I was so excited to jump back into Scotland with another Sutherland brother. I quite enjoyed Kiley's debut book about Logan and Addie. This one did not disappoint and painted a lovely picturesque view of Scotland.

- second chance romance
- hiking trip through Scotland
- Writer and Photographer
- duel time-line
- slow burn

Jack and Brooke first meet and fall for each other in college but it ends in heartbreak. Six years later they are able to reconnect on a hiking trip for Jack's aunt's memoir which Brooke is a coauthor for and Jack the photographer. I loved how we go a duel-timeline and was able to watch Jack and Brooke's beginning and then how they reconnected during the trip and that made is so much for meaningful and felt connected to the two of them and they were both so well written. It was such a heartfelt read and I highly recommend picking it up. Also it can easily be read as a stand alone.

Thank you to netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Alexandra Kiley for the eARC!

I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for this book and let me tell you I was so damn pleased with this book! Scot and Bothered is a second chance romance that takes on you on a journey through a hiking trail in Scotland. The story follows Jack and Brooke, two former partners from college. I’d only heard of ghost writing in songs so I immediately was intrigued by Brooke’s longing to be her own writer but finding the courage to step out of her comfort zone and follow her dreams. Through her journey with Jack on this hiking trail, they both embark on a journey neither of them expected. There are few books that can hook me instantly and this book did that. Run don’t walk and pick up this amazing book that will bring you joy, tears, and the courage to follow your dreams!

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the ARC 🤍

First off, I need people to stop throwing around “enemies to lovers” and relearn the definition. I saw SO many people call this (and many other similar style books) enemies to lovers. This is second chance romance. EtL is NOT “oh we had a break up I’m still mad at you but immediately fall back in love at the moment of a crappy apology”. Stop getting my hopes up 😭😭

It’s just a TA position you’re not actually a professor calm down on the woe is me there’s a power imbalance. Let’s be real here how much power do you really have over her as a lowly TA? I don’t even know what trope they were going for with that one

She’s an immature brat for at least half of the book. I get things happened, but clearly they weren’t so bad because half an apology later and you’re immediately thinking about how easy it would be to fall for him again. 🙄

TLDR: it was well written, but the vibe was just not it 🥴

Scot and Bothered was a wonderfully inspiring and emotional read. Brookes dream of being a published author is destroyed when she’s expelled from school. Luckily she’s found work as a ghostwriter but her dreams might be back on track due to her mentor giving her a chance at cowriting her memoir. Catch is that the current work in progress is lacking and she is convinced to take a trip with the books photographer on the very rugged Skye trail that her mentor helped founded in order to help the manuscript. Even bigger catch is the photographer is her ex and the reason she was expelled. A tense but emotional journey starts and I couldn’t have been more engrossed in the story. I was not expecting the emotional impact this book had on me. It was sad but uplifting and inspiring. Can not wait to read more from this author.

Alexandra Kiley's writing felt like a warm welcome back into the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Brooke and Jack's story captured me instantly, and they absolutely stole my heart. The issues I have with this book are surface level. For instance, something about a romance book being written in third person feels odd, but I suppose it didn't really took away from the story at all. I will say, however, that switching between Jack and Brooke's POVs and also between the past and the present timelines felt like a bit much at times. I also wish we had gotten a little bit more development on Brooke's past. We got very brief glimpses into her life before moving to Scotland but nothing compared to the backstory we got about Jack's family and life before Brooke. I also have questions about Brooke's visa status in the UK, but that's a whole other can of worms. This book was so so sweet and the perfect cure for someone longing to escape into the magic that is the Scottish Highlands.

Back in Scotland with one of the Sutherland Brothers, Scot and Bothered acted as the tour guide Jack didn't want to be, once again making me want to visit this country and explore.

This time past lovers, current enemies, Brooke and Jack have to work together to hike the Skye trail so that Brooke can find her author's voice while ghostwriting her idol's memoir and Jack can capture the journey on film for his favorite Aunt.

Second chance romances are my jam, but this one kept me on the hook because the reader didn't actually learn the full details of the first try up front. Timelines jump between "Then" and "Now" to show how Jack and Brooke got to where they are in their relationship and lives.

For me this was a bit slow to start out until they really got on the trail, but I enjoyed the peeks into their past and was definitely along the ride while Jack tried to break down Brooke's walls and be back in her life.

Hopefully we get Reid's story next??

