I can describe this whole book in one simple word- Hot 🔥 🥵 ! This is my favorite type of romance and I can just hear the accents in my head adding to the whole enjoyable experience

Juniper and Callum are the epitome of black cat and golden retriever. Juniper is grumpy and blunt and always keeps everyone at a distance while Callum is super friendly and outgoing. Throughout the book you get to see that they are more nuanced then they first appear - Callum is hiding the stress of his fathers declining health and being in love with his brother’s ex-fiancee, and juniper is scared that everyone in her life will leave her.
I loved how even though Juniper claimed to hate Callum she still let him into her life (albeit reluctantly) and let him help fix up the inn and show her around the island. Throughout these excursions they got closer and closer and eventually couldn’t deny the pull between them. I thought their relationship was so sweet and I loved how they just seemed to get each other. Callum wasn’t scared off by Junipers attitude and he liked that she was a little mean. There were a few moments where it seemed like we were headed towards a third act breakup but instead there was such great communication and trust and it showed how solid their relationship was.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!

This book blew me away. I loved her first in the series, Whisky Business but this surpassed it as my fav.

It had all my favorite elements: black cat FMC/golden retriever MMC, "enemies to lovers", brother's ex/forbidden trope, and a MMC that PINES.

Both characters were fully fleshed out with very real insecurities and life struggles of their own. The banter was top notch, chemistry off the charts, and there was a perfect mix of sweet tender moments throughout.

Already can't wait for the next book/brother in this series.

Scotch on the Rocks brings together two small town opposites who push past their initial attraction —seeing as they are intimately connected through one romantic relationship, until that relationship falls apart. Now I love a good messy setup and ex-fiance’s older brother really takes the cake. There is so much potential for longing built up over time and exquisite tension as June and Callum skirt their feelings across the years. Where Scotch on the Rocks fell flat was in the execution of this storyline. The buildup was severely lacking and I desperately craved a stronger foundation as these two worked through their issues. Interconnected standalones are some of my favorite kinds of romances but this really seemed to be missing key information and it felt like we jumped so many clicks into the present without interrogating the past. The same can be said about the family history —June’s abandonment by her biological parents to Callum’s fraught relationship to his father. I wanted to get in deep with these characters and learn who they were together and apart and that didn't happen. Scotch on the Rocks definitely nailed the chemistry but it more skimmed the surface of its relationships and themes than providing the depth I craved. This romance is sure to be a hit for others though and I hope to try this author again soon.

The book was absolutely great! Absolutely couldn't put that one down!

The story and characters evolvement was fantastic! They pull all the heart strings!
Callum was sooo hot, I love their couple dynamics, banter and wit! He tops Mal! This slow burn was everything!

Oh and how I loved June! Black cats are my top characters like always! So interesting and always unique.

Highly recommend this book.

It has been an extremely long time since I annotated a book as much as I have this one! I loved the character development and relationship between Callum and Juniper. Both characters are introduced in Whiskey Business and I honestly felt mid about both. Those feelings quickly changed with the start of Scotch on the Rocks. Easily one of the best first 7% of a book I have read.

I thought Elliot Fletcher masterfully kept readers on edge as the story progressed. The balance between spice (OMG some of the best) and emotional development of both Callum and Juniper kept me turning the page. I think this book has set itself apart from other "slow burns" and there were times I was completely shocked.

I am so impressed with how Fletcher addressed difficult emotional challenges like abandonment, loss of a parent, and dementia. There were so many relatable moments when reading both Callum and Juniper's POVs.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Oh how I loved coming back to the Isle of Skye in Elliot Fletcher's Scotch on the Rocks, The Macabe Brothers #2.
There is something about a golden retriever/black cat duo that just itches something in my brain. And Callum and Juniper absolutely do it for me. But besides the sweetness, the spice, the omg she is his brother's ex-fiancé, is a story of growth, in accepting you aren't alone and can in fact ask for help, and its ok to show vulnerability.
Elliot Fletcher had me laughing one min, fanning myself the next, and then crying (I understand it takes absolutely NO effort to make me cry but still) the next. I loved coming back the town and catching up with other characters from Whiskey Business.

Thank you, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for gifting me this arc for an honest review.

Elliot Fletcher has crafted another great love story with the Macabe brothers! I thought Mal would be my favorite, but Callum was definitely a fav contender. His instant lust for Juniper and the feelings that gradually development were intense but great. I'm so happy they got together. I rather skip over Alistair and get to Heather...I hope they include the sister in this series!!!

