3.5 stars, 1 spice

I like this one a little bit more than Kilt Trip (It didn’t click before starting that this was the next in that series), I did love the aesthetic, but overall felt it lacked with the characters.

Even though this is a second chance romance, I felt like both their original romance and the second chance were insta love. With that, I felt like I was missing information on each of them as individuals (in both the past and present). I felt like I knew more about the people they met on the trail than the actual main characters. Rather than spending time getting to know them as people then vs. now, I felt we spent the whole time dancing around the big break up moment.

I did love all the imagery around Scotland. Mentioning all the different areas on the Isle of Skye really makes me want to visit there. I just know it has to be even more stunning in person.

I also appreciated the depth and love that was developed for Mhairi. I love seeing her character being one that lived a full life, with a huge impact on others, that leaves an amazing legacy that is not based around having her own kids. I did feel emotions for her in the end.

Also, for being the second in a series of interconnected standalones it also feels a bit repetitive to have another story with them just traveling around Scotland, and having a theme of grief.?

Thank you to Harlequin Audio and Canary Street Press for the audio and ebook advanced copies.

3.25⭐️ rounded down

As much as I wanted to love Scot and Bothered just as much as I loved Kilt Trip there was just something missing from the second installment to this series.

I found myself losing interest or having to figure out exactly what timeline we were in for a vast majority of the book, which really destroyed the continuity for me. The dual POV and timeline combined just seemed a bit much at times.

Much like Kilt Trip, though, the grief aspects of this story were what really made it for me.

I’ll be back for what I hope is Reid’s story!

Thank you to NetGalley and HTP Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley
Contemporary romance, multi time-lines. Second chance troupe for both romance and life dreams.
Brooke Sinclair returns to Scotland and the University of Edinburgh to ghost write her mentor’s memoir. Only after she agrees to actually hike the rugged Skye Trail across Scotland does she find out that her photographer will be her lost love from eight years ago. She and Jack fell in love during university but life goals and conflicts ended up with them going their separate directions. Hiking the trail now, they have to hash things out, settle their differences and deal with feelings that linger.

Reconnecting means they need to talk about the past, the present and the future. Life goals and reconsidering career goals is so hard. On top of feelings of love in the middle and a life well lived brings it all front and center. You do need to pay attention to the time changes in each chapter from now and then.
Absorbing, tears, and love valued.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

He’d been the one person she’d trusted with her dreams and he’d single-handedly unraveled them.

Scot and Bothered was a second chance story told in alternating Then and Now chapters, that pretty much last throughout the whole book. Brooke is an American who is studying at the University of Edinburgh in their English program, she has the dream of being a writer. Jack is a Scotsman who is in the MBA program, he supposed to help with his family's tour guide business when he graduates. When they meet at a party, they're both instantly drawn to each other, until Brooke shows up to class one day and Jack is one of the T.A.s in the class. They know they shouldn't start anything but they can't help themselves and when Jack feels like his hand is forced and makes a decision without telling Brooke, they both feel the consequences. It's not until seven years later that these two are forced together to collaborate on Jack's aunt's memoir, Brooke's mentor, that old wounds are finally healed.

It was easier to slip into someone else’s story, someone else’s voice, than to admit she’d lost her own.

I'm not a strict linear reader, so I don't mind alternating timelines that are simultaneously showing our characters in present time and pushing the story forward while also going back in time to show how they got where they are and why they are the way they are. However, I usually like the past timeline to be wrapped up around midway point, having gotten the foundational information needed to understand but then fully in the present so the characters have time to work out what they need to and fall in love again. The alternating timelines kept up until, almost the very end of the book and I was left feeling like Brooke and Jack didn't spend that great gritty time working out what they needed. When Brooke and Jack are forced together, Brooke's writing her mentor's memoir, while Jack's taking the photos for his aunt's book, Brooke is still extremely angry over how everything went down seven years ago. She does not take her foot off his neck for awhile but it seemingly takes one, I'm finally getting angry line, from Jack and she kind of lets it go. It's an apology of sorts but I still felt she let that strong anger go kind of quickly.

“I feel bound to a life I didn’t pick. I have never felt free.”
The anguish in his voice broke her heart in two. And spoke to something she never felt allowed to voice.

Considering the set-up of Jack being not her specific T.A. but a T.A. in her class, I'm not sure I felt the desperate “we must be together” even though we could wait and there would be no consequences. I could see Jack caving but Brooke's character is described as very by-the-book and she's there on scholarship and talks a lot about how important this all is to her. I know she's in love for the first time and likes how Jack brings out her adventurous side but it still felt a betrayal to some of her characterization, because they wouldn't have to stay away forever, just for the semester or even two. I spent more of the Then chapters shaking my head and thinking the big blow up coming could be easily avoided. How unromantic of me, but there it is.

“I fucked up. So badly . I wish more than anything I could take it back. I know I broke your trust and it’s unforgivable.”

Around 30% is when Brooke loses her red mist of anger and they start to talk. They're hiking the Skye Trail in Scotland, the mentor/aunt founded the trail and the memoir is focused on that. If you read the first in this series, you'll remember the amazing way the author incorporated aspects of Scotland, geography, historical facts, and legends. We mostly get geography here and while I didn't find it as encompassing as the first, I still enjoyed how the setting, the land and trail, added atmosphere to the story. We get some secondary characters that are hiking and a little bit of Jack's family, what connects the series, but mostly this was focused on Brooke and Jack.

It wasn’t the look of someone who’d never cared. It was the look of someone who still cared.

Around 70% Brooke is ready to try with Jack again and like I said, I never felt like there was much working out the emotional problem in the Now chapters, Brooke felt like she just kind of mellowed and their instant connection from the Then chapters was what I felt left with to explain and feel why they were giving in to this second chance. It felt odd that Brooke's over what happened in the past before readers even find out how everything blew-up, which is revealed around 80%. How could I the reader move on with her if I didn't even know what happened yet?

“Sometimes we have to fuck it all up to know how to do it right.”

The alternating timeline chapters went on too long for me and I didn't get the knuckle down and work it out for this second chance romance, it felt like it came too easily (lower angst readers would enjoy more). The Skye Trail descriptions gave good setting but the pace dragged in the later second half as I felt the characters were stagnating because the Then chapters were still behind where the Now Brooke and Jack seemed to emotionally be. There was a brief upset moment to add late second drama but gotten over quickly and a two years in the future epilogue to cement the HEA. This didn't quite hit like the first for me but I'll definitely be returning to the series for the third brother's romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for an ARC of "Scot and Bothered" by Alexandra Kiley, out now!

I loved Alexandra's first book so much and I was so excited to read this one. It was just as good! If you love second chance romances this one is for you! It also jumps between past and present so make sure you're paying attention so you don't get confused!

Overall I really liked the book and the characters and I recommend you checking it out!

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley is a Scottish romance and the story of Brooke and Jack.
 
Brooke’s dream is to be a published author but after her university career was destroyed, her dream died a bit as well. She’s a ghostwriter now and it was really interesting to learn more about that. I needed a lot of time to warm up to Brooke because sometimes she’s rather reserved and a tad bitter and she sometimes forgets that a different path still can lead to her dreams.
 
Jack is a nature photographer and he’s trying to prove himself to his family. He kept a lot of secrets and was also the reason Brooke was expelled from the university and therefore I wasn’t fond of him for a lot of the book.
 
My favorite part of the book was the setting in Scotland, and they hike the Skye Trail, and I had total wanderlust and wanted to travel back to Scotland immediately. The romance was very slow and so much was between them that the redemption took almost too long. There were some nice moments but overall, I couldn’t fully feel this romance.
 
If you like romances set in Scotland, you might also like this book. 3 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

First off, I had the amazing privilege to be an ARC reader for this beautiful story. Thank you so much to @akileybooks, @harpercollins , @harlequinbooks & @netgalley for this amazing opportunity. It truly never gets old being an ARC reader!

