The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackenzies Series Book 1)

I ADORED this book! The story takes place in the late 1880s between a widow named Beth and a Scottish man named Ian who just happens to be on the Autism spectrum. It was so refreshing to see someone neurodivergent portrayed as a love interest.Beth is strong-willed, capable, smart, and immensely compassionate. Ian is brilliant, a math and language wiz, and has an Eidetic memory.Ian saves her from a fortune hunter who is into nefarious dealings. He proposes to her but she declines and takes off to Paris only to have Ian follow. What follows, is a grand love story and a murder mystery.The traditional roles were reversed and Ian fell first and Beth was against marriage. Watching their love story unfold was just so touching. Their scenes were equal parts 🥹 and 🔥.Ian can’t lie and is very literal in what he says. He has trouble interpreting social “norms” and manners and struggles to understand jokes and humor. Beth is always trying to joke and Ian is constantly saying “I don’t know what you mean, are you joking?” 😂It shines a light on how neurodivergence, or really anyone who didn’t conform to the norms of society, was dealt with in the past. Ian is put in an asylum as a child by his father and called “mad” because of it. He struggles to make eye contact with others and, at times, has spurts of uncontrollable anger. He was out through so many grotesque therapies like electroshock and it leaves him with chronic headaches.Their love story was just like a hug and the whole book was thought-provoking too — it’s easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. There are 11 other books in the Mackenzie series so I can’t wait to read them all. ❤️

Ian Mackenzie is a wonderful hero,and he fully deserves the wonderful woman who loves him unconditionally. history was cruel to people with autism, through ignorance, but Ian survives and rises above it. A truly wonderful story that will hold you enthralled from start to finish.

I'm halfway through the book, and I just stopped to read some more of the reviews. This book seems to be the low point in the series. I started with it because it's the first one, obviously, but I am pretty disappointed. We have an Asperger's male drawn to an attractive widow, and they are both being pursued and harassed by a Scotland Yard guy for no clear reason other than "I'm going to get those MacKenzies if it's the last thing I do." He trails them to Paris, even. Where did this enmity come from? I suppose it will be revealed but I don't think I will make it that far.What I found most off-putting about the book was the constant horniness. I sure as heck would not stick with a guy who was so incommunicative, possessive, and raunchy. To me, that doesn't say "sexy," it says "scary." I sincerely doubt that a vicar's widow in the 1880s would perform fellatio on a new acquaintance in a carriage driving around Paris. No, just no. I have come to accept that some authors write this way and some readers love it, so I get that. But not this reader.

We first meet Lord Ian Mackenzie at Sir Lyndon Mather's home appraising a Ming vase that he wishes to acquire. Ian is a stoic collector and can see; smell and taste a fake Ming like no-bodies business. Ian is regarded as an eccentric,and in hushed corners of polite London society is called a madman and a murderer. But Ian disregards people's perception, because, quite frankly, he doesn't understand them. He was locked in an asylum by his father for being "odd" and for seeing something he shouldn't have when he was just a young boy. Ten years later, after his father death,his brother Harte, now the new duke comes and has Ian released and his insanty record exsponged. Ian's mind doesn't work like everyone elses. For he has a photographic memory, mathimatical wizard and can recall things precisley years later.Five years have passed and there are still whispers of a murder and an inspector doging Ian and his brothers every foot step. It isn't until Ian strikes a fancy for the young widow, Beth Ackerly that has Ian's mind and heart racing a bit faster. And puts him on a one track state of mind of making Beth his very own.Beth Ackerly is a young beautiful widow who loved her late husband, but wants to settle down with no drama in her life. Marrying Sir Mather's seems the perfect solution until the dashing and devastating Lord Ian Mackenzie slips a note into her hand one night at the opera. After reading the note she stumbles outside for a breath of air only to be approached again by the "mad lord".Ian takes no time in setting his cap for Beth. But with everything happening so fast she and her maid head off to Paris only to have Ian on her heels. As Ian and Beth grow closer she notices Ian's eccentricities. How he is blunt, straight ford and has no regard for society rules. She notices that Ian has a difficult time holding eye contact. But when he's with her he tries even though at times he fails. In between balls and underground gaming hells Ian and Beth fight to understand the complications of their feelings. With brothers trying to guard and protect their little brother, Ian is finding it difficult to comprehend the little intricacies of a normal day.Another murder, a killer on the loose and a hot-headed inspector aiming for Ian's neck the Mackenzie's ban together to protect him. But Ian knows things that he shouldn't. He has seen things that he has kept hidden for five years in fear that he knows the real killer. And now he needs to protect Beth at any cost, even if that means sending one of his brothers to the hangman's noose.The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley by far was one of the best reads I have read in a very long time. I had read Emily Bryan's blog(shout out to [...]) and had an inkling about the story's premise. Ms. Ashley prose was that of a young man struggling with Asperger's syndrome in nineteenth century England. After reading the blog I was desperate to read the book and see if she held true to a person living with the disabilities. I was completely amazed in which Ms. Ashley weaved her romance and showed that a person with a mental disability is just as normal as the rest of us. With murder, mayhem and debauchery all around, they needed a character like Ian to see things as straight forward with no gray areas.I was deeply touched by the way Beth came to love and teach Ian how to love. As a mother with a daughter with Asperger's Syndrome I could feel Beth's plight and Ian's struggle to grasp what was being given to him.If I can say anything about this story is that at many different times the characters reach out to touch your heart. The characters were well round and imperfect which made this story a unique read. I recommend that you rush to your local bookstore or order it online as soon as you can.Happy Reading

