Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage

Highland Pleasures, Book 2

By: Jennifer Ashley

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Lady Isabella Scranton scandalized London by leaving her husband, notorious artist Lord Mac Mackenzie, after only three turbulent years of marriage. But Mac has a few tricks to get the Lady back in his life, and more importantly, back into his bed.

©2010 Jennifer Ashley (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Ashley works her magic to create a unique love story brimming over with depth of emotion, unforgettable characters, sizzling passion, mystery, and a story that reaches out and grabs your heart. Brava!" ( Romantic Times)

Scandalous,, romantic & unforgettable

One of the best books I've ever listened to. This will stay with me . Romantic, heartfelt and beautiful. Jennifer crafts an amazing take of a married couple, Mac and Isabella who have rocked polite society since their first meeting. The author has such a way with words that it made me feel like was there as events unfolded. I recommend listening to The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie first, but this book could stand alone as well. Angela Dawe is excellent with a variety of voices and a passionate vocal performance. Romance, intrigue and smouldering passion with a satisfying conclusion.

not one of my favs of the Highland Pleasures serie

After reading Ian's story I looked forward to what had happened between Isabella and Mac. I can't say why I felt so unfulfilled by their story exactly. Part of the reason I do know is for a great deal of the book the way we are given insight into their past are the supposed headlines from newspapers at the times of their early marriage about them. It's not enough and we already know they are gossips so they are not accurate and there is no emotion to them. Perhaps the author didn't want to put us through their early marriage and have us so opinionated we didn't want their reconciliation? I can't say, but it made the experience feel distant and unreal. I feel the mystery in this book is an odd one and I was constantly wondering why they didn't call the police after some very serious things happened. The flow of Isabella and Mac's story was predictable and we do finally hear some important things that happened in their past, but tbh, I just didn't care so much by then. I will say the imagery of the paintings and painting experience was done beautifully. Also, I thought a couple of their arguments were done well, they each having important, somewhat heart breaking things to say. I can't help but love Isabella, she is the Melanie in this story ( gone with the wind reference), the gentle, intelligent, kind woman who makes everyone at ease and never talks out of turn. So often when we hear Mac's thoughts but then what he says is something flip I think that's the part of himself he is referring to at some points... but he doesn't really change from that imo. I loved Ian's story, I loved Mal's story.. I liked Cam's story... I didn't care for Hart's story ( too many reasons to list) Stephen's McBrides story was different but a little forgettable to me and this story was ok, but just didn't do a lot for me, I felt as though I was biding my time until the end.

Passionate Victorian Romance

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is book two in Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzie family series (Highland Pleasures) which I love.

Isabella and Mac met on the night of her debut when Mac whisked her off and married her that very night to the fury of her father who promptly disowned her. Isabella and Mac are both tempestuous, passionate determined individuals with an accordingly turbulent marriage. Despite her love for him, Isabella eventually leaves Mac - with reason - and their separation causes yet another scandal. it's up to him to win her back.

This is a story about various forms of loss and grief, the facades we put in place to protect ourselves, how families can both hurt and protect, and the healing power of love. There is also an intriguing subplot about a menacing stalker and stolen identity 19th century style. Angela Dawe's narration is excellent and complements Jennifer Ashley's wonderful story beautifully.

Can't put it down

After reading The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, I definitely wanted to continue the series. In the second book, we hear more about the estranged marriage between Mac and Isabella. Their courtship was quick (less than 24 hours) and their marriage full of big parties and even bigger fights. This is really a second chance romance story, which is a trope I always enjoy. There is an underlying mystery that brings them back together again, but what I most enjoyed was the way their past in contrasted with their present. Meaning, they have to see each other in a new light as people who have matured and changed. As a bonus, you get to see Ian and Beth again, which I loved. Lord Ian was a tough act to follow, but Mac’s story is a solid addition to the series.

Good but something was missing...

When Isabella and Mac were introduced in The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, I was dying to read their story, but it didn't turn out to be as great as I was expecting. It just didn't have that heart melting romance nor sizzling love scenes like the first book.

This is a story about forgiveness, about fighting for a marriage that was once great but got lost on the way. I found this book to be predictable with no significant character development. All the characters seemed the same on the first page as they were on the last, except with fewer misunderstandings between them.

I felt this story was long. I didn't understand the drama and hesitation from Isabella. She loved her husband and he clearly showed her pretty quickly that he had changed but yet she kept going hot and cold. And the whole imposter thing was strange and unclear.

This is a good story and the last chapter and the epilogue were amazing! I guess that the first book was so incredibly good that my expectations were too high. I'm looking forward to listening to book three though.

Narration: Good narration by Angela Dawe but she still cannot do any accent other that American. Her British accent is bad and her Scottish accent is worse. Other than that she does great male voices and adds passion and feelings to each character.

3.5 Not As Good As The First Book

I am loving this series and adore the Mackenzie brothers, but this is not a strong book - check out the other reviewers for the full story. This story would have worked better, I think, if we'd been able to follow the story of Isabella and Mac from the beginning so we got a better feel for the terrible times they had. As it is, we join the story just as Isabella is starting to warm to Mac. I like the idea of Mac struggling to redeem himself. I also like the premise of Isabella coming to terms with her grief. Because we do not follow the story right from the beginning the build up to their eventual reconciliation lacks tension. The mad forger is a distraction and does not add to the development of the relationship between Mac and Isabella.

My verdict is this is a good story but not a great one. But I am really looking forward to hearing about Cam and Hart.

Angela Dawe was good with the narration of the story.

Petty good, frustrating romance

The mystery story line was pretty clever but the romantic story line was annoying, but still sexy. The couple wasn't as likable as the couple in the first book. I am moving on to the third book so I wasn't put off the series.

Not My Fav. Genre but I Am ADDICTED to/LOVE Series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely and I'm strictly a contemporary romance fan. Usually HATE historical romances.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Isabella, which is surprisingly for me as I tend to favor the hero. She is a strong woman trying to figure things out. She has dust-ups with Mac without trying to emasculate him.

What does Angela Dawe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her voice as Isabella is beautifully smooth and she is still able to carry off the challenges of the male characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole subplot with the impersonator was of great interest...I cannot choose a specific scene without 'spoiling'.

Any additional comments?

This is pretty mild with some sexual scenes and a bit of cussing.

Nice story, but a little dragged out.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the story was good but long time for characters to be apart?

What did you like best about this story?

How close the brother are.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I liked the Narrator

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I liked the flow of the story for the most part.

A breathe of fresh air

After a slew of not-so-great romance novels that forced me to flush their memories out with some great science books, I was reminded by a new friend on GR about this series.

I enjoyed this book because it was set-up a little different than most romance novels that I've read. For one thing, the main H/h are already married, however, due to some wrongdoings they are separated. The story reveals their scandalous beginnings and their heartbreaking experiences that lead to their separation with flashbacks while the two characters begin their journey to mend their broken marriage. I like the growth that both characters went through in this novel. Although not overly complex or sophisticated, it was right for this sort of novel and my mood. It was interesting to read about a couple's troubled marriage that didn't stem from infidelity or falling out of love, but rather an inexperienced love. I also liked the banter between the two characters and I realized that was what was missing in the other romance novels that I read before this; the fun and witty banter that make the characters real.



Narrator: Angela Dawe
Performance: 4/5
Dawe does a great job with the accents and the voices. Her voice is clear and her pace is good.I read this book at 1.3x the speed and I thought it was perfect speed.