5 starssss, I loved this book so so much. I was a little weary that it wouldn’t be as great as Whiskey Business but oh lord was i wrong. Elliot Fletcher really knows how to pull on my heart strings. I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can talk about it!!!!!

Usually the second book in a series tends to fall flat, but Elliot absolutely knocked it out of the park!
June and Callum are too cute, and I LOVE how down bad for June Callum is from the first time he ever sees her. I felt so seen by June as a character. She wants so badly to not need to rely on anyone, and she doesn’t feel like she’s worthy of being loved. Her and Callum’s love language is absolutely acts of service. The way Callum treats and speaks to June is so admirable, he is always so sweet to her even when she’s prickly. Definitely a perfect representation of the black cat and golden retriever dynamic. Part of the plot also discusses family dynamics, a parent with dementia, and the social pressure that comes along with moving on from a broken engagement in a small town. I love that April and Mal from Whisky Business also make lots of appearances that just add to the story as great supporting characters.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Elliot, Avon and Harper Voyager for approving me for this ARC, it was an absolute pleasure to read.

You could block my ears and blindfold me and I’d could still pick her out of a line-up from the gut tingles alone. Fucking gut tingles.

The way this book has not left my mind since I read it. I am so in love with this series!! I didn’t think it could get better April and Malcolm….it got better. Something about the YEARNING in this one just got me. I am a sucker for it and the way Elliot paced their story was the perfect amount of angst and longing. The dual pov was perfection. The added in torture of her being his brothers ex fiancé….*chefs kiss. Juniper and Callum were everything and I’m already thinking about rereading this book! The “get on your knees” to HIM was diabolical. He was so happy to submit to her and I am obsessed with it. Add this book to your preorder list ASAP

She was in charge, all right. Always had been. Still, I smirked. “You see, I’m all about give and take, harpy. And once I have you in a bed, I plan to do a whole lot of giving.”

This was exquisite. Callum and Juniper were exactly what I expected and also so much more. I loved the ferocity and tenderness balanced on a razor’s edge, but also the peeks at normality between them. Seeing more of Kinleith and the characters we met in the last book really amplified the emotional investment in even the small “side plots”.

The sexual and emotional tension nearly gave me heart palpitations, and I loved the grumpy sunshine reversal and tenderness throughout every arc. Only thing I’d change is more otter mentions tbh. Eagerly, greedily, awaiting book 3.

The Macabe rule book is simple. Don’t look at a Macabe brother. Don’t talk to a Macabe brother. Don’t even think about a Macabe brother. Should be easy considering one is dating her best friend and another is her ex fiancé. The only one left is Callum, the gorgeous small town hero she can’t seem to stay away from.

I like the characters, they’re well developed, relatable and have historical together. Rooting for them is easy. There’s plenty of fun banter and the more you read the steamier it gets. Other highlights for me were Shakespeare the, Callums family drama and the setting. Scotland sounds absolutely gorgeous.

In my opinion it dragged a bit in the beginning, lots of similar conventions and back and forth. However the pace picks up the more you read.

This is such a fun series, love the covers and fun titles. I’m hoping Heather the Macabe sister will get her own novel.

Read this if you like
🩷Ex fiancés brother
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Remote Scottish island
🌸Age gap
🫶🏼He falls first

overall not a bad read, but having issues and attractions with multiple brothers felt a bit off for me. Still though, might just be my age of 50+. Would recommend if you want a quick and hot read.

This book has the strongest start with the dedication. Then the “8 Years Earlier” prologue had me chomping at the bit for me. “3 Years Later” had me reading the first 40% of this book on a 3 hour flight. I did not set it down the entire time!

“Falling in love with Juniper Ross felt like stepping into oncoming traffic.”

Callum was down bad from the very first moment he laid eyes on Juniper. I thought the brother’s ex-fiance trope would bother me, but the man Callum is made me forget about Alistair entirely.

The banter, the hate, the tension, the love… this book is a grand slam for me. I loved that he let Juniper take charge. I loved the secret acts of service and the obvious ones like him bringing her treats in the evenings. I would have expected more angst from this book considering the situation but everyone seemed to work through the awkwardness. It was so funny that Mal witnessed the girl talk between April and Juniper regarding her relationship with Callum.

I hope we get to learn more about why Alistair broke things off with Juniper in his book!

