Review of Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage

Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage
Jennifer Ashley
Penguin Group
316 pages
Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage is the second of Ms. Ashley’s Mackenzie brothers series.
Being an estranged wife on the ton is all too frequent, being an estranged wife of one of the rakish, disreputable Mackenzie brothers is pretty much expected. Of course what the ton doesn’t know is that Isabella is still madly in love with Mac and madly is a good description of what their married life has been so far, a few great times followed by sadness, hurt and abandonment, but despite all that Mac needs her help and by God he’s going to get it. Mac Mackenzie a rake by reputation and an artist and lord of the ton by trade really does love his wife that’s why when she finally had enough of him 3 years ago he took a vow of celibacy, which wasn’t too hard to keep since the only woman he wants is Isabella. Now someone is forging his name on their work and Isabella is bound and determined to help him whether he needs it or not and maybe that will be his opportunity to get her back.
Alright, I admit to not being a fan of “most” historical romance novels. I don’t find young lovers exciting to a “woman of a certain age”, but whenever Jennifer Ashley, a favorite author of mine in different genres, comes out with a historical I have to get it, why, let me tell you.
There is no better spinner of a tale then Ms. Ashley it shows in her unique humor, her flowing dialogue and her storyline. The plot is older than time, boy gets girl, looses girl, wants her back and plots to make that happen. But underneath that plot is the many subplots that she so wonderfully gives us, the love felt by both the hero and heroine, the heartache, the sadness, and the lives that they touch and touch them. It all comes out through her words and into the hearts and minds of her audience. Her characters are world class and larger than life and yet she makes them more human by giving them many faults then goes on to show her readers that dealing with those faults is what gives her characters, character. And oh the characters, they are amazing in their detail as she intimates us with them and even the ones with the smallest parts leave an impression on us, plus one of my favorite parts is that we get to reacquaint ourselves with the characters we’ve met in the previous novel. Her hero Mac and heroine Isabella are one of the most unforgettable couples you will ever cry for, hurt for and get angry at as they ineptly find their way back to each other. Her love scenes are very sensuous and blazing in their intensity, and her readers will feel the love, tenderness and longing in every coupling.
So if you’ve never met the Mackenzie brothers, have no fear this can easily be read as a stand-a-lone, but do yourself a favor and get The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie as soon as this one is finished. Then go to Ms Ashley’s website http://www.jennifersromances.com/ and discover what an incredible talent she has in all her endeavors, you won’t be sorry. Oh and Ms. Ashley great job on Mac and I can’t wait until next August 2011 to read Cameron’s tale.