The Devilish Lord Will by Jennifer Ashley

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, 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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33259027-the-duchess-deal

Title: The Devilish Lord Will
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: The Mackenzies Series
Pages: 315
Genre(s): Historical, Georgian, Scotland
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I very much enjoyed Jennifer Ashley’s Victorian Death Below Stairs Mystery series so I was excited to give this book a go. I’m always a bit anxious when choosing a book set in Scotland or with Scottish characters. Will the author have everyone jigging the eightsome reel and proclaiming ‘och aye the noo’ at passers by?

Luckily - the answer is no. There were some dubious attempts at Scottish brogue (that to my Scottish ears sounded a wee bit more Geordie than ‘Scottish’) but all in all - people spoke like normal folk and in a way that was easy to read and understand! There was some talk of speaking Erse - which I personally have only ever heard in relation to Irish Gaelic - but happy to be corrected. And just to get all the Scottish malarkey out the way in one go - I do wish that ‘plaid’ wasn’t so liberally used as a catch-all term for tartan.

So onto the book proper. I wasn’t disappointed to see a very robust novel in very much the same writing style as Ms Ashley’s previous books. It was interesting, absorbing and contained a lot of detail without every coming across as dreary.

Will Mackenzie is definitely devilish and it’s hard not to love the charming rogue. He and Josette have known each other for a long time and have been on many an adventure together - presumably in the two books that precede this one, and form part of a mini-trilogy inside the larger Mackenzie series. This book does stand alone and while the central cast of characters are relatively small, there are a few introductions and situations that would have made more sense to me had I read The Stolen Mackenzie Bride and Alec Mackenzie's Art of Seduction before this one.

Back to Will and Josette - I really liked them as a couple and I loved how Will made it his mission to win Josette over. Perhaps since the couple had a previous romantic relationship, there was no need for much build up to the kissing or sex. It was still nicely hot but there wasn’t much tension in the lead up to it.

The action was at a minimum but there was a lot of intrigue and shenanigans. I never got lost in an overly intricate plot, however, which definitely shows the skill of the writer. I want to be entertained, not confused and with this book you can just sit back and enjoy the crazy schemes that Will and Josette get into!

Overall this is an enjoyable book that you will enjoy and root for the characters. There’s hijinks and mystery, romance and a satisfying conclusion and happily ever after. A good read for a jaunt to the Scottish Highlands. 4 stars.

Oh and one more Scottish thing - because I just can't help myself. I actually laughed out loud when the two Campbells in the novel were complaining that the Mackenzies were untrustworthy. It’s been over 300 years since the massacre and my Granny still always told me to be feart of a Campbell!!