Review: The Many Sins of Lord Cameron

The Many Sins of Lord Cameron
Jennifer Ashley
Historical Romance/England/1882
Highland Pleasures/Book 3
Berkley/August 2, 2011

He is a man of simple tastes - and complex pleasures...

 
Cameron Mackenzie is a man who loves only horses and women - in that order - or so his mistresses say.

Ainsley Douglas is a woman with a strong sense of justice and the desire to help others - even if that means sneaking around a rakish man's bedchamber.

Which is exactly where Cam finds her - six years after he caught her the first time. Only then, she convinced Cam she was seeking a liaison, but couldn't go through with it because of her husband. Now a widow, she's on a mission to retrieve letters that could prove embarrassing to the queen. Cam has no interest in Ainsley's subterfuge, but he vows to finish what they started those many years ago. One game, one kiss at a time, he plans to seduce her. And what starts out as a lusty diversion may break Cam's own rules - and heal the scars of a dark and damaging past...

So happy I picked up this book.  I had no idea how ready I was to get back to the highlands and those enticing Mackenzie men!  The black sheep of the family, Cameron, is so not a hero.  He doesn't want to be and has no illusions of attempting to be a hero.  But we know all it takes is the right woman to bring the hero out and it seems those black sheep tend to make some of the best heroes!

Cameron Mackenzie could easily be called an rake.  He loves his horses, his family and women. But it's the women that he has no real use for other than carnal.  The exceptions being his sisters-in-laws whom he adores. It's not that he is cruel, he just doesn't want anything other than sex from them.  Cam is brash, sometimes crude but oh so easy to fall for.  He's not a pretender but is exactly what you see.  I loved that about him!  I also liked seeing not only Cam's relationship with Ainsley develop but his relationships with his brothers, sisters-in-law and his son.  I'm glad Ashley included Cam's strong bond with his horses and his good friend Angelo.  The horses are such an integral part of Cam it would have lessened the story had they not played a important role.

Ainsley Douglas has been tempted by Cameron before but found strength to restrain herself from giving in to his allure.  This time she's widowed and while she's aware of Cam's reputation with women, she still finds herself pulled in by him.  He's hard to resist and I liked how Ainsley worked her way around to giving in.  She's logical in her thought process and realistic in what the most likely outcome of their relationship will be - nothing long term but she's determined to enjoy Cam while she can.  That  doesn't mean I wasn't rooting for this couple.  The fit well together, they just had a few issues to get past.

The Mackenzie clan is a boisterous bunch with love, tenderness, teasing and loyalty all rolled into a very wealthy and powerful family.  They also enjoy meddling in each others lives which provides some very humorous encounters.   Ashley does well in balancing the serious with the humor as well as the romance in Cam and Ainsley story.  I completely fell in love with these wonderfully wicked Mackenzies!

Rating: A

Highland Pleasures Series ~

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage
The Many Sins of Lord Cameron
The Duke's Perfect Wife
The Seductions of Elliott McBride (December 2012)
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie (2013)