Set on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Callum Macabe and Juniper Ross have a complicated history. Eight years ago they met on a train, and Callum fell hard even when she showed zero interest. Then he met Juniper again hours later has his brother's girlfriend. Now both living in the same small town, Juniper's relationship with his brother has long ended. Each time they run into each other, Callum and Juniper don't miss opportunities to banter and jab. When Juniper can't find help with an emergency plumbing project at her family's inn, Callum strikes a deal: his plumbing services for four dates of his choosing. Over the course of weeks, this slow burn romance unfolds over these dates and other small town interactions.

Wow, this book pulled me and didn't let go! I loved the depth of these characters. The sexual tension leapt of the page!

Beyond their romance, they also had family dynamics to navigate, which added layers as they dealt with serious topics. It wasn't just what will happen when Alistair finds out, but also her relationship with her adoptive parents, her scars from being in the foster system, his dad's Alzheimer's, and the challenges of care taking.

This is my first time reading this author, so I plan to go back to Whisky Business. I loved that, as Juniper's best friend, April got to hear all the details (and Mal had to endure) in Scotch on the Rocks. And I can't wait to see what is in store for Alistair... and hopefully Heather!

Things I loved:
❤️ Small town romance
🥃 Brother’s ex-fiancé
❤️ Black Cat FMC (and her actual black cat Shakespeare)
🥃 "Community Ken" golden retriever MMC (and his therapy bunny Simon)
❤️ The Yearning!
🥃 Age Gap (9 years)
❤️ Town veterinarian x Inn manager
🥃 He falls first and hard

5 / 5 stars

Open door / spicy!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for this eARC!

Callum has been in love with Juniper since he met her on a train eight years ago. Unfortunately, he realized shortly after meeting her that she was his brother’s new girlfriend. Callum forced his feelings down but they never went away.

Now, living in the same small town, Callum takes every opportunity to interact with Juniper, with only a tiny shred of hope that one day she will return his feelings. When Juniper’s mom leaves for a month’s vacation, leaving her alone to run their inn, Callum jumps in to help Juniper complete some surprise renovations, only asking for payment in the form of four dates.

This spicy swoony book contains the following tropes:
- black cat & golden retriever
- ex-fiancé’s brother
- small town (in Scotland)
- age gap
- he’s been pining for her for years

I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy via NetGalley. It releases July 8. If you’re looking for a spicy romance with the most constant MMC ever, who has bided his time for almost a decade and is ready to take his shot, add this one to your TBR. This is book two in the McCabe Brothers series.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for this eARC

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I’m absolutely ecstatic to have had the opportunity to read it early!

The banter! Ex fiancé‘s brother! Age gap!

I adore when we have a grumpy/sunshine trope but it’s the FMC that’s the black cat while the MMC is the golden retriever. I highlighted so many lines in this book and had a blast reading Juniper and Callum’s story.

Callum, as the older brother is busy being the one taking care of his parents, looking out for his siblings, running his own successful veterinary practice, helping any Islanders in need and then somehow finds time to play on a shinty team!! I’m not sure how he runs on such little sleep! 😂

Juniper was dumped by Alistair, Callum‘s younger brother, and has deep trauma and issues with abandonment. Having been adopted and always waiting for the other shoe to drop, Alistair’s leaving her, just solidified an opinion of her self-worth or lack there of.

Their story had me laughing and giggling, and then absolutely gushing 😍 for them! Callum is soooo gone for her and has been for years and is the definition of a man YEARNING.

Juniper: “You want me.”
Callum: “ I never pretended otherwise, sweetheart.”

EVERYTHING about this book is perfection!

I love a good romance and this did not disappoint. It was my first Scottish romance and I am absolutely sold. This book had amazing banter. Both the MMC and FMC were relatable in different ways. Juniper had amazing growth and Callum had me giggling like a schoolgirl. The brothers ex finance piece definitely gave me some pause at first but it played out well. I hope to see some of the other characters get their own story!

Callum was the perfect, goofy mmc. He had me giggling and then kicking my feet a couple paragraphs later. I love Junipers storyline and journey of self love through the book.