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book review for consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the McCabe siblings series by Elliot Fletcher. The story focuses on Caleb, the eldest sibling, a vet in town with an unrequited love for Juniper, whose family owns the inn. The issue? Juniper is the ex-fiancé of Caleb’s younger brother Alistair. Even though they’ve been exes for many years, she’s held on to her ring, and dislike of the McCabe brothers. If this sounds messy, it is. This story is very drama filled, broken up by tender moments between the two. Each are battling their own issues while falling for each other. This is a spicy, open door book with frequent spicy scenes. If you enjoyed the first book, check this one out.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I knew I would love this - I’m a sucker for when the MMC is down bad. The second it popped up, I dropped everything to read it and devoured it quickly. I really enjoyed how these two came together. A light and steamy read. Excited to see where the next book goes.

Callum had a legitimate reason to stay away - it wasn’t like Juniper was just his brother’s ex but they were very serious. A tough situation! I kinda wanted to hear what his plans were to “steal her away” but maybe that would make me dislike him. I enjoyed reading his perspective but would have liked to see more about his journey with his parents. I was so curious about why Alistair broke it off with Juniper but I suppose it wasn’t the point of the story because it was sort of glazed over, maybe it’s part of his story in the next book.

I had a few minor issues but nothing that really took away from the core story. Heather is a sort of useless side character and I don’t feel like her friendship adds anything more than April’s does. I hope she has a storyline outside of being a sister in the next book.

It’s a pet peeve of mine to introduce a safeword and never use it. I guess it’s for the reader to know the characters understand what they’re doing and to demonstrate consent but they never did anything “kinky” enough to get close to needing a safeword.

Being an absolute super fan over Whiskey Buiness, this was the highest anticipated book of 2025 for me. And all of my dreams came true reading this story. Juniper and Callum were absolutely everything I was expecting them to be.

Two beautifully written characters with so many hidden layers to them that we get to see peeled back with every chapter. A prickly closed of FMC back in her home town just trying to figure it out while her ex fiancées brother seems to always been there, needling her and his infuriating smirk. But he may not have it all together as it seems. Callum is such a fun, happy go lucky guy with way too many things in his shoulders but for Juniper he’ll gladly do more.

When I tell you Elliot wrote the definition of yearning. Over spans of years the man pines. I love that the dynamic of these two sexually and romantically are the FMC with control and the MMC on his knees for her.


Elliot also wrote the more delicate moments, the ones that shine of foster and adoption along with different parent relationships so perfectly. She made every side characters also be a star to this series and would make the book incomplete without them. Getting to see glimpses of Mal and April. Being taken on a journey of Skye along with the characters. You can feel how lush and beautiful the world around them is as if Elliot herself has transported you there in the pages.

I really wish Goodreads would allow .5 in our star ratings. Because Scotch on the Rocks was definitely more of a 3.5 stars. I just read Whisky Business about two weeks ago. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but didn’t love it. However, I was excited to continue on with the Macabe brothers series. So when I got my hands on an early copy of Scotch on the Rocks I was ecstatic. I knew this was going to be Callum’s book and I couldn’t wait to read his and June’s story. Their banter and chemistry was electric in book one and I couldn’t wait to see the pair get their story more flushed out.

I have to say though I did find some parts a little disappointing. But that’s not to say that I didn’t love it. Because trust me I enjoyed their story and whole heartedly ship them as a couple. My biggest issue was a lot felt unresolved. The conflict was built up so much in book one and brought up repeatedly in book 2 for it to only get semi-resolved in last 15%. It felt too easy and I still had questions. Besides that I still loved Juniper & Callum. The tension, banter and slow burn of their romance was fun to watch.

Overall, is a fun quick easy slow burn romance that I think anyone would enjoy and I definitely recommend it. Lastly, big thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me an arc to read and review. All thoughts and feelings are my own!

Juniper is Callum's brother's ex, but Callum has had feelings for her before he even knew she was Alistair's girlfriend. And they haven't changed 8 years later. Juniper is both annoyed/irritated by and attracted to Callum as they both constantly rile each other up. But underneath all the griping, they both feel a strong pull towards each other.

Tropes:
Black cat/golden retriever vibes
yearning

Even though I loved Callum's sarcasm, humor, witty banter, the fact that he's a hot vet with a cute pet rabbit, there was also a deeper level to who he is: he's secretly loved his brother's ex for 8 years, he's devoted to helping his parents with his dad having rapidly progressing Alzheimer's, despite having a complicated relationship with him. The way the book depicts Callum's experience as a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer's was very poignant and emotional in its impact on not just the person, but also their family and loved ones.
Juniper is the only one who sees through his unserious and charming facade and the big old softie underneath. And Callum also sees her for who she is. From the very beginning, Callum is absolutely gone for Juniper. He does all these things for her without her knowledge and secretly watches out for her. Their relationship is built on unconditional love and patience, topped with great banter and chemistry.

This was my first book from Elliot Fletcher, and I can't wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!