The plot line in one line:An autistic lord in the frame for the murder of a prostitute rapidly courts and marries a widow who unravels the mystery of who killed the courtesan.The good and the bad:It’s never a good sign when you find yourself repeatedly checking how much of a book is left, which is what I found myself doing for the last 30 per cent of this novel.First up, it is far less a romance than is suggested by the blurb and actually more of a mystery. The romance bit goes at a pace – within a matter of weeks, and with no dates, Beth and Ian are an item (indeed, married), with the former being in love with the latter.The rest of the book is based around the not particularly exciting riddle of who killed Sally, a prostitute Ian and his brothers knew, five years ago. I found that I didn’t really care who had killed Sally. I suppose we are meant to give a hoot because Ian is in the frame for killing her but the problem was that Jennifer Ashley didn’t give me much cause to care for Ian either. She didn’t really develop his character well enough for me to feel an emotional investment in him. It’s only in the last third of the book that you come to understand enough about his struggles with autism and his horrible experiences being locked up in an asylum as a teenager, by which time I was bored to the back teeth with the monotony of the story.The mystery of who killed Sally was not particularly complex, but the long-winded way it is told is confusing. I also found the little twist right near the end a needless addition – it didn’t add wow factor, it just stretched out what was already a protracted plot.Then there is the language. There are some pretty graphic and steam sexy scenes which are ruined by the use of very unsexy language like “organ”, “flange” and “rigid stem”. Shiver.I was expecting a great book when I downloaded this, not least because it’s one of author Sarah Maclean’s recommended reads, but instead I found I had you-know-whatted £7 up the wall on a piece of confused writing.In the book’s favour, I do appreciate unconventional heros/heroines and in this case Ashley has had a stab at the subject of autism. I mean, I’m not convinced it’s a realistic portrayal but nonetheless…

My first read by Jennifer Ashley and she made me a fan in one book. This historical is a memorable one, it has two of the most superb main characters in this genre, namely because they are so unique. One is a widow, the other a man who lived in an asylum for a misunderstood disability. Ian captured my attention immediately, okay he's unusual in his communication but he had a caring and protectiveness and he wasn't overly alpharian (my new made up word). Ian made some statements that made me laugh so hard even though they weren't jokes. Beth was the best of a strong woman in this genre, I liked her so quickly and I loved her attitude towards the brutish brothers. Now, on the subject of brothers, I need more of these men and I'm glad they're there in the series, ready to meet me!Highly recommended to all historical romance readers, I'm so glad to finally have got chance to read Jennifer Ashley.

I read reviews to help me decide which authors I might read next, and they were mostly positive for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise, a fairly unique one of a hero who is slightly autistic [I think the author mentions Asperger's] who as a child/teenager was 'treated' [mistreated] in an asylum. He has a loving and protective family, albeit they are all male and fairly aggressive! When he meets the heroine and decides straight away that he wants to marry her, it starts an intriguing tale. I loved the two main characters, Ian because we were really shown how his condition affected him, and there was no instant fix to turn him into a different person [often the case in this type of story] but he slowly came to trust and love the heroine, Beth - even though he eventually had to ask if he was in love! Beth was delightful because she was a no-nonsense person who met each situation head-on and was very attracted to Ian; she also realised that he needed her love and her help. Their relationship was very well portrayed, and throughout the book I found it absorbing and believable.However, I just didn't like the development of the story - it was all there, waiting to be built on, but instead of a genuinely thrilling mystery [and all the ingredients were there] it developed into a slightly farcical set of circumstances, and ultimately the denouement didn't work for me. I know this is the start of a series and the author needs to set up the characters for future books, but it meant, for instance, that the sinister Duke, the eldest brother, who really had all the characteristics to be a nasty bit of work - couldn't be, because he will be the hero of his own book!The other thing I didn't like - and it is purely my personal opinion - is the amount of [to me] unnecessary sex throughout the book. I read lots of authors in this genre who use sex in their books, but the ones that I usually read use it as an entirely relevant part of the development of the relationship between the characters, some of the encounters being fairly detailed. However, while I fully understand that both the main characters had very sensual/carnal natures, I don't need their bedroom [or ballroom or carriage or railway carriage or or ....] activities to be explained and described to me in graphic detail, particularly when their sexual encounters appeared to be written in almost separately from the main thread of the story.Lots of potential but ultimately, for me,didn't deliver

