LADY ISABELLA'S SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE

Author: Jennifer Ashley ISBN: 9780425235454 7/2010 HISTORICAL Publisher: BERKLEY SENSATION
Time Period: Victorian 1881

Six years ago, eighteen-year-old Lady Isabella Scranton scandalized all of London by eloping the night of her come-out ball with the notorious rake, Lord Mac Mackenzie. After three turbulent years of marriage, she scandalized London once again—this time by leaving him. Now the reformed Mac has returned, and he wants one thing: Isabella back in his life, his house, his bed. He’ll do anything he has to, play any game, as long as he gets her back. Isabella resists, but when she agrees to pose for erotic paintings he’s been working on, she realizes her body has never stopped craving her husband’s very skilled touch. Mac is determined to show Isabella that he’s a changed man, but three years without her has only increased his hunger for her. When an ingenious forger with designs on Mac’s paintings, and Isabella herself, comes dangerously near, Mac sets himself up as Isabella’s protector and vows to never leave her side, whether his independent and proud lady likes it or not.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I was a very big fan of the first novel in Ashley's "Highland Pleasures" series.  THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE was one of the more intriguing, refreshing, and alluring romances I had read in a long time.  The Mackenzie brood as a whole were highly entertaining, and the history between Lord Mac Mackenzie and Lady Isabella left me wondering and hope filled for the sequel.

The book didn't disappoint.  Isabella and Mac are stubborn, opinionated, and certain that their way is the only way for things to get done.  It doesn't help that Mac is an artist—one who paints nude women 'artistically'—or that Isabella eloped with him.  Mac, despite being to all appearances your average, debonair Lord, is driven by his powerful need to sketch and paint.  It overtakes him in a frenzy of passionate inspiration and determined skill.  Isabella, by contrast, is the 'ideal' of feminine grace and beauty.  She loves Ian desperately, but for both of them it's an immature, raw love born from instant attraction.

The mystery afoot in LADY ISABELLA is actually quite chilling.  There is never any real doubt as to Mac's culpability, but it makes for scenes where he has to re-examine himself and his life to that point if his brother truly believed him to be such a heartless person.  The reason for their estrangement is common, but it felt almost like an excuse to me.  Even before it came about, communication and understanding weren't strong suits of Isabella's or Mac's.  Isabella was young, uncertain, and insecure in Mac's feelings for her.  He was very demonstrative of his passion for her, but didn't realize that she needed more than that to know how he felt. 

Unlike LORD IAN, this felt more like a standard historical romance as far as character types and situations were concerned.  The book still remained engrossing, and I'm eager to read about the remaining two Mackenzie brothers, Hart and Cameron, as we see only the occasional peek into who they are and what motivates them.

Alexandra Cenni