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Learn More About "Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some Issues with Heroine's Motivation (B- Grade),
By
This review is from: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (Berkley Sensation) (Mass Market Paperback)
Lord Mac Mackenzie is a legend as a respected painter compared to the likes of Monet. Mac lives and breaths for his art, but his muse is missing. The reason is because his wife, who he loves dearly, left him three years ago after being fed up with his disappearing for weeks on end and drinking himself into a stupor. The moment his Isabella separated from him, Mac turned over a new leaf and would do whatever he could to make her come back. But it hasn't worked. Only recently have they started talking again after Mac's brother, Ian married. But she still keeps him at arm's length and it's killing him having her so close and not being able to enjoy those marital relations they both couldn't get enough of.Mac is in for a great surprise when Isabella comes to see him at his home. She has found out that another man is impersonating him and selling his paintings signed with Mac's signature, trademark style, brushwork and use of colors. Mac shrugs it off because he paints for the love of it, not for the reputation or the coin it brings him. But since Isabella is upset about it, he will investigate the matter. This is also his way of keeping Isabella close and courting her again so they can go back to being husband and wife. Isabella longs for Mac desperately and gave up so much for him the moment they met and kissed at a ball when she was eighteen. That very same night they ran off and eloped. Isabella was disowned by her father and not allowed any communication with her mother or younger sister because of Mac's reputation of being a careless rogue. They shared a passion and love for one another that still burns brightly, but she can't forgive Mac for leaving her one time too many after a horrible event that occurred where she lost something very special. Mac has much to atone for and is willing to do whatever he can to show Isabella that he is more mature, steady and the only thing he craves is a strong brew of tea, and of course her body. Isabella finally gives into temptation and welcomes those pleasures they both have denied themselves for so long. But Mac doesn't just want these intimacies Isabella is willing to offer him. He wants a true marriage. Isabella won't budge with her decision. But when Mac's copy cat grows dangerous and Isabella is targeted, Mac rises up, and with his brothers as backup, will stop this blackguard from running his happiness that is within reach. When Jennifer Ashley released The Madness of Lord Ian, she wrote a very moving and poweful novel about a very special type of hero and his undying devotion for his lady. With Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, Jennifer has gone back to the basics. And that is where the problem lies. Because The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie took major chances, this tale about Ian's brother Mac, and his marital woes left some things to be desired. Jennifer can really write outstanding love scenes, and the relationship the Mackenzie brothers have with one another is wonderful. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage comes across a bit too soap opera in its telling with too many issues occurring all at once. Not only do we have the Mac and Isabella dynamic, but Mac being targeted by some deranged individual, plus too many mentions of subplots dealing with Mac's brothers that happened in Ian's book, as well as a secret plot cliché that comes out of nowhere. When I read it, I almost couldn't stop from rolling my eyes. I did find Mac and Isabelle to be very enjoyable characters, but Isabella comes across as a bit of a tease. She is all for keeping her separation as it stands, but has no problem in acting on some lusty love she and Mac had together when they first were married. She makes the first move in such a way where I found it all very unrealistic. If you are a woman who doesn't want to rebuild your marriage and have stated it time and again to your husband, who wants nothing more than to have a marriage in truth, then why are you having certain intimacies with him that gives him false hope? Comes across as selfish and greedy to me. Actions may speak louder than words, but the way Isabella wanted her cake, and they way she ate it, put me out of sorts. I couldn't understand her motivation even though it is explained in what I guess is a reasonable manner. But when all was said and done, it just didn't ring true to me. The dramatic ending is another cliché that has been showing up all too often in historical romance and really could have been left out. The best sections were Mac and Isabella's interactions with Ian and Beth, who also have a few lovely surprises for the readers who can't get enough of this couple. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is a simple read with a great deal of hot love play and much pushing and pulling from the two main characters whose actions may irk some readers. I was one of them. But, I do look forward to reading the next book in this series about Cameron, who is a big time rake, and his new love with a heroine, who may seem to be the complete opposite of everything he is attracted to in a woman. Katiebabs
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
When It's Good, It's Really Really Good & When It Isn't It's Not Awful,
By
This review is from: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (Berkley Sensation) (Mass Market Paperback)
