout the book and the craziness it brought (an unrelenting inspector, prostitutes, secret bastards, murder, etc.) so if you haven't read The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and you're a fan of historical romance, you need to get this book immediately!

Rating: [A] A new favorite! An epic beginning to a family series that I'm sure is going to rock my socks off.

First:

"I find that a Ming bowl is like woman's breast,"

Favorite:

"Because you have beautiful eyes."

"How do you know? You've not once looked at them."

"I know."

Teaser:

"Why can't ladies ride like men?"
"With a horse between your legs?" Cameron's gold flecked eyes went wide, and he touched his fingers to his mouth like a shocked, elderly maiden. "What kind of woman did you marry, Ian?"

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Friday Five: Historical Romance Edition (#06)

Book: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Highland Pleasures, #2
Published: July 6, 2010 (Berkley Sensation)
Rating: Lunch Break Read
Thoughts: The first book in this series, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is a favorite of mine, and I really enjoyed Mac and Isabella's build-up in it. Unfortunately, they did not quite live up to that in their own book, but they did possess a magic all their own. I loved how art was so big in this story, with Mac being a painter. I also appreciated how realistically Ashley addressed marriage, with it requiring things beyond simply love, such as trust and respect. By the end, I absolutely, 100% believed Mac and Isabella's HEA.

If you thought your dare would make me blush like a schoolgirl, then you do not know much about schoolgirls.

Book: Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James
Series: Duchess Quartet, #4
Published: March 30, 2004 (Avon)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Thoughts: Perhaps my favorite thing about this book was the focus on music. I love how it provided a reason for Helene and and Rees to interact even when they did not desire to. I loved watching them grow together and discover they could make the marriage work. The low point was that it unfortunately had a pointless epilogue that weakened what would have been a hilarious, strong, and memorable ending. It was still good, though. Also, it should be noted that I listened to this on audiobook, and it was very well done!

And when the Reverend Holland brought himself to use a word like damn, he really meant it.

Book: Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan
Series: Carhart Series, #1
Published: January 1, 2010 (HQN)
Rating: Stay Up 'til 2 AM
Thoughts: Jenny is one of my all-time favorite historical romance heroines; I love her spine and strong sense of self-worth. There were great twists, a fantastic side storyline with Ned (who had his own book after this one), and a beautiful romance. Garreth simultaneously broke my heart and made it beat faster, and he and Jenny were simply perfect for one another for myriad reasons. I loved this book so much!

I don’t care what your title is. When I see myself, I see a woman worth more than a modicum of your respect. And don’t you dare touch me if you disagree.

Book: A Night Like This by Julia Quinn
Series: Smythe-Smith Quartet, #2
Published: May 29, 2012 (Avon)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Thoughts: I love that I can always, always count on Julia Quinn for a fun historical romance that is guaranteed to make me giggle and swoon in nearly equal measure, and this one was no exception. It had great witty banter, and my cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much. Also, I was begging for Hugh and Sarah's book while reading this one, so I'm happy to announce that it comes out this October!

Time stopped. It simply stopped. It was the most maudlin and clichéd way of describing it, but those few seconds when her face was lifted toward his...they stretched and pulled, melting into eternity.

Book: Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer
Published: February 20, 1989 (Putnam Adult)
Rating: Staying in Tonight
Thoughts: Oh, this book. Racquel made me read it after she fell in love with it, and I am so thankful! It was such a beautiful story. It moved incredibly slowly, but the friendship that formed as these two lived together was simply wonderful. I cried so often at this book, I honestly don't even understand it. Everything just moved me so much; it was that powerful. Rgardless, it was amazing. I highly recommend it, especially since it is set in such a unique time period.

You’re the first thing I ever had to come back to. How could I not come back to you?

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