Starred review from September 15, 2015
Malcolm Mal Mackenzie doesn't care that Lady Mary Lennox is betrothed to another man. It doesn't worry Mal one bit that Mary's father is loyal to the English king and hates all Scotsmen with a vengeance. These are merely obstacles that Mal must overcome to achieve his ultimate goal of making Mary his. The first step in Mal's plan is to charm Mary senseless while he helps her sister elope. Next, when Charles Stuart's supporters seize control of Edinburgh, Mal not only manages to whisk Mary to safety, but he also sees to it that her father is not executed by the Jacobites. As things heat up between the English and the rebellious Scots, however, Mal finds that his plans to bring Mary home to Kilmorgan require a few unexpected detours. But in the end, nothing is going to keep Mal from his one true love. In the eighth installment in the Mackenzie series, Ashley (Rules for a Proper Governess, 2014) again delivers a beguiling mix of captivating characters (including a hero who could give Jamie Fraser in the best-selling Outlander series a run for his money), a superbly rendered historical setting, and a plot jam-packed with dangerous intrigue and daring sensuality.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)