Loving Lord Ash

January 20, 2014
MacKenzie’s third Duchess of Love Regency romance (after Surprising Lord Jack) rehashes old tropes for a rather dragged-out plot. Kit, Marquis of Ashton, discovered his groom’s daughter, Jess, embracing a naked man. Kit implausibly married Jess to save her reputation, and immediately fled without consummating the marriage. For the next eight years, Jess lives the artist’s life and provides safe refuge for “sodomites” at Kit’s country manor, all the while pining away for her husband. When Kit arrives intending to make a deal for an heir and a spare, seeing Jess embrace another naked man sends him running once more. But Jess is determined to do things differently this time. The two overcome ludicrous sitcomesque shenanigans involving jealous wannabe lovers and society gossips, and finally have an obviously overdue heartfelt conversation that too neatly solves all problems. The comedy is stale, and truly humorous moments are few.

Starred review from March 1, 2014
It's time for Kit, marquis of Ashton, to get down to business. He's been married eight years to his childhood friend and first love, Jess, and there are still no offspring. Dead set on producing an heir and a spare, Kit returns to Greycliffe Castle. The last time he saw Jess was here on their wedding day, when he caught her and his best friend in a compromising position. Not bothering to listen to her pleas of innocence, he left and has stayed away since. Now, just as he enters the castle for the first time in years, he finds her in the arms of a naked man she'd apparently been painting. In fact, the whole castle is filled with men. But these men are living with Jess for a very good reason, and there's no truth to any of the plethora of rumors surrounding either her or Kit. In fact, the ultimate truth is an ironic surprise. Readers will love being treated to this lively, hilarious Regency romp in MacKenzie's Duchess of Love series (Bedding Lord Ned, 2012; Surprising Lord Jack, 2013) and will want all three books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)