A grumpy but cinnamon roll hero meets a tart-tongued Scottish miss in Wouldn’t it Be Scottish?, the latest novella in Sara Bennett’s Mackenzies Take London series. This fake-lovers-to-real-lovers romance is a quick and spicy read between two characters who are determined to win back their original loves – only to discover that they may have something better.

Donal Mackenzie has been pining for his childhood sweetheart and next-door neighbor, Mary Davidson. When Mary heads to London to experience the world outside of their small Scottish hometown, lonely Donal decides to follow her to London, hoping to win her back.

While staying with his Aunt Jennie, Donal meets fellow Scot Agatha Kilsyth, who is in a similar boat. She’s long loved her best friend, Richard, but he’s gone to England and fallen for someone else. Agnes and Donal come up with a plan to get their old sweethearts back; they’ll pretend to be courting. Flirtation turns to the real thing, but can they get out of their stubborn single-minded pursuit of their original “true loves”?

Wouldn’t it Be Scottish? Is an extremely quick read of barely a hundred pages; an enjoyable novella that’s filled with longing and gives us a solid romance between two nice characters. There’s some additional angst along the way. Agatha is struggling with money troubles, after her family’s fortune disappeared, and she has been encouraged to pusue Donal because of his wealth. Donal immediately realizes that there’s more to her feelings than money, but there’s still tension there.

There is also a cute secondary romance with Agatha’s long-widowed pop, who falls in love with a woman after decades of chastity. 

I love stories about virgin heroes, and romantic-minded, honorable, poetic Donal was a nice change of pace after reading about so many rakes. Wouldn’t It Be Scottish? Is a fine, sweet, quick-paced romance that is perfectly entertaining. 

Lisa Fernandes has been reviewing romance novels ever since her great aunt left a Billie Douglas book out in the bathroom. She’s currently working on a biography about Julian Sands.