This truly was a beautiful story of love and loss in many facets. The book is literally taking you through the emotional journey through both characters struggles while they’re hiking through the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Jack being a photographer kinda lost in what he wants to do with his photography and Brooke who has been a ghost writer for her whole career and hiding behind it. Dying to use her own name but doesn’t know quite how. The banter was adorable between Jack and Brooke as they confronted their past and secrets together. The dual timeline was interesting but filled in all answers you could possibly have for the main characters and even the background characters. All in all I enjoyed the book. Not quite my taste in some aspects. But a cute read!

Scot and Bothered

Join me in traveling back to Scotland (if only by turn of the page) with this second-chance romance between the eldest Sutherland brother, Jack, and his university sweetheart Brooke Sinclair.

Having met the Sutherland family through the middle brother Logan and Addie McCrae's story in Kilt Trip (book one of an interconnected stand-alone series), I was eager to read Jack's unlucky-in-love story that was hinted at in Kiley's first book.

Jack and Brooke's story is told through a dual timeline that keeps you on the edge of your seat, caught in the tension of uncovering what tore them apart "then" as they find themselves thrown together "now" to complete a time-sensitive work assignment. Scot and Bothered lives up to its name as readers retrace the couple's past relationship at "uni" in Edinburgh whilst simultaneously trekking alongside them on a week-long hike 7 years later on the Isle of Skye... if you've ever been backpacking, you know what all THAT might entail and bring to the surface 🤭

While I enjoyed Kilt Trip, I LOVED Scot and Bothered! The way Alexandra Kiley weaves grief and hope into her stories is remarkable and tugs at your heartstrings. If you liked the second chance romance of The Ex-Vows, you will likely enjoy Scot and Bothered, as well 🥰

And now I cannot wait to read Reid's story, the youngest Sutherland brother, in her next book (I saw what you did at the end there, Alexandra 😏) Any guesses on a witty Scottish title?

Thank you to @netgalley for my ARC of Scot and Bothered. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley is a second chance, swoon worthy romance that gave me all the feels! This dual timeline (present day and 7 years prior) is the story of Brooke and Jack.

Seven years ago, Brooke dreamed of becoming an author while Jack was a grad student and TA at the University of Edinburgh. They try and keep their relationship as friends, but their connection is strong, and they fall into a forbidden relationship. This leads to Jack losing his job and Brooke losing her scholarship. In the present day, Brooke is a ghostwriter who is now attempting to co-write her college mentor/friend’s memoir and Jack is attempting to make is way as a photographer. In a twist of fate, Brooke and Jack must hike an eighty-mile treacherous trail in the Scottish Highlands. Both have lost their way since losing each other, and this trip seems to be the key to finding themselves and bringing them back together. This story was enlightening and beautiful, both in the way the author described the setting and the characters. I loved how we slowly learned their backstory through the then/now format of writing. I will definitely be picking up more books from Alexandra Kiley in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade, and the author for this e-ARC.

***Five HUGE Second Chance Stars***

I read Kilt Trip and fell in love! When I had the opportunity to request Scot and Bothered I jumped right away! I was so excited to read Jack's story and find out what happened between him and Brooke. I was NOT disappointed. I love these two so much. You're going to want tissues though, because you're definitely going to cry.

I'm going to need more of the Sutherland family ASAP. No pressure or anything.

I've always wanted to visit Scotland but now I want to visit even more. The way that Alexandra describes the country is so beautiful. I want to hike the trail and make friends with the other hikers. I want to experience the weather and the scenery and the towns along the way. I'd skip the midges if that was an option though. HAHA

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

#ScotAndBothered #AlexandraKileyAuthor
#Scotland #LoversToEnemiesToLovers
#SecondChanceRomance #SkyeTrail
#ARCReview #ARCReading #NetGalley
#HarlequinTradePublishing #ContemporaryRomance
#ReadThisBook #ReadAllTheBooks

Brooke is working as a ghostwriter in Scotland after she was expelled from university. When her draft of her mentor's memoir that she is co-writing comes back with a less than enthusiastic reception, she decides to travel to the Isle of Skye to do the trail that her mentor created. She will be joined by the photographer for the book, her mentor's nephew and the reason she was expelled from university. Throughout the trail, the two are drawn back together like magnets, but can their attraction and mutual feelings overcome the past?

