The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
April 28th, 2009
Excerpt:
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.
Review:
This book is a bit difficult for me to review because it's one where you love a character so much that your opinion of that character can overshadow other elements of the book. In my case, my love for Ian Mackenzie. I have a grand love for tortured heroes and Ian fits the bill perfectly. He's a bit nutty, has a traumatizing past, has an overly protective family, insanely honest, and is written to perfection. After the first couple of chapters i was "take me i'm yours" faints in Ian arms while staring sexy like at him. Then you add in the Mackenzie brothers and i was fanning myself from the hotness.
Unfortunately that's where the party ends for me. In complete and honest honesty i did not like Beth, how Ian & her got together, and their whole relationship. Too me, it was all about sex with those two. I saw no connection. The author wanted me to believe there was, but no dice. It seemed more friends with benefits to me. I would have been quite happy if they never married and stayed friends at the end. Course this is a romance and they were the hero and heroine and so would never happen..... Beth also seemed too perfect. Where was the flaws? Coming from a bad side of town and having a somewhat seedy past doesn't count. Beth was basically made to be Aphrodite falling from the sky and everyone loved her. That made me rather sad since Ian and the Mackenzie brothers were written so well and Beth was BLAH. It's not like the author couldn't write women well. Katie and Isabelle were well done characters in my opinion and so i have no idea what went wrong.
The plot, oh yes the plot. I know i can be the plot gestapo. The plot in the book was kinda of just thrown in there. I'll admit i never guessed the murderer, but it was badly written. The ending of the story was also quite bad as well. Really weak. I would have been overjoyed that instead of a pointless murder there was some crazy doctor from the asylum Ian was in trying to get back at him, blackmail him into something, or something of that like instead. Imagine the torture, the anguish, oh such a wasted opportunity there...... Instead we get the sad murder and then the stupid stupid London Detective. The Detective hating the Mackenzie's because he was their long lost older brother who was deprived of everything. CORNY! with capitals.
So all in all i give this book 4 Bunnies because of Ian and the Mackenzie brothers and only that. Everything else makes this book a 2 1/2 - 3 bun book.
Captive of Sin by Anna Cambell
Nov 1st, 2009
I can sum up my dislike of this book in one word: Charis. The heroine annoyed me to no end. I barely finished the book because of her. She was pushy, obnoxious, and self-centered. Yes she claiming what she did was for Gideon, but i didn't get that impression. I got the impression that she didn't even care for his feelings only hers. Then she kept pushing him when he was ready for it. Now i abhor violence against women, but i was cheering for Gideon to hurt her. She even enraged my temper. Pretty sad when she came into his contact because she was physically hurt by her brothers. Something that i came to pity her less and less in the book. I don't know what happened to her. The first 180 pages i could stand her. The rest of the book i wanted to thrash her. Gideon didn't exactly endear me either. I jadore tortured heroes, but he did nothing for me. He seemed to be a cookie cutter cut out of what a tortured hero is supposed to be. I read it, but didn't feel it. The character i liked the most was Akash and he was barely in the book. I want Akash to get his own book....
The plot also did nothing for me. It was so....Boring...... By page 230 my mind was wondering on to more what should i read next than the actual story. The first half of the book kept me interested, but the moment they got to Jersey; where was snookie and what's his name. I don't know. I don't watch that crap show, but i'm sure if those people had been in the book it would be have been more interesting to read.
At the end, in all honesty, if you've ever seen the movie "Hoodwinked" there is a part where the squirrel named Twitchy is telling the wolf what he saw red riding hood was doing. One part he goes sarcastically "she was going lalalala through the woods" and in my mind his voice just goes "they went on their way singing lalalala" in the same tone. The romance was that much of a sell out to me. I read it, but never felt it. Therefore the book to me ends with Charis and Gideon going lalalala happily skipping through the woods in the most campy way possible.
Final rating: 3 Bunnies. The first half of the book was good, but the second sucked. Badly.
Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke
March 1st, 2007
There comes a time when every reviewer comes upon a book that they liked, but don't really have much to say about it. This book has given me that time. I rather liked the book, but i really have nothing to say about it. I think because during the reading of this book i started to contemplate about what i liked and didn't like about books. I started these thoughts due to the fact that Harry only read a few paragraphs/excerpts of Emma's (the heroine) book due to the fact it wasn't his thing. He then further confessed that perhaps he close minded about books because he only read and published what he liked and what he thought mainstream society would like. His pondering got me pondering and i realized that i was still looking at romances the way i did several years ago. I stopped reading them during college and in the last few months have gotten back into reading them. I was still under the assumption that i would like the same type of romances i did then, but my tastes have matured as i have. A lesson that the heroine learned when she realized that she wasn't the same person she was years ago. She was different and she preferred different things.
I find it to be quite a feet when a book can get you thinking about things. I think because the writer got me thinking of these things that i really got to like the characters. I found that i could emphasis with both Emma and Harry. Their romance really reminded me of Luke and Lorelai's from Gilmore Girls. They were friends/ acquittance's for years , but never really looked at each other in the romantic fashion. Both Emma and Harry were very happy bachlors and really felt no need for a romantic fling. This all changes after a series of events that flings them together and has them see each other in a different light. It was really quite refreshing and i throughly enjoyed it. As a reader you sort of feel like your in on a inside secret reading these two and your just waiting for both of them to catch on. Then when they do. ^^ Oh, geese their first kiss has to be one of my favorite first kisses of all time. A kiss in the bookshop. Nothing could be better than that. Due to the nature of the two the placement of the kiss could appear to be a bit cheesy, but i found it to be quite fitting. It would only make sense that since their relationship began around the printed word that they should reach the next level surrounded by it.
My only complaint about the book would be the last few sex filled chapters. I understand it was Emma releases herself of her restraints, but the girl really turned into a sex fend. I would have liked it edited down a bit. Hmm.. funny for not knowing what to say at the beginning i certainly wrote a lot. ^^
Rating: 5 Bunnies. Excellent characters, thought provoking, and wonderful plot. ^^
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