Gina Conkle’s THE SCOT WHO LOVED ME is the first in her series, Scottish Treasures, and tells the story of past lovers Anne Fletcher and Will MacDonald as they work together to steal Jacobite treasure that’s in the hands of the English.

Anyone that has read enough of my reviews knows that I am not a huge fan of second chance romances. Often, the couple has the same thoughts of regret throughout the book and the plot hinges on a misunderstanding that could easily be resolved with a conversation. Happily, Ms. Conkle avoids that here and Will and Anne have a conversation early on that clears up what happened in the past. It was refreshing that their thoughts of regret were kept to a minimum because of this and could instead be focused on other things. I genuinely enjoyed seeing a hero and heroine behave like actual adults and talk something out rather than assume what the other was thinking. It really kept the romance from dragging.

We don’t really get to know Will and Anne nearly as much as I prefer. As a second chance romance, much of their story played out in the past and we are given few glimpses into it. I did appreciate the few glimpses we did get and I liked both characters even though I would’ve loved to get to know them better.

The majority of the plot is devoted to the theft of the Jacobite gold with the romance sprinkled in. There were a few slow spots but for the most part, the plot moved along at a steady pace. I did feel the theft itself was a little too easy after all the build-up to it and tension around it. I would’ve liked some more action than what we got but as a large part of the story was dedicated to setting up the next title in line, there wasn’t as much time for more detailed action.

THE SCOT WHO LOVED ME was my first title from Gina Conkle, and I will most likely give the next title a try.