Cute but very short and a little cheesy in places. I loved the premise of going on vacation to get the pub up and running but the “one room” trope is overdone. I realize this might be loosely based on the author’s own story and I find that endearing but it’s weird following her on Facebook and then having the open-door scenes – more than I needed to know about her life. I enjoyed the book club and the war kitten. Ultimately, this was just too short to get a good feel for it and may have worked better, character development-wise, if it was a full-length story.

The narration was good but the Scottish accent is very thick; if you’re not use hearing one, it could be difficult to understand.

This is a charming holiday romance novella set in a small Scottish town filled with quirky, likable characters. It’s billed as grumpy-sunshine, and there is a bit of that, although that’s not how I would characterize this story. Harper was a hot mess on a desperate mission, and Reed was very kind considering that he was grieving and had been placed in a very awkward position by Harper’s arrival. What results is a sweet yet steamy forced proximity romance with fun banter, a grand romantic gesture, and elements of found family.

The audiobook production was good, and I enjoyed the duel narration by Amy Landon for Harper’s point of view and Will Watt for Reed’s point of view. Both narrators have pleasant voices and are able to convey humor and emotion effectively. Will Watt’s luscious voice and Scottish accent make the audio experience a real treat, and I’ll be looking for more of his work.

I purchased the Kindle version but received a free copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

i think i’ll never understand the appeal for scottish men, it’s just NOT sexy to have a guy saying some sh!t like “i want to eat your breasts” with a scottish accent. it’s not sexy with an american accent either to be honest but that’s not the issue at hand. it was fine, cute scottish small town, a little cringe sometimes so yeah. 2.5⭐️

The narrators were a mixed bag for me - I found the female to be rather flat and boring with not many weirdly placed breaths and strange pronunciation on Hogmanay. The male narrator?? He was fantastic! I found his myriad of accents to be believable and kind of surprising (how he cycled from his Scottish brogue to his upper crust British accent was quite good).
I enjoyed the plot of the novella to be a light and fun holiday romp. I loved the addition of the Book Bitches and their amazing sweaters/jumpers and of Wallace the kitten. Lewis the ghost was lovely too.

Interesting take on the commonly used Scottish trope. The novel made me laugh and also tugged on my heart strings. Main character was relatable.

I thought this was a fun novella. I was definitely intrigued after spending a weekend in Scotland when I did a study abroad in college. I thought it was such a beautiful place with such amazing culture. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more mention of Scotland. Besides the accents, I really feel like this story could have taken place anywhere. I'm also typically a really big fan of grumpy x sunshine, but this romance just didn't do it for me. Also, and this could totally just be a me issue, I sometimes found the male narrator hard to understand with the Scottish accent.
With all that being said, it was still an enjoyable read and it definitely made me laugh at a few points.

Harper, an American working for a temp agency, decides to book a "Scottish pub experience" vacation and leave her real life behind for awhile. But when she arrives in the Scottish town, there's a naked man standing in her rental who claims to own the place...

This book was short and sweet, with just the right amount of spice! I wasn't wowed by Harper - her "boss bitch" vibes annoyed me a bit. But I appreciated that we got a more realistic male lead. Reid working through his trauma was believable and different from many rom-coms.

I found my mind wandering a couple of times, but the story moved along quickly enough that I wasn't too distracted. The conflict was meh and expected, but isn't that what makes a holiday rom-com great??

Lastly, the narrators did a great job! I enjoyed both of their performances -- top notch! Anyone who can pull off switching between accents without taking me out of the story is so impressive!

What a super cute quick and easy read! I grabbed this one because I'm a sucker for anything Scottish and it didn't disappoint. I didn't catch that it was a Christmas novel, but it was nice to get a little taste after a stint in the horror/thriller genres last month. I read the synopsis, but apparently I glossed over everything when I saw Scottland. I loved the Braveheart references and especially the "war kittens." So funny! If you want a fun short Chirstmas romance then this one is for you.

