The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie

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Synopsis

Violet Bastien is a well-known medium in the London scene, but she knows that it's her mother who truly has the sight, while Violet, herself, relies on gadgets to convince their clientele of her connection to the spirit world. One night, her landlord brings around Daniel, a young man who could prove dangerous to Violet's business. Daniel is far too intelligent to fall for her tricks, and when he uncovers her inventions, she fears that he might reveal her secrets. Instead he steals a kiss, which frightens Violet when it brings up old memories. In her fearful state, she conks him on the head with a vase, and thinking she's killed him, she immediately packs up and flees to the continent, taking on a new persona. Daniel catches up to her anyway, leaving Violet believing he's going to have her arrested, but once again, he surprises her by befriending her, wooing her, and showing her his own inventions, which fascinate her. But Violet is terrified of intimacy and even if she can get past her fears and trust Daniel, she's harboring a huge secret that would make it all but impossible for them to ever wed.

Daniel Mackenzie is wealthy, intelligent, and never at a loss for female companionship, but none of the aristocratic ladies have the slightest interest in his engineering projects that are his pride and joy. When he meets Violet, he immediately knows she's a fraud, but when he discovers her gadgets and learns that she built them herself, it makes her all the more attractive to him. When he steals a kiss, though, she coshes him on the head and leave him for dead. He knows he should probably just let her go, but she so fascinated him that he can't stop thinking about her. With a little help from his uncle, Daniel tracks her to France, and begins to woo her in earnest, taking her on a balloon ride and showing her his motorcar. But Violet is fearful of letting him into her bed. Never one to back down from a challenge, Daniel is determined to get her to trust him enough to share her secrets, but her biggest one of all could derail his plans to propose marriage.

Review

The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie is the sixth full-length novel in Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzies & McBrides series. Our hero is Daniel, the eldest son of Cameron (The Many Sins of Lord Cameron) who we met as a teenager earlier in the series. After winning big at the gaming tables, his opponent persuades Daniel to accompany him to a house he rents to a medium and her daughter, Violet. The man hopes that Daniel will be so impressed by the girl that he'll forgive the remainder of his debt. Daniel, an engineer who likes to tinker and create his own inventions, is impressed, but not by Violet's spiritualist skills, which he immediately recognizes as flummery. Instead, he discovers her gadgets that trick customers into thinking she's the real deal and wants to know more about how she built them. During the course of their discussion, Daniel steals a kiss, which scares poor Violet into bashing him over the head with a vase. Thinking she's killed him, Violet gathers her mother and their maid, and makes a run for France, where they set up shop under another of their fake personas. As it turns out, Daniel isn't dead at all, but he can't stop thinking about Violet even after what she did. He gets his Uncle Ian to help him track her down, and begins to court her in earnest, taking her for an adventurous ride in a hot air balloon and showing her his plans for a motorcar. Daniel also wants to get to the bottom of why Violet is so fearful of intimacy, and when she finally shares her past with him, he's determined to make the men who hurt her pay. He also knows that he wants Violet to always be a part of his life, but a major obstacle to them ever being able to marry arises, which will be difficult to overcome and will also force Violet to face one of her abusers, something she's very reluctant to do.

Since she was seven years old, Violet has basically been taking care of herself and her mother, who is so wrapped up in the spirit world, she was never much of a parent. While Violet thinks her mother is the real deal, Violet, herself, has always been skeptical of the spirit world, so she's relied on gadgets to make her readings more convincing and dramatic. She's forged an independent life as best she could through their spiritualist act, but deep down she knows she's a fraud. The night she meets Daniel, she's very attracted to him, but when he discovers her machinery, she worries he might out her and ruin their business, if not worse. Instead, he seems to be genuinely awed by her skills in building them. However, when he tries to steal a kiss, Violet has a terrifying flashback to abuse she suffered in the past, which frightens her into hitting him over the head with a vase. When she can't find a pulse, she's mortified by what's she's done, because up to that point, she'd really liked Daniel. Fearing that she'll go to jail and there will be no one to care for her ailing mother, she takes Daniel's body to the porch of a kind doctor she knows, and then immediately gets them all out of town. When Daniel tracks her down in France, she's happy to see him alive, but once again worries that he's there to have her arrested. Instead, all he seems to want to do is spend time with her, showing her all the wonders of his world. He's also kind and compassionate, gently coaxing her to reveal her past and wanting to make those who've hurt her pay, which makes it easy to fall in love with him. But Violet is still keeping one big secret that could derail their burgeoning relationship. Violet was a great heroine with an adventurous spirit. She's obviously smart to have engineered all her gadgets, and she loves helping Daniel with his. She's kind and caring, and not really a deceitful person by nature. She's had to fend for herself for so long, she marvels at how Daniel wants to take care of her, but at the same time, she's a little wary. Violet has been through a lot in her life, and doesn't think that she's a strong person, but I love how she got the chance to stand up for herself against one of the men who took advantage of her. She just deserved all the good things that Daniel could give her.

As we learned in Cameron's book, Daniel's mother, who was mentally ill, tried to kill him as a baby. Although he doesn't remember the incident, the fallout from it has left some emotional scars, but now that he's grown, he sees everything more clearly and has a zest for life, wanting to live every moment to the fullest. He appreciates the large loving Mackenzie family, even when they're getting into his business. Daniel's intelligence rivals Ian's, except that Daniel is more interested in inventing things. When he discovers Violet's mechanisms, he instantly thinks that one of them might help improve the design of a hot air balloon he's made, and he's also in the process of building a motorcar. Violet, herself, greatly impresses him, not only because he finds her beautiful, but also because he loves her clever mind. Even after she hits him over the head and leaves him for dead, he can't stop thinking about her, which is why he gets Ian to help him track her down. Once he's found her again, he has no intention of letting her go, but he has his work cut out for him, getting her to open up to him about her past. He's definitely up to the challenge, but Violet's last secret could be the one that makes it impossible for them to be together. I absolutely adored Daniel. I'm a total goner for intelligent men, so that alone made him an amazing hero to me. But then he also treats her to wonderful adventures and all the finer things in life. He's patient, kind, and loving toward Violet, both in getting her to tell all, and in waiting for her to be ready for physical intimacy. He also gives her the push she needs to face her past head on. Daniel was simply a wonderful man who embodies many of the best qualities of his family members that he's absorbed throughout his life.

The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie was yet another winner in this series for me. I fell head-over-heels for Daniel, and Violet was very relatable and easy to like as well. They were perfectly matched as a couple, sharing many of the same interests and having personalities that fit together, too. I love how Daniel takes the time to genuinely romance Violet and show her how much he cares. Their love scenes are both steamy and full of tenderness. Daniel may have been civilized by his stepmother and aunts, but as a Scotsman, he doesn't hesitate to seek vengeance for the wrongs done to the woman he loves. It was great fun having the story set in the late nineteenth century, when cars and other technologies were beginning to emerge. I don't often see these things in historical romances, so it was a nice change of pace. I loved the ballooning adventure Daniel and Violet went on, as well as them working on his car and running it in a race. It shows how they were able to enjoy each other's company in a number of different ways. It was wonderful seeing the large, boisterous and growing Mackenzie clan. Daniel is a great big brother and uncle to all the little ones. Everything about this book was perfection for me, and I can't wait to continue the series.

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Jennifer Ashley

Themes

Geniuses, Scholars & Scientists aka Geeks - Heroes
Opposite Sides of the Track
Tortured Heroines