Sandy M’s review of The Many Sins of Lord Cameron (Highland Pleasures, Book 3) by Jennifer Ashley
Historical Romance published by Berkley 2 Aug 11

Dear heavens, these Mackenzie boys deserve to find a little happiness after the lives they’ve had. While Cameron didn’t suffer at the hands of his father like his brothers did, fate had more in store for him later in life. His suffering came at the hands of his ex-wife – usually while protecting his newborn son from her, though she would have a go at him whenever she found him vulnerable to attack. Talk about an evil bitch.

And I truly don’t care that it may have been post-partum depression she was suffering from. Going after a man who only wants his son safe is a huge no-no. I’m very happy to say she gets what’s coming to her after all the pain, both physical and mental, she inflicts. Then Cam finds Ainsley, but he has to wait a few years for her.

Ainsley is the queen’s favorite and being the queen’s favorite isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The latest “mission” her majesty has given Ainsley is to locate and retrieve some highly sensitive letters written by Victoria and stolen by a disgruntled ex-favorite, who is also now Cameron’s current mistress. So she hides the letters in the one place no one would think to look. Except Ainsley. Which leads her to a place she’s been before in nearly the exact circumstances – searching Cam’s bedchamber for items stolen from a friend. And Cameron catches her red-handed both times.

Cam is known, of course, as a womanizer, as all of the Mackenzie, save Ian, are and he loves only his horses. So when he caught her the first time, and though Ainsley nearly succumbs to his lovemaking, she’s amazed when he lets her walk away because she desires not to hurt her husband, who has been kind and generous to her. That was four years ago and she’s never been far from his mind that whole time. Therefore, finding her once again just where he wants her gives Cameron the chance to finish what was started so long ago. This time Ainsley doesn’t stand a chance.

At first she does try to resist the man. The letters are more important than her pleasure. But Cam knows just how to wear her down. Between his sexuality. his gentleness, and his protectiveness, Ainsley is beginning to know him better than anyone ever has. The more she learns, the more she comes to fall for this Mackenzie brother who has hidden his real self from everyone. When she finally discovers why he won’t take a woman to his bed – he’ll make love to her anywhere but there – it broke my heart just like it does Ainsley’s.

Eventually Ainsley must make a decision – stay with the queen or take a chance and leave with Cameron on the trip of a lifetime. Yes, needless to say, she chooses wisely and follows her heart. They have a whirlwind journey, Cam showing her things she’s only dreamt of. Eventually home calls, however, and as they’re settling in as husband and wife, a summons from the queen has Cam retreating to that place inside himself, thinking he’s lost Ainsley once again.

This story hits hard, and Ainsley is just what Cam needs to help him fight his demons of the past. She’s strong when he needs her to be and she’s always loving, which is a balm to his heart. I enjoy the relationship between the Mackenzie brothers, all of whom we see once again to find out what they’ve been up to. Ian and Mac are as happy as ever, and we get a good look at Hart and the uphill battle he’ll have when it’s his turn at love. I like that it’s Hart who stood by Cam, no questions asked, when his wife did her worst trying to destroy him. I also really enjoy the father-son relationship between Cam and Daniel. Cam is determined not to be the hard-hearted, brutal type of father his was, so Daniel has run free most of his life, but the brothers have done a fine job of raising him. Daniel looks after Cam nearly as much as Cam looks after him. Their last scene together near the end of the book is so heart warming.

I love this Mackenzie family. Each book is like coming home after being gone for a while, only to find hurt and trouble on the horizon. But love and family take care of everything and make life worth living. I’m looking forward to Hart’s book and am happy to see on Ms. Ashley’s website that the series is still alive with several more books in the offing. After the unveiling of Cameron’s life, it’s going to be interesting to see what she comes up with next.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Lord Cameron Mackenzie is intrigued when he finds the pretty widow, Ainsley Douglas, hiding in the window seat of his bedchamber. Cam remembers Ainsley Douglas all right—six years ago, he’d caught her in this very bedchamber, during a house party in the Mackenzies’ Scottish manor. Enchanted by her ingenuous excuses, he decided to seduce her, but stopped shy when she’d made a rather touching appeal about her “good husband who didn’t deserve to be heartbroken.”

Later, Cameron learned that her visit to his bedchamber was part of some female intrigue against him, the kind his late wife used to practice. Ainsley protested her innocence, but Cameron’s anger made him never want to see her again. Now she’s back, at another houseparty—and Cameron finds the gray-eyed minx in his bedchamber, again. Her excuses are just as ingenuous, but this time Cameron is determined to teach her a lesson.

They have unfinished business, Cameron tells her. He asks her how many of her many buttons she’ll let him unclasp, promising that before the houseparty is over, she’ll be asking him to undo them all.

Ainsley’s dismay is real. She’s on a mission to prevent embarrassment to Queen Victoria, and time is running out. Though the needs he’d stirred long ago during her unhappy marriage rise again, she knows it would be foolish to fall for love-them-and-leave-them Cameron Mackenzie.
But he asks her a question that challenges her beliefs about love and happiness, and she finds herself risking all to be with the black sheep of the Mackenzie family.

No excerpt available.

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