Travel consultant, Addie Macrae heads to Scotland to help a family-run Highland tour company. She is met by some welcoming and not so welcoming family members. Her main barrier to success in this project and in keeping her bosses happy? Logan Sutherland. As Addie encourages the family business to focus their tours around famous attractions you’d see in travel guides, Logan pushes back, reminding her that sometimes less travelled paths can be just as impactful, especially when you have sentimental attachment to the off path locations. Because they can’t seem to agree on where the family business should focus their tours, they wager who can deliver the best tours of the Highlands. Mutual attractions become undeniable but is it something either of them can afford to choose over their careers.

This was such a cute wholesome read with the dreamy scenery of the Highlands. There was fun banter and competition but also depth to the characters who both had unresolved family issues that they work through as the story progresses. I found the “𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬” and “𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭“ trope to be done in a really cute manner via the dual POVs. Also precious that even with Addie trying to change the family business completely, Logan, the NOT hot tour guide in kilt, does his best to create a meaningful tour that Addie will come to cherish.

I really enjoyed this book! Scotland has always been on my travel bucket list and I loved getting to read about the culture and landscapes. I appreciated the found family aspect of this book and Elyse provided some laugh out loud moments for me! The connection between Logan and Addie was really sweet and I really loved how they came together in the end!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!

I absolutely loved this book! The setting is absolutely incredible, I was completely captivated by all the descriptions of Scotland, it made me want to go there immediately! I also loved both Addie and Logan. Their personal journeys were so rich and realistic, and their chemistry was off the charts! I loved watching them fall in love!

If I see mention of a Scotland setting, I need to read it. And though this ultimately wasn’t for me, if you’re looking for a heavy sense of wanderlust, this will quickly immerse you into the dreamy landscape and history!

Travel consultant Addie Macrae is tasked with revamping a struggling family-owned tour company in the Highlands. An easy enough task, yet an instant attraction between her and tour guide Logan Sutherland is further complicated by his refusal to change. The animosity between them as they explore the nooks and crannies of Scotland seemed promising!

But this took me AGES to read, and not because it was physically long. I liked the idea of this story, especially the grief-healing scavenger hunt for Addie, but overall this felt so … overwritten? Wordy? Tedious? As hard as I tried, it really struggled to hold my attention at times. Womp womp!

Globe trotting travel consultant Addie Macrae is sent to Edinburgh to improve failing family tour company and finds herself in entagled with Logan, son of the owner.

Alexandra Kiley has a beautiful way of writing about Scotland and the way travel can open our minds, its definitely a bit of a love letter to the country. The descriptions of the places and the added history and folklore were one of the highlights of this book, along with her sensitive handling of Addie’s unresolved grief.

Which is why I'm pained that I found this book a slog and took me ages to finish because I couldn't get invested in the characters or the plot. I also didn't feel any chemistry between the two, just told they were in love. This also happens within a month while she’s supposed to be doing her job.

It felt like too many tropes blended together: insta-lust/love then enemies to lovers. It was a bit of a whiplash cycling between lust and spicy scenes and then Addie remaining closed off with Logan constantly pissed off at her for being that way (including the third act break up which was a bit of a crappy ultimatum).

A subplot over her distance relationship with her father is resolved terribly. At no time does she confront him properly about her anger (or get grief counselling). I think this book just had too many competing things and would’ve been much better as women’s fiction focusing on her grief and her relationship with her dad going on a Scottish tour.

I REALLY wanted to like this because I do think Alexandra Kiley is a talented writer and this doesn’t put me off reading her next book. Alas, I'll instead just feel a bit guilty that I didn't like this book.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.25 stars!!

There's a feeling you get deep in your bones when you return to your ancestral lands, where you feel like you're nostalgic for a place you've never been before but it feels like home. That's a feeling I'm familiar with, and so is the main character of Kilt Trip!!

Addie is a traevl agency consultant who travels the world, helping local tourism groups find out how to better sell their experiences. She's been putting off a trip to Scotland because she never got the chance to go with her mother before she passed, but she's finally making it there! On her first day, she meets a handsome, kilt-wearing, brogue-sounding Scot named Logan- who just so happens to be the son of the man she's been hired to help- and he does NOT want her help fixing the company, he can do it on his own, thank you very much. Of course, the two end up on trips around Scotland together, filled with a connection they can't seem to escape, while they both work on their futures and take journeys of self-discovery for what they really need in life. I love how this story was really rooted in understanding more of Scottish culture and history, and especially loved how those were woven into this absolutely adorable romcom!

Thank you so much to Alexandra Kiley and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. Kilt Trip comes out on March 5, 2024!

