Some Like It Scot was a fun story and sweet Romance, but it got off to a slow start for me Early on, I was distracted by the author trying too hard to check certain literary boxes. For example, dialogue for the native Scots seemed too forced and not genuine. The main character's trademark clumsiness and being accident prone was too over the top to be believable. And I love a story, especially a Romance, where the main characters express their faith, but it came across a bit forced. As I got used to these things, the story grew on me and picked up speed. In the end, I enjoyed it very much. My 3 stars is really 3.5. Glad I stuck with it!
Thank you to Net Galley for the advance read.

This was such a fun romcom. I loved the Scottish vibes/setting and the quirkiness of the FMC. A darling love story with unique elements.

With no anchor at home following the deaths of her grandparents, Katie travels the world, never stopping anywhere long enough to get attached - she loves her job as travel writer, and it's safer that way. This three-week Edwardian Experience in Scotland will be the longest she's stayed anywhere for a long time. But it isn't long before she starts to wonder whether it will be too short. Despite her avoidance of attachments, something about both the place and the people has been so welcoming and accepting that it's like the home she's never really known. But with years of experience of misadventures, often ending badly for someone, the idea that anyone would want her for herself, let alone be willing to sign up for a lifetime of saving her life and inadvertently endangering his own, is incomprehensible. Graeme has been struggling since the death of his sister, closely followed by being dumped by his fiancee, and the idea of leaving Mull is altogether off the cards. So an attraction to a travel writer is clearly idiotic - if only he could convince his heart of it. Can this impossible couple overcome the baggage of their past to form a future together?

A delightful, hilarious but also deeply touching story that grabbed my attention from the start and held it through each twist and turn until I almost reluctantly reached the very satisfying end. I say 'almost reluctantly' because while I was thrilled to see Katie and Graeme get their long-awaited happy ending, I was also sorry to say goodbye to either of them, or indeed to Mull. Katie's mishaps were amusing (though less so when it became clear how much they shaped her idea of herself), but I actually particularly liked the way that previous mishaps are hinted at in passing, leaving room for so much imagination... For the rest, the story holds various quirky characters, including a mild villain who gets what he deserves, a wonderfully welcoming family, people who are willing to speak the truth in love even when it hurts, main characters I really cared about, an inspirational message and the aforementioned amusing mishaps. Best of all, though, there are people who see the best in each other and build each other up when they're struggling. Both Katie and Graeme have baggage holding them back, and it's inspiring to see them deal with it rather than keeping on trying to bury it or run away. All in all, a great read that I can imagine coming back to reread multiple times. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
A delightful romp full of heart, humour, and Highland charm. Pepper Basham brings together a swoon-worthy setting, sparkling chemistry, and a warm, faith-driven romance that feels honest and uplifting. A feel-good love story with just the right amount of Scottish spice.

This book was complicated for me to review. It had a lot of potential but it was very very slow. Not much happened the first half of the book. I loved the concept and what I felt like it could have been. I wish it was much shorter, like a quick read. Or that the story line was more in depth for the other characters and even the woman characters. I felt there was a lot of opportunity to add more details where it was missed.

I would love to try another book by this author to see if it was just this story, or if it is their particular writing style.

Upbeat rom-com, set in the rolling hills of Scotland, with great situational comedy, plenty of heart, and touches of faith.

Katie Campbell is a "Miss Adventure"-ing travel writer, sent on assignment to check out a Edwardian living experience in the stunning countryside of Scotland. Used to never staying one place too long, Katie doesn't expect Scotland to slowly carve its way into her heart. She is a talented writer, and often feels out of place or in the way. I admired Graeme as a devoted son and father-figure, he also has many creative talents of his own. Gruff on the outside, he has a genuine heart of gold.

Heartwarming, filled with plenty of swoon-worthy moments, wit, and situational humor. An irresistible read, highly enjoyable, with a full cast of wonderful characters. I definitely raced through this one far faster than I wanted (I had plans to savor it), but I was hooked. The Scottish accents, and great interactions pulled me in. A wonderful read from beginning to end!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"Sometimes home is a place. Sometimes it's a person. Sometimes it's both."

Romance, humor, faith, and emotional depth combine to create an unforgettable read.

On the surface this is a romcom full of witty banter, romance, hilarious misadventures, and unforgettable characters...but look deeper and you'll find this story is beautiful, layered, healing, and inspirational.

I absolutely fell in love with Scotland, Katie, Graeme, and the whole MacKerrow clan!

Pepper Basham has such an electric way with words. Her ability to draw emotion and hold you captive and then release it at just the right moment with a look, a touch, or a witty retort is everything! I get completely lost in her books, in the worlds she creates and the characters she breathes life into.

I had the opportunity the listen to the audiobook after reading the book and let me just say...the narrators are phenomenal! The accents, the emotion, the pacing, the way they truly brought the story to life, all combined to create an excellent listening experience.

I highly recommend this book in whichever format you prefer!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC, and to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction audio and NetGalley for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my second book by Pepper Basham’s and I can’t wait to read more.

This book is so fun. So full of heart and humor and a swoony Scotsman.

Katie is absolutely adorable. I love that she was travel writer. She’s in Scotland for an Edwardian experience to share with her followers. (Oh my goodness, so many funny moments from that and Katie’s “misadventures”.) I love how Katie immersed herself into Craighill and Scotland. It makes me want to visit. The author did a fantastic job with the setting and characters. I loved the town and the knitting ladies. Lachlan (he was adorable. I loved his and Katie’s sweet relationship) and Graeme’s mum were also wonderful.

Graeme’s painful past was enduring. And Katie’s losses and disappointments were hard too. Each of them finding what they needed in each other was wonderful.

Once Katie broke through Graeme the grumpy beast, their conversations were so lovely. But the ones before that were just as good too. Graeme and Katie had amazing back and forth banter. The dual POV showed the inner thoughts of each so well.

I loved the shout out to Jaime Jo Wright!

And wow that kiss! The ending, it was simply perfect. (The author’s note also tugged at my heart.)

I received a NetGalley link from the publisher. And a NetGalley approval from the publisher for the audio book. All views are my own.

Some Like it Scott is a super sweet, cozy, feel-good read from Pepper Bashrum. Her stories are enchanting and the Scottish setting is atmospheric and delightful. The banter is humorous, the lessons are meaningful and have depth, and the romance is endearing. This story is not only entertaining, but also therapeutic. I will read everything this author writes!

** “I didn’t have to find weird. It always seemed to find me.” **

Pepper Basham once again delivers a fun, sweet and quirky romance with “Some Like It Scot.”

Travel writer Katie Campbell is an accident waiting to happen, which has allowed her to develop her online persona Miss Adventure. Taking advantage of her natural clumsiness and ability to find trouble, she travels the world sharing her adventures and misadventures with the world.

So when she finds herself covering an Edwardian Experience in Scotland, she’s ready to see what the experience will bring her … and what troubles she’ll find.

Graeme MacKerrow and his family are renting out their ancestral home, Craighill House, to the Lennox family for the Edwardian venture. But when the quirky red-headed American writer quite literally falls in his lap, he finds himself intrigued. How will Katie change his life’s trajectory?

As the two find their paths continually crossing, the attraction between them grows. Can they overcome past losses and grief, as well as two completely different lifestyles, to build a relationship?

As usual, Basham creates delightfully quirky and flawed characters, as well as including some great themes, like you can convince yourself you’re fine, when you aren’t really; we all bring our own stories to life; having an inexplicable longing to linger and tarry; beauty inspires us; overcoming grief; and what is it that makes a home — people or places.

Five stars out of five.

Thomas Nelson provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

3.5⭐️ I wanted to love this so bad! It had such a huge promise and sweet things. But my goodness it was so long. And nothing really happened in my opinion! Honestly Pepper’s books are a hit or miss for me. This one kind of missed. Not by like a huge ton though, because like I said, there were still things to like.

Such as the characters. Katie was relatable. I think we all crave to be loved and accepted. Especially when family is not those things. And Graeme. He had some character growth and grew out of his shell a bit. There wasn’t much to hate about either character, but I just felt like together, they had no chemistry. They flirt and banter and say puns together, whatever. I like them as characters but I didn’t feel like they made sense together.

They both had experienced deep grief and loss of a sibling. But this story still felt surface level. In all aspects. Which I don’t really know why I feel that way cause there is deep stuff. Maybe the way it was written.

And then social media people. Don’t love those characters in books. But Katie wasn’t bad. Probably my favorite social media person I’ve read about. But I mean, that’s not a very good indication, because I still don’t love it.

This book kind of gave me Austenland vibes. But the Scottish version. I am probably part of a small population who liked that movie so that’s a plus here. But also there wasn’t much of the Edwardian experience going on. That’s what this book was about and it kind of wasn’t that much of it.

It was so dang hard to keep up and understand the Scottish terms! I could not understand half of the conversations in this book. There weren’t even really context clues, unless I’m just that dumb.

Now that I’ve said more negative than good things, I still thought it was okay. For sure not great and I wouldn’t read it again. I think the book club grannies were my favorite and they have like 2 cameos. So take with that what you will. Oh and I did like their first kiss. Graeme was a lion on the prowl.

And finally, their third act breakup was understandable. I mean they are from different countries with jobs. But I still think it was not needed. It lasted 3 pages. All in all, it was good enough to finish but not twice.

In Some Like It Scot by Pepper Basham, Katie Campbell, also known as Miss Adventure, is a travel writer who boasts that she “actually write[s] well enough to pay my bills.” She is known for her missteps and misadventures as she travels, writes, takes photographs, and shares to the world via her podcast; but changes seem to be on the horizon for Katie.

In this novel, Katie makes the long journey to her family’s native Scotland to participate in an authentic Edwardian Experience at Craighill House as an influencer. Unfortunately, the minute she steps through the doors, her characteristic misadventures begin with an accident involving stoic local, Graeme. Things go from bad to worse as she encounters one problem after another and cannot seem to escape grumpy Graeme. But does she want to? Might everything in her world be turned upside down if she lets go and gives Graeme a chance?

This novel was such an enjoyable read and was full of delightful Scottish phrases and descriptions of the landscape that made me feel like I had really escaped into the Scottish countryside each time I opened the book. The characters are realistic, funny, and truly loveable. This one is a winner!

If you have enjoyed any of Pepper Basham’s past novels such as Authentically Izzy, Positively Penelope, or Loyally Luke, I think you will absolutely fall in love with Some Like It Scot!

Many thanks to Pepper Basham, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Some like it’s Scot, is a delightful romantic comedy. Besides that, it has some life growing lessons, Christian faith, and great descriptions of the countryside. Katie Campbell is a writer and travel influencer. For this excursion, she is in Scotland to take part in an Edwardian experience. She will spend three weeks living, dressing and eating in a different era with a group of strangers.
Graeme MacKerrow, Is an excellent craftsman. He is doing his best to restore his grandparents ancestral home and find the income to sustain it. When they were approached by Mr. & Mrs. Lennox, who wanted to rent it out for six months for an Edwardian experience, it was hard to pass up. The first cute-meet between Katie and Graeme is quite entertaining. The story continues throughout with great banter, enlightening descriptions, intriguing escapades, and sweet romance. Both Katie and Graeme have engaging family relations and have also experienced grief of losing a sibling. The story has a lot of depth for family connections, and yet is still a sweet lighthearted, pleasurable read. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed reading Some Like it Scot! It is such a sweet romance with sizzle whenever the leads are together! Humorous at times and exciting! The author really immerses us into the world of Scotland. With its beautiful scenery, traditions and folklore! Katie travels the world telling others of her adventures (and misadventures) through her work as a travel writer! Then she literally falls all over her ‘hot Scot’. This grumpy sunshine romance is adorable and swoon worthy! The audiobook has the perfect narration for all those Scottish brogues. I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.

This is my first book by Pepper, and it won’t be my last!
Katie is running from life by being Misadventure, the travel writer. Graeme is determined to be the best uncle and keep his family together. When they both end up being a part of an Edwardian experience, things get complicated and hysterical (Think Austenland in Scotland with Edwardian dress.)

"Dancing with Katie Campbell fed my dreams. Bantering with her across the kitchen table fed my heart."

