Category: Scottish/Highlander

The Scot Who Loved Me by Gina Conkle

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Other, Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Scot Who Loved Me (Scottish Treasures, #1)The Scot Who Loved Me by Gina Conkle

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Scottish Treasures, #1

Release Date: May 25, 2021

Years ago, twice widowed Anne Neville was tasked with finding and bringing back the Jacobite’s missing gold. And finally, after years of collecting information and meticulous preparation, Anne and her merry band of accomplices are ready to set their plan in motion, they just need one more thing – the help of William MacDonald – Anne’s first and only love, who she hasn’t spoken to since the uprising 8 years ago. But to finish her mission and finally be able to return home to Scotland, Anne will do what has to be done and convince Will to help them, but first, she has to break him out of prison.

Will MacDonald never stopped loving Anne, but insecurity and misassumptions tore them apart 8 years ago and their pride has kept them apart ever since. So when she shows up at the prison, his first reaction is to refuse to help, but his heart still wants her and he realizes he may never get another chance to win her back, so he agrees to at least meet with her partners and listen to their plan. But little does Anne know that Will has his own plan to woo her back into his life.

The plan is revealed to Will and he is stunned – the gold was stolen and is currently in the possession of the last person he ever wanted to see again – Ancilla, the widowed Countess of Denton – the woman who hired him as her “personal footman” five years ago and kept him in her “employ” for a year before he finally gathered the remnants of his pride and left. He wants to refuse but knows if he does, he will lose Anne forever. Anne knows of his past with the Countess, which is why he was necessary to the plan, she does feel bad about making him return to what he considers his greatest shame and if she is honest with herself (which she usually is) she will admit that she is jealous, but she can’t let her feelings get in the way of the mission, because the Countess is a worthy foe and Anne would be a fool to let her guard down around the woman. She promises herself that once her mission is complete, she will examine her feelings and consider her options for the future – and hopefully it won’t be too late!

This was a very interesting story, the plan to reclaim the gold was well done and was reminiscent of some great cinematic heists such as The Sting, The Italian Job, and Ocean’s 8 – but overall I felt that the story was a bit slow and the relationship between Anne and Will underdeveloped and stilted, it was clear they had a past and still loved each other, but Anne’s feelings and motivations regarding Will were kept from the reader for most of the book, in the end, everything that was kept from the reader was explained, but it was too little, too late for me to feel the connection. The book has some great secondary characters, a very mild love scene, secrets, surprises, a well-executed theft, and the promise of HEA. I did enjoy the story and am looking forward to future installments.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Lady Frederica and the Scot Who Would Not by Julie Johnstone #GIVEAWAY

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Book Publicity, Contests/Giveaways, Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)4 Comments

When the guarded King of the Underworld collides with a maddeningly reckless lady, the road to ruination becomes impossible not to take.

Lady Frederica Darlington isn’t prim, obedient, or appropriately dispassionate as a proper lady of the aristocracy should be. Nor is she interested in securing a husband, whether rake, rogue, duke, or lord. Freddy wants to live as she pleases in a place she feels she belongs, and for a unconventional lady, the bohemian world of Covent Garden seems the perfect spot. She has a plan to achieve her goal, but when one of her secret missions goes awry and the King of the Underworld rescues her, danger never looked so enticing. And the future she was certain of now feels utterly confusing.

Born and bred on the cutthroat streets of London, Gabriel Beckford has known his share of struggle and loss. He even obtained a few enemies, one of whom is waiting to destroy any lady Gabe falls in love with, so Gabe lives by one simple, necessary rule: never get close. It’s a dictate that’s been easy to abide—until the day Frederica sweeps into his life like a storm. Her passionate nature and impossible impetuousness tempts him beyond reason, and when she declares to make the territory he rules her home, he’ll do everything in his power to stop her and keep her out of his life, head, and heart.

But when a threat to Frederica brings Gabe to her side once more, keeping her at a distance becomes impossible. As Gabe’s enemy closes in, Frederica and Gabe must learn how to trust themselves—and each other—and either submit to the love they thought they never wanted or risk losing the very thing that could save them both.

Giveaway!!!

One randomly chosen, release day (May 10, 2021) commenter will will a copy of this title! No purchase necessary – just leave a comment on May 10th 2021 to be entered, then check back on May 11th 2021 to see if your comment was the winner!!

Tracy’s Review:

Lady Frederica and the Scot Who Would Not (Scottish Scoundrels: Ensnared Hearts #4)Lady Frederica and the Scot Who Would Not by Julie Johnstone

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Scottish Scoundrels: Ensnared Hearts, #4

Release Date: May 10, 2021

Now that her eldest sister Guinevere and her friends in the SLAR (Society of Ladies Against Rogues) have all married and her sister Vivian is on the cusp of getting betrothed, Lady Frederica “Freddy” Darlington has a plan for her life – one that does not include marriage to a Lord or living in Mayfair. After meeting Blythe Beckford, sister to Gabriel “Gabe” Beckford, (owner of the Orcus Society, a gaming hell in Covent Garden and business partner of her brother-in-law, the Duke of Carrington) and recruits her to help with rescue missions now that the SLAR is basically defunct – Freddy and Blythe come to an agreement, Freddy will teach Blythe how to be a lady, so she can marry a lord and Blythe will teach Freddy how to survive in Covent Garden, which is perfect since Freddy plans to live there once Vivian is safely married. But when a rescue goes terribly wrong and Gabe has to rescue them – her plans might be permanently on hold once Gabe assigns himself as her protector.

Gabe is attracted to Freddy in a way that he has never been before and he would love nothing more than to make her his, but a betrayal years ago that cost his first wife her life and promised more of the same to any woman Gabe loves has him trying to keep her at a distance. Too bad Freddy is not listening to him and keeps ending up falling in his path. He is determined to resist her, but when she ends up ruined and only marriage can save her, he will have to come up with a new way to save her and protect his heart.

This was a well-written, fast-paced story with very likable characters and a bit of suspense. Gabe and Freddy are clearly made for each other and Gabe’s reactions to her kept this story from becoming too dark. The book has a little of everything, betrayal, murder, steamy love scenes, a hero who refuses to fall in love, a heroine who doesn’t fit the ton’s mold of a lady, a great cast of secondary characters as well as a secondary romance, a really awful villain and finally a much deserved HEA. I did feel like the story ended a bit abruptly and I would have appreciated an epilogue or at least a bit of closure for Blythe and Huntley, but even without that, this was a great story and I would happily recommend this title. This is the fourth book in the series, but it could be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *