Jennifer Ashley - The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

It was whispered all through London Society that he was a murderer, that he'd spent his youth in an asylum and was not to be trusted--especially with a lady. Any woman caught in his presence was immediately 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 intimidating intelligence, she could see he needed help. Her help. Because suddenly the only thing that made sense to her was...

Comment: I've picked this book because so many people have enjoyed it, especially some people whose opinion I trust. I bought the book back in October 2011 and it was in my TBR list until this month, the poor thing. Then, last month I've read another book where the hero showed some mental issues and I was so amazed by how such a character could be a hero, that I immediately bumped this one to the top of the pile because I knew the hero was also different.

I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed the book a lot.

This books tells us the story of Lord Ian MacKenzie, he is considered mad because he can't talk to people about mundane things, he doesn't understand subtleties or innuendos and can't look anyone in the eye, which made his father put in in an hospice.

His brothers love him despite everything and when their father died, his older brother, a Duke then, got him out of there and helped him get a better life, despite his mental problems.

Beth is a widow and is about to marry a man Ian thinks won't respect or love her properly. He saves her from that step and they begin to see each other socially. Soon, their attraction becomes stronger and eventually they admit they want the other.

I liked the book a lot. Having read recently another book with this theme by Laura Kinsale, I was quite eager to see another story where the hero didn't fit the stereotype of what a hero should be like. I wasn't disappointed, although I feel the sexual tension could be more focused int he seduction part than in the intimate moments, I think they got physically intimate too soon even without the sex. A bit more suggestion instead of touching could have been better in my opinion.

I liked the plot, it wasn't that amazing but it offered an interesting path to see the character's behavior, attitude and conduct. It created the right frame to set up the character's importance, I think.

The characters were vivid and interesting, not only the main couple but also all the other ones. I can't wait for their stories.

Like I said the romance was OK, I'd change some things but overall, I liked how they feel for each other and their scenes together, plus the dialogue were strong and offered the possibility to understand well both their motivations. Still, comparing to Flowers From the Storm there wasn't that special anticipation of seeing them together and I wasn't as eager to see them interact, because the tone of this story was more obvious and sexual than the other book.I guess I couldn't help feeling this way because such a few time has gone between reads, things are still quite fresh in my head.

Still, what a great book, very different from the usual and I'm eager to read more because despite everything, I liked the characters and the writing style and want to know what happens to them all.