The New York Times bestselling author of Rules for a Proper Governess returns with an engrossing tale that promises to delight lovers of Outlander.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 … 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.
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Oh my heart, this book, it just tugged at all my feels! From the very beginning, the pull between Mal and Mary, to the very end, the connection between Mal and Mary, their love story, epic, sweeping, history making and historically tragic. Then there are the MacKenzie brothers, the Duke, Mary’s sister, father, aunt. The things that happen around, to, and for them had me enthralled, intrigued, and breathless.
The roots of the MacKenzie’s we read about now are well rooted in these characters, and the pain that underlies and sweeps over them, is also present here. A love story, absolutely, an amazing story of love and commitment, but also, the history and the lives lived by those who endured to have that love.
I have read alot of this authors books.She always keeps me entertained.Very good writer
The Stolen Mackenzie Bride is book eight in the Mackenzies Series by Jennifer Ashley. This is my first time to read Ms. Ashley’s work and I probably should have started with the first book in the series. Overall the story was alright. It started off strong and intriguing. Malcolm Mackenzie is the youngest son of the Duke of Kilmorgan. He is a dashing Highlander who only has loyalties to his clan. When he sees Lady Mary Lennox at a gathering in Edinburgh, he is instantly smitten. Mary is betrothed to Lord Halsey but it is only a political and business arrangement. When Mary meets Malcolm her world is turned upside down. “A tall man stepped out of the shadows and into her path. Moonlight fell on a light-colored frock coat that topped a kilt of blue plaid. He was one of the Highlanders from below, the younger one, who’d caught and held her with the heat in his eyes.”
When war comes to Edinburgh and the Jacobite rebellion explodes into their lives, Malcolm and Mary are forever changed. Mary’s loyalty is challenged. Which side will she choose?
Somewhere in the middle, it felt like the author was just narrating events. Battle after battle was mentioned. I thought unnecessarily. Then towards the end, the characters came back to life and it became a story again. “In spite of their bluster, the ear-splitting loudness of their voices, they were vulnerable. Broken if struck the wrong way. They needed someone to love them, to care for them, to keep them whole”. The addition of Mary into the Mackenzie clan changes even their family dynamics.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. There are a number of sex scenes in the story. If that bothers you, I recommend just reading the dialogue at those parts. I will probably go back and begin at the beginning of this series.
I loved this book. The Stolen Mackenzie Bride was soooo good. And emotional it had me tearing up. This book is kinda a prequel, even though it’s the 8th book of the series, timeline wise it would have happen first. The hero Mal Mackenzie is the Mackenzie that anyone who has read this series has heard about. He was the Mackenzie back in 1745 that stole his English bride and fought and survived the Jacobite war to become the Duke of Kilmorgan. I loved both Mal and Mary. Some friends of mine that read this book told me Mal and Ian were a lot alike. I didn’t really see it. Mal felt like himself to me. He was brave, determined, devoted, and damn sweet. The things he would say to Mary *Swoon*! Mary was very cute too. She was a little sassy without going overboard. She was playful, loving and loyal. Now I think Mal’s brother Alec reminded me of Mac, and Will was a lot like Cam.
There was a lot of action and war in this book. The Jacobite uprising was a very sad part of history. I felt that Jennifer Ashley did a beautiful job of keeping things real, raw and gritty. She painted a picture of war that was dark, touching and emotional. I felt she balanced the war history information well without turning it boring. I also felt that the romance was so sweet that it helped take the sting out of the sad parts. I will say that last battle and the few weeks that followed had me in tears. I loved the epilogue. The hea the couple got was great and the way it ended answered a few questions I had about how the next two books could even come about. You know seeing as how the next two books are Alec and Will’s and they are both suppose to be dead. What a great addition to the series I can’t wait the get my hands the next few books.