Scotch on the Rocks was a fun romance that featured a golden retriever Scottish man (who knew?), a broody Scottish lass, and a grumpy cat. It starts out quick and jumps right into the story of Callum and Juniper. They are fun, grumpy, and somehow always dirty, in many ways. Scotch on the Rocks is an upbeat romance that makes your heart swoon with the how much love there is!

Absolutely loved this book! The character development for both main characters was amazing. I read this book in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down. I’m also a sucker for a book playlist! If you love black cat/golden retriever, dual pov, brother’s ex, or “I hate you but not really” moments…. This book is for you!

Veterinarian, Plumber, and a comedian? I’m in love with a Macabe brother. I mean, how do you make plumbing sexy? Idk, but Callum does it.

June is my absolute favorite type of FMC, big black cat energy. Of course she just needs the right man to retract her claws (or dig them deeper, if that’s what you’re in to ;) In the end we all just want to be cherished and loved.

The way these two call each others bullshit, the yeaaaaars of pinging (his), and the push and pull of control in the bedroom—I am completely obsessed. Not to mention, I was cackling within the first few pages. Witty writing that hooks you in immediately and keeps you reading like it’s laced with MSG. With all that snark I was not expecting this book to make me cry, but damn it did that too.

All the forehead kisses and ear strokes for Ms. Fletcher!!

Thank you Net Galley for eARC!

Scotch on the Rocks was an enjoyable read. I loved Callum and felt sorry for him, having loving his brother’s girl from a far for years. He was right by not sleeping with Juniper when they ran into each other after her break up with Alistair. Juniper was using him as revenge but for some reason got her feeling hurt when he stopped it. Juniper was meh for me as the FMC. Her attitude was annoying at times. I get that she was adopted and she has some abandonment issues. She had been with her adopted parents since she was seven, you would think she could call them mom and dad. There were times when the writing felt off, like I missed a scene or something. Overall, I would recommend for a nice summer read. 4 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This year is full of surprises, this one in the form of me absolutely loving a black cat x golden retriever book!! For whatever reason, I’ve wrestled with this trope for a long time and this story has happily made me a convert.

Where I thoroughly enjoyed Whisky Business, I absolutely devoured Scotch on the Rocks. This was my first time reading an ex fiancé’s brother storyline and DANG the bar is impossibly high.

Let’s start with Scottish small town Skye’s golden boy, “Community Ken,” Callum. Despite the full knowledge of his dad’s rapidly declining health and the unquenchable thirst he has for the one woman he can’t have, we find a resilient and empathetic mmc. I genuinely think he would crawl over hot lava for our FMC; this whole book he’s essentially on his knees for her!! He just gives off the vibe of one smirk and glance into his blue eyes would have you swooning for years to come.

It’s no wonder our sweet black cat FMC Juniper keeps her walls so high!! Despite a cold exterior, she’s a character layered with complexities and a backstory that had me physically clutching the ache in my chest. Honestly as opposite as they seem, these two felt like two sides of the same coin- both use their emotions as shields to protect their loved ones as much as their own hearts.

The spice?? Damn. Easily 🌶️🌶️🌶️. Banter as foreplay. She’s in charge AND ties him up. And ever the gentleman, she always comes first. (Always a favorite microtrope for me)

The environment was described beautifully and leaves me with an itch to break out my passport. Overall I am giddy with this read and eagerly awaiting (hopefully) the last two Macabe siblings’ stories!!

My forever thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager and Elliot Fletcher for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for providing an ARC of Scotch On The Rocks!

