Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

7 reviews

unsweetener's review against another edition

dark emotional funny

5.0

This book somehow has everything, and I absolutely binged the audiobook. Beth is a widowed companion in her late 20s who has come into an inheritance, presumably because she's really fun. Ian is a genius with autism (and the attending trauma of having an undescribed condition, which is tough to read) who has the hots for Beth immediately, and the insta-lust worked for me here because Ian is immediately communicative about his interest in Beth, and she's not a blushing virgin. The real strength is Ian getting to know and trust himself alongside Beth, and there were about a dozen moments of real pathos that I don't always feel for a male main character. Beth is a delight; she's got jokes, but Ian usually doesn't get them, which really pushes her not to always deflect with humor in her conversations with him. Just great character beats all around.

There's also a murder mystery, which is handled just about perfectly for a romance novel; true crime vibes that don't detract from the romance and has a huge impact on Ian and his relationships. It's not exactly progressive, but it's well done. 

The audiobook narration is absolutely incredible and really elevated the story. Angela Dawe's performance gave all the characters such much personality, especially Beth and Katie, who constantly had me laughing. I would read a Katie spinoff in a heartbeat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

junjun10's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So good! Author had such a good grasp of how to depict autism, and wrote the time period so well while also maintaining an interesting plot and cast side by side with the developing romance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Ableism and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

cluckieduck's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This started off so promising, but I’m left feeling disappointed with the turn it took. The story & characters hooked me right in through the first few chapters, but overall it lacked the substance I look for in a romance. 

I didn’t think Ian & Beth were developed enough or had enough chemistry, and their sex scenes were very basic and almost…off putting in their monotony. 

Sad to say it just fell a bit flat overall and I think it’s a 2.5 ⭐️ read for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

trashbinfluencer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder

heydebigale's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lord Ian is a neuorodiverse son of a Duke (reads as autistic to me, but is never named on the page). Many people in London believe he is a murderer and Beth, who has fallen in love with him, decides to seek out the truth. 

It came out in 2009, so not super old but there is once again the racial slur for Romani folks in this book. (2nd book in a row that I’ve read with this). 

I listened to this one primarily on audio, Angela Dawe was an excellent narrator! 

What I really liked about this book is that it’s both a mystery and a romance but neither the romance or the mystery suffer if that makes sense?? Plus the two MCs are very kind to each other basically the entire book which I loved. Ian and Beth are so gentle with each other basically the entire book and I loved all that!!

Notes: takes place in London, England. Both MCs are white, with a slight class difference. Ian is autistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Torture, and Abandonment

Minor: Racial slurs

briannareads1342's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Medical trauma

Minor: Alcoholism and Confinement