I really enjoyed Kilt Trip when I read it last year, and was so excited and grateful to have the opportunity to read and review Scot and Bothered before its release.
One thing that Alexandra Kiley does even better in this book than the previous one is bring the setting to life and make you want to experience it for yourself. It was lovely to experience that as a reader alongside of watching the FMC attempt to do the same while cowriting her mentor's memoir. Brooke and Jack are well-formed, flawed people who I was rooting for the whole way. Though I tend to not like dual-timeline books I found myself deeply invested in both story arcs, and I wanted to give this book four stars so badly. However, one of the ways I evaluate a book for my own enjoyment is how forgivable is whatever mistake happened to create conflict in the first place. In this instance, regardless of intent, I don't think a reasonable person would have been able to forgive Jack for the way his mistakes effected Brooke's path.

Oh my heart! What an emotional second chance romance by Alexandra Kiley.

Read this for:
- Hate to love from her
- Forced proximity
- He's gone for her
- Only one tent AND only one bed
- Second chance
- Workplace

Brooke Sinclair has no love or even like for her ex Jack Sutherland who ruined their past relationship and her career. Unfortunately, she is stuck traveling across Scotland with said ex to help take photographs while she writes her mentor's memoir.

Jack Sutherland has so many regrets from his past with Brooke. He still can't figure out the direction for his own career, and now he's thrown in the path of the one that got away.

The way Alexandra is able to describe this journey and mirror the treacherous path with the journey the two ex lovers take is so powerful. You find yourself immersed in the lands of Scotland, while also trying to uncover the deep seeded wounds between Brooke and Jack.

HOLY ANGST! There is so much angst and tension that is so intense between the two of them. Their history is revealed slowly piece by piece as we take this journey with them in their present. The flashbacks were provided in tandem with the current journey and it was such a ride to be on. We had the present day tension, the extreme conditions of the hiking they were on and the past relationship all burning up the pages. It was such an emotional, angsty ride that burns up the pages!

Both Brooke and Jack had their own issues and challenges that were still there from when they were previously together. It took them coming back together to help each other push past what was holding things back for each one of them.

I thought this was a beautiful depiction of a real second chance, but also second chances for each individual character to live out their life and dreams how they truly desired.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC copy. All opinions are my own.

This was really fun, and I really love that it was set in Scotland! The characters were great, and I could feel the tension between them in the beginning. There were quite a few secrets being kept… Not exactly my favorite thing to see, but I knew some of it was for good reason… I really enjoyed it, and will keep it in mind when recommending books!

Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC!

THE YEARNING. This book is so angsty and wonderful. I loved the longing looks and stolen touching. This story is told between when Brook and Jack first get together 7 years ago and present day. Both timelines are full of delicious pining. The way they support and calm each other felt so grounded in real life. I could feel these characters coming to life. The angst of them wanting to be with each other was tangible, that feeling of want was a whole separate character in this book.

The other big character in this story is Scotland. I loved the history and landscapes that are described throughout the story. Jack's family owns a tour company and has grown up learning the lore of the land. He uses this lore and history to not just woo Brooke but also bring the setting of Scotland to life. I felt like I was with them on their hike.

One of the only reasons this wasn't a five-star read for me was Brooke didn't feel fully fleshed out. We get this really rich backstory for Jack with his family and their expectations. But Brooke doesn't really get the same treatment. We get some background on her parents also being outdoorsy and really supportive, but wouldn't they have had some concerns with their daughter not completing her degree in another country? Also, when she doesn't finish her degree how can she even stay in the country? She isn't from Scotland. These two big questions just irked me. It felt like a miss on some character development.

If you want a quick longing romance, this is the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A second chance at love while hiking on the Isle of Skye, count me in. A clever fun for the title, say no more.

Scot and Bothered is the second book from Alexandra Kiley and is interconnected with her first book, Kilt Trip. I found Kiley by a stroke of good luck and I am so glad I did. She does a wonderful job of immersing her reader in the world her characters are traversing.

Our MMC is Jack Sutherland (brother of Logan from Kilt Trip) who is a photographer and works for his family's tour business, Heart of the Highlands, though he wants so much more. Our FMC is Brooke Sinclair, an ex-pat who has called Scotland her home for 10 years, is a ghostwriter and is working on co-writing a biography with her mentor Mhairi.

While I don't read them often, this second change romance was so great I might seek out more of them. It has been 7 years since things went south for Jack and Brooke. Though there was strong love between the two, the consequences of their relationship could not be stopped. When Brooke is told by her editor that the biography she is working on needs more heart, she decides to hike a trail through Scotland, a trail established by her mentor Mhairi. A grand adventure to be sure until someone from her past walks into her life again, Jack. Jack will serve as the photographer to bring her story to life...