This was my Must Read book for the month and I'm not at all sorry I read it. I think you should read it too. I really like the world that Ashley is building with the Mackenzies and I will certainly put book 3 as my must read when it comes out, but Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage wasn't the perfect relationship for me.First, the strong points. Isabella is a serious heroine. She's a fully realized person who acts logically for the character. There are no Big Misunderstandings or Failures To Communicate. Isabella and Mac have real problems to overcome and neither of them is fully blameless in their separation. Mac's erratic behavior drove his wife away and she used the time to reflect on what went wrong in their relationship while rebuilding her life. The emotional life of Mac and Isabella is solid and true. There is a moment in a carriage where Mac realizes there is nothing he can say to her that rings perfectly true. Isabella's issues with Mac are absolutely realistic and well explained. Her reluctance to open herself to him while unable to stay away from him are brilliantly merged with the first few sex scenes. I generally skim those and I read all of 90% of them. They were that important to the development of the characters and their relationship. For these reasons alone, Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is well worth your time and money. Buy it. Now, the weaker points. The initial excuse for Isabella's contacting Mac (and it is an excuse, but it's one she's unknowingly been looking for) could have been developed in a number of directions, but it feels like the author never quite fit her villain into the story. The characters that join the book because of him feel forced and unneeded, a cliche. Even though he is sympathetically portrayed and carefully considered, he feels tired, familiar and totally unwelcome. The pages containing him (or issues related to him) are a diversion from the story, not an enhancement to it. Then, the resolution of Isabella's family issues is so quickly done as to feel like a Disney tale. Actually, if Isabella's sister had been an artist, and in anger at Isabella had.... see that's what happens when there's an unsatisfying plot line in an otherwise satisfying book. Rewrites. These weak points keep the book from my best of the year list and put it in the good read category. I wanted to connect to it more than I did. The first chapter of this series 3rd book definitely has me interested, but I hope there's not a similar subplot running through it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This Author Can Make A Book Wonderful, But This One Is Just Average,
This review is from: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (Berkley Sensation) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is book two in the Highland Pleasures series. The first book was The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. I recommend reading these in order, because I feel it creates a richer back story.This book was nothing like I expected it to be. From the hints we received in Ian's book, it seemed like Isabella and Mac had much stronger feelings than I felt were portrayed here. Call me crazy, but when you're fed up enough to leave someone (even if you love them) there are strong emotions there. Even though we were told of their pain, I didn't feel it. There were a few times that I did feel their pain. The author did a good job of involving my emotions in an event that eventually led to Isabella leaving Mac. Anytime it was brought up I felt their emotions. I wish I would have felt as in tune through the rest of the book. I found it very unsatisfying that Isabella seemed to float through most of the book in a calm friendish manner with Mac. It just seemed so at odds with the way their relationship was portrayed in the first book. There seemed to be no passion to her feelings. I expected bitter and angry (on both sides), not indecisive and pleasant. I could understand why Mac tried to be cheerful, it's usually easier to win someone over that way. I felt that it took too long to get to the reveal of why they separated. If I could have felt that anguish in the beginning I think I would have understood the characters better. Truthfully, the few flashbacks we saw were the most vivid part of Mac and Isabella's relationship for me. At those moments I saw a real relationship. Even though they were on the rocks, I could feel their intensity. I think that was what was missing in the book for me, intensity. I liked getting a glimpse of all the brothers again. Hart was in this one for only a short time, but Cameron had a bigger role. I'm interested in seeing how his story will develop. Ian was a great character in this book. I loved him in the last book, and it hasn't faded in this one. He was such a rock for Isabella through their marriage. Getting to see him and Beth was great. I really liked the snippets from the newspapers chronicling Isabella and Mac's marriage. It was a glimpse of the past that I appreciated. I found the subplot involving the forger to be rather lame. It seemed like a weak excuse to throw Mac and Isabella together. I wish it had been better developed and seemed more genuine. I read Ian's book right before I read this one so I would be fresh in their world and remember all the details. I think that this one suffered because of that. Also, because the first book was so sexy I went into this expecting more of the same. While the world saw them as scandalous, I saw their sexual relationship as tame and rather average. My love of this series hasn't dimmed. I look forward to reading about Cameron and Hart.
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