Mackenzie's Pleasure

By: Linda Howard

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

No mission had ever gotten the better of Navy SEAL Zane Mackenzie...until now. Barrie Lovejoy needed a savior, before the terrorist group holding her hostage lost patience and silenced her forever. Rescuing Barrie would be the most important mission of his life. For he would sooner die than let the enemy harm the mother of his child.

©1996 Linda Howard (P)2006 Audible, Inc.

It just missed something.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, the characters were dull and didn't have the usual linda howard spark. There were a lot of good reviews and I really needed a good LH book and this wasn't one .

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I couldn't find anything interesting about this one.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator made all the characters sound dull and didn't convey any emotions.

Was Mackenzie's Pleasure worth the listening time?

No really, I wished I had saved my money and time on this one.

Not ever again!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not too bad. The narrator was too mechanical, but the story could have been excellant.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Change the narrator

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Definately

Do you think Mackenzie's Pleasure needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, but not with the current narrator.

Maybe it's just me

This book had so many 5 stars that I have concern for my logic. I really like Linda Howard, and maybe it's my fault for reading out of order, but I found the book uninteresting and illogical.

Barrie (not sure if a nickname or not doesn't say) is kidnapped. Navy seal Zan rescues her and all logic goes out the window. *spoiler, she has tortured naked and 8 hours from being raped yet he is turned on and having sexual thoughts about the victim he just rescued. She decided in 2 hours of meeting this man that she needs him for her first time and they go at it like rabbits while hitting in rubble (really). At time Barrie seems likes she's got it together then at other times she is tstl, I just couldn't like her.
Epilogue is cute but meaningless. Overall not worth the money/credit.

Complaint is format

Mackenzie's Pleasure is a "classic" Linda Howard written in the early 90's. My ONLY complaint is that this audio book is in one big 7 hour chunk. In other words, it's on one big track ... if i fall asleep or miss something, there is no way to go back a few seconds, because it only "rewinds" to the start of the 7 hours. Part of that is the design of my Dell DJ, but most audio books are broken into separate chapters, so if 4 hours in, you've lost track of what's going on, you only have to re-listen to a chapter or so. Not this one. This is just annoying!

Mackenzie synonymous with misogynistic

I absolutely love Linda Howard, but I think she loses her mind when she writes about the Mackenzies:((. How else to explain the brutality that they show towards their women in the bedroom?? In both Zane and Chances stories they KNOW that the women they “love” are virgins, yet they show no consideration towards them!!! They have sex with them REPEATEDLY, never giving them a chance to recover! It’s sickening. I’m done with the Mackenzies
Also, they are having nonstop sex while hiding from terrorists, and under the worst possible conditions. They have sex in slime, filth, and rat infested hovels! What??! Never mind that she had just been humiliated and tortured by terrorists, and threatened with assault. This goes way beyond suspending disbelief — it is COMPLETELY unbelievable and unacceptable! I don’t understand how Linda Howard could write this drivel when she has so many wonderful books like “Loving Evangeline” “Mr. Perfect” , and “Veil of Night”. Ugghhh just going to reread her previous books.

Kathy

I don't really ask a lot of these kind of books. I happily suspend reason, logic and a room temperature IQ, joyfully accepting every hair-brained story-line the author cranks out just to listen to the sexy bits.

I admit that I can believe that the Lady looks like a supermodel, has 4 PhDs and is a 29 year old virgin. I can believe that the Hero is a larger than life hunk who has saved the world from terrorists, is a natural warrior who is on a first name basis with many world leaders, who just wants to settle down and have babies and with the right girl.

I will cheerfully ignore that the main characters have been wading neck deep in sewage for days, haven't bathed or brushed their teeth in weeks, met each other five minutes before plunging into deep doo doo, and are still so hot for each other they not only accomplish the main sex act but also other selected sexy asides.

Yep, I confess. Even when the sexy bits are humanly impossible and all too predictable, I still like to listen to them every now and then

However, I do get MORE than a little irritated when the narrator is all wrong for the read. If the Hero is a big, macho man, alpha male with superhuman strength and stamina the voice should reflect that. It should not sound like a guy who has never lifted anything heavier than a chess piece NOR done anything more dangerous than that. And the voice should not sound like a woman in the 2nd stage of labor --- a growling female narrator is not a good substituted for a deep male voice (as in McKenzie's Mountain! Geez Louize! What were they thinking?)

The short version: if you're gonna talk dirty, do it like ya mean it or just go some place else and make some animalistic sounds deep in the throat. <S>

Sexy suspense, mediocre narrator

This is book 3 of Linda Howard's Mackenzie series. Brainless beach read -- your typical romantic suspense. The US ambassador's daughter is abducted, so the Navy SEALS rescue her. Zane (SEAL commander) and Barrie fall in lust / love immediately. Lots of sex and several action-suspense scenes. Sizzling scene in the restaurant, after the wedding.

Zane's brother Chance stars in a sequel. The prologue and epilogue feature Chance. Great friendship between Chance and Zane. The entire Mackenzie clan shows up in epilogue, with Zane and Barrie's little girl, Nick (Mary Nicole).

Narrator Dennis Boutsikaris did an okay job, with no irritating mannerisms or affectations, but he doesn't sound tender or passionate or tough when he should. He is a very good reader, basically, but not much of a performer. I would like to see a stronger performer with a male voice portray Zane.