The imagery is wonderful and I often found myself stopping to look up the locations they were traveling through. I must say that I really want to visit Scotland now.

Tropes:
*Second Chance Romance
*Only one (bed) tent
*Forced Proximity
*Secret relationship

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the arc, all opinions are my own.

Who knew I was a RomCom girl? I've added so many genres to my tastes lately that, when people ask me what kinds of books I like, I'll say, YES. And I might just put RomCom toward the top. This book came at the perfect time, giving me characters I wanted to be and be with. I giggled several times and even teared up. This author got me in all the good places I want to be when I read. I wasn't expecting steaminess and haven't read anything steamy in a while, but I didn't hate it, either. 😉 And
now that the book is over, I miss these characters! Alex, bring me a sequel, stat!

3 ⭐️ dual timeline, dual POV, second chance romance! It’s also a slow burn so set your expectations. I really loved the imagery in this book, but felt like something was missing in their love story.

This ARC was a 3/5 ⭐️. It was a cute 2nd chance romance. Like that there was forced proximity for the 2nd chance. The then to now chapters really helped give you a basis on how life was and how it is now. All in all it was a good book. I personally wasn’t pulled in by the characters but I liked the plot and think that if people like 2nd chance romances this would be up their alley.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing me an eARC for review.

This is a second chance, slow burn, dual POV, dual timeline romance. The Scottish scenery felt alive and I instantly felt connected to the trail and island. The writing is wonderful and I felt like I was on this trip with Brooke and Jack.

I feel that this story felt a bit flat and rushed to me. It felt like something was missing from the story to tie it all together.
I didn't feel the connection between the 2 MMC's and didn't feel the 'inta-love' as described. There were some inconsistencies and missing pieces that really distracted from the story and left me wanting more. If you can overlook these shortcomings, it is an enjoyable story or first loves that you never really got over.
If you are coming for a light-hearted rom-com, this might not be the book for you.

Publication Date: March 4, 2025.

I enjoyed this book!

This is a dual-timeline second chance romance, where the FMC and MMC have to hike together to do research for a memoir. It is connected to Kiley's first book, Kilt Trip, but can be read as a standalone.

I enjoyed all of the details about places and scenery in Scotland. The setting felt immersive, and I found myself looking up flights to Scotland while I read. I did find it challenging to parse out the meaning of some of the dialogue that used Scottish vernacular, but it made me very excited to hear this one on audio with a Scottish narrator!

Thank you so much to Alexandra Kiley and Canary Street Press/HTP for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Canary Street Press for the eARC of Scot and Bothered by Alex Kiley. All opinions are my own.

Alex Kiley’s second book is absolutely wonderful and quite different from her first book, Kilt Trip.
While Kilt Trip had me laughing, Scot and Bothered had me in TEARS and my heart was aching. It’s very different tonally, and I think this really helps to showcase Alex’s writing talent.

I really love how Jack and Brooke were forced into a position of having to deal with each other, and address their past, in order to deal with the present, and perhaps see if they have a future together. They have to trust each other, support one another, and comfort individual fears and truths, and also figure out how to say goodbye to a woman who means so much to each of them. Neither is fully living the lives they dreamed of, lives they are scared to dream of even now, and this trip really forces them to reckon with what is holding each of them back.

Alex’s writing is so smooth, descriptive, and she does a wonderful job of taking us through the character arcs. I thought the dual timeline was done exceptionally well, allowing us glimpses into the past to help us understand the present and why Brooke and Jack have, for a lack of a better way of saying it, feeling stuck in their lives.

Mhairi is a gem of a character and so pivotal to the story. If Alex were to ever feel called to write a story about Mhairi when she was younger, I would happily read it!

It is so clear throughout Alex’s two books how much she loves Scotland. I think Scot and Bothered shows us another part of the country, and how it is an incredibly unique, beautiful, and challenging place.

I’m so excited to read more books by Alex!

I've said it before & I'll say it again - Alexandra Kiley is the next Emily Henry!!! Her writing is captivating, her settings are spectacular, and I really feel like this could be the book that changes everything for her! I'm not usually a fan of dual timelines, but this one worked well for me & the pacing was great. I flew through it in less than a day! If there was a famous quote to sum up the main theme of this book, it would be "the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" (Eleanor Roosevelt). Seeing Brooke and Jack encourage one another to pursue their passions made me reflect and be grateful for the people who do that for me in my own life. Definitely pick this one up this March - you won't want to miss this 5-star gem!

