Book Review: Getting Hot with a Scot by Melonie Johnson

This is not your typical Scottish romance novel. Yes there is a hot Scot who wears a kilt and there are castles but this romance is set in present time.

This is the story of Lance Reid and Cassie Crow who met after Lance pulls a prank on Cassie for his web series. They kiss and sparks fly. However, Cassie doesn’t want to sign the release waiver to show the prank on his show. So the story follows Lance following Cassie to London to get the waiver signed.

This is a fun romance. I love that we got to travel to Scotland, London and Chicago. It does follows a typical romance plot line however because of the setting and characters it felt fresh.

I will admit books like this takes me no time to read, however this book at times felt like it was dragging on. I wish the story would be a bit tighter.

This was a solid 3.5 stars read for me.

A review will be posted on What to Read Next Blog on April 2019.

When a reader takes a chance on a new author, she's never quite sure what to expect. This book was delightfully unexpected, and my risk paid off in spades. Flirty and frisky, clever and charming, and tender and touching, this hot Scot hero and his heroine have a palpable connection and surprising depth and vulnerability. But it’s author's ability to bring characters alive and humanize them that bonds me to the characters and fully invests me in the outcome of their story.

Not only does this author have a comfortable, engaging style that showcases her talent, but she clearly displays her knowledge and love of the English language, even teasing about her word nerdy-ness by way of an impromptu grammar lesson from one of Cassie’s friends. I’ll never understand an author publishing a poorly edited manuscript riddled with typos, but you can rest assured that is absolutely not the case with Johnson's books. Her care for her work and pride in her product shines through on every error-proof page, and you can bet this is one author I'll be reading for a long time to come. I’m especially grateful for St. Martin's Press for bringing this book to my attention and making an advanced copy available through NetGalley.

All of the characters are well thought out, relatable and endearing, and I easily, eagerly devoured this book in one evening. I love Cassie's strength and the way she knows her own mind just as much as I love Logan's devil-may-care shenanigans that play a large part in covering the pain and loss he's carried around for years. Cassie and Logan are a poignant example of how two opposites can compliment and strengthen each other, making them better together than either is alone. I wholeheartedly recommend this heartfelt, humorous read, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

*I reviewed an advanced copy of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

Really really cute!! I absolutely loved these books! This group of 5 girls are adorable and the two guys keep it all in perspective. Logan is a stud and Theo is the sweetest guy! Great books!

Cassie met Logan while she and her friends were vacationing in Scotland. He was a professional prankster and she was a television personality. They had chemistry in spades, and Cassie was looking for a vacation fling. Much to her surprise, Logan ended up working for the same production company that she did in the states. They reconnected and fell in love; however, Cassie wanted marriage and a family while Logan did not. They broke up after an incident in which she told him to grow up. Logan realized that he did want to marry Cassie, but was being held back by a fear of losing her like his mother lost his father. But, he realized that having Cassie in his life was more powerful than the fear of losing her, so he fought for her and won her back.

Cassie Crow is on her dream vacation with her old college friends when she becomes the unsuspecting victim of an internet prank TV host. No, Logan Reid isn't actually a time traveling kilt-wearing Scot in a castle, but their instant chemistry was nothing but real. Now Logan has to try to convince an angry Cassie to sign a consent form to post the the footage to his site or he won't land his TV contract. Cassie has no intention of ever signing the form, but who is she to say no to the foreign fling she's been looking for her whole vacation? Then again, these things never quite work out the way we expect them to, do they?

What began as a one night stand, after one wallop of a misunderstanding, developed into something neither one saw coming! Cassie was a firecracker with a fun spirited manner. With a mischievous personality and a sense of adventure, Logan was adorable! (And if Prince Harry could have a Scottish accent...well, that’s who I kept picturing as Logan, lol!) Their relationship came about a bit backwards, including foot in mouth moments and spicy make-up scenes, but I really loved when Cassie and Logan let their guards down and truly opened themselves up, baring themselves emotionally. That level of trust is what finally sold me on them as a couple!

Overall, I thought this book was a cute read! Wacky humor and silly banter, a zany group of girlfriends (and a best mate) who had each other’s backs, and one couple who could-and did!-light a fire with the wild sparks between them...I don’t think it gets much better! Although the sparks flying between Cassie’s bestie Bonnie and Logan’s best friend Theo are leading into what I hope will be another great romantic adventure....

A favorite quote that had me grinning like the Cheshire Cat when I read it:

“...smart women read romance.”

