Series: Scottish Treasures, #1
Traits & Tropes: slow burn; second chance
Publication Date: 05.25.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; London England, 1753
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 2.5/5
The devastating loss at Culloden hasn’t made Will MacDonald any less the proud Highlander and that obstinance has landed him in prison for wearing his kilt. He has plans to leave England and search for his father in Virginia when he’s released but that idea is foiled when a woman buys his freedom and asks for his help in exchange.
Anne Neville had thought never to see her former love again. She left Will eight years ago and doesn’t expect he’s forgiven her, but she and her league need his help to accomplish their mission. She’s determined to steal back thieved Jacobite gold and return it to its rightful place in the Highlands and she believes they’ll succeed with Will’s help, even though spending time with him again is equal parts pain and pleasure.
Reunited with Anne after such a long separation, Will won’t leave her again, even if their mission could result in their deaths. As they work together toward a common goal, Will and Anne must decide if they’ll return to their lonely half-lives when it’s over or take the risk that a relationship between them could work this time around.
This book was heavily plot driven and featured strong writing, but the romance definitely took a backseat here. The mission to steal back the gold and the formation of the league was the main focus and it then lost momentum as well and I just wound up not caring about it. I was never a fan of Anne and she and Will never really had much civil conversation. There were times that some sexual tension built between them, but she’d usually say something awful to him to ruin it. I thought Will deserved better than he got and while Anne may have done a couple of nice things for him, mainly she was just using him. The heist was her priority, and she didn’t realize his true worth until much too late for me to find it satisfying.
As always with second chance stories, I had a hard time not focusing on the wasted time when the MCs weren’t together, but that was especially true of this story as Will has the same struggle and Anne knew where to find him for years but didn’t reveal herself because she put the league and its goals first. The reason for their initial separation eight years ago was as tragic as it was flimsy, and the poignance of it was a bit lost on me and buried in angst. In fact, the tone of the entire book was gnawingly ominous, so I struggled to read much of it in one sitting. The somewhat vague descriptions made parts of the book a bit difficult to follow, though that may have been down to my waning interest in the plot. I think I would’ve liked it more if Anne had been a character I could really root for, but she was unnecessarily snappish and mean, preoccupied with Will telling her what to do, unable or unwilling to acknowledge his attempts to protect her and his guilt for his perceived failure in the past.
There was a strong build-up here that sadly fizzled out for me, especially given the painfully slow burn and the fact that we never saw much on-page communication between Will and Anne. It left me feeling like they may part again in the near future when some other issue arises. The frequent hints of the past backstory before the full revelation became a bit repetitive for me and rather than pique my interest, it lost my attention. This made the story’s flow seem a bit jerky and once that momentum was lost, we never got it back. I know there was a bit to be done to set up the future books of the series, but the romance never really came to fruition here and the characters never grabbed me so I’m not sure I’ll continue the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3892646130
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2568294167
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