Brothers ex fiancé was a new trope for me and did take some adjusting on my part. But I think Callum and Juniper have much better chemistry than Juniper and Alistair.

so much heart, tension, longing and chemistry. I loved whiskey business but loved this even more. i'm obsessed with callum. i'm obsessed with their love. so so soso good.

I wholeheartedly loved this. so full of insane banter and chemistry and love radiating, elliot truly never misses. one of my favorites of the year if not all time.

This was absolutely PERFECT. Callum and Juniper were absolutely what my dreams are made of. A GRUMPY GIRL!!! And a boy obsessed!!!! I’ll be honest I should have reread Whisky Business as a little refresher, it’s been about 2 years since I read it!! Ive been reading Elliot’s book since she very first indie published!! And I am feeling so grateful I got to read her first filly traditionally published book early!!! But being back in this little universe was such a TREAT! I loved both of their character arcs. There was so much depth to their stories and I thought Elliot wrote it so well.

Juniper is truly a girl after my heart. She is very much a sad grumpy girl, she’s a people always leave girl, she’s a girl who guards her heart! And watching Callum F I N A L L Y break through and be able to get her to realize that he’s not going anywhere!! that he’s SAFE!! That she CAN have something for herself!! And CALLUM. The YEARNING! The waiting!! How DOWN BAD he was for Juniper!!! And their banter was top tier! Her grumpy to his absolute blinding sunshine was the perfect combination!!!

Okay and listen Alistair might not have been my favorite in this book…but I bet his book will be a DELIGHT! And also we’re getting a book for Heather right!? Even though the series is called Macabe Brothers???

Thank you SO MUCH to Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received the ARC of Scotch on the Rocks through Harper Voyager through NetGalley! This is the second book in the Macabe Brothers series. Callum and Juniper have such a beautiful love story. The writing was beautiful, sometimes I felt like I was in the Isle of Skye myself and I’ve never been. I loved this story so much. The two main characters each struggle with different baggage. Callum and Junipers’ banter was my favorite I’ve ever read! Callums’ dedication to Juniper was so beautiful. The spice was amazing! This is a must read series.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I had really high expectations for this one. Elliot Fletcher absolutely smashed it!

“Falling in love with Juniper Ross felt like stepping into oncoming traffic.” With a first line like this, I was hooked from the very first moment.
Scotch on the Rocks is a golden retriever x black cat (with an actual black cat!) romance with top notch banter.

Callum Macabe and Juniper Ross first met when Juniper was in a relationship with Callum’s younger brother. And for Callum, it was love at first sight. We start off with their past interactions that have led them to where they are today. The chemistry between these two is off the charts, their interactions were everything to me. The slow-burn kept me on my toes, Callum does so much yearning and he is absolutely down bad for Juniper. And when they finally get together, whew!

This is an instant favorite for me!

Scotch on the Rocks releases this June/July depending on your location. If you can’t wait that long, you can start reading Callum’s brother’s story in Whisky Business.

There are some books you never want to end. I could have spent months with Callum and June and it still wouldn’t have been enough. While WB was a more heart wrenching story, SOTR was addictive. Elliot has such a beautiful way with words, I find myself reading pages twice just to absorb as much of the book as I can.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely fell in love with Mal and April in Whiskey Business and was so excited when I learned Callum and Juniper would be the MMC and FMC in Scotch on the Rocks.

Callum was down so bad for Juniper from the moment he set eyes on her, and I love a man who pines. She made him work for her affections and once he had them he refused to rush the physical aspects of their relationship even though he’d been waiting for her for years. He really saw her, and she really saw them, and that was beautiful.

I think, for me, I just don’t love the “pull her hair on the playground because he likes her” vibe he was giving early on. I get it - it was a product of pent up tension and feelings and confusion over their first encounter after her engagement ended. But it’s just not my personal preference.

Scotch on the Rocks has the potential to be just as fantastic as Whiskey Business, but it didn’t quite get there for me. Yet. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the published edition later this year.

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!!!