This is a fun romance. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to romance readers. It is not my favorite of all time but I think it deserves a solid four stars. I would read more by this author.



Thank you to Net Galley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced copy of Scot and Bothered in exchange for an honest review.

One word for this book. Nostalgia. At least for me. I was an American student at The University of Edinburgh so I was familiar with the streets and places Kiley writes about. It filled me with longing, especially as I haven't been to Scotland since I left. I didn't make it to Skye even though I made it almost everywhere else in Scotland and that is on my bucket list. The scenery was the highlight.

The romance was less appealing since it was Jack who caused Brooke to lose her place in uni. Sorry not sorry, even though well-meaning, I could never forgive the person who made me lose my scholarship. And I did have a scholarship to study in Edinburgh so that was very personal to me. Because of that, I wanted Brooke to hold out on her anger longer and make Jack pine even more. She seemed to lose a lot more than him. Sure, he got kicked out of his program but a UK resident's uni fees are a fraction of the cost of an international student. He didn't even want to study business! Meanwhile, Brooke was passionate about her program. Let's not even talk about the fact that you need a student visa if you are a FT student year-round. If she lost her scholarship and her place, she likely lost her visa too. So, how she got to stay in the UK for all these years is a wonder. She lost so much and had a tougher journey than Jack. All he had was a family that supported him but doubted him at times. Big whoop. Related to that, we got more of Jack's backstory than hers so the characterizations felt unequal.

In short, loved the place-making but was irritated at the dynamic between the mains. The side characters were a highlight. They had more personality than Jack and Brooke most the time.

In short, I loved this book. I always have a hard time saying no to a second chance romance, but after reading Kilt Trip last year, I was obsessed with getting to read this book. This is one of the best second chance romances I've read. If that's one of your favorites, add this book to your TBR meow!

Brooke and Jack met and fell in love at University, but Jack was one of the TAs for her business class, so things got dicey. A few years later they are teamed up to write and photograph Jack's Aunt and Brooke's mentor, Mhairi's, biography. They hike the advanced Skye Trail together, which Mhairi founded, and is a main focal point of her biography, and this gives them an opportunity to reconnect. It's told in dual timelines across both points of view.

Kiley did such an incredible job with the chemistry between these two. You can immediately sense that these two still have feelings for each other. With all the angst and tension, some light banter, I was in a constant state of heart racing and tummy fluttering, and had to remind myself to breathe and stop drooling 😅. Their story was so beautiful. The dual timelines allowed us to see all the growth the characters went through, and the second chance was so mature compared to the first time. There are also aspects of grief, friendship, family dynamics, and self-exploration in this story, making it so well-rounded and profound.

Then finally the secondary character of this interconnected stand alone series: Scotland! I was dying to see the country after Kilt Trip, but Kiley outdid herself in the descriptions of the Skye Trail (which is real, and looks incredible from all my Google searches, included in my edits here). It was almost like reading an incredibly thorough travel book narration along with an irresistible swoony romance; I loved the combination!

I picked up Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley because of its Scottish setting—having just returned from Edinburgh, I couldn’t wait to go back. This book truly hits you in the feels. Kiley masterfully connects you to her characters, making you feel their joy, ambition, fears, and losses.

One of my favorite aspects was how beautifully she wove Scotland into the story. From Advocate’s Close to the Royal Mile and Cowgate, her vivid descriptions transported me right back to Edinburgh—I could see it all as I read. And then there was Skye. The breathtaking depictions of its waters, rugged landscapes, and starry nights have now placed it at the top of my must-visit list.

Without giving anything away, just know that this book will leave an imprint on your soul.

I enjoyed this! I was left only a little disappointed by the ending though - the driving tension throughout was what happened in Jack and Brooke's past and it didn't feel like they ever properly had a conversation about what happened then (like I think Brooke should've known that Mhairi was the one who convinced/forced Jack to tell the school). That being said though, I loved Jack and Brooke's relationship and the setting felt so alive, I desperately want to visit Skye now.