I will grabbing some more of her books!!

Audio: I don't normally separate these, but there was a distinct difference.
Male: 5/5 Holy crap I could literally relisten just for that accent. He did a really good job on the MFC voice too.
Female: 3/5

Spice: 1.5/5

Happy pub day on Tuesday, 11/7/23 to Starting Over Scottish, a Christmas Novella by Tricia O’Malley. Thank you #netgalley and Dreamscape Select for this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Harper Scott, an American, feels stuck. She decides to sign up for “The Scottish Pub Experience” which = live in Scotland and run a pub. Of course, there is way more than that for Harper to experience (including “a cantankerous hot Scotsman”)!

I love novellas. This one is cute and is only 3 hours 25 minutes long! I mean, even if it isn’t your cup of tea, you’d rather clean your house with this in your ear than silence, right? I thought it was a cute story and my only complaint is the narrators. I enjoyed the female narrator but thought she sounded a bit old for the character. The male narrator has such a strong accent that I had to slow him down! What did he say his name is? Reep? Reet? Oh, REID, the name I say 500 times a day as it is the name of my nine-year old son. How did I not catch that on first hear? His accent floated hardcore into Arnold Schwarzenegger territory and I was so distracted! Is that really how the Scotland accent sounds? He does a good English female voice, and that was very impressive! Would any of this lead me to advise you against listening to this audiobook? No.

I love the story of the pub, the grandpa and the fun ladies of the town. Both main characters had some nice growth and I am so happy Harper’s work ethic changed from the beginning, There was a set-up for the next novella, and I will be listening to it!

Open 🚪
4/5 ⭐️
Location: somewhere in the U.S. but mainly Scotland

Starting Over Scottish is a cute romance novella about finding your place in the world. It was sweet, and I liked both characters and their relationship. Their banter was fun. The side characters are fantastic. I loved this little town and would love to spend time with the whole village. However, I prefer my romances a bit longer. Novellas often lead to underdeveloped characters and relationships and the dreaded insta-love.

For those looking for a Christmas romance, note that it is not an overwhelming theme. It just happens to take place during Christmas Time. I still think this is worth a listen. The narrators did a good job.

This was a really sweet little novella! We follow Harper as she ends up in Scotland alone when, last minute, her friend unexpectantly drops out of their Scottish Pub Experience vacation they had planned together. And Harper's luck goes from bad to worse when she gets to her destination and finds there is already someone living there. That someone? A grumpy Scottsman and the owner of the pub. We get dual POV, which I loved. It was a very fast listen, the narrators who voiced this book did such a great job and made listening very entertaining. The romance seemed a little fast at times (which is to be expected considering it is a novella). If you're looking for a cute love story, forced proximity, Scottish brogue, and lovable side characters all wrapped up in an audiobook that is a little less than 3.5 hours long this is for you! Thank you to Netgalley for an audio e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙘𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙝
By Tricia O’Malley
Release Date: Nov. 7, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🎧: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🔥🔥/5

Starting Over Scottish was a cute listen that hit on all the best holiday tropes - Small Town, Grumpy x Sunshine, One Apartment/Bed, and Ugly Holiday Sweaters galore. It was a quick listen and would be perfect for any holiday road trip!

I thought the premise was such a neat idea. I think I would enjoy a similar trip - as long as it ended up the same way Harper’s did! The narrators Amy Landon and Will Watt were the perfect choice to bring Harper and Reed to life. Will’s Scottish burr could make a lady swoon.

Because this was a novella, the relationship between Harper and Reed was pretty fast paced and much spicier than I originally anticipated. I loved it and can’t wait to read more from Tricia!

Thank you to NetGalley, Tricia O’Malley and Dreamscape Select for an advance copy. This is my honest review.

This was a fun, easy novella. I found myself laughing out loud in several spots and the MMC's Scottish accent - oh boy! Being a novella, it felt fast-paced but not rushed and didn't leave me wishing for more. I'll be looking for more by this author. Thank you for the read!

