Gina Conkle's "The Scot Who Loved Me" is a gritty, 18th century bodice ripper set in London. The reader follows Will McDonald, a brooding Scot jailed for his loyalty to his country, and Anne Neville, the leader of a women's league that aims to steal back Scottish treasure and return it home. Only through working together can they restore their country's treasure. The rub: they're former lovers who each believe that the other abandoned them in their youth.

Conkle's book is perfect for people who love historical romances with a heavy dose of suspense, strong women, and roguish Highlanders!

3.5 rounded up

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. *

I really enjoyed my first Gina Conkle book. The Scot Who Loved Me is the first in her new Scottish Treasures series. Anne runs a league that is working to return the lost Jacobite gold to Scotland. She can't do it without the help of her former lover, Will. The league needs Will's help to break into the house of the Countess who stole the gold from a Scotsman. Will is the only one who knows where the Countess keeps the key to her safe so they can take back the gold. Will and Anne have great chemistry, and all the characters are well-developed and highly sympathetic. Anne is a compelling heroine, and I was cheering for her from the very first pages. I was immediately hooked by the compelling plot, full of intrigue and nice suspense. I recommend this book for any fan of historical romance who also enjoys a good heist.

Thank you to KissCon, Avon, and NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good highlander but the pacing was off for me in this book. I loved the beginning but then felt like the story slowed way down.

Look at this cover! it is absolutely gorgeous and what initially drew me to the book. It’s been a good while since I’ve read Scottish romance actually dealing with failure at Culloden. I am very happy that I know my Scottish history because it helped a lot to provide context for the story. This book takes place about eight years after Culloden and follows Anne and her league of Scottish women in their attempt to return stolen Jacobite treasure to the highlands. Of course they’ll need a man to help and who better than Anne’s former love who has recently been arrested for wearing his kilt (yes kilts were banned after the uprisings).

I honestly struggled a bit with this book. I found that I didn’t really care about their mission to find and return the gold, which unfortunately for me was the entire plot of the book. While the mission was what brought Anne and Will back together, I felt like it took the focus away from their romance, which is what I’m looking for in my romance novels. This is very much a second chance romance, with much of Anne and Will’s romance happening in the past. The book still brings the heat and the pair’s attraction and love for each other is undeniable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts at midnight with the heroine, Anne purchasing the hero, Will MacDonald’s freedom from prison (Will was arrested for wearing a kilt). The story takes place in London 8 years after Culloden and the 1745 uprising. Anne is the leader of a league of Scots women who are trying to steal back treasure/Jacobite gold and give it back to their clan...very Robin Hood-esque vibes. Anne needs Will’s help to steal back the treasure and they also dive into their past history with one another...

Will and Anne met 8 years ago when he arrived to escort her to her betrothed, another man in his clan. But on the trip the two fell in love with one another instead and ended up separated during the Uprising with their families taking different sides. Now 8 years later, the two grapple with their feelings for one another and the danger of gaining the treasure. There was definitely moments of angst & pining between Will and Anne, but I found myself wanting more of it. Maybe flashbacks to the 8 years prior trip would have helped show how their relationship started as well. This was a pretty quick read with some action-dangerous situations that just ended up getting resolved very easily and neatly. And then the story ends once they’re back in Scotland, I wanted more of the time there. 🤣 Maybe an epilogue would have helped or I guess if this is going to be a series maybe we will see more of them in Scotland in those. This was an enjoyable historical romance with a different setting though (all the Scots in London) with some treasure stealing adventure, and a second chance romance with a twice-widowed heroine and her first love.

Thank you to the publisher (Avon and Harper Voyager) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. The Scot Who Loved Me will be out May 25, 2021.

Well-plotted with some interesting history woven in (this isn’t the time period I usually read, so it was fun learning something new), but this didn't grab me the way I'd hoped it would. I never totally fell in love with Will and Anne, and I wasn’t invested enough in the heist to really get into the plot. That said, I think readers looking for a second chance historical romance + a heist novel will enjoy this. Thank you for the early copy!

This book was everything! I am so, so happy I was given the chance to try out Gina’s writing.

This book is earthy and deep. Story flowed so well. I really enjoyed it!

I actually ended up dnfing this. I felt like the characters were just bitter towards each other. I got 50% of the way through and I didn’t feel like there was much of a romance. And it felt like Will just wanted to sleep with Anne again and not actually be with her. I also felt like this jumped around a lot and it didn’t make sense and I felt like some details were skipped or left out that were important to the story.