🎧 Audiobook +📗eBook: Scot and Bothered

✍🏾 Author: Alexandra Kiley, I read Kilt Trip & gave it 4 ⭐

📅Publication date: 3/4/25 | Read: 3/3/25

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult Fic

Tropes: travel, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, 2nd chance romance, 1-tent, forbidden romance, workplace romance

🗣️Narrator: Angus King and Savannah Davies voice all the characters with standouts from Brooke, Jake, and Mhairi. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 10:11

🌎 Setting: Edinburgh, Scotland

👆🏾POV: 3rd person dual-Brooke and Jack & 2 timelines "Then" and "Now"

⚠️TW: cancer-not H/h, grief

Summary: Brooke is asked to co-write her mentor Dr. Mhairi's memoir about Scotland’s most challenging trip, Skye Trail. She agrees to hike the rugged trail and is surprised to find Jack is the nature photographer. He's Dr. Mhairi's nephew and the man who broke her heart and ruined her writing career.

👩🏾 Heroine: Brooke Sinclair-an aspiring author turned ghostwriter after being expelled from University of Edinburgh

👨🏾 Hero: Jack Sutherland-a photographer whose family expected him to join the family tour-guide business

🎭 Other Characters:
*Mhairi McCallister-Brooke's mentor/college professor and Jack's aunt
*Logan-Jack's brother co-owner and lead tour guide at family's business The Heart of the Highlands.
*Jack's parents-Gemma and Neil and another brother Reid
*Rohan-Jack's roommate/Brooke's TA
*Charlotte-Brooke's editor

🤔 My Thoughts: I loved the accents and descriptions of Scotland itself. Jack did some serious groveling and pining for Brooke, while she tried to resist falling for him again. Their careers were important as Brooke wanted to write her own stories and Jack to shoot his photography without approval from his family.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice level 4/5🔥🔥🔥🔥

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press, Harlequin Audio, and Alexandra Kiley for this ARC and ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Kiley does it again! If you love long luxurious descriptions of beautiful striking landscapes and other cities across oceans then this book is for you. Kiley has a knack for beautifully descriptive settings making you just want to hop on a plane and be there physically too. I will say for some this could be too much, without a ton of plot to support it, but that’s all in personal preference. Normally enemies-to-lovers isn’t my favorite trope but I really found myself cheering these guys on the whole time. Overall another beautiful cozy comforting book from Kiley that I’m thrilled to add to my shelf.

This is a cute second chance romance.
I loved the setting; between the academia setting of the University of Edinburgh to the streets of Edinburgh, to the majesty of the Isle of Skye. I loved Kilt Trip and it was fun having bits of those characters make an appearance in this book. I’m hoping there’s a book about the third brother, Reid, coming next!

It is a cute, heartwarming second chance romance about finding and following your dreams and being true to yourself.

However, something about this book moved slow for me though and it was hard to keep my interest in it. I wasn’t as invested in the characters and maybe it’s because I didn’t personally relate to them.
Either way, I loved being transported back to Scotland, meeting more of the Sutherland Family, and enjoyed the overall story.

If you like a spicy second chance romance and love Scottish settings, you need to add this to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

“Take a chance on yourself. Trust that the thing you love will take you where you need to be.”

I just finished reading Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley, and this one is a standalone follow-up to Kilt Trip. It follows Jack Sutherland and Brooke Sinclair on their epic hike along the Skye Trail, a trail that Mhairi, Jack's aunt and Brooke's idol, helped create.

You first meet Jack in Kilt Trip as he's Logan Sutherland's brother, but this one focuses on his ruined romance with Brooke and how they got to where they are in flashbacks. In their short-lived fling, Brooke gets kicked out, and Jack gets fired from the University of Edinburgh, and they haven't talked to each other since... until Mhairi sends the two on a work trip together. She wants Brooke to ghostwrite her story and Jack to photograph it.

Brooke is still furious with Jack over what happened seven years ago, but will the breathtaking Scottish landscape and some quality time on the trail be enough to rekindle their love for each other?

You'll love this book if you like:
• Second-chance romance
• Atmospheric Scottish scenery
• Only one bed & tent!
• Dual timeline
• Crying your eyes out

This book just got released, and you can pick it up today! A huge thank you to HTP Books and The Hive, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Whooo boy this book made me very emotional. Jack and Brooke have both found it difficult to believe in themselves and take the risk on an artistic career (photography for him and writing for her). As someone who also has a passion for art I felt very seen by their individual journeys and found it so healing to see them support and believe in each other whole-heartedly. Putting pieces of your soul out into the world for strangers to evaluate is such a vulnerable thing. I totally related to Brooke's hesitation to be truly herself. It was so sweet to see Jack be so unbelievably tender with Brooke in her anxiety and self-doubt. I had a great time with this story and I recommend it to anyone looking for a soft, emotional romance.

4.5 rounded up. I truly loved the parallels and back and forths when it came to the past grievances and present day struggles. The dynamics of a TA and student relationship was enough to send me into a tizzy of delight and the art of second chances was done deliciously. The only thing I wished would have been omitting the blaringly obvious third act break up but I feel that had communication been stronger from the get go they would have made it there sooner.

[ARC review]
SCOT AND BOTHERED by Alexandra Kiley is brought to you by the number two.

The second book in the series (the follow up to Kilt Trip), a dual POV, dual timeline, second chance romance. Lotta twos!

It's also a forced proximity, as Brooke and her former love Jack are forced to hike the Skye Trail for the sake of the book they're both working on for their beloved mentor (her) and aunt (him), Mhairi. Brooke is cowriting her memoir, and Jack is taking photos for it. Unfortunately, they haven't seen each other since their relationship imploded.

Neither second chance nor dual timelines are things that really call to me, but I do love a forced proximity. There's nothing wrong with those tropes, and they work here, especially as Brooke and Jack have to take a second chance not only on each other, but also on the dreams they each gave up.

It also deals with (spoiler alert /content warning) a loved one with terminal cancer. Much of the last act deals with processing the news, grieving, etc., so be mindful of that if that's a sensitive topic for you, as there's no content warning or authors note in the ARC.

More than anything, it makes me want to go to Scotland, to see the wild and beautiful landscapes that are described as they hike the trail. It definitely has a vivid sense of place, that makes me yearn for my ancestral homeland. (Not really; all of my forebears were from the lowlands or England, not a single highlander on the tree lol.)

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#NetGalley #ARCreview #ScotAndBothered

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This story has beautiful pieces to it - both thematically and locationally. The descriptions of the Scotland were beyond words, while Brooke and Jacks relationship held similar qualities. This really put the “second chance” idea to the test while giving a story that actually had ups and downs. Well done!

I really liked Kilt Trip. I loved getting to know the characters and the family. But more importantly, I adored learning about Scotland from the MMC, a tour guide.
I immediately started Scot and Bothered and it didn’t let me down! It was an emotional journey of a couple given a second chance at life and love.
The real beauty is the setting of the Isle of Skye. I was googling places constantly, just to picture the beauty that was being described. Like Kilt Trip, the author has an incredible knowledge of Scotland and its history. She did a fantastic job weaving the romance throughout, told in Then and Now chapters. I was definitely more invested in the now. Maybe one day I will venture to the Isle of Skye and see it in person!

I went into Scot and Bothered feeling lukewarm about Kilt Trip. I will say Scot and Bothered got me in the first few chapters. The college flashback and Jack and Brooke meeting had me giggling! Absolutely adorable.

Jack and Brooke had a lot of chemistry - the title is absolutely perfect! In their college years it was clear they both had to figure out their places in life, and I loved seeing this with flashbacks. It was easy to follow and added so much more to the story.

Thanks to Canary Street Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 ⭐

First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press for approving my request for the eARC. I read book one of this series as my first NetGalley book approval ever, and now book two as my first eARC of this year. It was great fun, and it did not disappoint.

If you read and enjoyed the first book, Kilt Trip, for taking you on a guided tour around Scotland Highlands, then you will love this book for immersing you into the country even further on a week's long backpacking trip along the Skye Trail. Do not be worried about a sophomore/2nd book slump. This book felt even more put together and had a very fun and unique style of reliving the past, yet keeping you grounded in the present day. If you aren't caught up, you can read this book as a standalone, but I'd recommend getting introduced to the family, and family business first, to really understand our MMC's history.

Our main FMC character is Brooke Sinclair, ex-pat from America, author, and former lover of Jack Sutherland, photographer, and of the Sutherland family whose brother was introduced to us in Kilt Trip. This story is told in dual POV and bounces back and forth from when they met 7-years prior, to the present day trip. They were brought together all these years later, begrudgingly, as Brooke is cowriter of Jack's Aunt's memoir, and the hired photographer has just broken their leg.

Honestly, it was a bit of a slow start for me. The main trope was Second Chance, and if you read my review for The Book Swap last year, you will find that my relationship with this trope is mixed. I really have a hard time getting behind reconciliation if there is too much baggage. Thankfully, as we got introduced to Brooke & Jack's romance whirlwind, and eventual falling out, I felt that the baggage wasn't as deep or convoluted as prior reads.

I thought both characters had great growth, from past to present, and even on the week's trip itself. Enough that you could believe in their chemistry and rekindling. I think, once again, that I may have preferred our MMC a little bit more than the FMC. But both had great internal processing and at times I was just yelling, "Go for it!". They both suffered from anxiety, imposter syndrome, and general lack of confidence in themselves and their craft, stemmed greatly from their past, and in Jack's case, some family baggage. Together, they felt very magnetically charged. Even as she loathed to work with him again, Brooke was still very drawn to Jack. And he never lost feelings for Brooke.

And this brings me to my biggest complaint of the story. So, either our author, or just her characters, have some fetishes that aren't discussed as such. But truly, how many times can one mention or describe how a person's pants cling to his thighs, hinting at the muscle underneath?? I made a note that at 33% in I had wanted to start over and go back to count. And then at 40% made another note of how he could feel the muscle of her leg through the thin fabric of her leggings. For reals? And then it got even "better" when Brooke kept drawing her eye to the "shadow under his lip". What does that even mean? Ugh. Another round of edit may have helped...

Thankfully, the Skye Trail trip itself was fascinating, random travel companions delightful, and our MCs' origin story sweet, and full of anticipation. What eventually tore them apart 7-years prior was not some huge reveal, could be easily figured out, but how it came about and the motives behind the 'betrayal' not so black & white. And the third act break-up in present day is there, reason also predicted, but understood in both its necessity and unfairness. But the story still flowed and led to a believable and satisfactory resolution.

By the end, I was even hoping for an epilogue that included excerpts from the memoir with Jack's photos interspersed. If a special edition comes out with photos of Scotland, and a "book within a book" they can consider me a guaranteed buyer.

I will be seeking out future titles by this author, Alexandra Kiley, and from these publishers. I do hope the next trope is fake dating, one of my faves. And it would be nice if our FMC originated from somewhere other than America. Why can't we fall for a local? Or even someone from that side of the pond?

Tropes: Second Chance, Forced Proximity, Only One Bed

Thank you Canary Street Press and HTP Hive for the ARC to review!

Brooke and Jack’s painful past collides on a life-changing trek through the Scottish Highlands, where old wounds and second chances lead them to confront what they truly want.

I really enjoyed this standalone from Alexandra Kiley. It involves the same family as her debut (Logan’s brother Jack), but doesn’t have to be read as part of a series.

Loved the dual POV and the dual timeline. It worked so well that I messaged Alexandra to tell her it was exciting and infuriating when it would switch because I wanted to know all of the things! Jack and Brooke were very romantic and their initial relationship was lovely, though it had challenges. The second chance was really well earned I thought and the passion of the characters really shines through.

All of our side characters were great and I loved seeing Logan again. I also really hope the next book is about Reid that little angel.

The writing and photography subplots were great and I thought the execution was done well. The grief and love on page were SO relatable.

Definitely recommend picking this one

Another beautiful love letter to Scotland by Alexandra Kiley! Her descriptions of Scotland simultaneously take me back to my own visits and make me want to go visit again! The dual timelines made Jack and Brooke’s story very interesting to read. As the timelines move forward we see the downfall of their relationship in the “then” while we see them coming back together in the “now”. I really like how the heartbreak in one timeline is mirrored with hope and love in the other. Jack and Brooke are meant to be but it takes some time to get them there. There’s quite a bit of misunderstanding and miscommunication, but ultimately they get their second chance. They also both realize how to say what they want from life and careers and love and then go after it. I also love how besides with each other, they both feel the most seen by Mhairi, which brings them together in the face of her illness as well. Definitely recommend picking this one up, especially if you love Scotland!

If you’re Outlander girl and in love with Jamie Fraser like I am, then you’re probably also drawn to romcoms with a Scottish MMC and SAB wont disappoint. We’ve got Scottish slang, kilts, highland coos, and an adventure on the Isle of Skye!

At first, I didn’t know if this book was going to be for me. But the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. I could really relate to Brooke, her doubts and insecurities over her writing, her imposter syndrome, and her feelings of not being good enough to go for her dreams.

Our MMC Jack battled his own insecurities and people pleasing tendencies, and I loved how the emphasis of their relationship was supporting each other and their dreams.

My only real complaint is that I could have used just a little more tension and build up between them. And for a moment I was terrified of a late 3rd act breakup, but thankfully there was none to be found.

And while Kiley did a wonderful job of making the stunningly beautiful Isle of Skye come alive with her vivid descriptions, she also managed to reaffirm that I absolutely HATE camping and will never EVER do it even if a hot Scottish man wanted me to. 😂