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fun read thats packed with heat, haven’t read anything by Melonie Johnson before but will definitely keep my eye out for more from her

This book is wordy and confusing with all of the friends and their back stories. I did like how these two met and it might have been under a slight pretense but it was original way to met. I loved all of the fun times they had in Europe and wish there were more details about them going on an adventure and less about her friends. I loved how they both ended up working for the same tv company and how he found her in Chicago. Overall it is a sweet read but it is lengthy and has to much back story. Who cares about Bonnie and Gene when this book is not even about her but plans get cancelled, Bonnie has to ruin the mornings when they are together. Bonnie needs to be edited down especially since there is no resolution with her by the end of the book.

Cassie just loves to tease her man, “well, until you started to strip for me,” he admitted. “And now that I ken what kind of knickers you’re hiding under there”— he quirked an eyebrow at her, pointedly staring her up and down—“ supper is going to be torture for sure.” Logan loves to have a good time with his girl, "...She smiled and tossed him a towel, her gaze straying lower. “Ye’ve a wandering eye, lass,” he teased, smacking her on her towel-covered bottom..." I liked this book, I fell in love with Logan.

International love, angst, and hot sex make this a real page turner. Melonie hit it out of the park with this one.

Surprisingly enjoyed this. Sure there was a fair amount of friskiness but it was all rather fun. I admit to being kind of turned off that in the first paragraph we have the main character lamenting about her industrial box of condoms not being open, but hey safe sex is great.

I thought the premise was cute and the writing flowed nicely. Some things about Cassie really turned me off and there were some nonsense parts in the book but this is overall a nice lighthearted romance with a wee bit of smut.

Looking forward to the next book in this series!

I probably would have fallen for Logan's prank too ;)

Cassie Crow is a workaholic journalist that is stuck in the pop culture section of ChiChat, a daily morning show. With her four friends, they go on their dream vacation together. Each of them picked an European city to visit. They spend six weeks touring Europe. Cassie made an oath to herself that she would let her hair down and have a bit of fun. Oh, and she wants a foreign fling. She gets just that when she runs into a Highlander while touring a Scottish castle in Edinburgh. 

Logan Reid started his wildly successful web series, Shenanigans with her sister shortly after his father died. Logan is known to pull of some pretty hilarious hijinx for a laugh.  The series is gaining popularity by the day especially since Logan started pranking other people. His latest prank turned into a complete blessing for him. Pretend to be a time traveling Highlander stuck in the hidden bookcase....see what happens. What happens is the best experience of Logan's life. He finds himself caught --literally. Cassie called him out and then....gave him the best kiss of his life. 

She won't sign the waiver so they can post the video. Logan follows her to London the final destination of the girls' trip. Logan gets more than he bargained for. He  set out for a signature, but he gained much more. 

Can the prankster commitment phobe get over his issues?

Can he convince Cassie of his true intentions?

How can they be together when their careers are in the way?

Well, this one was..... not engaging. From the beginning it felt all about getting frisky. When a story directly starts off talked about one goal of the trip is a fling- that’s a turn off for me. Sadly, it didn’t get any better. There just wasn’t anything I liked or connected to with Cassie. Oh well, hope I have better luck with the next one by Ms. Johnson.

I've found a new author to follow too. Can I give this a 10 star review? WOW had me hooked from the beginning. Had everything (thinking about) time-traveling Scots (wink-wink), kilts, great friendships, some heartbreak, hot steamy connections and great locations!

I wanted to love this book because I enjoy books with Scots and kilts but unfortunately I had trouble getting into it. The plot didn't seem too realistic although most romances stretch reality quite a bit. Not for me but others may enjoy it.

An interesting couple.
Cassie is all about standing her ground and Logan is about working through his past.
I do wish that there was minimal involvement of Cassie's friends in this story and that the author gave more attention to Cassie and Logan's growing chemistry- but then a girl also needs to have a life outside the feeling of being smitten by a guy.
I received an electronic galley of this book and couldn't wait to read it because I am all for guys with accents and here it's Scottish!

I did find myself skimming at times and the author seems to have little knowledge of England and how long it takes to get places.

Fun romantic love story

Getting Hot with the Scott the first book in Melonie Johnson's A Sometimes in Love series is the first book of what I anticipate will be many that I've read by the author.
I thought the first meet between Cassie and Logan was very original and their chemistry sizzling. I love romances that show more than a love story, where secondary characters play pivotal roles as they do in this book. It adds more depth and dimension to the plot and character development. I can hardly wait to read the next story Smitten by the Brit.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.