The Devilish Lord Will by Jennifer Ashley

SYNOPSIS

Scotland 1747

When Josette needs help finding a trove of gold believed lost in the Highlands, she turns to Will Mackenzie, the most cunning, devious, and clever man she knows. But trusting Will with her secrets is akin to trusting the devil himself.

They've worked together in the past, pretending to be man and wife to ferret out information, and the venture did not end well. 

Will is dangerous, and so is his life, and danger is not what Josette needs.

But she knows the real reason she's avoided him is because he's Will Mackenzie, the golden-eyed, red-haired, unpredictable man with warm hands that bring her to life. Will has more secrets than Josette ever can fathom, and the most dangerous thing of all is that he's already stolen her heart. 

Synopsis from Goodreads

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PERSONAL REVIEW

It's almost Valentine's Day and I'm a sucker for romance novels, so this seems like the perfect time to review Jennifer Ashley's newest addition to her Mackenzie series, The Devilish Lord Will. I haven't actually reviewed the rest of the series, but rest assured, if you like Scottish lords and their attempts to woo the women they love, you will adore this series (I definitely do!). Lord Will brings us (further) back in time to just after the Battle of Culloden, and we finally learn about the most secretive of the Mackenzie brothers. 

Unraveling Some of the Mystery Around Will
Will has long been the most mysterious brother, largely because his work as a spy means that his family often doesn't know what he's doing. I was really excited to get to spend some time with him and get his perspective on what life is like now that England thinks he's dead. Ashley did a great job giving Will and Josette an adventure that required them to use Will's special skills, giving us the chance to get to know him better. It was great seeing him play different roles, but even better getting to see what he thinks about his brothers and watching him fall in love. 

On the Fence About The Love Story
I love a happy ending, but it was a bit frustrating to read about Josette constantly going back and worth on whether she's going to be with Will or not. I completely understand her hesitation, but saying they won't be together, than sleeping together, and saying never again, and than in bed again... you get the point. She eventually commits to enjoy being with him, but it set the tone for a weird back and forth that continues between them almost the entire book. Again, I completely understand why she feels this way, but when comparing Josette's flip-flopping to Mary's let's-do-it mentality (and I hate making comparisons, but these books definitely lend themselves to them), Josette and Will's story ended up keeping me at a bit of a distance. I just didn't love them as much as I have loved the other Mackenzie's.

Doesn't Quite Hit the Mark
​Don't get me wrong, I adore Will and I enjoyed his and Josette's story, but something was missing for me, especially when compared to Malcolm and Mary's story in The Stolen Mackenzie Bride. ​I think the biggest drawback was that much of Josette and Will's story is based on their history, but we haven't heard anything about this history until this book. While their story is lovely (I mean, Will basically helped raise her daughter) it was all new information but the story expected us to treat it like we already knew it. I think if we had gotten to see more of them in the previous books (not just the brief blip in Alec Mackenzie's Art of Seduction) it would have made a difference in how we entered their story.

Overall, this was a fun addition to the Mackenzie series that Jennifer Ashley has been crafting over the years, and I sincerely hope that she continues writing about more of them! We have older Mackenzie's to meet further back in history, and the new ones that are still babies, but maybe we can get a bit of a time jump. Either way, if you loved the other Mackenzie romances, you should definitely grab The Devilish Lord Will​!

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FINAL RATING: 3.5/5