Sandy M’s review of The Untamed Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures, Book 5.5) by Jennifer Ashley
Historical Romance ebook novella published by InterMix 10 Sep 13

I’ve been intrigued by Lloyd Fellows since it was revealed he’s a half brother to these Mackenzie men. He’s not grown up in the lap of luxury and is a working-class stiff. The brothers have welcomed him into the fold and he’s audacious enough to want to Lady Louisa, sister to Lady Isabella, Mac’s wife. He fits in perfectly with the wild and wanton ways of the Mackenzies, and I’m so happy to get to know him better.

The beginning of this book will break your heart. We see the hopes and dreams of a young boy, who only wants his father to come for him, kicked and beaten down on a dirty London road. But because of the blood that runs through his veins and the steel in his spine, that young boy focuses on his mother and himself, makes his life a success, and never looks back.

Fellows is the best at his job as a Detective Inspector with Scotland Yard, and when murder hits close to home, the Mackenzies call on him to investigate. Louisa is the one who serves tea to a prospective blackmailer who just proposed marriage to her. Knowing she’ll be tossed in prison the second she’s arrested, Fellows makes sure that doesn’t happen, risking his career with every move. But he knows Louisa is innocent and is determined to find the culprit as soon as possible.

It’s Louisa herself who keeps him from his goal. They’ve so far shared just two kisses, and each time they’re in the same room together, Louisa wants more, and she takes a bit more when the handsome dolt doesn’t make the first move. Keeping a clear head is difficult, but Fellows knows how the legal system works, and pushing her away is the only option. It’s a good thing Lady Louisa has more backbone than most give her credit for. When the case begins to fall apart, Fellows has to step up his game and hope times doesn’t run out on them.

Jennifer Ashley is one of those authors who packs just as much punch into a novella as she does in a full-length novel. There’s plenty of emotion and sexual tension, but this is more of a sweet romance, what these characters will do for the other simply lovely, than the sexual heat in the previous books. I was hoping for a bit more interaction between Fellows and his siblings, like what we’ve seen to date between the four original brothers, but I’ll take what I can get, which is quite nice in the epilogue. Our appetite is now whetted for Daniel, whose book will be in our hands within a matter of days.

Grade: A+ 

Summary:

Lloyd Fellows has always considered himself an outsider to the wild Mackenzie family. The only one he’s connected with has been Louisa, sister to one of the Mackenzie wives. The two of them have shared two illicit kisses that he’ll never forget (The Duke’s Perfect Wife;Mackenzie Family Christmas)

But Lloyd is a police detective first, ruthlessly hunting down dangerous criminals and making sure they stay down. When Louisa is accused of a murder, Lloyd knows he’ll do anything, break any rule, and risk his own career, to save her.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: