This was absolutely adorable! I went in expecting a light and fluffy rom-com, but there was so much more to this book than that. I was pleasantly surprised!

This second chance romance dealt with a lot of feelings on loss, finding yourself, and accepting your passion. I felt Brookes journey deep in my soul. Figuring out how to trust someone again (or even yourself) is something that I struggle with myself. This was a breath of fresh air! I even found myself shedding a tear at the end.

Also, traveling Scotland is one of my dream trips so that was definitely a bonus. The scenery described just makes me want to go now... Maybe someday!

Thanks @netgalley, @htpbooks, and @akileybooks for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! Sorry, I'm a little late with my review. Life happened. 😅

I love reading any book that takes me to a different place (I'm tired of America 😫). And Alexandra Kiley knows how to do that ❤️

I absolutely adored her first book, and her second book is just as good! I love a second chance romance, and this one was everything!

Also, I love when people actually write adults who communicate and show their emotions in a grown up way. Adults acting like 15 year olds is not the way.

I'm excited to ready anything else Alexandra Kiley throws at me!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘺 & 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Sucker punched me right in the throat.

Adored it. Cried, laughed, kicked my feet. Both separately and together, these characters are It.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The backstory on this book was much sadder than I expected for a book I was reading on vacation, but it was so beautiful and sweet, and the turns of phrase.... Happy sigh. So lovely.

I'm a sucker for books that are set abroad and I absolutely love when it's set in Scotland! This was my first book by Alexandra Kiley but I absolutely loved the dual timeline - since it was a second chance romance, it was refreshing to be able to experience both their present and past love. It was nice to see what happened that separated them to really feel like they both had a chance in the present.

This was a book that had both amazing FMC/MMC and amazing side characters. The side characters were memorable and really felt like they added so much to the story.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Press for the e-arc in exchange of my honest review.

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley is a heartfelt second-chance romance set against the stunning backdrop of Scotland’s Skye Trail. Brooke and Jack’s journey—both physical and emotional—is filled with tension, self-discovery, and undeniable chemistry. The vivid setting and well-developed characters make this a compelling read, though some pacing issues may slow the story. Fans of adventure-filled romances and emotional reunions will find plenty to enjoy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC!

Alexandra Kiley writes some of my favorite Scottish romances. I read Kilt Trip last year as I was planning my trip to Scotland, dreaming of all the things I would see and the places I would go. I devoured Scot and Bothered after we got back, and I loved that I could visualize all the places she writes about so reverently. I've walked the streets of Old Town in Edinburgh. I've hiked Old Man or Storr on Skye. Knowing the geography made me fall even harder in love with the book and its characters.

Brooke Sinclair is an ex=pat living in Scotland since her days at the University of Edinburgh. At one point, she dreamt of being a famous author, but after an abrupt end to her collegiate experience, she hid away, ghostwriting for others while her own words evaporated into the aether. Now she has a second chance--she's helping her well-known literary mentor craft her memoir. But in order to capture the beauty of the trail her mentor helped to establish on the isle of Skye, she realizes she's going to have to hike it--and her mentor's nephew is going to hike it with her to take photos for the book. The same nephew who ruined her life. Only one tent, anyone? But maybe this experience will prove to be more than just a second chance at writing--maybe it'll be a second chance at love, too.

Long story short, I adored this book so much. I enjoyed Kilt Trip, but the redemption arc of Scot and Bothered really resonated with me, plus I had my experience on Skye to reflect back on as I hiked with Brooke and Jack through the pages. This is a MUST READ for anyone who loves writing, Scotland, and second-chances.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Scot and Bothered is a slow-burn, second-chance romance mostly set on the idyllic Isle of Skye in Scotland. The novel switches between past and present, as well as from the point of view of Brooke and Jack. The two of them met in college, fell in love, then life fell apart. Fate has brought them together again to work on a very special project, the memoir of Mhairi McCallister – Brooke's mentor and Jack’s Aunt.

I read Alexandra Kiley's first novel, Kilt Trip, and actually had the chance to meet her at my local book club. I was very excited to hear that she was writing another book in the same world, with the same characters. This book is more of a prologue than a sequel, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Kiley has a beautiful way of weaving grief and love together. She identifies multiple levels and types of love through both her books, which adds a depth to her stories, unique to the romance genre. With Brooke and Jack, they experience friendship, lust, and deep love. With Brooke and Mhairi, the reader sees the love and trust between mentor and mentee, teacher and student. We see through Jack's parents and brothers, unconditional love along with growing pains. Love is layered, making it a fuller story. Kiley makes the characters feel like real people who are over in Edinburgh right now.

I am not a huge romance book reader because of the tropes, but Kiley's romance hits differently. Yes it unfolds slower than some, but because of this, the love blooming between characters feels more genuine and more sweet. The romance and tension between Jack and Brooke feels authentic and realistic. To me, the pacing makes me more invested, and has more pay off than instant gratification.

If you want pure smut, this is not your book. If you want to curl up and mentally travel overseas to the rolling hills of Scotland, confront lost dreams, fall in love with yourself and an old flame, and maybe see an adorable Highland Coo… then this should be your next read! I will always recommend her works to others because her words have an emotional depth, honesty, and self-awareness I don't find often enough.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I just loved Jack so much, we got to revisit the Sutherland family from Kilt Trip, and the story is told during an extended hike across the Isle of Skye, a place I have longed to visit!

This is a sweet and poignant second chance romance between two creatives who met at University seven years before. Jack, a nature photographer, and Brooke, a writer, thought they were meant to be when Jack TA'd for one of Brooke's classes. After failing to disclose their relationship to faculty, their resulting break up has haunted them ever since. They are reunited when they are both asked to work on a memoir for Jack's aunt, and Brooke's mentor.

It was hard not to compare this one to Kilt Trip, and I do think that it fell a bit short. It lacks the humor and the character development that I enjoyed about Kilt Trip. I also felt like the story "ended" too soon when Brooke rather spontaneously decided to let go of all of her resentment and embrace Jack as if she hadn't been punishing him for days without letting him explain and apologize to her. And the third act break up was pointless.

Alexandra Kiley is a good writer, though, and I am looking forward to her next novel. Will we get to read Reid's story?

Be prepared for lots of angst here. Brooke is a ghostwriter after being unable to graduate school for reasons we will find out later in the book. She’s co-writing her mentor’s memoir and decides to go out on the hiking trail the mentor founded to get some more perspective for her next revisions. Problem is that her ex-boyfriend Jack is also on the trip as a the photographer. The book is told from both Brooke and Jack’s POV, with chapters switching between present-day and the past development (and dissolution) of their relationship. I liked reading about their adventures on the hiking trail and all the elements that they had to overcome. There was a lot of time for Brooke and Jack to each self-reflect on their goals and dreams in life and how they might be able to make a relationship work this time around. It was also interesting to read the chapters from the past and how their relationship was both fated and doomed from the start. The story also gets a bit teary as we deal with the mentor’s illness and how that is shared (or not shared) with our main characters. Great story, but you have to be in the mood for it.

Dual timeline, dual POV!! so incredibly impressive that she pulled this off so well with such distinct voices for each of the characters. So difficult to do. That alone makes this a great read, but the turn of phrase and emotionality of this second chance romance is beautiful. I really enjoyed!

I really enjoyed the way this book jumped between time and character POV. I thought it gave a great view of everything that happened in Brooke and Jack's relationship to get them to the point where we meet them. I thought the chemistry between them was good . Their lack of communication was frustrating but this was also plot motivator so I understood it was meant to be frustrating. I had a hard time with their original breakup. I thought the way the school reacted to their relationship was just a lot. I just didn't buy into it fully. The ending and the grief was very well written and moving. Overall I did enjoy this book.

This book was the perfect second chance romance. I loved all the characters and their story. The dual timeline gave us so much insight to what happened in the past. Would definitely recommend this book.

🖤🖤🖤🖤
4/5

This was such a charming, heartfelt, and witty story. After finding out this book’s plot was two ex lovers with a second chance roaming trails in Scotland, I was so sold. The setting was picturesque and the character’s chemistry was so well written. I felt like I was right there on the trails in Scotland with Brooke & Jack. This also was a second chance romance book; which is one of my fav tropes.

Here’s what I loved:

💫 Brooke & Jack were total twin flame vibes

🌱 I can’t say enough about how picturesque this book was. I wanted to climb into the pages.

📷 I loved that Jack was a photographer trying to find his footing in the industry. It should be noted that Kiley described Jack’s photos so brilliantly that I could actually picture them!

🫶🏻 the connection between Jack & Mhairi was deep & unique. I really enjoyed their nephew-aunt relationship.

🔥 this was slightly slow burn, but so worth the reconnection. I had butterflies & just adored watching these two fall back into love.

🌶️ the spice was perfect in this. It felt real in such a good way. Again, worth the pages to get to it.

🤞🏻 the will they won’t they

⛺️ only one tent trope…literally any new variation of one bed at the inn to me is amazing

📄 the printer paper scene originally felt so cutesy, but the second time around it made me cry…I loved this. SO twin flame vibes!

😭 Mhairi and Brooke’s final deep conversation made me cry so much…it was the word I needed Brooke to hear before the end of the book, but boy did it trigger my emotions!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 overall, this book was a brilliant ride & I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys the wilderness/outdoorsy vibe stories! This one is out now…add to your TBR. It’s perfect for spring, but also has summer vibes.

Brooke and Jacks story was… okay. Nothing really blew me away, it was a quick read, but it didn’t really feel like anything super special or extraordinary. The thing that bothered me the most was the random Scottish accent that kept popping up and then disappearing. And the fact that Brooke said she had hiked mountains in Colorado (her back story of being stuck during a thunderstorm didn’t really seem to go anywhere- I thought it was going to have a more traumatic plot line), but then couldn’t read a map and got lost?

The whole TA student plot line was predictable, as was Jack turning them in. Brooke suffered more than he did (because of course), but she should have expected something like that to happen, especially after they had been caught together multiple times.

I thought it was fine, the hiking was cute and both Brooke and Jack realized their dreams, so I guess there’s that?

I really like this book! However, I’m not a fan of the title… this book was more serious and had a deeper plot than the title lets on… I thought it was very well written and a really great read!!

Oh I liked this so much more than the previous story. I found Brooke so flawed but relatable. I couldn’t put it down!

Scot and Bothered is a second chance romance about a ghostwriter stuck on a weeklong hiking trip with an ex after nearly a decade apart. The story follows Brooke and Jack during their university days and 7 years later as they hike a remote trail along the Scottish coast, taking readers on a romantic, emotional, and compelling ride that I happily finished in one sitting.

This book was honestly a fun read! I ended up listening to it on audio as well and had a good time with it. However the romance and story itself did fall a little flat for me in some areas.

Thank you to harlequin trade publishing and the author for a free advanced reader copy of this book.

2.75

I had really high hopes for this book. It has a cute premise but I felt like there were some plot holes that I couldn’t look past. I enjoyed the relationship development but when the two mcs finally got together, it fell flat for me,