Thanks #NetGalley @BerkleyPub #BerkleyBuddyReads for a complimentary e ARC of #RubySpencersWhiskyYear upon my request. All opinions are my own.

***Open-Door Romance***

In search of inspiration, Ruby, a thirty-something American food writer, moves to a small Scottish village for one year. She meets a handsome Scottish handyman, plans extraordinary pop-up dinners, meets colorful characters in the community, and drinks lots of whisky. A problem arises when the new owner of the local pub wants to turn the beloved establishment into a chain restaurant.

I enjoyed the Scottish setting and the colorful locals….some readers might also enjoy the tongue-in-cheek references to Outlander. I prefer slow-burn romance more than instalove or in this case, instalust. Keeping secrets from your significant other is not my favorite trope….but both sides had their secrets so fair play I guess!

This story was more open door than I prefer (and I ended up skimming), but other readers in my buddy read group loved the moderate steam factor.

Content Consideration: lots of drinking (not necessarily drunkenness or addiction), and moderate steam (open-door)

Ruby Spencer is a food writer in Manhattan who is done. She’s done with dating men from the city. She’s done with the dream job that she once loved but is now burned out from. She’s done with the noise and the striving and the busyness and all the running that hasn’t been getting her anywhere. So she drank some wine, put up a map of Scotland, and threw a dart at it. Before she knew it, she had sold everything that couldn’t fit into her luggage and ended up in the small village of Thistlecross.

She had a plan for her time in Scotland. Ruby was going to write a cookbook. She has rented a cottage next to a pub, and the woman who rented the cottage to her, Grace, is offering her the use of the kitchen at the pub to create her recipes. In exchange for a break on the rent and for her work visa, Ruby will be helping Grace cook and bake, which she is looking forward to. After spending so many years writing about food, Ruby wants to get into a kitchen and make good food again.

Ruby expected to find a quiet place to think, fresh ingredients to work with, lots of local color and intriguing stories of the history of the village, and some good whisky. What she didn’t expect to find was a place where she could stop and listen to her thoughts. She didn’t expect to find a place that would infuse her soul with warmth and peat and friendliness. She didn’t expect to find a place that would heal her soul, or that would open her heart, or that would make her feel like family.

Ruby never expected to fall in love.

But Brochan showed up with his Scottish brogue and his beard and his mysterious past. He fixed what was broken in her cottage and added some thoughtful, artistic elements that made Ruby take notice. He was kind. He could have a genuine conversation. He loved her cooking. And he took her to see his favorite parts of the country.

But when village politics threatens to take away all the precious genuine Scottish things that Ruby has fallen for, how hard is she willing to fight for her new life? Will she find a way to keep her new life, or will she lose everything she thought was real to a counterfeit experience and the secrets hidden within it?

Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year is a romance that gives readers a chance to fall in love with the Scottish Highlands. There is a lot of poetic talk about food and drinks, and amazing descriptions of all the beauty that the Highlands have to offer. The slow burn romance adds a lot of spice, but since these characters are well into their 30s, they go into this relationship with intention and open eyes.

I am a sucker for just about any book set in Scotland, so I was invested right away. I liked Ruby a lot. She was smart and grounded, even if she did give up her dream job for a chance to spend a year writing a cookbook in Scotland. Brochan does seem a little too good to be true, but he’s not perfect. And the heat that develops between Roo and Broo is steamy. I think romance readers will enjoy this, as will fans of foodie fiction and those who are smart enough to understand the magic of a Scottish setting in a story. Pour yourself a glass of whisky—the good stuff—or a cup of tea, if that’s more your style, and find yourself transported to Thistlecross to fall in love.

Egalleys for Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Ruby heads off for a Scottish adventure to leave in a tiny cottage in a tiny village across the world while she writes her cookbook. Falling for a hot Highlander is just part of the adventure. I loved the characters and loved the setting, plus all the whisky. Ruby's cookbook plan was kind of ridiculously nebulous for a food writer, and for someone who had presumably read cookbooks before, but I could roll with it. Ruby and Brochan came off a little immature for characters in their 30's, but maybe that's why 30 is the new 20.

Rochelle Bilow gives readers so much more than a romance in Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year. Filled with a sense of wanderlust, Ruby's story is about finding love, finding home, and finding your person.

Both Ruby and Brochan are passionate people, and this story was truly their way of rediscovering that. However, just like in real life, following your passion looks different for everyone and Bilow made sure that carried through to our main characters. While Ruby's attempt to reconnect with her passion took her from New York City to the small town of Thistlecross, Scotland, Brochan's passion kept him near home to defend the people and places he loved.

I truly enjoyed the journey Ruby went on throughout this novel. As Ruby herself points out several times, she doesn't need - nor was she intending on finding - someone to make her feel complete. And Brochan ended up being much more than that. I loved Bilow's emphasis on finding your home and your person.

This was truly a love story for love in all its forms. Sometimes, love is sacrifice. Sometimes, it's affection. Sometimes, it's cooking for those you care about. Ruby touches on all those forms and more. This one was closed door/fade to black, but Ruby and Brochan's story was rich in so many other ways that I didn't even mind.

Bilow's culinary past shines through in the dishes that Ruby makes for the people she cares about. With a fantastic story, a newfound love for life, and a fulfilled sense of wanderlust, Ruby Spencer brings a romance to inspire us all.

I love this book so much! I came into it thinking it was going to be one thing and it surprised me in all the best ways. From the descriptions of food to the delightful found family that Ruby discovers in Scotland to the palpable chemistry between her and Brochan this was an absolute hit.

I really enjoyed this book! Ruby Spencer quits her job as a food writer and moves to a small Scottish town to write a cookbook. It doesn’t take too long before she becomes captivated by the small town of Thistlecross not to mention the local handyman, Brochan. Between the romance, the food, the whiskey, and the setting, I found a lot to love in this entertaining story.

I liked Ruby and Brochan together and thought that the chemistry between them was very well done and I appreciated the fact that Ruby and Brochan are in their mid to later thirties. Ruby seemed to fit into the small town right away and I really liked all of the characters in town. My favorite parts of the book were when Ruby and Brochan were alone. They really did just seem like they were meant to be and I was very invested in seeing things work out for them.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Nikki Massoud did a great job with the story. I loved the various voices and accents that she used for the characters. I thought that she did a great job with both the male and female voices and I found her voice to be very pleasant. I loved that the emotion of the story was expressed in her narration. I feel like her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this book.

I would not hesitate to recommend this story to others. I found this to be a wonderful story full of fantastic characters that I found hard to put down. I hope to read more of this talented author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

This romance is set in a small Scottish town, and features whisky and a ruggedly handsome highlander named Brochan - YEAH SOLD.

Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year is a flirty, sexy, romance with two people mending their broken hearts. Ruby left NYC for Scotland, where she's committed herself for the next year to write a cookbook. Along the way she gets derailed when she befriends a pub owner, the townspeople and a grumpy Scot.

This slow-burn love story is perfect as each learns to love on their own terms. The gentle nature of their relationship was refreshing and incredibly romantic. Billow has written a story where the reader can get drunk on the Scottish landscape and romance.

Thank you Berkley Publishing / Berkley Romance for the complimentary copy.

I didn't need a whole lot of incentive to pick up Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year. Set in Scotland? check. MC chef? check. Roguish and bearded love interest? check. It's a recipe for my heart's success.
Ruby goes to Scotland to get away from it all. She needs inspiration and a reset and, most of all, to write a successful cookbook. Between the beauty of her surroundings and the handsome and burly Brohan randomly showing up to "fix" things, Ruby can't help but fall in love with her temporary living arrangement.
I really liked so much about this book. In a world of genre mash-up after mash-up, it's a beautiful romance. It was a little tell me not show me but outside of that, I enjoyed the read. Ruby is mature and adaptable, the setting is perfection, Brohan is brooding and lovely, and the food! Oh my gosh, I think I drooled half a dozen times. I would adore a companion cookbook.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Over All: 2.25 stars
Plot: 1.5/5
Characters: 2/5
Setting: 3.5/5
Writing: 2/5

Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

So. This book… was a book.
The premise was interesting. Woman moves to Scotland to write a cookbook. Meets broody scotsman. Romance and found family and lots of yummy food. Yay!
And that was executed—especially the food descriptions. This book was very wordy when it came to describing the settings and the food. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it was something I noticed.
My main issue is that I was so, so bored. None of the characters had a personality. Ruby didn’t really have any motivations driving her. There was not even a hint of a plot until the 70% mark. The only thing driving the story forward was miscommunication and secret keeping. My gosh did Ruby keep making the stupidest decisions. Like, “oh, this lady I’ve spoken to once before wants me to keep this massive secret from the guy I’m about to start sleeping with? A secret that it makes absolutely no sense to keep, because keeping it would hurt 1. Said guy 2. The woman who opened her house to me and who I love and 3. Me, my livelihood. Well, she called me her friend and I pinky swore, so I can’t betray her confidence!” What the fuck was that. It made zero sense for her to keep that secret.
Every “plot twist” was evident from like, page one. Every single one. And it was annoying to keep having these “mysteries” hinted at when it was so obvious.
The first 30% of the book was honestly…fine. It was boring, the characters were flat, and there was no plot, but it was tolerable. Once we start to get those secrets and hints of plot twists and such it got painfully annoying to read.
At 70% we get a real plot and the pacing finally picks up. The plot we get here is interesting, in theory. If that aspect had been taken and woven into a real driving point for the whole book, I think the book would have been a lot more interesting. However, it really only becomes relevent and actively addressed at the 70% mark, where there’s no time to fully explore it. This leaves it feeling rushed. Not to mention this is also the point at which all the secrets and miscommunication come to a head, taking away from any enjoyment I may have had from the actual plot.
I didn’t enjoy this book. However I don’t think that means no one will. If you’re really into Scotland or food, those aspects of the book might well make up for the slow pace and lacking characters. I think this book has potential to be enjoyable to some, just not me.

Sigh. This book was a Hallmark movie fantasy but even Hallmark movies have some chemistry between the main characters. If this book was more about cooking (or whisky) and less about the boring romance, I think it could have been improved. All romance needs some flint to strike the match and this one was just meh. But if someone wants a super cozy, super low conflict, moving-to-Scotland fantasy, this is it.

Ruby Spencer decides to take a year away in Scotland to write a cookbook. She realizes that she wasn't fulfilled by her life in NY and hopes that a year in Scotland will help her start her next chapter. What she didn't account for was how at home she would feel in Thistlecross. She also was not prepared to be so intensely attracted to Brochan, the bearded Scotsman hired to do repairs on her cottage, especially, since she has sworn off of relationships. I enjoyed exploring Scotland through Ruby's eyes and enjoyed all the characters and the overall plot with the Wee Scottish Bagpipe.

Ruby Spencer’s Whiskey Year by
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub Date: 2/14

Ruby Spencer is 35 and tired. She doesn’t like her job or life in NYC, so she sells everything she owns and moves to Scotland to write the cookbook she’s always wanted to write. There, she finds inspiration for her book, new friends who become family, and a sexy, bearded Scotsman to fall in love with.

If you have ever watched movies like Under the Tuscan Sun or Eat, Pray, Love, and thought, “I should do that!” this book is for you! Ruby starts out so lost but is also so brave and determined. I loved her cozy cabin, the decadent food, and the picturesque Scottish countryside.

Ruby and Brochan had undeniable chemistry, and I loved the slow, easy manner in which they fell for each other. They also have some very steamy moments in Brochan’s barn, which didn’t hurt.

While the story had an obvious romantic element, it read more like women’s fiction to me. It’s a single POV, and the story is mostly about Ruby finding herself and developing relationships in her new environment. Some of her actions felt a little juvenile, but I enjoyed her story and her growth by the end. I know I’m being greedy, but I would have loved to get Brochan’s POV. While he communicated many of his feelings through his letters to Ruby, I was missing some of the pining that comes with a dual POV.

Overall, this was a solid romantic debut from Rochelle Bilow. The vivid descriptions of the Scottish countryside made me feel like I was there, and I can’t wait to read more from her! Read if you like sexy, bearded Scotsman, grumpy/sunshine, small-town vibes, Outlander, whisky (not whiskey), love notes, and egg sandwiches.

Thank you so much to partner Berkley Romance for a free copy of Ruby Spencer's Whiskey Year and PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook!

"If you love it, then it's right. Doesn't have to be anymore complicated than that."

Scotland has been on my shortlist of international places to visit and this book made me want to go there even more. One thing I love about reading is being able to escape to these different locations and get a feel of what that city is like. Another thing I love about reading is when you see characters doing what you sometimes dream of doing. In this case, its leaving everything behind and deciding to live in a foreign country for 1 year to work on a cookbook. Okay so maybe I do not want to write a cookbook but just the idea of being able to pick up a luggage bag or two and go wherever your heart desire with no plan sounds like a fun dream!

One thing Ruby Spencer did not intend to do while being away was to meet a suitable bachelor. She had her fair share of one night stands or dates that didn't amount to anything or just trying to force something to happen. But Brochan was different. I like that they took their time, being friends first with occasional flirts. They knew each other was special even if they couldn't pinpoint what made them special when they first met. They just were so drawn to one another. And I love that Ruby thought that this was going to be just a fling until she realized that he was what she wanted & that being in Scotland was where she was meant to be. I mean how does one not melt when they say, "I want you so much I would set the world on fire just so you could warm your hands." SWOOOON! And yes of course there is a conflict but I won't go into details of what happens, you'll have to read for yourself.

