Forget only one bed. Give me only one tent.

As the Grateful Dead sings: “If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.” And the lightning gets our ghostwriting author Brooke Sinclair into teaching assistant/trail guiding/photographer “Captain” Jack Sutherland’s arms not once — but twice. (Also Jack is Jude-Law-in-The-Holiday glasses hot).

We meet these two 7 years prior while at Uni. While they couldn’t name it last, they remain tethered to one another by Brooke’s favorite professor/mentor, and Jack’s Aunt, Mhairi. And Mhairi literally sends them packing…

There was so much buildup to the not if but when of it all — I mean the parallels!! But it was such a soft landing for me. The biggest tease. I was like this can’t be it. And it wasn’t. Because Alexandra wouldn’t leave us hanging like that— and she DELIVERED with the most charged scene ever. Hi glass showers and two person bathtubs.

An absolute letter of love and appreciation to the professors and mentors who shape us. Who don’t give up on us, when we’ve given up on ourselves. Who believe so much in our potential, they put us in a position where we are forced to see our worth for ourselves.

Scot and Bothered is a beautiful love story that delivers a second chance in career and love; teaching us to not only be hopeless romantics in love, but in our careers.

…We’ve got Logan and Jack… is Reid next?!!

TW: cancer, off page passing

4.5 ⭐️
1 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin/Canary Street Press for this eARC. It’s an honor to continue getting to read Kiley’s works.

Scot and Bothered is a fun read about Brooke trying to acheive her dreams even if her journey includes the one who broke her heart. While this book is not necessarily for my students, it is ideal for everyone else.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley

Descriptive, adventurous, and delightfully steamy — I greatly enjoyed the newest novel from Alexandra Kiley! I'm now dreaming of my own trip to the Isle of Skye!

Aaah! Alexandra Kiley did it again! This sophomore book delivered. It is loosely related to Kilt Trip (Jack is Logan’s brother) but can absolutely be read as a stand alone. This is a story of second chances and chasing dreams. Jack and Brooke dated on the down low when she was an undergrad and he was a TA (but close in age). However, their relationship imploded and changed the course of their lives. Fast forward 7 years, Brooke is ghostwriting a memoir and Jack is photographing for the book. They reluctantly need to work together (and hike) to finish the book. This story dives into losing focus of dreams and ambitions and heartbreak. It’s a little open door but not super descriptive and can be easily glossed over if it’s not your thing. Definitely check this one out.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️.5

After Kilt Trip, my expectations were SO high, and I was a bit nervous going into this book. However, my expectations were not only met, but exceeded!!! Scot and Bothered is the perfect balance of witty, sweet, spicy, and reflective. It is deeply special and emotional (maybe it just hit me really close to home). She did such a good job of balancing beautifully between both dual POV and dual timelines. This second chance romance is one of the most raw and honest I've ever read. It really felt like we were feeling every emotion right along with them.

Brooke is refreshingly bold and relatable, while the Jack is the perfect broody cinnamon roll. Alexandra wrote both Brooke and Jack's story so delicately and honestly, and it was so easy to root for them both individually and as a couple.

I would highly recommend this book to absolutely any romance reader.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the arc!!

Loved this book!! Anything with scottish men or in scotland I am sucker for. It's so cute and a great addition to any collection of romcoms

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me access to this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley will be released on March 4, 2025. In this contemporary romance we follow Brooke Sinclair, a ghostwriter, who agrees to hike the rugged Skye Trail to co-write her mentor’s memoir. Unbeknownst to her, the accompanying photographer is Jack Sutherland, the teaching assistant who broke her heart and career, seven years ago. As they trek through the Scottish landscape, old feelings resurface, forcing them to confront their past and possibly rekindle a second chance at love. I requested this book because I love everything Scotland related and I was not disappointed! The only issue I had was the 3rd POV, I could not connect with the characters as much as I wanted to.

I was so eager to read this after reading and loving Kilt Trip, Alexandra Kiley’s stunning romantic debut and love letter to Scotland. Scot and Bothered promised more of the same stunning scenery with which we were immersed in book 1, only this time we’re following Scotsman Jack Sutherland and American Brooke Sinclair through the majestic Scottish landscape as they work on a memoir- and their relationship, which was spectacularly derailed seven years ago.

Seven years after Jack and Brooke’s relationship ends, they find themselves together once again as Brooke works on a book about the life of Mhairi McCallister, her academic mentor and, unfortunately, Jack’s aunt. When she discovers he is taking photos for the book, she reluctantly agrees to complete a walk through Scotland’s Skye trail, to better immerse themselves in Mhairi’s past and find her story. There begins their forced proximity, angst-ridden trip through Scotland as they try to finish Mhairi’s story- and maybe get a chance to rewrite their own.

