Publishers Weekly
02/28/2022
A barrister looking to advance his career must choose between love and ambition in Conkle’s fast-paced second Scottish Treasures romance (after The Scot Who Loved Me). In Georgian England, Barrister Alexander Sloane is tasked by Magistrate Fielding to trail Cecelia MacDonald, a purported Jacobite sympathizer. In exchange, Fielding will hasten Alexander’s path to becoming baron of the exchequer. But Cecelia, the illegitimate daughter of a Jacobite surgeon, is craftier than Alexander bargained for, and his attempt to stake out her home ends with Cecelia aiming a gun at his head. This first meeting leads Cecelia, who does not share her father’s allegiances, to agree to give Alexander information about the Jacobites if he will procure her entry to the Marquess of Swynford’s ball so that she can retrieve a dagger stolen from her clan. As Cecelia and Alexander spend more time together, he learns she’s under threat from a countess bent on revenge and becomes determined to keep her safe. But Fielding is also a threat, and protecting her from him means ruining Alexander’s chance at promotion. Conkle’s smart and well-developed characters create facades to fit into societal expectations and reveal hidden strengths and ingenuity over the course of the story. Readers will be hooked. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
A seductive historical treat—complete with stolen treasure, a fearless heroine and a sexy man in a kilt!” — Joanna Shupe, USA Today bestselling author, on The Scot Who Loved Me
"Expertly developed characters populate Conkle's powerful third Midnight Meetings historical set in Georgian England...Romantic tension, clever repartee, and tender love scenes make Conkle's fast-paced historical a winner." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Lord Meets His Lady
"A charming romance that may remind some of the Poldark series. This tale of love, redemption and courage...has the pages flying until the wonderful conclusion." — RT Book Reviews on The Lord Meets His Lady
“A satisfying romance that unpacks not only the joys of companionship, but also the adjustments it demands.” — Kirkus Reviews
Joanna Shupe
A seductive historical treat—complete with stolen treasure, a fearless heroine and a sexy man in a kilt!
RT Book Reviews on The Lord Meets His Lady
"A charming romance that may remind some of the Poldark series. This tale of love, redemption and courage...has the pages flying until the wonderful conclusion."
Kirkus Reviews
2022-04-13
In 1753, a sharply ambitious and straightforward London barrister finds his careful plans upended by the politics and personality of a rebellious Scotswoman.
Charismatic and worldly-wise, Cecelia MacDonald is the leader of a league of Scotswomen. Formed a few years after the Scottish uprising of 1745, the main mission of the league is to reacquire the treasures that have been wrested from their clan. Cecelia’s primary goal is clear: She is to retrieve the sgian-dubh, a symbolically significant ceremonial dagger that once belonged to the chief of her clan. However, her path is littered with dangerous obstacles, including the steadfastly law-abiding barrister Alexander Sloane, who works for the Duke of Newcastle. Alexander is tasked with following Cecelia, who, in the eyes of the magistrate, is a suspected Jacobite sympathizer. If he does the job well, he could achieve his long-cherished dream of becoming Baron of the Exchequer. Alexander and Cecelia find themselves attracted to each other, engaging in a cat-and-mouse game with each seeking the upper hand. But when Cecelia and her league catch the attention of several dangerous adversaries, the steady barrister is forced by the defiant “demirep” to reevaluate his ideas of loyalty, truthfulness, and love. The second installment in Conkle’s Scottish Treasures series doles out angst and wit in equal measure. The characters are instantly likable, and it's easy to sympathize with their internal struggles. Cecelia’s relationships with other women, enlivened simultaneously by a smidge of uneasiness and dollops of steady solidarity, are especially well etched. Her pursuit of the dagger is replete with suspense, and Alexander’s official pursuit of Cecelia is intriguing, but the thrill flags when their goals shift and each becomes more interested in the other than in their long-held aims.
A satisfying romance that unpacks not only the joys of companionship, but also the adjustments it demands.
