Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Review: The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

A renowned rake, Cameron Mackenzie doesn't care if Ainsley Douglas has a virtuous excuse for sneaking around his bedchamber. He only cares that she's at his mercy. One kiss at a time, he plans to seduce her. But what starts out as a lusty diversion may break Cam's own rules.

I enjoyed the first book of this series, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, but was a disappointed in the second book, Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage. Thankfully that's not the case with The Many Sins of Lord Cameron. I enjoyed the third book in Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzie Brothers historical romance series much more than that last book!

Cameron and Ainsley's attraction to each other flares under rather interesting circumstances. Cameron finds Ainsley snooping around his bedchamber, and thinking that she's there for seduction decides to please himself and the beautiful Ainsley Douglas. The attraction is mutual and they share a passionate and unforgettable moment. But Ainsley is married and turns down Cam's advances.

Years later, Ainsley is a widow and acting as the Queen's agent in a secret matter of the heart that involves blackmail. As a result during a house party at Hart Mackenzie's home, history repeats itself when she again finds herself in Cameron Mackenzie's chambers looking for a missing letter and gets caught by Cam. The old mutual attraction flares up with a vengeance and as Ainsley continues on her errand for the Queen, she finds in Cam both an ally and a man that's dangerously seductive.

I liked both Ainsley and Cam. Ainsley's life is that of a young woman who married a much older man and as a widow has been left without resources and dependent on her older brother. As the Queen's lady, her life is limited to the court and to service, leaving her with little time for socialization or a personal life. On the surface Ainsley gives the impression of being a demure lady, but in reality she's passionate, intrepid and determined. She's perfect for Cam.  I think it is lovely that although Ainsley was in a marriage of convenience and later widowed, her husband was a man that she both honored and respected.

Cam, well... he's had an angst-ridden life filled with childhood abuse and a marriage to a deranged woman that left him scarred for life. Cam feels more at home with horses than he does with people, and who can blame him after what he went through? He seeks the company of married women with shady reputations and doesn't ever want to marry again.

I love the fact that Cam "sees things in color" when he is with Ainsley as she brings him back to "life." I really liked that while trying to seduce Ainsley, he's caught and falls hard! Cam and Ainsley sizzled with passion too, and Jennifer Ashley really builds up to that passion with plenty of sexual tension. I especially loved the sensuality of those scenes with the buttons (those of you who have read this book know what I'm talking about). Most of all Cam and Ainsley clicked as two people who fall in love but that also become friends and lovers, and I thought that was just so important for Cam after his traumatic past.

Making Cam's son Daniel part of the romance was an excellent move on Ashley's part. Despite the fact that Cam has been portrayed as a rather nonchalant type of father throughout most of the series, Daniel is the most important person in Cam's life as it is revealed in this story. Cam is protective by nature, loving, and passionate. Those parts of his nature, however, were severely damaged by his deranged first wife before she died. So while Cam and Ainsley's romance evolves at a good pace, most of the conflict in this book is about Cam working out issues that were caused during his first marriage so he can find happiness with Ainsley.

The whole "Mrs. Brown" sub-plot was interesting and it served its purpose, but it was not arresting, neither was the blackmail sub-plot. I thought they were both obvious devices to get Cam and Ainsley together and as such they worked well enough without adding much interest to the story.

The Many Sins of Lord Cameron is the type of historical romance you'll love if you're not looking for a lot of controversy between the two main characters, or if you want to feel great about a man who has suffered and finally finds that elusive happily ever after. I love that Cam did.  You won't find a lot of conflict between the protagonists in this book, instead you will find a good, solid historical romance full of passion and emotion.

And what of the remaining Mackenzie brother? Well, I've always liked Hart and now that Eleanor has finally made an appearance can't wait to read their romance. And eventually we will have Daniel's romance to look forward to...I can't wait to see how he turns out. In the meantime, for those of you who love Ian... don't forget to look for the breakfast scene with the honey pot. I loved it!

Category: Historical Romance
Series: Mackenzie Brothers
Publisher/Released: Berkley/August 2, 2011 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B

Visit Jennifer Ashley here.

Series:
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Book 1
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, Book 2
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron, Book 3

10 comments:

  1. If I haven't read Lady Isabella's book yet, could I skip it and read this one? I think I'll like this one but not sure about Isabella's since so many were disappointed.

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  2. Oooo . . . I want to read this sooooo badly. My daughter keeps taunting me with it and after your review I am even more enthused. Read the first two so am and well and truly primed!

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  3. Great review, Hils :) I pretty much agree with everything you said :) I thought this book was really good. I haven't read the 2nd book in this series, and quite frankly, am not likely to do.

    I really enjoyed the relationship between Cam and Ainsley, because it was more than just attraction. There was caring in there and I loved how Ainsley saw through Cam's persona.

    Good solid book :)

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  4. Leslie, you can definitely skip Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage. It doesn't really have any bearing on this book! I hope you enjoy it too. :)

    Dr J, yes! I agree with Tracy... if you liked the first two books, you'll definitely enjoy this one. Go for it! :D

    Nath, right? It was such an enjoyable book... I was worried after that second book, but this was solid and quite satisfying.
    PS: Yay! We agree on this one! *g*

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  5. This sounds very cool! :D I think I would like to read this one!!

    Thanks for the review.

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  6. Nath asked me last week if I read Isabella's book and I did, but I couldn't recall the story. So yeah, I agree that it wasn't as good as Ian's book. I'm glad to hear this one is also good. :P I have it so hopefully I can read it soon.

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  7. Alex, I think you might enjoy this historical too! :D

    Ames, I know what you mean about the second book. This one is quite enjoyable and sets up the fourth book beautifully.

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  8. I think Ian's book will always hold a very special spot for me, but this book is a well deserved and close second.
    I did really like Lady Isabella, but I think just about any book would have paled after Ian's. So to those wondering, I say go ahead and read it but just don't expect it to be the same calibre as Lord Ian. But then, very few are.

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  9. KristieJ, I agree! This book is definitely up there with Ian's (at least for me), although of course it doesn't have that same impact.

    I'm really looking forward to Hart's story now! Really, really liked Eleanor. :D

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  10. I loved Cameron and Ainsley was a perfect match for him. Ms. Ashley continues to impress me with this series, and I highly recommend it for historical romance fans.

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