3.5 stars
Globetrotter Addie Macrae, a travel consultant who never stays long in one place, arrives in Edinburgh to advise a tour company on improving profitability. Before meeting with the owner and his son, Addie books a city tour and meets Logan Sutherland, a handsome, charming tour guide in a kilt, only to find out at her meeting the next day that Logan's father is the owner of the tour company.

Logan and Addie butt heads because he prefers to focus on the hidden gems of Scotland while Addie believes that popular tourist attractions are most profitable. As the two wage war over the tour itineraries, Logan discovers that Addie has a connection to the country - a series of Polaroids of her late mother taken in Scotland - and decides to take her on a tour to find the places her mother had visited in hopes that seeing more of the country will convince her that there is beauty in the less-travelled destinations.

Kilt Trip is a cute romance about a woman who has closed herself off emotionally finding love and dealing with her grief. The best part of the book is the strong sense of place. I loved the descriptions of Edinburgh and the other places Addie and Logan visit as they travel around Scotland - this is a romance that will definitely stoke your wanderlust!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Get your passport ready, after reading Kilt Trip you’re going to want to visit Edinburgh. This story doubled not only as a heartwarming love story but also a unique literary tour of Scotland. Whether you’ve been before or not, Alexandra Kiley’s rich descriptions will have you eager to return in person. Logan and Addie have a sweet meet cute turned on its head and you’ll spend the rest of the story rooting for them. Kilt Trip is the perfect romantic escape!

I started following Alexandra on Instagram early 2023? Maybe it was late 2022? — and I am so excited to have an opportunity to read Kilt Trip, her debut novel! This is a bit of a pinch me moment as a reader.

Alexandra immediately pulls you in by taking you on a tour of Edinburgh, Scotland - and then all around the country - as if you’re right alongside Addie and Logan. Her writing is absolutely beautiful, and not once did it feel like a filler to the story, but always moving it along.

Addie’s adolescence tugs at your heartstrings. Makes you feel things along the spectrum of grateful to oh my gosh I have taken advantage of this relationship.

Addie’s walls are thicker than a historic Scottish castle, and Logan is up for the challenge. Logan loves with his whole self; his sense of community and family are his roots, and he isn’t willing to compromise on them. His family welcomes Addie right in alongside them and their traditions blurring the lines between colleague and romantic interest.

Addie and Logan find themselves dancing around it’s not personal, it’s business while trying to find a balance between business and pleasure while speaking different love languages. Their story made my heart swell, and then my eyes with tears, maybe broke my soul a little, and then pieced it back together. I love them.

I can only imagine Gemma and Neil’s home cottage like that in The Holiday. And with that, I’m off to find a man who will call me lass, and mean it in the most endearing/heart is about to burst way, and lives in a lovely Scottish cottage.

Tropes:
Strangers to enemies to lovers
Instant attraction
Foreigner and local
Workplace proximity/Office romance

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC!

A sweet and emotional story of love and dealing with grief in the beautiful setting of Scotland! Addie and Logan's immediate connection drew me right in. But then the blowback of him discovering she is in Edinburgh to shake up his family's business creates a delicious tension between the two.

What stood out the most for me in this book was how detailed the imagery was. I truly felt like I was on the tours Logan was giving. I also appreciated the honesty of Addie's grieving process. While her mother's death wasn't recent, she was still very much processing that grief years later, which is something I think many people can relate to.

However, I am still wishing for a romance that doesn't feature grief as a subplot! There seem to be so many as of late. Additionally, the repetitiveness of Logan's frustration with Addie not opening up was grating by the end.

This was a enjoyable post-holiday winter read with strong writing, excellent characterization, and an unforgettable setting. I can only hope it turns into a series, I'd love to see what's in store for Logan's brothers and Elyse.

The cover of Kilt Trip drew me in. After reading the synopsis, I knew I had to give it a try. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I felt that the beginning of the story gave too many details about attraction tours. I understand what the author was trying to do but it didn't work for me. The banter between the main characters felt awkward and not fun and flirty.

Kilt Trip has an immersive & beautiful setting as we travel through Scotland with our main characters. Addie’s story as she tries to find closure and connection to her mother who has died years prior is compelling & beautiful. A fantastic debut!

Unfortunately, Kilt Trip just wasn’t for me. While I think others might find charm in how much history is mentioned I personally found it boring. I felt the amount of history made me feel disconnected to the main characters like I didn’t truly know them as people beyond being encyclopedias of Scottish knowledge. I personally DNF-ed at 31%. But a history lover out there might love the book!