I didn’t love this one as much as whisky business but it’s hard to create perfection once so twice seems impossible. Callum and Juniper’s dynamic was a very big tone shift from April and Mal. I liked Callum and juniper separately and together as a couple but they still didn’t feel 100% believable? Right? Not sure, something felt just slightly off. <spoiler>My favorite thing about romances is seeing both characters fall in love but this one starts with Callum instantly (pretty much) in love with Juniper and that was a bit of a bummer. I feel like we should have gotten more of juniper’s background, we know she was in foster care but I think it would have been better to hear about more of her memories and experiences in foster care. We mostly saw how her experiences affected her relationships but didn’t actually get to see what happened which could provide more understanding. I loved juniper’s stubborn independent streak and her snarkyness. Her insistence on walling off her heart after Alastair was understandable and I loved how hard Callum tried to climb those defenses. Callum was tougher to connect because again we got glimpses but not full experiences of his past. He was in the military and he mentions seeing terrible things but if he and juniper are really together I think he should have explained some of those experiences. They both stayed very surface level with their pasts before they met. Their shared history was known and sort of made sense (though again I would have liked to see more about juniper and Alastair’s relationship and specifically a flashback to the breakup to see how that happened) but it feels like Callum did too good of a job burying his feelings for juniper in the past resulting in a bit of a disjointed reveal. (Though the revelation that he has been doing things for juniper on the DL for just about forever was adorable). Callum and Juniper also didn’t show up for each other that much in this book. The scene where her cat gets out but then Callum is called away to help with his dad just felt odd, and highlighted the pacing of the story being off. There was a bit of a slow burn because Callum knew juniper would always see herself as unworthy of love and wanted to make sure she knew it was real before they had sex but then the events of the book didn’t really help push them together or highlight the struggle to stay away. Callum inserted himself into junipers business by helping with the inn but juniper rarely tried to help Callum, she mentioned someone needed to care for him but she didn’t really help with Callum’s dad. Granted we knew that Callum was always doing things for juniper and that juniper had distanced herself from romance but when she starts to let Callum in, it felt like she should have done more to support Callum particularly when it came to his father. My favorite parts of this were where Mal and April were incorporated. Poor Mal was holding on for dear life and hated to see juniper coming hahahah</spoiler> after writing this review I think I just want this book to be longer, I’m signing up for 500 page romance hahaha!! I will definitely read the rest of this series because Elliot fletcher has a gift!

This book was phenomenal!!! This book!!!!! June and Callum are the best duo. They fight their tension then eventually give in. The book is paced well and the story moves along perfectly. Bonus: no third act breakup!!! He wants her first and she has no idea. The tropes in this book did not disappoint. I cannot wait to continue the series!!!

This was such a charming read and my first experience with this author! I loved the cozy small-town setting, the Scottish MMC (seriously, who can resist?), and the brother’s ex-fiancée trope. The story kicks off with a compelling past timeline where the MMC meets the FMC, completely unaware that she’s engaged to his brother. There’s an undeniable spark between them, but circumstances force them to keep their distance. Jump to the present, and she’s no longer with his brother—but now, these two have a bit of a love-hate dynamic that makes for some great tension.

The banter and push-pull between them kept me entertained, and I really enjoyed the grumpy-sunshine dynamic. While this is definitely a contemporary romance with plenty of fun moments, it also weaves in some deeper emotional threads, including a storyline involving a parent with Alzheimer’s and elements of adoption. The romance itself is a mix of angsty, sweet, and undeniably steamy. It’s a slow burn, but once the heat kicks in, it definitely delivers—especially with some unexpectedly spicy elements.

The book starts off incredibly strong, but I did feel like the pacing slowed down in the middle, and at times, there was a lot happening that made it feel a bit cluttered. Still, overall, it was an enjoyable read! Big thanks to Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute read and my first by the author. I enjoyed the small town vibes, Scottish mmc, and the brother's ex-fiancée trope. It starts off really strong in the past with the mmc meeting the fmc and not knowing that she is his brother's fiancée. There is a spark between them, but nothing happens because of the predicament. Fast forward to the present, and the fmc is no longer with the mmcs brother, and they kinda dislike each other.

I loved the back-and-forth banter and arguments, and the grumpy sunshine vibes that the book had. This is more contemporary romance because even though it's a fun read, and there are emotional aspects like a parent of an mc with alzheimer's and some adoption aspects. The romance was angsty, sweet, and steamy. It was a slow burn, but when the steam gets going, it really heats up with some kinky aspects. The book did slow down after the strong start, and I felt like there was so much going on in the book, which was distracting, but overall a good read. Thanks to Avon for this arc for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book of the series and was excited to see it continue with characters I met the first book. I absolutely adored the Scottish setting and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of these types of books. While this book was largely fluffy, it still had some depth that I appreciated, especially in the character development. The only reason I knocked off a star in the rating was because of how each of the MCs kept referencing the FMC’s former relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book!

I was very happy to be back on the isle of Skye! I liked both of the main characters in this book. I thought they were a good fit for each other. I could have gone without the family drama but I get why it was there lol

5/5⭐️

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this ARC! I loved Whiskey Business so much, and I couldn’t wait to be re-immersed into the Isle of Skye.

Callum and Juniper had me HOOKED from beginning to end. I love the golden retriever/black cat trope and Elliot Fletcher wrote these characters so beautifully. I loved Callum (maybe even a little more than Mal) and their chemistry and banter was just 😫

I fell in love with Elliot Fletcher’s writing with Whiskey Business and she 👏🏻 did 👏🏻 not 👏🏻 disappoint with her second book in this series. Definitely one of my favorite reads of this year, I honestly cannot rave enough on how much I love this series!

I can’t wait for this to come out in June so I can grab my physical copy 😍 I recommend Whiskey Business to everyone and anyone I know who reads and I’ll definitely be adding this book to my recommendations!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I was so excited to read the second book in this series, as I really enjoyed the first one. This book had an enemies to lovers charm, with the male main character already knowing his feelings. I loved their banter and the growth of their relationship, and I loved seeing characters from the previous book. I can't wait to continue reading this series.

As soon as I finished Whisky Business I ran to NetGalley to beg for an ARC for Scotch on the Rocks! I loved Elliot Fletcher's writing style and the black cat/golden retriever/forbidden love dynamics are some of my favorites. Callum is truly the ultimate golden retriever with his "Community Ken" persona and is so far gone for Juniper it surprised even me! I loved that Juniper the black cat also owns an actual asshole black cat - and much like Shakespeare the kitty, Juniper also has a soft squishy underbelly that she rarely shows and even more rarely lets anyone get near. I enjoyed Callum and Juniper's dynamic and especially loved the near-hookup that causes five years of angst; there's no stupid miscommunication trope here, just actual trauma causing drama between them. Their banter had me laughing out loud more than once and the smut was great, which is exactly what I expected from this author! I didn't love the way they danced around (literally at one point lol) the Allistair issue. I feel like Callum should have just come clean to him early on even if Juniper was pissed - she already hated him, why not just take care of it before pursuing her? Overall this was a sweet story with equal parts humor and angst. If you enjoyed Whisky Business you won't be disappointed!

After reading and loving the first book in the series I was so excited to get this ARC & jump in! I loved this! Set in a small town in Scotland, so the vibes were amazing! Juniper & Callum’s story was everything I was hoping for and more. The way Elliot wrote the tension and the chemistry between them was so good, I didn’t want it to end! Their story has a forbidden aspect which just added to the goodness of the story and honestly I just ate it up. Absolutely can’t wait for the next book!!

Instead of a third act breakup, she has to find her missing cat, Shakespeare. MMC is down bad and the FMC is spicy! This was so fun and I really want the next book to see what happens with the other brother.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for this ARC. All words are my own.

REVIEW
Unfortunately this did not hit for me due to the tropes. I was so excited to see this arc on Netgalley because I had LOVED the first book in the series that I immediately requested. Well I probably should've checked what the tropes were, lol.

Okay, let me back up and say that this story is good. Don't get me wrong. The writing is good, the banter between the two MCs is A+, the setting is A+ for me too. Especially the scene where they <i> do things </i> in the fairy pools that I'm literally going to be visiting in a few months made it hit even better!

Where I just struggled with this story is the whole "reverse" grumpy/sunshine trope. We have a black cat and major golden retriever mix up with a dom-fmc and I just was not feeling it. Black cats (not real ones I love all cats lol) are a hit or miss for me. I think the reason why our FMC was such a miss for me was mostly my own fault by not being aware she was that <i> grumpy </i>. I say it like that because it felt like most of the times that she was it was honestly for no good reason.

Overall I would say it's a good story for those that enjoy a reverse grumpy/sunshine with an emphasis on the FMC being a black cat whose a bit dom and a golden retriever MMC. I would definitely recommend it for that specific CR trope.

3/5

I love this author and this series. Can’t wait for the next book!! Loved the characters, their chemistry, growth, and the plot.

This one just didn't really work for me personally, the whole trying to steal a girl from his brother, then dating the ex fiancee of the brother was just a hurdle I couldn't get past.

Elliot Fletcher’s *Scotch in the Rocks* swept me off my feet and took me straight to the breathtaking Isle of Skye. This book is the perfect mix of heartache, humor, and second chances.

Juniper is the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for—strong, determined, and deeply human with scars that make her even more real. When her family inn faces a catastrophe, she’s forced to lean on Callum Macabe, the one person she’d rather avoid. Callum isn’t just her ex-fiancé’s brother; he’s also her enemy, which makes their partnership all the more exciting to watch. And oh, the tension between them!

Callum is Kinleith’s golden boy, but his charm hides a vulnerable truth: he’s been secretly in love with Juniper for years. Seeing these two navigate their shared history and unresolved feelings made for such a gripping read. Fletcher masterfully balances the emotional weight of their past with the hope of a brighter future.

The vivid descriptions of the Isle of Skye and the beautifully flawed characters brought everything to life. You’ll feel like you’re right there, surrounded by misty hills and the pull of old secrets. This story is all about resilience, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to open your heart again.

If you love romance with depth and characters that stay with you long after the last page, *Scotch in the Rocks* is a must-read. It’s a book I’ll gladly return to whenever I need a little hope and a lot of love.

Thank you so much Harper Collins and Netgalley for letting me review the eARC of one of my most anticipated romance reads of the year!