Addie has used her wanderlust to see the world and build a career as a travel consultant, but will an assignment in Scotland convince her to slow down? Logan guides tours for his family's struggling tour company, Heart of the Highlands. His off-the-beaten-path tours don't fit with Addie's company's tour model, but he's certain he can make her fall in love with his Scotland and keep his tours running.

Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley was a slow build, but the payoff was worth the wait. Her descriptions of the locations in Scotland had me ready to book my flight and go looking for my own kilted tour guide. Addie and Logan's stories were beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers/office romance. Kiley's debut novel hit all the marks, and I can't wait to read more from her!

(Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader!)

Book: Kilt Trip
Author: Alexandra Kiley
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Canary Street Press, for sending me ARC. I thought this was a fun read, but it may not have been the book for me. That’s okay. It’s not a bad book, but it just wasn’t the one for me.

In this one, we follow Addie, who is a travel consultant. She spends her time traveling the world and helping travel companies better themselves. Even since her mother died, things have not been okay. She has thrown herself into her work. Expect now, her job is in danger and this is her chance to save it. She finds herself being sent to Scotland to save this small tour company-expect Logan, the owner’s son, is providing to be a problem. Logan prefers to take tourist off the beaten path and thinks that nothing needs to change. The company is losing money, but he will not listen to an American, who never leaves the desk and doesn’t experience the country. Then, he discovers that she has a connection to Scotland. He tries to make her see the beauty of the land and to get her to open up. However, time is not on her side and she may have to make some different choices.

I enjoyed the setting and set up. We have these main characters who both need each other, but will not admit it. Addie needs this trip to reconnect with what she has lost and just rediscover herself. Logan needs someone to tell him that it okay to make changes and still hold onto his core values. Both just almost need each other to see that there is more out than what they think, if they are willing to accept it. Using Scotland, the connection the characters have to the land as the setting added so much to the character’s journey. I don’t know what it was about it, but it added almost a magical touch.

I will admit that I found going back and forth between the two characters to be a little bit jarring. I do like that we got to see the story from both of their point of views. It did give us a lot more insight into their thoughts and feelings. Yet, I almost feel like it took away from the overall narrative. I feel like the story could have been more if the story had only had one point of view. It could have given the story a much stronger storyline.

Following Logan and Addie around was fun. I enjoyed getting to see Logan’s passion for his country and wanting to share that. I thought they had great chemistry and watching them slowly start to develop into a little bit more was great. I thought they were great leads.

Overall, I don’t think this was a bad book, but may not have been for me.
This book comes out on March 5, 2024.

Book Review
The Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley

Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Opposites attract
Small town
Tight knit family vs estranged family
Grief
Forced proximity
Coos
Open door romance with a bit of steam- just enough to “wet your whistle”

What Its Got
Armchair travel to Scotland - Castles, moors, Loch Ness and the Scottish highlands
Logan- A brawny Scottish lad who wears a kilt~ he is strong armed into accepting help to revive his family business
Addie- An FMC with a Scottish heritage~ she travels the world helping travel businesses while never putting down roots herself
A local pub full of the regulars- secondary characters in a small town always capture my attention
Shenanigans and Pranks- laugh out loud humour

Overall a solid debut from this author. I look forward to reading more from her

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade publishers for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own.

4 stars - such a feel good romance novel

tropes
- HEA
- slow burn
- small 2nd act break up
- grumpy sunshine
- travel adventure
-enemies to lovers
- workplace romance

Book takes place in Scotland and is about Addie, a travel consultant, and Logan, a kilt wearing Scot who doesn't want his travel tour company to change. Logan pushes back on all off Addie's ideas but along the way they are able to see each others side and Abbie falls with Scotland.

This book makes you wanna grab your our Frank (suitcase) and run to Scotland. Maybe find a kilt wearing man along the way

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press and Alexandra Kiley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved, loved, LOVED this book. The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, and their slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension build was deliciously spicy. It is clear the author has tons of knowledge about Scotland and getting to explore that along with Addie was so exciting. Addie’s family background and internal struggles that resulted from it were very well fleshed out and weaved into the story well. The one and only thing I wasn’t crazy about was that during the argument and reconciling between Addie and Logan, I felt like Logan was always on the offensive and all Addie did was apologize. It felt like there was a slight power imbalance and I was a little uncomfortable on Addie’s behalf. Everything else was 10/10 and very enjoyable to read.

Addie is a tour guide consultant hired to assist The Heart of the Highlands tours, a Scottish family run tour led by Logan Sutherland. The Heart need help and lots of it. Its website is dated, it ignores the main tourist attractions, and most of the brothers have left the company for other ventures.

But to Logan the tours are about more than gift shops and photo ops, the Heart is about history and meaningful connections. Can these two vastly different people create the best tour Scotland has ever seen and maybe find love on the way?

This book has one of my least favorite tropes used not once but twice - miscommunication (liar's reveal). Addie lies about her identity at the beginning of the book, which starts off the enemies to lovers trope, and then lies again (about a different element) consistently for the remainder of the novel.

I feel like enemies to lovers could have been utilized without bringing in the miscommunication trope and the third act liar's reveal is always rough to read.

I was hoping for a quick, Hallmark-esque, fun and cozy read about a travel agent falling in love with a man and a country but this book is much heavier (Addie speaks frequently on grief and loss) and lengthier than I expected. It wasn't for me but I'm sure it's a good read for someone else.

Addie McRae is a travel consultant in an up-and-coming firm traveling Luke, doesn't think things need to change. So begins the butting of the heads and they eventually end up finding in each other that person who will always be there for them and have their backs. This of course does have miscommunications and some stumbles along the way to their happily ever after.

There is family drama that both are dealing with and trying to handle alone. The secondary characters were so well written, and I enjoyed them as much as our heroine/hero.

The descriptions of the places in Scottland were beautiful and the history just make you want to get on a plane and go there yourself.

I did wish we could have seen Addie's family situation resolved a little more, it just felt like loose ends to me. I also would have liked to know a little more about Luke's youngest brother as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Books Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book made me want to take a road trip in Scotland and call my mom. Addie Macrae lost her mom over a decade ago and has been running from her grief ever since. She begins working as a consultant for Logan Suterland's family tour guide business. What starts out as workplace rivals soon turns into something more as Logan helps Addie reconnect with her Scottish heritage and her mother's spirit. I read this book in one sitting! I highly recommend for anyone who has a fantasy of finding their own Jamie Frasier.

It's getting Scot in here!

This book was a lovely little escape from reality. If you're looking for a sweet, enemies-to-lovers romance between two strong-willed characters, this is the book for you! The romance itself is a bit of a slow burn. I'm usually not too keen to read a slow burn, but the sprinkling of spice and the last few chapters were quite the payoff! The epilogue alone bumped up my rating - questions were answered and loose ends were tied up nicely.

If I didn't already long to visit Scotland, I do after this! I would re-read this book for the imagery alone. Alexandra Kiley does an absolutely beautiful job of taking you on an adventure through Edinburgh. As someone who married into the Wallace Clan, I'd book a tour with The Heart of the Highlands without hesitation! From the descriptions of castles to the hilarious commentary on cows (or 'coo'), it really feels like you've witnessed the most beautiful parts of Scotland's capital.

Overall, come for the romance and stay for the plot/picture-perfect imagery!

*Big thank you to Alexandra Kiley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for the ARC copy. All opinions are my own!

This was a very sweet and spicy Scottish/American contemporary romance. Both characters were lovely and the supporting characters were equally so. I found it just a little bi slow to start, but once I got to about 30%, I sped through the rest. Cute and sweet, with a little steam.

I was really conflicted about my feelings for this book because there was a lot about the FMC that I related hard to, specifically in relation to her grief over her mom's death and her very complicated relationship with her father. Parts of this book dragged a bit and felt like I was reading a tourism book on Scotland and while a visit to Scotland sounds delightful, some of those scenes could've been tightened up a bit. I liked the development of the relationship and I understood her fears; I think her rocky relationship with her father was a big hurdle to overcome which is why I'd have loved something more than just her slipping a postcard in the mail to him to cover the resolution of that relationship. I understand the father daughter relationship wasn't the primary focus of this romance novel but when so much of the actual romantic relationship is influenced by the heroine feeling abandoned and alone, then I think it necessitates delving further into the areas of her life that have caused her to shut down and create emotional barriers.

Content Notes: FMC's mother died when she was a teenager, her father basically checked out of being a present parent

"Kilt Trip" is a fun little romp through Scotland and just what I needed after swearing off planning any new travel, for now. Kiley packs this slim volume with loads of dreamy destinations and the thrills of budding romance. A perfect weekend read.

Kilt Trip is such a sweet and funny story! I am obsessed with all things Scottish (including the men 😏) so it was nice reading about the history and the beauty of all the places they visit in this book.

The story is about Addie, a travel consultant, as she is sent by her job to help a struggling family owned tour company in Edinburgh despite her having emotion baggage when it comes to Scottish an ancestry. There she meets Logan, the son/tour guide wanting to take over the family business. His greatest joy is sharing all the hidden gems that make Scotland special and meaningful, even if that means not turning a profit.

Between office pranks and finding ways to make the business profitable without losing the heart of the company, Logan and Addie bring the reader on a journey of closure, new found love and an appreciation for the road less travelled.

Highly recommend!

This was a chore to get through. I love Scotland and everyone likes a hunky Scotsman but this was just so boring. I liked the ending though it was predictable. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC