The Devilish Lord Will - Jennifer Ashley 

Last book in this trilogy but book 10 in The Mackenzies & McBrides series, it tells the story of how Lord William Mackenzie helped his family return to their homeland after the Jacobite risings.

This is one of my favorite series ever and so is the author but I’m afraid this book was only ok and not as exciting nor romantic as the rest of the series. I was several chapters in and still didn’t know where the story was going and I felt lost somehow. It took me a long while to really get into it and although it did get better, I still didn’t feel any sparks between Josette and Will, not even with their shared past. I don’t know, perhaps because of everything that was going around them, what with the treasure hunting, Josette’s blackmailer, and Will on the run, it felt as if the story didn’t leave much room for romance.

*I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher*

This was a very enjoyable, sexy, holiday novella that had SO much crammed into its 165+ pages that it fairly made my head swim!  But in a good way.  :)

All the Mackenzies are here with their wives and their children and the place is rollicking.  There are so many instances of sexytimes, all of them lovely and steamy.  We have babies being born and kisses being stolen.  And we have the lovely Lord Ian, who is such a wonderful character, seeming to be the one holding it all together.

Great fun read and a good reminder to me that I have to find the others!  *whispers*  I've only read the first one, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, and it was really, really good.

So, I read the first in this series 6yrs ago and am now reading the 8th. It's turning out to be a wild night for me ;)

It's thunderbolt/soulmate eyes catching across the room right now but, dare I say, I believe in it, so far.

A really fun book. Those familiar with Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond series will recognise a great deal of him in Malcolm Mackenzie. The near-bonking and bonking scenes were actually pretty well done, and I skimmed them rather than skipping them entirely.

Lest one is left thinking all the British are complete bastards, there are a couple of honourable ones :) 

The author has done a good bit of historical research and much of the politics leading up to the Battle of Culloden are accurately described. The aftermath of the loss is described by the author in an afterword. Those who are following the Outlander series will recognise Charles Stuart.

Here's the blurb from the author's website:

Malcolm Mackenzie knows the moment he sees Lady Mary Lennox, daughter of an English earl, that she is the one for him. The trouble is, Highland clans are rising to join Charles Stuart, who has landed in Scotland and headed for Edinburgh where Mary’s family is currently residing. Not only that, Mary’s father is in thick with the English government, and certainly doesn’t want his daughter anywhere near a Highland barbarian. Plus, Lady Mary is already engaged to another.

Malcolm, who considers himself neither Jacobite nor loyalist, wants only to build up his business, avoid the uncertain tempers of his father and oldest brother, and win the hand of the beautiful and lively Mary. He makes plans to sweep her away to his castle north of Inverness, but his four interfering brothers and father, not to mention this annoying uprising, keep getting in the way.

Mary Lennox believes she’s happy. She is fine with going through with her arranged marriage to please her father, at the same time helping her sister to find romance.

That is, until she sees Malcolm Mackenzie, youngest of the Duke of Kilmorgan’s five sons, lounging like a lazy wolf in the middle of a proper English soiree. It isn’t only his kilt that makes him different from her English acquaintances in Scotland, but his predatory air, his golden eyes, and his casual arrogance.

Soon she finds herself under the scrutiny of this man, and of his entire Highland family. Her ideas of duty and happiness splinter and fall away, as Malcolm makes her face the truth about herself and her life.

The dark winds of change, however, are flowing around Malcolm and Mary. Scotland is drawn inexorably into the battle between the Jacobites and the armies sent by the English government to crush the rebellion. Scots fight Scots, loyalties shift, and Malcolm finds himself plunged into a fight he didn’t want, one that will change his life and the Highlands of Scotland forever.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

I had difficulty getting into this story even though it was the story of Malcolm and Mary Mackenzie, the ancestors of Ian, Mac, Cameron, and Hart. It was slow and for some reason I had a hard time wanting to pick it up and continue. I'm not sure why I can't pin point what I didn't like or why I couldn't get in to it. It has all of the qualities we want in a good story; Jennifer Ashley can write well and entrain, and Mary is a strong female protagonist. So I truly don't know why I had trouble with this one. I am interested in reading Alec and Will's stories and I did like seeing how it all began. They are definitely two strong predecessors for the Mackenzie brothers we have come to love.