I adored the characters and how much I connected with them. They feel like people you know. Maybe it’s just my Scottish heritage, but I was here for it! Katie and Graeme are witty, kind and lovable as were all the side characters. I loved everything, the sheep, the puffins, Wedge, the quilting ladies, the hills, the small town, the rain, the dancing and the highland cow. 🙂

“I want to spend as much time with you as I can Katie, if you fancy spending time with me.”

“I’ve been wandering a long time, trying to find out where I belonged, but I’ve never felt so much at home as when I’m with you.”

This was so much fun! I loved the characters, the plot…everything! The writing style pulled me in immediately-the kind of light hearted read that you can enjoy at the end of a long day.

What a treat! I feel like I’ve been on a glorious vacation to enjoy the wild, raw beauty of the Isle of Mull, Scotland with Katie Campbell, the female main character, as my travel guide. Katie, a 6’1” American redhead with Scottish roots, has been globe-trotting for years and writing of her adventures for a magazine, social media and her blog. She has earned her moniker as Miss Adventure (misadventure) because she is known for facing with good humor the many faux pas that have come her way. Thanks to one of those moments of calamity, she met Graeme, the hot Scot referred to by the book title, when she literally fell into his arms. This story is very character-driven and I love the way the author slowly peeled back the layers to reveal the true hearts of each of the main characters in this grumpy/sunshine rom com with a dash of faith-based wisdom. Graeme’s mother, Mirren, his nephew, Lachlan, and his brothers were side characters that I fell in love with and hope to meet again in other stories (pretty please). I laughed, cried, got caught up in the romance, and found a little taste of home that I would love to visit again. Highly recommend! I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This book was just pure fun with a layer of deeper emotional heart mixed in. Katie is a travel writer who writes about her misadventures that seem to follow her wherever she goes. While she loves her life of seeing different places, her heart is secretly longing for a place she can call home. Graeme is the grumpy "hot Scott" who is trying to save his family homestead by temporarily renting the home to someone who is using it for "an Edwardian experience." The premise was original, great Scottish location, quirky characters, and adorable slow burn romance with a couple who totally deserved a happily ever after. Funny over the top moments with just the right amount of sweetness. I smiled so much throughout the book!


5 stars

Katie is a travel writer who has the very appropriate nickname of Miss Adventure. Her ability to find trouble is mind-boggling. She has loved traveling the world, but when she gets to Scotland, she begins to wonder if it's time to find "home." And it doesn't hurt that Graeme, appropriately nicknamed the "Hot Scot," is there to make her feel VERY welcome in Scotland.

This sweet romance is a great story of self-discovery, healing through faith, and found family. And it will definitely give have any reader ready to hop on a plane to Scotland!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction, NetGalley and Pepper Basham for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Award-winning author Pepper Basham pens another contemporary romance laced with humor, set in Scotland, and featuring two endearing main characters.

In Some Like It Scot, world travel writer Katie Campbell built her career by telling others’ stories, and sharing her own adventures (& misadventures) with her followers. On assignment to a 3-week Edwardian experience in Scotland, Katie deals with a jealous rival writer, a handsome but stoic Scotsman, and her own clumsy tendency towards misfortunes. Graeme MacKerrow, the reclusive Scotsman, owns the ancestral manor leased for the Edwardian experience. He is a homebody at heart and a gifted woodworker selling his art online. Can their very different worlds intersect that shows a future together?

Well-known for her humor and romance, Basham balances the romance and humor in her faith-based storyline, creating fictional characters the reader would enjoy meeting in real life. Both suffer from the loss of a sister and it affects their lives differently. Katie travels because she feels that she doesn’t belong anywhere, especially in her family. She has lived her life in the shadow of that sister and her mother constantly trying to make Katie into her sister’s image. Graeme is raising his sister’s son and trying to hold onto his ancestral home and everyone close to him. Both strongly embrace a strong sense of family and the value of home, but will they find that in a location or in each other?

Recommended for adult collections in public libraries. Fans of Courtney Walsh, Karen Witemeyer, and Becky Wade will enjoy Pepper Basham’s latest book, as well as Basham's earlier titles.

Disclaimer: Book reviews are my honest opinion of books I either purchased or received free of cost from the publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write reviews, nor to even post positive reviews.