This is one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever read and I wholeheartedly thank previous reviewers and friends for guiding me to this book.The characters are complex and deep, and because the author has chosen to give them real and challenging personality traits it is possible to connect and identify with them on a very personal level.The emotive pull of this story is created by giving the characters personality traits and challenges which would be easily identified and treated in today's world. However, in the historical context of the story, are torturously labeled as insanity and the main character is sectioned into a mental asylum because of them.Thankfully today, we don't consider someone who is socially inept or suffering from Aspergers syndrome as insane.Ian Mackenzie, the enchanting main character is a brilliant man. He is measured, courageous, strong, handsome, and lovable but tortured in body and soul by society due to the fact that he is suffering from some form of Autism, probably Aspergers.I fell totally and absolutely in love with Ian and spent the entire book wanting to scream with frustration at anyone who misunderstood him and frequently felt the urge to slap Hart, although I will say I did soften towards Hart in the end.Actually I felt quite sorry for all the brothers and thought that the author did an amazing job at showing the complexities of family life in any era.As far as Ian goes, I still can't quite make up my mind if I fell in love with his character because I wanted to protect him or because he was a big strong handsome Scottish man with great pair of thighs. Perhaps I am that shallow and it was just the thighs:-).I felt that Beth was a little unrealistic at times but I still enjoyed her character and in many ways identified with her, especially in her frustration with society and the way it perceived Ian.This story goes so much deeper than most historical romances and sports clever sub-plots and twists which I really enjoyed.As I said at the beginning of this review, this is a beautiful love story and I absolutely loved every second of it.A fabulous job done by the author in the writing of this book, and much respect to her for the way in which she handled Ian's challenges, I really look forward to reading `Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage'.

Initially was put off by the title but then I kept seeing it in a lot of best read lists & so I took other readers views in consideration & took the plunge. WHAT A FIND!!!JA has a very unique writing style all her own & the 2 main characters created the right balance that made this story very very interesting..........Lord Ian McKenzie & Beth Ackersley met for the first time at an opera & by this time he had decided already to rescue this widow from the greedy clutches of her then fiance. She has just come into some wealth & on their first meeting he proposes. Please do not be put off by the quickness of this action.JA does a superb portrayal of describing the "madness" of Ian making us understand what made him what he was. At a young age he winessed his father kill his mother & he was locked away in an asylum from which his eldest brother rescued him 10 years later. He has a very high IQ, is a mathmetical genius but he cannot follow what people are saying or what they are talking to him about. He cannot lie & says things as he sees fit & he cannot express his feelings.This is a direct result of the traetment taht he received at the assylum which included betaings & electric shock treatments. This is what Beth is faced with as she finds herself really attracted & drawn to this man. Ian despite having these problems is determined to look after Beth. He is however very afraid as he beleives that he can release his rage against her at any time.The back-drop is that there has been a murder not once but twice & on both occassions Ian was associated with the event as he was seen in the vicinity. Enter a police officer who is determined to prove him guilty. There are also 3 brothers who add flavour to this story & there is the maid & valet who also add humour to the various events.Beth is determined to prove Ian innocent no matter the lengths she has to go to - even if it means risking her life & even if it means going against Ian's wishes. Does she pay the ultimate price at the end, does Ian come out as a sane person, who turns out to be the real murderer? Above all this is how JA depicts Ian's madness almost pointing to the fact that we all have some madness in us - which I agree with. The nicest part of this love story is when Ian learns to love & though he hates looking people in the eyes, he truely learns to do so with Beth. Beautifully written without overdoing it. Love the short precise words & sentences that Ian uses which charcterises his feelings & thought processes.I do recommend this book & it definately belongs on the shelf of MUST KEEPS & READ AGAIN & here is some-one that will see what else this author has in store!!!