REALLY GREAT LISTEN & VERY ENJOYABLE

I thought this was going to be the usual 'period romance' you know - rake sees beautiful woman over dance floor but things go wrong type book - but I was very pleasantly surprised. It had everything - romance, humour, intrigue, tears - just a very good listen that was well written.

I have listened out of order so I haven't heard book 1 yet but I can't wait, I would have preferred to listen in order but it did not detract from the book's enjoyment in any way.

Worth my credit? Oh yes absolutely, and it will be an automatic download for the rest in the series. If you like these types of romance novels then you HAVE to get this series !!

16 people found this helpful

Love This Series!

This second installment to the series was very good. I didn't think it was as good as book one but I think my expectations were too high. Sometimes that happens. That being said - I still enjoyed this book! I thought the story of Isabella and Mac was intriguing. They had a lot of struggles but Mac was very determined! I will definitely listen to the remainder of this series.

12 people found this helpful

Emotionally Fullfilling

Listened for Fun (Audible)
Tracking Books Read Review (Short)
Overall Rating: 5.00
Story Rating: 5.00
Character Rating: 5.00

Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage made me smile, laugh, cry, grrr, and in the end grin like a Cheshire cat!

Overall Thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, loved Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage. I was afraid that I wouldn't like Mac but that man was so swoon-worthy and damaged that one couldn't help but fall hard! Isabella was so strong and I appreciated her want to protect herself despite loving Mac. She made him fight for her and dang it that made me love them more. This was an emotional story (so far both books in this series have been) but the payout was worth it!

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by Angela Dawe /Length 9 hrs and 9 mins


So y'all know I call her Angela "freaking" Dawe already so there isn't much more that I can say! She freaking rocks the narration and is one of my all around favorite narrators!

11 people found this helpful

Oh My, Scandalous Indeed!

Historical Romances are not my favorite genre; however, every once in a while I'll get a craving for something different. Something that will take me back to a simpler time, make me swoon over a sexy scot in a kilt, and sweep me off my feet with a poetic and romantic story and Jennifer Ashley is just the author to take me on such a journey.

From the first story, I was captivated with the world, characters and romance. Ashley's writing is very vivid and descriptive making it easy to picture and visualize each scene playing out, and stays true to the time period. The dialogue and banter between the characters was heart-warming and had a touch of playfulness giving the interaction between the characters a realistic feel. I enjoyed being sweep away by this beautiful second chance at love story, and look forward to listening to more in the series.

Angela Dawe's performance was good and I thought she did a great job delivering story and giving it that "historical feel."

Perfect for those who love the Outlander series but don't want to invest a lot of time in an audiobook.

10 people found this helpful

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.

10 people found this helpful

Another Big Hit!!!

If you could sum up Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage in three words, what would they be?

Beautiful, Sentimental, Mysterious

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage?

When Isabella & Mac, remember how each other felt at the loss of their baby, and when Mac reads the letter Isabella had left him the night she left him... So moving.

Which character – as performed by Angela Dawe – was your favorite?

I Love the Mackenzie Brothers, but my favourite is still Ian... he does not understand Irony or sarcasm, and I just love how she plays him.
I also like Daniel ( Cameron's Teenage son) he is quite "cheeky"

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I LOVE this series, you will laugh and cry, I really cannot wait for Cameron's story. It was my FAVOURITE .

Any additional comments?

Get this series you won' be sorry.

8 people found this helpful

What Might have been ...

I thought I had over indulged in Regency/Victorian romances to the point that I just could not swallow one more. Too much sugar is bad for you. But then I read a review of The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie that totally captured my attention. I learned it was coming out in audiobook and bought it the day is showed up on Audible. And it did not disappoint. The book was not defined by a time period. It had a fascinatingly weird hero and an equally fascinatingly eccentric heroine. They could have been dropped into Rome in 200 AD or Australia in 2010 and it would not have mattered. They would still have been unique. And thoroughly enjoyable.

So I had high hopes for the next in the series - Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage. Hopes that were ultimately dashed. There was a spark of the eccentric in both of the main characters but that spark was totally undeveloped. Instead he just seemed cruel and self-destructive and she was vapid. Their background was not developed, the explanation of why he treated her so cruelly was weak and just made him more unlikeable. And the fact that she put up with it just made her unsympathetic.

The villain was also only marginally developed and caused very little conflict. The villain, his daughter and his dying ex-lover are totally superfluous. They are introduced, then basically forgot,

The only thing that saved the book were the brief moments when Ian showed up. The author and the narrator understand this character and the way his disability is used to point out the weaknesses of others and flaws in their logic is inventive. Too bad she made Ian's wife, as fascinating as Ian in the first book, such a nonentity in this one. If you blinked you missed her. And you definitely missed her wit.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. If it had not been for the brief glimpses of Ian, I probably would not have finished the book.

7 people found this helpful

Thoroughly enjoyable!!

I was ready to not love it based on some of the reviews and at first I didn't. I had initially listened to Ian's story, thinking that was better, however life got busy and I didn't listen for a couple of weeks. Then I started again and it just goes to show you sometimes the enjoyment of the first book listened to in a series can influence how you perceive the next book. After starting the book again I was thoroughly engrossed! A great book!

4 people found this helpful

Suffers by comparison -- but not by much!

The worst thing that can be said about this book is that it isn't the first book -- which was magnificent. The best thing that can be said is that it continues the story of the Mackenzie family, since Ian and Beth, and all the others, make appearances here. In between, there is a passionate love affair between a married couple, whose separation has emotional depth and a satisfying resolution. And it has the most bizarre villain, ever!

Mac is a tortured painter and ex-alcoholic. He screwed up bad in his marriage, and as a result, his wife asked for a separation. He feels guilty and unworthy, but he loves her desperately, and wants another chance now that he's cleaned up his act.

Isabella is gun shy when it comes to Mac. He hurt her very badly when he left her alone at a time when she needed him the most. She loves him, but she can't let herself trust him.

They both know it's time to try again, but how? They haven't spoken to each other in 3 years.

Enter a mysterious villain who threatens both their lives, bringing them together for mutual survival. The villain is original and strange, and I loved it. Although, there are a few things I would have tweaked: some unexplained details about the bad guy, for instance, and the silly over-the-top adoption. Still, I enjoyed this story very much. The sex scenes were passionate and believable, and by the end, I was in love with Mac.

Highly Recommended! (just not in all-caps!)


Angela Dawe did another fine job with narration.

4 people found this helpful

Couldn't stop listening

Any additional comments?

After reading the first book in this series I was eager to hear the next book and it didn't disappoint. Lady Isabella married Mac MacKenzie after knowing him one night. She was young and he was impetuous but now she is older and wiser and knows exactly what she wants and won't settle for less. Mac must go through a journey of discovering who he is and how to win his wife's affections back. This story is touching and human. It shows the flaws we all have deep within us. I love lady Isabella's tough but loving character, she holds her ground and demands that Mac realize how selfish he has been. Ashley's ability to flesh out these two characters and make them interesting is spot on. From beginning to end the listener is drawn in to this story. The complex characters and their relationship to each other and the storyline are enjoyable and I couldn't stop listening. The narrator is good but I wish she could read with more emotion, sometimes she comes off flat and cold. Other than that this is a great listen.

4 people found this helpful