Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Review: The Stolen Mackenzie Bride by Jennifer Ashley

The Stolen Mackenzie Bride by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Mackenzies & McBrides, Book 8
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Romance The Stolen Mackenzie Bride Cover
ISBN: 9780425266021
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N
Jennifer Ashley Reading Order

1745, Scotland: The youngest son of the scandalous Mackenzie family, Malcolm is considered too wild to tame…until he meets a woman who is too unattainable to resist.

Lady Mary Lennox is English, her father highly loyal to the king, and promised to another Englishman. But despite it being forbidden to speak to Malcolm, Lady Mary is fascinated by the Scotsman, and stolen moments together lead to a passion greater than she’d ever dreamed of finding.

When fighting breaks out between the Highlanders and the King's army, their plans to elope are thwarted, and it will take all of Malcolm’s daring as a Scottish warrior to survive the battle and steal a wife out from under the noses of the English.

The Stolen Mackenzie Bride is a sweeping historical romance that is too compelling to put down. Jennifer Ashley takes readers back in time to the story of Malcolm Mackenzie and Mary Lennox, the ancestors of the beloved nineteenth century Mackenzies.

Mal is the great-great-grandfather of Hart, Cam, Mac, and Ian, and the apples didn’t fall too far from the tree. Mal is strong, protective, handsome, and clever. He’s got charm to spare, but like all Mackenzies, once he sets his sights on something – or someone – he goes after it. Mal is proverbially knocked off his feet when he first sees Mary, and within moments of meeting her he knows she’s the woman for him. Mary may seem the perfect English rose on the surface, but there’s a strength and fire to her that Mal notices immediately. Their initial meeting made me grin and their back-and-forth left me with no doubt that I wouldn’t be able to put The Stolen Mackenzie Bride down until I’d seen these two get their happily ever after. Individually, each is an endearing character who will make you smile one moment and admire their courage the next. Put them together and you have a passionate, emotional, utterly captivating romance.

Even though Mal and Mary fall in love swiftly, that love is tested in the fires of a war that threatens to tear them apart. For The Stolen Mackenzie Bride is set against the backdrop of the Jacobite rising of 1745 and the Mackenzie family is (unwillingly) in the thick of it. It’s fascinating to watch how Ms. Ashley blends fact and fiction, and her attention to detail – not just concerning historical events but to the thoughts and motivations of those caught up in it – makes the story shine. She shows care and respect to the horrifying events, and that adds power, emotion, and a richness to the story that can’t be beat. Ms. Ashley doesn’t pull her punches, and readers will feel the mounting tension as the stakes rise over the course of the book.

Though The Stolen Mackenzie Bride is one of the darker books in the Mackenzies & McBrides series, Ms. Ashley never lets the story get dragged down. There are plenty of moments of love, laughter, and family, and you can be sure that Mal’s brothers will win your heart. Fans of the series will love seeing the similarities between the eighteenth century Mackenzies and the nineteenth century characters. But readers new to the series need not fear - The Stolen Mackenzie Bride can easily be read as a standalone.

Jennifer Ashley is an amazing talent and her Mackenzies & McBrides books are among the best historical romances. Lushly drawn and featuring characters who will grab your heart and not let go, The Stolen Mackenzie Bride is not to be missed!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

1 comments:

Lover Of Romance said...

I loved your review of this book. Such a fabulous author right? I just started reading this book. I do like that you said it is a bit darker than the other books but still has great laugher and lighter moments too.