The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackenzies Series) Mass Market Paperback – August 2, 2011

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Mackenzies and McBrides series. There are currently eleven books in this series, with more to be published. I bought a copy of this book for my Kindle.Thoughts: While I am not a huge fan of pure historical romance, I enjoyed this. I prefer some fantastical/supernatural/paranormal elements in my historical romance. However, this was a very solid book. I like there is a well done murder mystery plot woven into the romance here. There is also a lot of mystery around the Mackenzie family that I really enjoyed.The characters here are what really make the story. Ian Mackenzie is autistic which has labeled him as “mad” very early in life and he spent a lot of his youth in an asylum because of this. He is an intriguing character and I love how Beth learned to work with his peculiarities and see them as strengths in character rather than weaknesses. Beth is a strong character in her own right; she is a vicar’s widow who has come into fortune via an odd route. She is strong, determined, and honorable and I love watching her navigate both Ian and his family.All of the Mackenzie brothers and the women who love them are intriguing and interesting characters. I mean really, this book is about the intriguing characters that fill it, they are soooo well done. The writing here is also incredibly well done. There is humor, irony, well done romance scenes, and beautiful settings. I love that there is complete mystery story woven through this book too and that the overall mystery of the Mackenzies is going to go over multiple books. This is pretty much everything I expected and more.This is also one of those books that practically reads itself. I was always excited to sit down and read this and found myself completely absorbed in the story. I kept wandering off to sneak in extra reading time.My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this historical romance novel. The characters are unique and engaging and the book was incredibly engrossing and well written. If you are looking for a good historical romance I would check this one out. This is a wonderful blend of romance, intriguing characters, engaging mystery, beautifully written love scenes, and majestic settings. I will most likely continue the series at some point. I am not huge on straight-up historical romances but there is enough going on here that the next time I am in the mood for a historical romance this is the series I will go to.

What a great book! The characters are dynamic and well rounded. I love Lord Ian. I want to bring him home and hug him. He is not a typical romantic hero. He has Asperger's Syndrome. He has difficulty looking people in the eye, socializing, he was thrown into an asylum as a young boy by his horrible father, where he was tortured. He is a wonderful character because he still sees the beauty around him even though he has endured so much heartache and confusion in his life.Beth is his love interest. She is caring, understanding, strong willed. I love the saucy interaction between her and Ian's brother, Hart! She accepts Lord Ian and his peculiarities and disabilities. Here's where I would have liked to have seen more conflict in the story. I never really saw Beth struggle with beginning a relationship with a man who could not communicate well, would not look her in the eye, even with a shady past involving several murders. She accepted him right at the beginning, but I think it would have been more real if she questioned if this was really what she wanted and if this was something she could handle.Another slight issue I had was Lord Ian and his communication difficulties. We are told that he can't make eye contact, can't follow multiple conversations, does not understand jokes or sarcasm, has trouble expressing his feelings, doesn't understand emotion. But he seems to understand rage and lust just fine. He communicates quite well his bedroom intentions to Beth (steamy hot, gives me another reason to want a carriage!), but sometimes it seems out of character for a man with Asperger's. Also, I think I would have liked it if he struggled to be touched, like so many on the spectrum do.I loved all of the supporting brothers and Isabella. I really liked Cameron and Mac and will definitely read their books. They were very well rounded and integral to the story. The subplot of the murders and the Detective was slightly boring. I was just really happy reading the story unfold so beautifully between Ian and Beth. The twist at the end seemed forced and unnecessary, as did the epilogue.Overall a really good book. I like the sensitive way that Lord Ian's "madness" is handled. If he wasn't "mad" this would be a typical, run of the mill romance, nothing special. We get a fantastic love story of two outcasts who find love and acceptance, and a family that sticks together at all costs. Lord Ian had me reading until midnight and when I couldn't sleep at 4 a.m. because I was still thinking of him. That's a great character!