📚Starting Over Scottish
Status: Print/KU Avail Now, Audio Avail 11/07
Reading Method: ALC via @netgalley

🥰Enjoyment: This was a quick enjoyable Holiday Lite novella. It was set in the weeks leading into Christmas but wasn’t too focused on the holiday itself, which made it the perfect transition read into the holidays. I found the narration well done, though I will say if you have a hard time understanding Scottish accents, then print might be the format for you.

Romance Novellas generally have a lot to pack into a tiny word count which sometimes harms the authenticness of the evolving relationship but I thought the pacing was well done given the space.

Definitely recommend if you are looking to pack your TBR with holiday reads.

Another Christmas book that I just could not get into, to be honest.

The male audiobook narrator had a thick accent and it was hard to understand him. The story was very quick. Like too quick for my taste, and I get it is a Christmas Novella but it was just predictable and boring.

Now the thing that I did want to mention was this one line that grossed me out AF, and I was comparing falling in love with him or the knowing of being in love with him with falling in love with your best friends boyfriend. That's being a shitty friend.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio-arc version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The coziest holiday read! This was the perfect book to kick off my November reading list. If you love grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, and a steamy holiday romance - this is the one for you! I, myself, am a sucker for a story about two lost souls finding each other. As well, there is a strong sub-theme of community coming together - which I appreciated.

As somebody who recently married into a Scottish family, I found I related with a lot of Harper's experiences as she navigates new traditions and life in a foreign environment. The character of Reed is dreamy and had me blushing at so many moments! The spice level in this book isn't exorbitant, but is just enough to enhance the tension and relationship between the characters.

Overall, this quick, fun read is definitely worth adding to your winter tbr!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Lovewrite Publishing for the ALC copy. All opinions are my own!

I am reviewing the audio file I received from Netgalley for a honest review. All thoughts an opinions are my own. Listening to this audio, it felt like a Hallmark Christmas story. The characters- she’s American, he’s Scottish. She’s accepts a work in a pub vacation and falls in love with the pub, the owner and the town. Cute, heartfelt story. Not familiar with the narrators Amy Landon and Will Watt but they did a great job as Harper and Reid.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and Lovewrite Publishing for providing me with the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Starting Over Scottish is a holiday novella that is a friends to enemies troupe. The narrators were fantastic, I did enjoy the Scottish accent. This one however, just wasn't' for me. It was very far fetched and read a much like a Hallmark movie made for TV/Netflix. If you're looking for a quick holiday read try this one out and see for yourself!

The plot/story - 3.75 stars
The narration - 5 stars
Total rating - 4.5 stars ;)

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and Lovewrite Publishing for providing me with the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave what it promised - an American FMC goes to Scotland to experience running a pub. Of course, it does not go smoothly, because at the rental apartment she is greeted (if you can call it like that :D) by a naked Scottish man who is not letting her in. He is the owner of both the apartment and the pub, but not the one who rented it out. And the pub has not been open in ages.

The narrators were incredible - their voices carried all the emotions. What took the cake for me was when chapter 3 started and Will Watt's voice emerged... boy oh boy... I heard it all, understood none - you can definitely start calling me a Scottish voice fan ;)

The book itself fell a bit short for me. Indeed, it is a novella and therefore the timeline was squished. I wish this book was longer. Especially with the amazing narration. At the same time, it was an easy read, very straight forward, with plenty of dialogues and inner monologues too. A good balance which makes me interested in other Tricia O'Malley's books.

Did I mention that the village has a smutty book club and the ladies call themselves Book Bitches? Loved it!

2 stars
I just couldn’t get into this.
First of all, I didn’t realize it was a novella and I’m much more into full length books.
Second of all, I thought it was boring. I suppose if you’re into snack sized romance novels (without a lot of substance), this might be for you.

Narrator portion- the guy’s voice is Scottish and difficult to understand. I know I missed certain words in the sentence because his accent was so thick.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.