February 13, 2019
The problem with legendary books aka DIKs
http://www.jenniferashley.com/A moment for reflection. Once upon a time Jennifer Ashley did what a number of authors have done – she wrote a wonderful, unforgettable novel which most people love. Back in 2009 she gave us The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie. In my opinion that book was a Desert Island Keeper, a landmark achievement for Ms. Ashley. The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie has taken its place among numerous DIKs - as well it should. It has joined the ranks of some of our most beloved romances, such as Lord of Scoundrels, by Loretta Chase, Devil in Winter and Then Came You, by Lisa Kleypas, The Rake, by Mary Jo Putney – you get the point. Sometimes an author may never reach that pinnacle of “everybody’s favorite novel” success. But, then sometimes authors write that unforgettable gem which is everyone’s favorite.
I’ve always wondered how authors respond to the success of the book which is placed on a pedestal. Do they even know they have a book which is everyone’s favorite? Does it make them nervous? Does it affect the way they right their next books? Are they aware that almost every reader out there will be comparing their latest book against their most memorable gem? I don’t know the answer to those questions, I only know that I’m one of those readers who compares an author’s work against their best. When an author reaches that mountain top pinnacle, I hold all of their books up to that achievement. Is that fair of me? Probably not, but I do it anyway; sometimes consciously, sometimes not.
Which is a long, convoluted way of saying I was not all that fond of The Devilish Lord Will. I’m not saying that this was a bad book, it was just not up to the standard I expect from Jennifer Ashley. I think a lot of my disappointment is due to the fact that the romance in this story had already been established. I wouldn’t really call this a second chance romance, because I couldn’t find any chemistry between the couple. Evidently it developed in previous books – of course, I cannot remember that. And, why is that? Because those previous stories are not fresh in my memory. I have a problem remembering what happened a week ago, let alone a secondary romance written in previous books over two years ago. I just could not remember Will and Josette.
Will and Josette are already in love with each other, but Josette is tired of being hurt so she doesn’t want to luv him anymore – yeah, that’s going to work. Will wants to continue the romance, he actually wants it to be permanent. The problem with this is that Will is supposed to be dead. He and his brothers were at Culloden. Three of the brothers survived, but they are in hiding – sort of. When the story begins Will is in the process of being beaten up by the English. Josette is in the room to rescue him, but she’s in disguise. No one will be able to recognize her. In the end, all this rigamarole doesn't even matter. She rescues him and the story is off to a long meandering tale which didn't interest me.
Will irritated me. All through most of the book he had a plan. He had lots of them. He never talked about them, things just worked out according to his plan. He was in control, and never let Josette in on his plans. It was as if he was winking at everything which happened. He was cavalier about everything he did. I found him to be a pompous bonehead. Yes, I know there are other heroes out there who are pompous and I like them, but Will just didn’t seem to care what others thought. Especially when it came to the woman he supposedly luved, Josette. For twelve years he and Josette had a relationship, and he just sort of expected her to always be there for him. I just did not care for him. As a couple Will and Josette didn’t work.
Thrown into the romance that didn’t work theme was a treasure hunt for Stuart gold and Josette’s ex-lover who was threatening her. These plot lines had filler written alllll over them. They didn’t really keep my interest. I thought the hunt for the gold story line tiresome. Evidently, there was a real treasure in Scottish history which disappeared. I wondered why, since this was a work of fiction, Will and Josette couldn’t have found the gold. But oh well, that’s just me. The blackmailing lover story-line was wrapped up so quickly, one could almost miss it. Oh, the lover was actually dying, so I guess he could be forgiven his blackmail try. So, he wasn’t really evil – ‘cause he was dying. So, all of his threats really didn’t matter – sorry. Why was he even in this book?
There was a family gathering at the end, and we get to visit the three MacKenzie brothers, their wives, cousins, and children – all happy and getting ready to leave a legacy for the MacKenzie’s who were to come. Sorry to say, I cannot recommend this book.
Time/Place:1740s Scotland
Sensuality: Scenes without heat
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