I really enjoyed this book. It has a back a dual POV, which I always enjoy multiple POVs. On top of that though it has flashback chapters. Showing how our two mains got involved and then... well it's a second chance romance so you can guess.
In the current time line a hiking trip on the Isle of Skye for research and photography takes a turn when the wind decided Jack doesn't need his tent after all.
In the past, seven-ish years prior to present, Jack and Brooke meet and catch the spark only to find out he a TA in one of her classes. That makes them very off limits to each other.
I found Jack's character very sweet and such and cinnamon roll. Where Brooke is so stuck, even after seven years, thinking Jack is the villain.

I enjoy the authors writing style as well as the comedy that gets blended in with the sweetness and angst that comes along from time to time.

I really hope there's another one of these as I think there is one more brother in Jack's family who needs his story told.

This story was enchanting. Jilted lovers finding their way back together over a shared passion. A fairy godmother mentor guiding them back together. Descriptions of a Scottish trail brought to life. This was fantastic.
The time jumps took me out a little with the order that they were placed in the current narrative, but it was still very compelling.

Thanks to Harlequin for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review! Scot and Bothered was such a sweet second chance story AND it was set in magical, beautiful Scotland, making Jack and Brooke's love all the dreamier for it. We got two timelines of their relationship as it comes together, falls apart, and comes back together again. I loved the romance, but almost even more, I loved seeing Brooke come back to her dreams and take a chance on herself and her writing. I loved the mentor relationship she had with Mhairi - such a wonderful women bringing other women up with them moment. But also, it didn't hurt having sweet + Scottish hot photographer Jack there to sweeten the deal. If you need a little escape, pick this up and get swept away!

**⭐⭐⭐½**

*Scot and Bothered* by Alexandria Kiley is a fun, engaging second chance romance with a strong heroine and a swoon-worthy Scottish hero. The banter is great, and the romance is sweet, but the pacing drags at times, and the plot feels a bit too busy. The chemistry is solid, though the spice level is around **2 stars**—just enough to add some heat but not overly steamy. Overall, an enjoyable read for second chance romance fans, even if it doesn’t fully stand out.

☘️ Happy Pub Day @akileybooks & to all the hairy coos she writes into her books ☘️

Thank you @canarystreetpress @harlequinbooks @netgalley for the #gifted copy. Special happy dance going to @bookswithnopictures and @just_talking_to_my_shelf for organizing this traveling sisterhood of the Scottish second chance romance.

Nothing can bear a romance novel that embraces the beauty of nature & acknowledges the challenge of hiking a mountain. Seriously, climbing a literary mountain with characters is my favorite thing in the entire world.

As someone who has taken on a couple of challenging hikes and felt the irrelevance of my daily problems slide off my shoulders, I have a deep appreciation for "Scot and Bothered" Plus honestly you can't beat a mental vacation to Scotland.

I loved a lot about Alex's sister novel... the Forbidden moment gave that little devilishly spark to the love story. The pair have a meet cute that will bring anyone who went to college nostalgia. Then, we experience their second chance and the personal growth on the trail. *Inaudible squealing* it's just too good!!

I adored that Jack and Brooke pushed each other to follow their dreams and showed each other that it's okay to take that leap to achieve your goals. The fact that they were constantly telling each other how proud they were of one another made my heart swell. *swoon*

I will say that I think the audiobook experience could make this story even b e t t e r. I am imagining Scotland being described in Jack's accent & I can't imagine it being told in a better way.

My only feedback is that there were moments that self repetitive. Alex really focused on the fact that Jack betrayed her in the past but it felt like she almost forced it on the reader a little too much in the beginning.

☘️ Outdoorsy Friends will L O V E
☘️ Forbidden Romance
☘️ Slow Burn
☘️ Rivals to Lovers
☘️ Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center & Wild by Cheryl Strayed vibes
☘️ Dual Timeline