I was very excited for this book and it breaks my heart that it wasn’t for me. I’ve seen so many book friends loving it that I was convinced I would as well, but I didn’t connect with the characters. Both Logan and Addie had some personality traits that made me not like them very much, and it affected how I viewed their relationship. I also feel like the job Addie was doing and the tours took up too many time in the novel, which made the romance feel secondary and a bit underdeveloped to me.

I’m thankful for my review copy.

Overall, this was a very good read - not just a rom-com, though that's the root premise, but an (at times slightly contrived) exploration of how relationships flourish and how one contends with grief. Addie and Logan become well-rounded realistic protagonists, and the Epilogue is worth reading the rest of the book for.

I was excited to have early access to read Kilt Trip because of the setting in Edinburgh, Scotland - one of my favorite cities in the world (and not did I feel the wanderlust reading all of the many details about Edinburgh and the Scottish highlands woven into this story!).

This story follows main characters Addie Macrae (American travel consultant) and Logan Sutherland (co-owner of his family’s Edinburgh-based tour company). Addie is hired by Logan’s dad/company co-owner, to help get the business in better shape before he retires (much to Logan’s chagrin, who likes things just the way they are, thank ye very much). Addie and Logan hit it off instantly, until they know who each other is, that is.

This story is pleasantly stuffed with details and facts about Scotland that make the reader feel like they’re in the setting. Addie and Logan have plenty of banter and also growth throughout the novel. I found the story wasn’t gripping my attention during the last 1/3 of the book, however I did find the ending really cute. A solid 3⭐️ read for me!

HOLY. MOTHER. OF. SCOTS. (see what i did there?)

this book took me through so many emotions and i handled each one with a good, deep and therapeutic cry. the way alexandra kiley handles grief in this book is such a triumph. i particularly love the fact that kiley explores loss in more than one way: actual grief of addie losing her mom which results in losing her dad to his own grief. it's a different, less manageable form of pain to grieve someone who is still living, and kiley describes it so gently and so well.

and the way she writes the love interest, logan, in an assist way where he allows addie to move around in her pain and grief and doesn't try to fix it or her is so, so refreshing. i love when the main character is given something and isn't forced to grow out of it or change how she's feeling because of love. while love is vast and important, it doesn't fix everything. this aspect of their dynamic was so, so important to me.

this book means so much to me, and is similar to my favorite read last year, you, with a view by jessica joyce. rivals at work trying to peel back layers of each other and falling in love with all the messes they find. maneuvering through life with the heaviness that grief rests on your heart. trying to find pieces of loved ones in places you want to call home.

and, y'all the EPILOGUE. UGH. it's so, so insane. you're all going to love this one so much.

thank you alexandra kiley and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. i cannot wait for this to be out in world and i hope it settles in your heart the way it did in mine. <3

I Loved this fun rom-com. Who could go wrong with a tour of Scotland?
Can't wait for more from Alexandra Kiley.
Ready or Scot...

Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm.

Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself.

As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?

A copy of this book was provided to me free for review by Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your typical contemporary romance, because this book is filled with so much more depth and endearing characters than most I have read. They say not to judge a book by its cover, and in this case that is 100% true. The cover is cute, with the title and the design both coming off to me as standard Rom-Com fare. But Kilt Trip was so much more!

Addie and Logan start off as your typical Enemies to Lovers trope. She is brought in from a consulting firm to revamp his tour company Heart of the Highlands and he is resistant to change. But they start to develop a playful friendship which blossoms into a heart-warming romance. While Addie is trying to help him see the possibilities of change in his company, he helps Addie come to terms with her feelings of resentment and grief that she has harbored since the loss of her mother.

I really enjoyed how their relationship seemed to play out very naturally which made their coming together romantically, while still spicy, very real and not campy or over the top. I appreciated that Logan had a lot of emotional depth and was the one in the relationship trying to get the other to break down their walls. I liked the array of other side characters as well. I though the friendship between Addie and the Heart of the Highlands office manager Elyse was a fun way to break up various plot points as well as the relationships Logan had with his brothers.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes sweet, sentimental romance with a hunky man in a kilt as the male main character!

Kilt Trip was an enjoyable read about both love and loss. Scotland is such a magical place and I always love reading books set there. Thank you so much NetGalley for letting me read a copy of this book early!

Thank you Netgalley and Alexandra Kiley for this advance copy of Kilt Trip. While I was so excited for this title, it unfortunately wasn’t for me. I got about 50 percent through the book and there was too much history and too much focus on the female main characters parents. I can absolutely see so many others loving this story, it just wasn’t my time:

Thanks to Canary Street Press and HTP for my advanced copy of Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley.

I loved this book! The Scottish setting was perfection and I loved Logan!

Addie is a travel consultant and her newest assignment is to help a small Scottish tour company. Logan is running his family's tour company and they focus on connection and sharing the best-kept secrets. So Addie's idea to turn around their company with generic itineraries goes against everything he believes in. When he takes her on a tour, she starts to see the magic and helps him find ways to better market their tours, but it goes against everything her boss wants.

As someone who prefers to travel to more of the off-the-beaten-path places, I loved Logan's tour ideas and found everything about this book lovely. I loved all of the secondary characters and this book has the best Scottish charm. It made me want to hop on a plane. I love Scotland so much!

This was a great debut and i highly recommend it. Kilt Trip comes out March 5th!

This is very much a ‘me’ thing, but I was both excited and hesitant to read Kilt Trip. Excited because I’m obsessed with Scotland and I’m always on the hunt for romances set there, and hesitant because a lot of the books I’ve read that are set in Scotland don’t FEEL like they’re set there. Kilt Trip was everything I hoped for and then some. The writing was beautiful and descriptive, the story had the perfect balance of humour, heart, and steam, and not only did I truly feel like I was back in Scotland, I also fell hard for Addie, Logan, and the other wonderful characters.

I loved Addie and Logan so much. Addie had been running from her grief for a long time and had put up so many walls, never allowing herself to stay in one place for too long or get too close to anyone. She’d convinced herself the two close friends she had were all she needed and that she was content with the brief connections she made with fellow travelers and clients. I appreciated how her grief and healing were woven into the story without ever becoming too heavy. Those moments tugged at my heartstrings and made me connect to her even more. I loved Logan’s passion for his job and his country, and how much joy he took in showing people the beauty and magic of Scotland while helping them connect to the land, its history, and their own roots. Addie and Logan together were truly something special; their interactions ranged from flirty to contentious, and I loved how, ultimately, Logan patiently and lovingly did his best to take down Addie’s walls brick by brick. I also adored Logan’s family and co-workers, who made Addie feel welcome in a way she hadn’t experienced in a long time, which also went a long way to breaking down her walls and making her feel at home in Scotland.

Kilt Trip was delightful, charming, and captivating. I found myself completely immersed in the story, which is rare these days when I’m easily distracted and find endless reasons to set a book aside. I’m definitely going to buy myself a paperback when it comes out in March because it deserves a spot on my Favourites Shelf.

Womp womp, Kilt Trip wasn't my favorite. The beginning of the book started off promising. I liked the tension between the main characters and the Scotland setting. As the story progressed, I started to get bored and annoyed. The middle of the book felt very repetitive with Logan's feelings and frustrations towards Addie. Addie's character was too wishy washy for me. It's bad when I'm starting to root against her😅 I also struggled with the narrative. The third person narrative made it difficult to fully understand where Addie and Logan's heads were at. I felt that the characters were too quick to develop feelings for each other. Perhaps if the book were shorter, I would have enjoyed it more? Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the ARC.

Synopsis: Addie Macrae feeds her wanderlust by working as a travel consultant. She’s always avoided one place that holds family memories she’s not ready to face— Scotland. While on assignment to help revive a struggling family business, Addie butts heads with the stubborn, but braw, kilt-wearing tour guide, Logan Sutherland.

Thoughts + Things: In this whirlwind rivals to lovers workplace romance set around Hogmanay in Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands, Addie and Logan’s attraction is electric. There are so many tender moments between the duo that kept me reading chapter after chapter. There’s just the right amount of heat and it’s balanced by a bit of family drama and of course the gorgeous Scottish setting. You can tell this book is incredibly well researched. It’s informative about popular tourist sites without feeling cheesy. Logan’s accent and Scottish slang had me melting. He falls 1st and works hard to earn Addie’s trust by making her feel seen. This book swept me off my feet!

Content warnings: grief, specifically loss of a parent; Just a heads up, there is a bit of miscommunication and a 3rd act breakup.

This was a fun read - a great holiday/vacation romance in Scotland, a country I almost got to visit but missed out on last year… still have to get back there, but truly go and properly visit. Books like this make that bucket list trip even more intriguing!

The banter between Addie and Logan right from the very first meeting, before he knows she’s anything other than a regular tourist taking his insiders tour of Edinburgh is fascinating, and when he finds out she’s the new consultant his family brought in to update the whole company and how they run and the tours themselves? His whole outlook on everything changes and it becomes a workplace rivalry for the ages.

It’s a great read and a solid 4-star - a book I really wish I could have listened to in audio with a great Scottish voice for Logan! I definitely recommend this one to all, especially those looking for an escape to Scotland and those who enjoy a good workplace enemies to lovers!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing (Canary Street Pres), and this is my honest feedback.