This is one of those reviews that is near impossible for me to write, as I am so utterly stunned by this book that I find it very hard to put into words how absolutely beautiful this is. This is the kind of second chance romance that absolutely proves how superior this “trope” can truly be. The utter and complete ANGST between these two was heart-wrenching, even in the “before” chapters of the dual timeline, where they were in complete turmoil about being together and we had to ride the emotional wave along with them. I found myself tearing up several times during seemingly mundane parts of this book, purely because I was feeling their emotions so incredibly strongly on every single page.

I really do find myself without words as I sit here trying to convince you all to read this book as soon as you can. Nothing I say can do this one justice. Beautiful, heart-wrenching prose will have you clinging to the pages as you are swept away on this emotional journey from which I have yet to recover. Everyone should read this one.

If you loved Kilt Trip, you'll love Scot and Bothered! I adored reading through the second chance relationship of Jack and Brooke with the amazing landscape of Scotland in the background.

WOW. Just wow!

First and foremost, I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the ARC of this book for an honest review - I'm so grateful for this opportunity!

Let me just say, I knew this was going to be a 5-star read within the first 50 pages. Brooke and Jack are two of the most honest, complex, and loveable characters I have read and getting to not only know their past, but also their present selves was so special. The pacing between the duel timelines was really well done, as well as the character development of Brooke and Jack (and the side characters). When I realized we were getting the story of Jack, Logan's brother, I about lost it. I knew there was something special about him in Kilt Trip, and Alex really took him to the next level. If you enjoyed Kilt Trip, you'll LOVE Scot and Bothered. You get to follow Brooke and Jack along the Skye Trail through treacherous rain, dangerous climbs, and *gasp* one tent! If you like dual timelines, second chance romance, college adventures, facing adversity and challenges, and a romance with a very deep, very emotional base - you'll love this book. I was wiping my eyes of the tears I shed during the last 50 pages. I never wanted it to end. Absolutely loved this book and I hope you all grab it when it comes out on March 4, 2025!

Let me just share a few lines that were meaningful to me:

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

"People are so far away from nature now, seeing something wild makes us feel alive.

"Jack had always treated time like he had enough to spare where Brooke had always thought of it as a nonrenewable resource, in terms of efficiency and productivity, something not to be squandered."

"He listened to so many voices, but never his own. And she’d lost her voice as a consequence."

This is in the running to be my favorite read this year. I don't know if I'll ever stop talking about this book!

I'll admit, I chose this book based on the cute pun in its title. I loved the setting and found myself wondering why I hadn't gone to college in Scotland like our plucky heroine did. While I enjoyed this second chance romance, I found the setting of Scotland to be more enamoring than the main characters.

Star rating: 4.5 rounded to 5

Scot and Bothered is a lovely Scottish tale with adventure, second chances and facing dreams!

Brooke, a ghostwriter, and Jack, a photographer, are exes whose relationship did not end on a good note. Years later, they are pushed to work together on a project for Jack’s aunt, Mhairi, who is also Brooke’s mentor. To fully embrace Mhairi's life and experience her headspace, they must hike one of the most challenging treks in The Isle of Skye to capture her larger than life attitude for her memoir.

Brooke radiates anger and resentment holding on to past grievances. Jack feels guilt and regret trying to reconcile what was lost between them. Both are driven by passion, purpose and validation. Can they deny the magnetic pull toward each other and put heartbreak aside to forge a new connection?

Scotland is a favorite place of mine. The Isle of Skye is one of the most serene, magical locations I’ve ever seen, and it was so nice to relive my memories through this narrative.

I enjoyed the dual timeline to encompass the full scope and clarity of the story. Alexandra is seamless with the transitions mingling the past and present. Her words are beautifully crafted with the ability to transport you from walking The Royal Mile in Edinburgh to setting up a tent in the boggy soil in the highlands and every moment in between.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press for the gifted ARC!

A charming second chance romance set in gorgeous Scotland.

Brooke and Jack are sweet together though I would have loved to have a deeper insight into what drew them to one another other than immediate physical attraction. I think the transitions from present day to when Brooke and Jack first met worked well.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

A word that sums this book up is dreamy. The characters (JACK), the setting, the romance. It was all so cozy and dreamy. I love a second chance romance and this book had all of the elements of that troupe that I love. The drama and the LONGING were unmatched. I ended up taking 2 stars off because at times the story almost felt too dramatic and I felt like it dragged on a bit through the middle. But the ending was so satisfying and sweet! Overall, Scot and Bothered is such a charming book and definitely worth the read.

I was so glad to be back to The Heart family, especially now that we got to meet Jack and really get to know him.

