Highland Pleasures: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

I. Loved. This. Book. 

So much.

I honestly believe that this may have been the best book I've read this year. Which is saying something, because I've read some pretty epic books in the past two months. Seriously, I was one chapter in and I had already decided that this book was going to be amazing...

And I was right.

I just want to warn you before hand that I'm going to gush about this book. Ad nauseum. 

Okay, enough oooh-ing and awww-ing. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is the first book in the Highland Pleasures series. The story is set in 1881 and takes place in London, Paris, and Scotland.

 Lord Ian Mackenzie is the youngest of the four Mackenzie brothers, and he's a little bit... odd. His father locked him in an asylum where he was basically tortured in an attempt to make him "normal". He was only released from the asylum after his father died, and he's got some serious emotional scars from his time in that horrible place. He's kinda like Sheldon Cooper in that his mind is brilliant and he doesn't quite understand normal human behaviour. He finds it all a bit baffling. Except, instead of being infuriating like Sheldon, you just want to give Ian a hug. He was just too damn sweet. He can quote whole conversations word for word, but sarcasm is beyond his comprehension. He doesn't see the point in lying so he's brutally honest. He is just so friggin' adorable, I swear I spent most of this book emitting these dreamy sighs. Earned me a few funny looks, but I just didn't care. Ian is my hero.

So, we are obviously in need of a leading lady who can handle Ian's oddities. Which is exactly what we got in Beth Ackerley. We needed a strong heroine who wouldn't be outshone by Ian, and Beth didn't disappoint. I decided Beth was awesome after her first meeting with Ian. She took his proposal really well, and she didn't get come over with "ladylike" indignation when Ian and his brothers were less than gentlemanly. Beth handled his eccentricities really well, and never got offended when it was obvious that Ian had stopped listening to her. 

I loved all the characters in this book. Each. And. Every. Single. One.

Especially the Mackenzie brothers. The oldest brother, Hart, is a little bit cold. He was actually my least favourite brother, but I know there's a story behind his I-am-God-and-you-puny-mortal-must-bow-before-me-attitude. Cameron and his son, Daniel, are so funny! Their relationship is more like best friends than a typical father/son relationship. I cannot wait to read Cam's story. Then we have Mac. He is an artist, and he and his wife, Lady Isabella, have been separated for three years. We're not sure what happened between the two, only that one day Isabella packed her stuff and walked out on Mac. 

Mac and Isabella's book is next and I am so excited, but a little nervous. I mean, how can the next book top this?