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

by Jennifer Ashley

A woman is drawn to a dangerously intruiging man in this unique historical romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley.

It was whispered all through London Society that Ian Mackenzie was mad, that he’d spent his youth in an asylum, and was not to be trusted—especially with a lady. For the reputation of any woman caught in his presence was instantly ruined.
 
Yet Beth found herself inexorably drawn to the Scottish lord whose hint of a brogue wrapped around her like silk and whose touch could draw her into a world of ecstasy. Despite his decadence and his intimidating intelligence, she could see that he needed help. Her help. Because suddenly the only thing that made sense to her was…The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie.

• ISBN10: 1101529318
• ISBN13: 9781101529317
• Publish Date: 1 August 2011 (first published 28 April 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Berkley Books
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithbecs]

This book was such a fun ride! I can't wait to continue the next book and explore Isabella and Mac's relationship!

3 things I liked:
- that Beth was a woman who raised from the lower class into the upper class. And that Ian didn't have a problem with that
- that Beth stood up for Ian to his oldest brother. She's such a brave woman, who won't let anyone disrespect herself or the ones she love.
- the way Ian's autism was portraited. I can't speak for the representation myself, but I haven't heard anything negative about it, and to me it seemed like a true representation of the diagnosis

[Rowena]

It's been ages since I've read this book and I had forgotten how good it was. Man, Ian is the bomb and Beth was pretty great herself. I need to finish this series out.

[Heather]

People seem to really love this one but it was unsettling for me. The hero walked all over the boundaries that the heroine attempted to establish in the relationship. He was immediately possessive and controlling towards her before they even had a conversation. It was pretty creepy behavior.

[wyvernfriend]

I really liked this story, even if the male leads were a bit overbearing, I still liked how it treated someone who would have been treated as mentally ill because of Asperger's or the like in the Victorian period. (though to be honest, eccentric was pretty rampant in the upper classes). He's broken by both his asperger's and having to cope with being in an asylum for several years; she's dealing with having lost her beloved husband and having inherited, unexpectedly, a small fortune.

There are some moments where consent isn't taken seriously enough but you could imagine it's fairly period accurate. Still I did enjoy it and found it compelling reading.

[Amanda]

I'd forgotten how much I like Ian MacKenzie. Although it's been a while since I've read this book, I've read other MacKenzie and McBride books lately, and I love the glimpses of Ian in those books, but nothing quite compares to the intensity of his story.

What Ian wants, Ian goes after. And because he is who he is, he's not shy about telling Beth exactly what that is. It makes for some seriously hot romance. If you like your heroes damaged and with major trauma in their history, Ian MacKenzie is your hero. I adored seeing Ian get his HEA, because if anyone deserved one, it was Ian.

I liked Beth, too, although Ian really steals the show (the book?). I think that's natural in romances, where one character tends to get more page love than others, but that doesn't mean Beth isn't her own person, either. She's just so well-suited for Ian. The fact that she doesn't necessarily come from Ian's world works in their favor.

Even when I read this book for the first time, it wasn't my first MacKenzie & McBrides book, so I went into this already knowing the MacKenzie brothers. But it was so fun seeing the brothers before their HEAs that now I want to reread the rest of the books, too. And maybe I will. But in order this time.

[Berls]

This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.

I picked up The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie in one of those Audible 2 for 1 credit deals – I had one book I really wanted, and I saw this one had good reviews, so I grabbed it. And then didn’t read it for months. But then I had a chance to sit at Jennifer Ashley’s table at an author event and the last thing I wanted was to sit there having never read anything by her. So I pulled up The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie.

And cursed myself for waiting so long. The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie was nothing like I’d expected. When I saw madness in the title, I jumped to ideas of a over-the-top, eye-roll-worthy insanity. Boy was I wrong. The madness Jennifer Ashley wrote was genius!

As I grew to know Ian Mackenzie better and better, I found myself speculating about his illness. Right off the bat, I was pretty certain he fell on the Autism spectrum. By the halfway point, I was all but certain he had Aspbergers. What made this so genius, though, was that Jennifer Ashley couldn’t come out and tell us what was “wrong” with Ian, like she could have done with a modern setting. She had to do such an INCREDIBLE job writing his character that we’d figure it out ourselves. (BTW: I TOTALLY asked her if I was right, and I was!)

The other brilliant thing about this move was the creation of a historical hero like you haven’t read. There’s very little predictable about this story line (except that it’s a romance), and in large part because Ian is so remarkably different. He says things that break your heart, when coming from any other man would not be romantic at all. And I dare you not to fall for him.

Olivia sure didn’t have a chance. Who’d have thought a man telling you he can’t love you and never will would do the trick, huh? (that’s not a spoiler, btw, happens in like chapter 1 or 2) Olivia was the perfect character to pair with Ian, since she also isn’t traditional. Olivia is a widow, giving her more freedom than other single women. It also makes her sexually experienced, so she’s not a blushing virgin, but also not a misplaced modern woman in a historical setting. That opens up doors for some steam people ;)! Added to that, Olivia wasn’t brought up proper – she was a lady’s maid and only came into money by luck – so she’s not really buying into propriety.