Brooke Sinclair is a writer, one who was expelled from the University of Edinburgh after a derailment with her involvement in an undisclosed relationship with one of the school's TA's - Jack. Now, a successful ghostwriter, Brooke is co-writing a memoir with her hero, Mhairi McCallister, and though it's a project she's always dreamed of, her heart still yearns to write stories of her own. After her college expulsion though, her spark has been diminished, and she no longer feels able to write on her own. When Mairi suggests that she take the trail that Mairi created to better capture Mairi's voice in the memoir - and instantly gets stuck on the trail with the very man who was the cause of her expulsion...and the cause of her broken heart.

This book felt simultaneously too rushed and too slow at the same time, though she communication that Jack and Brooke utilized eventually was a breath of fresh air!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I read and enjoyed Kiley's previous book, and I unfortunately had a harder time getting into this one, mainly because I tend to struggle with second chance tropes. If you love that trope, then definitely pick this one up!

Seven years ago, Brooke was living her dream as a top student at University of Edinburgh, poised for a brilliant writing career. Jack was a teaching assistant and trying to figure out what he really wanted. They instantly forged a connection, but knew a relationship was off limits. And then Brooke’s life and dreams came crashing down, courtesy of Jack.

Brooke has been ghostwriting, and finally sees a bright spot: a chance for a co-writing credit on a memoir for her most beloved professor and mentor. But she has to hike a harrowing Scottish island trek to truly understand the assignment. And spend a minimum of eight days side by side with the photographer. Jack. Her lover turned bitter enemy. And her professor’s nephew.

Loved this book! The emotions were palpable—the anger, chemistry, hurt, love, sorrow, joy—throughout the book. The author beautifully wrote the journey from bitter former lovers to something more, going back and forth between present and seven years ago. I am usually NOT a fan of dual chronologies, but this one mostly worked. I will say I didn’t love getting the details of what happened seven years ago so late in the story—don’t want to spoil it so I won’t go further.

The characters are so relatable! I can empathize with Brooke so much, with having her dreams unfairly ripped away and not knowing where to go from there, feeling lost. And I can understand Jack too, feeling the pressure of family expectations and not knowing what he really wants to do. The side characters rounded out the story, especially Mhairi, Jack's aunt and Brooke's mentor.

The descriptions are lovely too, and made me want to hike Skye Island (or maybe another trail with better weather). I felt like I was experiencing the trek with the characters.

I will post Instagram and blog reviews closer to publication date. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Scot and Bothered is a dual timeline novel jumping from ‘then’ where we see Jack and Brooke fall in love surrounded by the picturesque scenery of their university campus and the surrounding area of Edinburgh. In the ‘now’ timeline, they are reunited to climb Skye Trail and to work on a memoir for someone they truly respect (who is also sadly dying from stage four pancreatic cancer). I really appreciated all the time in Skye Trail. There’s a different energy that comes off the page when the wind whipping around your face, the air is frigid, and embracing nature (with all its bugs and beauty).

Now, about the ‘then’ timeline. I don’t play around when it comes to my dreams, my career, or my future. I’m also the type of person to respect professional boundaries. I can’t turn my brain off while reading romance and you know what, I’m not apologizing for it. A professional boundary is clearly crossed in the ‘then’ timeline. Jack (is a Teaching Assistant) and Brooke (is a student taking a class that is taught by Jack’s aunt Mhairi). They knowingly engage in a relationship that clearly breaks a code of conduct. But also when they’re discovered? It places people in their lives in a tough situation. So when “the big betrayal” is hyped up across the book, and revealed…I really had no emotion, like seriously? This was the reason Brooke held such scorn against Jack? She was equally responsible for her actions. Both characters knowingly acted recklessly, knew what was on the line, and expected people to continue to lie for them? There’s such blatant privilege in both characters (especially Brooke that was off-putting) that the ‘then’ timeline did so much damage to the book. I scoffed in shock.

Women for decades have worked so hard to ensure campuses are a safe space for future generations (and that work continues to this day). In this case, attempting to normalize and romanticize a student/staff relationship left me unsettled. Girlies, this was a doozy! So overall, I’m giving this three stars. Largely cause I enjoyed the ‘now’ timeline better and found it to be a stronger narrative that I wished carried the story.

I want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

Brooke y Jack fueron novios, pero su romance era secreto y prohibido. Creían que podrían superar todos los obstáculos y, con el tiempo, gritar al mundo su amor, pero las cosas terminaron mal.

Años después, se reencuentran porque ella va a escribir las memorias de una ex profesora que resulta ser la tía de él, y él será el fotógrafo del libro.

Disfruté de la primera mitad, pero luego la historia se estancó y no veía un verdadero avance entre ellos, especialmente por Brooke, que terminó por desesperarme. Al final, no creí que deberían terminaban juntos.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really fun and adorable little rom-com. Transportive vibes that will have you living out your Scottish fantasies!