I found this to be a rather sad story, as Evelyn Sparrow is sold into marriage by her parents. Although she is highly qualified in her profession as a restorer of artworks, she does not earn the respect of her colleagues simply because she is a woman. The one man who does make her heart beat faster is a client, and he is off limits. What is surprising is that Evelyn fled when she came face to face with the groom who had bailed her parents out of their debts, and managed to get across London to the Harp and Thistle to reach the one man who might be able to shield her from the fallout. Ollie McNab obviously has a learning disability, which incurs the wrath of his less tolerant brother. However, he has compassion and kindness in spades, and when Evelyn arrives at the Harp and Thistle, he does whatever it takes to keep her safe. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Easy and addictive read! The characters are all so likeable even the ones who aren't. I loved everything about this book and will wait patiently for the next book in the series. I am now an Arden Conroy follower. A must read!

Since the blurb for this book is just perfect, I’m not even attempting my own small recap – just my thoughts.

Evelyn is the renowned, neurodivergent art conservator tasked with saving his brother’s damaged paintings. She dislikes human touch, her emotions easily get the better of her, and when they do, she runs.
Oliver is the kind but scatter-brained youngest of three orphaned brothers – an utterly lovable loyal himbo with a ginormous heart, clumsy but pure gold. Contrary to his siblings, both self-made men, he was raised with wealth and privilege by their titled grandparents. That, and a 10 year age-gap, puts a strain on their brotherly bond.

I really enjoyed the general plot of this story. It’s organised chaos, lots of family drama, adventurous with a mystery and a quest, funny, awkward, rather captivating, and the not-so-nefarious villain is chef’s kiss. Shout-out to the boys from the hood and the best uncle in the world!
Both MCs struggle with their own families and long for a place to call home; a true warm and loving nest, not just a roof over their heads. Their slow burn relationship is quirky, witty and adorable with a delicious tension and e few very heated kisses. I honestly was expecting a splash of steam by the end, but alas, it’s a kisses only romance – and since it was my first by this author, I didn’t know to expect that.
What I didn’t like – and this is a general thing – was the heroine who keeps assuming the worst about her hero at every opportunity, even after he’s proven himself over and over again. She jumps to conclusions and runs. It was tiresome, immature and kind of spoiled the story for me in the end. It will, however, not stop me from trying another book by this author when the opportunity presents itself.

⭐⭐⭐✨

A Scoundrel's Guide to Heists and Hearts by Arden Conroy is a pleasant mixture of romance and mystery as we follow art conservator Evelyn Sparrow as she flees an arranged marriage. The runaway bride ends up in the spare room of Ollie McNab, a man with a somewhat shady past who she knows through her work, she was restoring some of his brother's paintings. When one of the paintings is stolen by an infamous art thief the pair embark on an mission to recover it and show Ollie's brother that he can be relied upon.
I loved the premise of the book but unfortunately did have some issues with the execution. While I liked both Evelyn and Ollie as characters, I did find some of Evelyn's decisions and thought processes a little strange, especially given that she had been working etc , she seemed incredibly immature in some ways. I also found that while the book opened strongly it got a little bogged down in the middle, it could maybe have used a little editing to tighten up the story and help with the pacing of the book.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Arden Conroy is one of my favorite authors. A Scoundrel's Guide to Heists and Hearts was a great read. It was nice to read a story-line where the hero is not perfect but perfect for the heroine. what really does happen when Scots mingle with English? That was an eye opener to say the least. Can't wait to read about others in this Scottish family! Free ARC from NetGalley for honest review.

3.5 stars

A bit manic. There seems to be set scenes that have been written and the jumps between them, for me didn't work as well.

Ollie has a chip on his shoulder, our heroine is being threatened by someone who demands her marriage...she's been sold in effect by her parents. In the middle of all this running around, I find myself thinking but this is victorian society with those unweildly crinolines.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A young woman negotiates a ten year postponement of marriage on the understanding that at the end of that period she will marry a man of her parents choosing. As the only female art conservator working for the National Gallery she is devastated that she will have to give up her career and be a wife to a man she dislikes. In the end she cannot go through with it and runs from the church in her wedding dress to a man whom she hopes will hide her until she can decide what to do. With all of London looking for her after a reward is posted for her whereabouts, and a thief who plays mind games this is a fun story to while away a couple of hours.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Dragonblade publishing fir this arc.

This to me was a good book.
Not an amazing book, but not awful.
If you want to be entertained, you will be.
You will laugh and smile.
The character behaved like idiots now and then, still an enjoyable read.

This was a fun and light read. Although I haven’t read the first book in the series, it didn’t hinder the understanding of the story as a standalone.

The first two thirds of the book were on the funny, light and romantic side. The third part seemed to repeat the main plot lines in abundance. Also, the stubbornness of the main characters was frustrating and not on the endearingly frustrating side. Evelyn’s immaturity in the last chapters was just driving me mad (and was getting rather boring). I held out hope, that at least at the end she would run to him, it also didn’t happen. Well, let’s be honest, that was a highly nudged (again! for the n-th time in the book!) short-haul stumble rather than a run. It was a nice twist with the art heist within the romantic plot. But it has unfortunately promptly turned out to be a story line of an annoyingly constant-nudging.

Looking forward to the third part of the trilogy though.

Thanks for the arc by netgalley. Opinions are my own.

This book was really fun. Although I preferred its predecessor I still thought this was a great follow up. I am giving this more like a 3.5 stars but I'm going to round up to 4 for my goodreads review because I read the book in one go and didn't want to put it down so for me the good out weighed the bad.

My negatives are that the plot was a little bit too silly and outlandish for me. The art thief plot and Evelyn's run away bride plot didn't really connect for me, even though we eventually figure out what's going on the reveal of the thief in the end had me going but why did this have to happen. However what really worked for me like with the first book, are the characters. I loved how we got to learn about Evelyn isn't quite what you'd assume based on her first appearance in book one but without making her seem like a completely different person. It's nice seeing a character who is educated and smart but she can still be odd and eccentric. I did feel discontented from the rest of the family because Ollie is in a fight with his brothers for most of the book, which is understandable and in glad he stood his ground but since I like all the characters I wouldve liked seeing all of them. But we did get the return of other great characters (Tommy Malone the best and greatest) as well as excellent new ones (Hambone I'd die for you).

This was a fun and delightful read, I recommend it to anyone who loves historical romance and wants something light to have a good time with.

I absolutely adored Ollie! I loved his dedication, commitment, and loyalty to helping Evelyn in any way that he could. I loved Evelyns independence, charm, and overwhelming stubbornness in keeping her independence. There were times, however, where I absolutely could not stand Evelyn! The running away, instead of talking about what was bothering her was fine, but it KEPT happening. I get some people process events that way, but it was a little much and a bit immature. I did however, love the slow burn and the chemistry between Ollie and Evelyn and I loved his meddlesome uncle.

Note: I received an E-book ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved everything about Evelyn- her strong wit, charming personality, and will to be independent despite her circumstances made her incredibly likable. Her growth throughout the story while still staying true to herself, but overall opening up to those she cared for made for a charming story. Ollie and Evelyn's chemistry and banter were written beautifully; I didn't really want their story to end.

The subplot of the Signature Swindler made for a fun way to evolve the pair's relationship, with enough mystery to be intriguing, without falling into scary territory. I do feel that the ending felt a tad rushed, and could have benefitted from another chapter or so.

A fun and compelling read, with lots of humor- a fantastic addition to this series!

An irresistibly goofy and heartwarming romance that had me laughing out loud more than once, thanks to its delightfully unique characters.