Brooke Sinclair and Jack Sutherland have an immediate attraction to one another when they meet at a friend’s party. Unfortunately, they soon find out that Jack is the TA in one of the classes Brooke is enrolled in at the University of Edinburgh. She is studying to be a writer and Jack is trying to prove he knows what he wants for himself outside of his family’s tour guide business. When their secret is exposed, it ruins their relationship and their dreams. Seven years later, they find themselves working together because Brooke is writing a memoir for Jack’s aunt Mhairi, while he is brought on to take photographs of the Skye trail for the book. It’s an opportunity for the two of them to have a second chance, but Brooke is still angry at Jack for his betrayal and Jack is still unsure of how to go after what he really wants.

Scot and Bothered has everything that I love in a romance book! Brooke and Jack have a complicated past, with feelings of betrayal, regret, misunderstanding, and unconfessed love. They are both great main characters. Brooke is an author, who has spent the most promising years of her career as a ghostwriter, because of a lack of confidence in herself. She is fun and quirky, and I really loved her personality. Jack has spent the past seven years still searching for that big moment with his photography and dealing with feelings that he has been a disappointment to his family. He’s also the perfect, dreamy Scottish MMC, that you want to see in this kind of story (and we get him in a kilt!! 😉).

The story is told in a dual timeline format, which I really enjoyed. Brooke and Jack also have their own POVs throughout the book, and I liked having the story told through both of their voices. The slow burn is SO GOOD…and Kiley brings the slow burn through both timelines. The tension, romance, and spicy parts of the book are done so well, and I never felt like any of the dialogue between Brooke and Jack were cringe-worthy, but something you would expect in a real relationship.

The side story of Brooke and Jack’s relationship with Mhairi is heart-warming, and her part of the story brought tears to my eyes several times. The imagery of Scotland is such a great part of the story, too. I loved all of the descriptions Kiley includes from Brooke and Jack’s time on the trail.

I love romance books that make the relationship natural in the story, while also bringing a great plot, and Kiley does a great job with this in Scot and Bothered. If you love romance reads with off-limit relationships, forced proximity/one tent/one bed, second chances, and a Scottish backdrop, then I would highly recommend Scot and Bothered.

Overall, Scot and Bothered is a compelling read that beautifully captures the essence of first loves and second chances. It’s a testament to Kiley’s talent for crafting immersive, emotionally rich romances that linger in the reader’s mind long after the final page.

Another hit novel from Alexandra Kiley! Starting with the setting… I felt like I was in Scotland which is exactly what I wanted. I want to move there now ASAP. I loved the dual POV in this book as well as the dual timelines. I felt like I really got to know both Jack and Brooke and was rooting for them the whole time!

- Second chance romance
- Slow burn
- Scotland setting
- Author MCs

Brooke Sinclair and Jack Sutherland’s whirlwind college romance ended abruptly (why, exactly, is not revealed until the end). Now thrust together seven years later to hike the Skye Trail as a writer-photographer pair, they’re forced to come to terms with each other and their pasts.

-Scottish scenery
-Slow burn
-Second chance romance
-Insta-love
-Only one tent

Scot and Bothered was a sweet and fun read! The incredible setting and information about the Isle of Skye were a highlight. I did stumble a bit with the second chance romance trope- it’s not my
favorite and I don’t find it completely believable that two people who had a short college romance could fall back into step together many years later. Beyond that, though, Scot and Bothered was well-written and captivating!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest feedback!

another hit from miss kiley!!!! there is not much else i enjoy more than a scottish romance and this was the perfect mix of sweet and steamy 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ i will ALWAYS recommend alexandra!!!!

Beautiful imagery, fun characters, and a sweet story. Scot and Bothered is the second Alexandra Kiley book I've read, and though I admittedly liked Kilt Trip more I think that it was more because of preferred tropes than anything else. Scot and Bothered is a cute read I am excited to have in store.

This book was a bit of a slow burn for me, but once I got far enough into it I could not put it down!!! I absolutely adore Brooke and Jack and their relationship certainly kept me on my toes. No two characters were more deserving of a second chance than these two and Alexandra Kiley absolutely knocked it out of the park with this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press for the arc!

I really struggled to connect with Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley. While the imagery of Brooke and Jack's journey on the trail was beautifully detailed, I found myself losing interest in the story. Despite being a second-chance romance, the relationship felt rushed, and I couldn’t fully invest in their journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing me an eARC for review.