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The Official Blurb
“A Gentleman of Virtue
Decent and ambitious, Alexander Sloane is finally a finger’s breadth from achieving the government post he’s worked towards for years. A minor task monitoring Bow Street funds for the Crown is his final hurdle. But he discovers more than he bargains for when his assignment leads him to the most captivating woman in London.
A Woman of Questionable Repute
Cecelia MacDonald has one mission: find and steal the sgian duhb, the ceremonial dagger taken from her clan by British soldiers during the Uprising of 1745. The coy and clever Scotswoman has never had any trouble using men to do her bidding and she’s enjoying the cat and mouse game she’s playing with the delectable Alexander. But when a mutual enemy proves deadly, she must rely on him for more than flirtation to gain the dagger.
An Explosive Partnership
As Alexander and Cecilia become unlikely allies, their desire for each other overwhelms them. When shocking secrets come to light, will Alexander realize loving the wrong woman is the right thing to do?”
Spoiler Alerts
My book for Season 2 Episode 5: A Bodice Ripping Good Time, was A Scot is Not Enough by Gina Conkle. Published in 2022, it’s an absolutely delightful Scottish romance novel. This is also, officially, a genuine bodice ripper! Actual bodices were ripped.
A Scot is Not Enough is part of Conkle’s Scottish Treasures series but it also presents itself as a great stand alone book. (As in, you don’t HAVE to read the other books to enjoy this one. Though, you certainly may want to.)
Let’s Talk About the Author
Gina Conkle is a USA Today Bestselling romance author. She writes primarily Viking themed and Georgian era historical romance novels.
My Spiciness Ranking
I rank A Scot is Not Enough at jalapeno on our Spicy Scoville Scale. There was a sexual encounter but it was well into the novel and didn’t get too detailed when it came to the actual copulation. The book was honestly mostly about the couple’s witty banter and verbal flirtations — of which there were plenty.
The Main Characters
Let’s meet the main characters.
Alexander Sloane is an ambitious Englishman in his early to mid 30s. He’s trying to climb the social & economic ladder. He currently works as an undersecretary to an undersecretary. Alexander has strong morals and ethics.
Cecelia MacDonald is a clever and cunning, independent Scotswoman in her mid to late 20s. A Jacobite supporter, she works to help displaced and disenfranchised Scots in London. She does this through various charitable endeavors and via a secret society of like-minded women. She is a “demirep” — a woman of certain economic and social freedoms but whose chastity is considered doubtful.
The Storyline
The story is set in London in 1753 (post Scottish uprising and the Battle of Culloden). Our heroine, Cecilia, has a three part mission:
- Steel back her clan’s gold which was confiscated by a British Lady
- Steel back her clan’s sgian-dubh (a ceremonial dagger)
- Procure sheep to rebuild her clan’s livestock back in Scotland
She and her league of ladies have already accomplished stealing back the gold and are hunting for the dagger.
Alexander also has an assignment given to him by his employer: follow Cecilia for a week and report back with her activities as she’s suspected of illegal activities. In addition, he’s given an encoded ledger to decipher that talks about a mysterious Lady Pink who assisted in the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie from Britain. If Alexander succeeds in these endeavors, he’ll be given a very nice promotion that will greatly impact his social and economic standing.
We follow the two of them in a delightful cat and mouse game filled with fun flirtations and a battle of wits. There’s plenty of intrigue and a dash of adventure interwoven with the perfect of amount of mystery for my personal preference. I’m not going to give away any spoilers beyond that as I think this one is worth the read.
What I Enjoyed About the Book
I appreciate Conkle’s unique writing style. I find it to be quite different than other romance authors I’ve read. Sometimes her descriptions of various elements get a little lengthy but, overall, I find the difference in writing style to be refreshing and a nice change. And I have no complaints about anything in the storyline or with the characters even with the fast pace of the book occurring over the span of a week. The main characters are delightfully progressive for a historical romance but everything still felt well researched and historically accurate.
What Challenged Me About the Book
The only thing that made me giggle repeatedly (and I felt was a little awkward) was his comparison of her breasts to crumpets. It happened two or three times in the book. Here’s my favorite quote on that:
“You and your pretty crumpets-for-breasts.” Her breasts were more biscuits than crumpets, but if he wanted to think they were more sizable, who was she to correct him?
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this book. It’s a fun 18th century romp. There’s a nice twist on the classic gender roles with the female character being outgoing and bold and the gentleman being a bit more demure and reserved.
If you want to hear more of my thoughts on the book, you can listen to the podcast episode on your favorite podcast streaming service. Or click here for our in-house podcast player. I share some fun anatomy references as well as my Romantic Reminder. You can also find out if I won the episode Boobie Prize. Want to read the book for yourself? You can get it here:
Have you read A Scot is Not Enough or other books from Gina Conkle? Let me know your thoughts on this book in the comments! Interested in more Scottish romance novels? Check out my blog post with both historical and contemporary recommendations!