This was a well plotted novel that is the first in a new series that takes place in 1753-after the second Jacobean rebellion. I found Gina Conkle's writing to be easily accessible and steadily paced. This is a novel that is much more plot driven and we are introduced to a large cast of characters (who I assume will continue to build out this series as it goes on). At the heart of this novel is the second chance romance between our hero and heroine who first fell in love when they were very young with ideals of supporting each other during the uprising.

This novel starts off eight years after they have been apart and our heroine has been married and widowed two times over. Anne is resilient and smart, she has been on a mission to restore the Jacobean gold back to Scotland and she rescues our hero (Will) from prison in order to help with this task. Anne learns throughout this novel how to be strong and steadfast in her goals, how to move on from the past, and how to dream bigger for her future.

Will is in some ways a gentle giant, and in others a fierce and strong individual who will fight for his country and the people he loves. Will learns to look past misunderstands and to discover the growth and independence that Anne has built of herself. Will comes to terms with wrongs he has committed and through the rediscovery of love he finds strength to overcome.

The relationship between Will and Anne is a very soft undercurrent to the intriguing plot line that mainly drives the story. Action and conflict all stem from the goals and mission that are set into motion at the start of the novel, which then leads Will and Anne to learn each other and uncover the ways each of them has grown. I do love that their relationship is not bogged down by angst over the past, I love that they learn to discuss things with and open mind and I love that they reach understandings without harboring petty feelings from the past.

This second chance relationship is very slow burn and blooms with maturity so it is a bit softer in feel and not driven fully by lust. There are very few sensual moments but I still was able to feel the re-arising of attraction between Will and Anne, and because their love is more mature, the foundation for their love to develop is very strong.

I would highly recommend this novel if you love a plot driven historical romance that is the foundation and start of what looks to be an captivating series that focuses on the after maths of the second Jacobean rebellion. I am looking forward to seeing where this story develops.

The Scot Who Loved Me starts off with an interesting premise - Anne , twice-widowed, shows up in the jail cell where her first love, Will, is being held prisoner. She bribes the guards to let set him free, and then coerces him into helping her with a complex heist. The promising beginning includes a ton of sexual tension and backstory, and we were looking forward to watching everything play out. Unfortunately around the halfway mark the heist action slowed down and the bedroom action didn't ratchet up to compensate. All in all, while this is an interesting take on the aftermath of the Jacobite rising, the romance was less than compelling.

This was a really interesting read. This isn’t usually the time period I enjoy for historical romance but the premise looked interesting and I always like a man in a kilt. The characters were well written and the historical events that are referenced which is the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion was really interesting since I really didn’t know anything about it. This was the first in a series called Scottish Treasures in which each book will have a women determined to return Scottish treasures back to the Highlands and the men who help them which is what happened in this one. Will Macdonald and Anne Fletcher team up in spite of their tumultuous past to steal the treasure of Loch Arkaig back from English hands and return it home to Scotland and of course working together helps them overcome the obstacles of their past and begin again. I enjoyed the concept and it was a fast read.

Thanks to Avon/Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Will MacDonald was an enforcer for Clan MacDonaldranald but he was a Jacobite and his side could not fight against the English. So many men died during that battle. He was six foot and four inches,
brown-blond hair, and all muscles and attitude. When she first met him he was twenty and that was eight years ago. They had loved deeply. He was angry and she was hurt. There were some things they would have to clear up, eventually.
Just after Culloden, a large chest of gold arrived on the Scottish Coast. Then disappeared. Anne Fletcher, MacDonald, Neville, had discovered its whereabouts, she and the league were going to steal it back, then return it to Scotland and the people who needed it. Anne had long black hair, a beautiful and kissable mouth, and slender.
It was a wonderful story of the scrapes the five women get into. They had to be focused in order to get away with it. The characters were funny and so sweet and tried to be helpful. I have always enjoyed Gina Conkle's books and recommend them to my friends. She writes an engaging tale, keeping it easy to read and entertaining. The things they have to go thru to try to accomplish their final vow for Scotland. I highly recommend this marvelous novel and found it very enjoyable.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Fun, easy read! It reminded me a lot of Outlander in some ways, but it was really interesting to read! The characters were developed and relatable, and the plot was engaging! Nice quick read!

After the Jacobite wars, Scotland was forever changed and punished badly, its people and land suffered. William is in jail but the woman from his past frees him with the bargain to help her and the other ladies steal back the missing French gold. Anne has never forgotten the man to who she gave her heart and she needs his help to provide help to her family in Scotland.
It reminded me a lot of Outlander and I really enjoyed the storyline and the chemistry!