"Life gets weird and messy. And doing life with another person is even harder."

Another element of this book that I loved was the trope(?) of found family. It is not that Ruby did not have parents or family back in the United States but when you move to a new country, you are starting over. You need those supportive people in your life and she was able to find that with those in the Cosy Hearth and in Thistlecross. Grace was such a motherly figure for Ruby and I love their connection and their relationship was exactly what Ruby needed. There was also a reconnection made that I thought was going to be more awkward and troublesome that wasn't - lips sealed on that too!

I thought the audiobook was fantastic and that the narrator did a wonderful. I am not skilled in Scottish dialects or accents but Nikki Massoud did a great job with the different characters. Also with the going back and forth between American and Scottish must not have been an easy feat to do.

Does this all seem to be too perfect? Sure but that is what fictional romance is all about!

Check this book out if you are looking for a cozy romance that makes you long to go to Scotland and also hungry for some yummy food!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5/5 stars

Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year is a fun Scottish romance with lovable characters. Ruby decides to take a leap of faith and move to a Scottish village to finally write a cookbook (as well as figure out what she wants to do with her life). In Scotland, Ruby finds adventure, a hot handyman, and..maybe..herself.

I loved this book’s aesthetic. It is definitely a read you want to crawl into. Ruby is living the dream in a cozy cottage in a cute Scottish town. The slow-burn is spicy. The story is breezy. The town is swoonworthy.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Living Her Best Life Stars!

This is my first book by Ms. Bilow and what an introduction to her writing. Ruby is literally living the life I’ve dreamed about from the perspective of moving to Scotland for an extended amount of time.

Ms. Bilow really brings us to Thistlecross with her detailed descriptions of the village, the people and their surroundings. Ruby makes a decision to move to Scotland one day and little did she know when she got there that she’d not only find love but a village of people that bring her into their fold. And then there’s Brochan… the one man that on the surface doesn’t seem drawn to Ruby… but as we soon learn there’s more to this man than being the local handyman.

This book is filled with flirty moments that brought a smile to my face. I adore how Ruby and Brochan try to resist their draw to each other but eventually give in. The romance aspect of this book isn’t overt, but hinted at and I truly enjoyed that aspect of the story.

The way Ruby grows to become a member of this small village and is faced with some challenges that were unexpected but really allowed her to become the woman she’s always meant to be.

When you add it all together…. Scottish Village, Ruby’s love of bringing food to life for these people while also writing the best cookbook she can imagine and finding love, this book really is a wonderfully fabulous read!!

Sandy M’s review of Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 14 Feb 23

Scottish romance is one of my favorite reads, historical, contemporary – heck, even paranormal if an author is able to pull me into that. So the blurb for this book intrigued me and I decided to give it a try, despite the fact this is Ms. Bilow’s first romance and she’s a new author for me. And I enjoy cooking too, so a story with kitchen fun written by a trained chef seemed right up my alley.


While I do like Ruby herself and her forays into helping her new landlord in the local but nearly stagnant pub, and I enjoyed getting to know Brochan and his handyman ways, about halfway through the book things just…slow down. Becomes predictable. Even Ruby and Brochan fail to hold my interest to go any further with them.

Ms. Bilow does a terrific job of describing Thistlecross and all things Scottish, at least for this lay person. You feel as though you are right there among all the goings-on when things pick up for the pub due to Ruby’s zeal creating new foods, as well as the mystery that pops up concerning said pub and the dire news that could follow.

By this time, however, things are just not moving at a quick enough pace to continue, though I held on a while longer, wanting to find out what would happen with Ruby and Brochan. When they finally come together, after a day of getting to know one another, it just isn’t enough to keep going. To be honest, I just didn’t care at this point to see how things progress between them and around Thistlecross. And, yes, I realize I could be missing something big, but not being overly invested in the characters at the halfway mark makes it impossible to hang on, for me anyway.

I will try Ms. Bilow in the future. I’m hopeful with this being her debut romance, she will get better over time, as most authors do. So I know I will have no problem picking up another of her stories down the road.

