Too Scot to Handle by Grace Burrowes

I always enjoy Grace Burrowes’ writing. She has intelligent and decent characters who actually talk to each other. Too often in romances, we’re told that a couple had a long conversation and grew closer. But we don’t get to read more than a couple of sentences from that conversation. We just have to take the author’s word for it that they bonded over that conversation. Burrowes actually gives us that dialogue. We can understand why these two fell for each other and see what connects them. We can read Colin’s respect for Anwen as a person instead of being told that he feels it.

The plotline in Too Scot to Handle isn’t all that extraordinary. Colin MacHugh is hanging around in London to accompany his sisters while his brother, a newly-made duke is on his honeymoon. Colin is tired of the phony sorts of London women who are suddenly attracted to him because his brother is a duke and he runs a profitable distillery, but don’t give a hoot about him personally. The one woman who interests him is the sister of his brother’s new wife Anwen Windham. She might appear quiet and demure in public, but he senses that there is a lot more to her.

Anwen isn’t interested in the London bachelors who are interested only in her dowry. Sensing a pattern here? Her main interest is finding funding for the orphan’s home of the most adorable young boys that she sponsors and that is running out of money. Colin is interested in her so he helps with the boys and the House of Urchins.

Colin and Anwen quickly fall for each other and are perfectly matched. The only tension in the plot comes in the last quarter of the book regarding Colin’s selfish friend and Anwen’s selfish friend. You can see how closely these two resemble each other and how well suited they are just from this description. Some people might object to the lack of conflict separating the lovers and minimal barrier that they have to overcome. I didn’t mind that because the fun of the book is Burrowes’ fine writing and the delightful conversations.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.