The fascinating characters really came to life with Angela Dawe’s narration. She did such a good job with both the male and female voices – particularly with the British and Scottish accents. I will definitely continue listening to this series (and add Angela Dawes to my narrator short list).

I’d recommend The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie to fans of historical romance that are looking for some unique leading characters. The best part? He’s got brothers and we get to see their crazy family some more as the series progresses!

[stacey_is_sassy]

Ian is a good man...

I can't write a review for this story, I just can't. There is no way I can do it justice. I read this one years ago and it touched me in a way that many books miss by a smidge. Your heart beats for a man who has spent years frustrated by his perceived shortcomings, yet not able to change. These characters come alive for me and I find myself looking at the siblings like a parent. I wanted to knock their heads together one minute, then call for a group hug the next.

The love story is an original and there aren't too many authors who can capture the emotions as well. There's a connection and understanding between Ian and Beth that others would be jealous of. Such dedication and love mixed with possessiveness and desperation to be near each other. It's appealing yet also could be stifling. Only certain people could cope.

The narrator does a fabulous job and I never struggled to tell the characters apart. No change in the ratings, I loved both the read and the audio.

Love this one and I can't help but go on and see Mac try to get the love of his life back.

[nitzan_schwarz]

Oct 8, 2018

I have been on a historical romance kick recentally, probably because it's so far from the story I'm writing that I have no fear of it blurring into it. But as I was reading all those historicals, I had the urge to visit some of my favorites, starting with Ian Mackenzie. Be still my beating heart, because this is still a fantastic novel.

Iam Mackenzie is such a wonderful hero. His imprefections make him a joy to read, and they balance amazingly well off the good natured Beth, who takes everything life throws at her with a stride. Although, if life threw Ian Mackenzie at me, I supposed I wouldn't mind too terribly, too.



Read the review for this book on my Blog, Drugs Called Books

Re-Read: November 21-23, 2012



The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie is one of the best historical romances I've ever read. It's got real characters, woven together by beautifully threaded words into a plot that captures you attention, your heart and your soul.
If you haven't read this one yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up. I reckon you won't be disappointed.

The Story starts with Lord Ian MacKenzie buying a Ming Bowl. I know, I know--say what?! but the odd beginning gives as a valuable insight into Ian's character, and outlines it straight away. It also introduces Beth and how they're going to meet. I found the start quite charming and I fell for the dear lord almost immediately. There's just something about him.

The plot itself revolves around Ian and Beth's relationship, of course, but it also combines a murder mystery inside!

Ian MacKenzie, the main male character of this book, is a person with a form of autism previously mentioned by the author to be Asperger's. But living in an era no one knows about the existence of such illness, he's viewed as a mad men. He, himself, believes that he's mad.
Ian can't look you straight in the eye. He doesn't understand jokes. He can't lie. He's blunt and honest and doesn't understand subtlety. Sometimes, he's prone to ever-consuming rages that he fears will make him hurt his loved ones.
In other words; he's completely swoon worthy.
I know, I know; what? But something about Ian's character is just so captivating, charming and adorable. You can't blame Beth one bit for falling in love with him.

Talking of Beth... she's not a typical lady. She grew up in the "slumps", at a workhouse. She was a woman of low means until the woman she accompanied passed away and left her a fortune. Due to her background, Beth is anything but meek or abiding. She is stubborn, strong headed, smart and clever, loving, caring and trusting. She knows what she wants and is not afraid to get it, and often acts as the voice of reason in the testosterone filled family. I can rave about her good qualities until tomorrow. Despite all this, she doesn't come across as too perfect or anything. She feels completely real.
You have to applaud her for never doubting Ian or thinking of leaving him, even when he gives her enough reasons for both.

The supporting characters were great. All of Ian's family; Hart, Mac, Cameron and Daniel added to the book and I loved all of them (they've all got their own books, too! :D)
The infuriating Inspector Fellows and the disgusting Mather also added to the plot and world, as did all their various servants. I want me a Curry! (Not the food. He's a person. A really efficient person!)

As for the romance... it was lovely, sizzling, and just plain yummy!

In the beginning of the story, Ian tells Beth he can't love. But everything he does and thinks screams that he does.
And from the beginning, he's attracted to her on more that a physical level. You don't want to do these things with someone you just want to bed, do you?:
"He'd wake with her head on his pillow and kiss her until she opened her eyes. He'd feed her breakfast and watch her smile as she took food from his hand."--p.23.
Na uh.
And then, when his words turn to this...
“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.”
I need some water cause I'm getting dizzy here!
Ian and Beth absolutely fit! also, they were extremely hot together. Warning, warning - spontaneous combustion may occur while reading this book!

One of the strongest moments in this book is when Beth asks Daniel, the son of Ian's brother Cam, why they were all so shocked when Ian laughed at dinner, and he answers that it's because they've never seen Ian laugh before.
I think this sort of summarizes Beth's influenced on Ian, and how she is truly the one and only for this guy (shame, I'd loved a chance at him too!)

This book is just fantastic. So good, actually, that I had to go and buy it!
Highly recommended!

To read this review and more, click here!

[mitabird]

3.5 stars