Grade: DNF

Read if you like:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland
✈️ Foriegn Travel
❤️ Romance
📝 Love Notes
🏡 Cottages
🥃 Whisky

This one was so cute and cozy! I absolutely adored the slow burn and introduction to Ruby’s love interest, because truly this book was so much more than a romance, but a story of finding your home and your people.

I loved the soft and tender moments between Roo and Broo, and between Ruby and Grace. I loved how all of the characters had purpose and the book read like one of Ruby’s warm and hearty Scottish inspired dinners.

The only thing I have to say is that if you aren’t a fan of the miscommunication trope, this one may not be for you as there are some miscommunications due to lack of honesty and communication for both Roo and Broo.

However, miscommunication trope aside, this one is a wonderful romance that will transport you to a cozy pub in the Scottish highlands and I highly recommend checking this one out!

If you’re a fan of the “overworked woman who’s frustrated with where her life is headed travels to a small town to reevaluate things” trope, then this book is for you. I love this kind of storyline, so this book was right up my alley. The writing is whip-smart and snarky which makes this book a delightful, laugh-out-loud kind of read.

I also liked that the main characters were a bit older in this book. Ruby is in her mid-thirties while Brochan is closer to forty. They both have been in other relationships so they’ve figured out what they want out of life and in a potential partner. I also liked when miscommunications arose between the two main characters, as they often do in Romance novels, they discussed it like adults and took time apart to think about whether or not they were willing to work through their problem together. It was such a refreshingly mature way to handle something that often gets blown out of proportion in Romance novels that it left me feeling that these characters would be fine long after the story concluded. I really like how the author navigated conflicts and tough life decisions in this book.

The ending is sweet, but in a very believable way that leaves you feeling satisfied and like you, too, could run off to the Scottish Highlands to start a new chapter in your life if you wanted to. I whole-heartedly recommend this book.

I really really wanted to like this book! Older MCs (35/38!!!), Scotland, Whisky, finding yourself? All sounds absolutely amazing and would want to read. However this book just didn't do it for me. I think it was a mix of what the plot actual was and the author's writing style that I didn't vibe with. This isn't saying it's not a good book because it was! It just wasn't for me.

I appreciated how Ruby and Brochan and the whole Thistlecross gang was written. I felt like each of the characters were beautifully developed. There were no flat characters here. I especially loved how sorta messy Ruby was (adore these characters!!). Brochan was so soft and ahhhhh, loved it.

The setting was so lush and the way that Bilow described it made me feel like I was there. It was so cozy and comfortable. Ugh, it was just perfect for being stuck in Missouri during winter to read this book. Plus the way that Ruby's cooking was described: A++!

That all being said, I was not a big fan of how this was written. There were large swaths of long paragraphs and not a ton of action? When there were things happening it felt like we were trudging through molasses to get it done. Like I said, this is definitely a *me* problem with the book more than the book itself. I just wasn't in the mood for this style writing (and tbh probably never am).

Also, this felt like IF YOU ASK ME by Libby Hubscher, which was not a fave last year either. They're written less like romance novels and more like literary ("chick lit") find yourself books. Which those are good! Just not what I was anticipating under this being touted as a romance. Sure there are romantic threads in it, but I felt like too little of the story was on that? idk.

Long story short, if you're in the mood for a not-romance-romance set in Scotland that is descriptive and lush: this is your book! Enjoy some whisky and settle in.

Thank you Berkley Pub for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is SO GOOD! It is romantic, witty, funny, heartbreaking, sweet, full of heart, quite steamy at times, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year", I was whisked away to Scotland, and went on an emotional journey with this story!

Rochelle Bilow is such a phenomenal writer! Her passion for writing and the story she is telling is so clear, and her writing style is vivid and visceral. Her characters feel like such real people; their wants, needs, desires, and fears were so clear to me. I truly had such a hard time putting this book down.

(Possible Spoilers!):
Ruby and Brochan are both such kind, caring, intelligent, and strong people, both together and apart. However, these two truly bring out the best in one another, and are able to understand each other in such a deep and beautiful way. Both of them, understandably, are hesitant to trust and are afraid to get hurt due to things they have gone through in their own pasts. But, after getting to know one another and seeing how strong their connection is, they begin to open their hearts more and more to each other. I hope there is a sequel continuing their story!

Also, I absolutely love Grace. She is such a kind, loving, welcoming, and absolutely lovely woman!

If you enjoy Contemporary Romance, I highly recommend this book! It kept me turning the pages chapter after chapter to see what was going to happen next, and I look forward to reading what Ms. Bilow writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this book, and to Berkley Publishing Group for having me as part of the Book Tour for this novel! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.