4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed Scotch on the Rocks. Initially on finishing Whisky Business, I didn't know if I really liked Callum, but I'm so glad to be wrong. I loved Callum and June is perfect for him. I loved all of that golden retriever black cat energy.

Their bickering was top-notch, and I loved every second of it. I was worried there would be a love triangle with Alistair, but I needn't have worried, not even a speck of one!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Elliot Fletcher and Avon and Harper Publishing for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is set for publication on July 7, 2025.

A sweetheart of a book with great spice, Scotch on the Rocks isn’t just about the romance. It’s also a tale of family ties and a love letter to the Isle of Skye.

When Juniper Ross’ engagement to Alistair Macabe ended six years ago, she was convinced she was just too much. That she was t worthy of love, and that she was destined for an empty existence.
Enter eldest brother Callum Macabe, who has loved Juniper from the moment he clapped eyes on her (after she’d already been dating his middle brother Alistair) and the book party begins!

Juniper and Callum have what appears to be a caustic relationship, but at its core it is a fiery epic. His golden retriever is the perfect companion to her black cat personality. Told from alternating first-person perspectives between the two, Scotch on the Rocks has a Happy Ever After that is both funny and poignant.

I enjoyed this book tremendously, the banter between the two leads was great and you could feel each personality individually. While the book focused mainly on Juniper and Callum there was just enough information about side characters to make them come to life on the page. This book is a follow-up to the author’s debut, Whisky Business (which I’ve not read - yet) but stands on its own two feet as a one and done romance. The Isle of Skye is a character on its own and I love when the scene for a story plays a role.

If you appreciate a grumpy/sunshine where she’s the grump, if you like for setting to become realized and a part of the story, if you enjoy a book about family with some great spice, Scotch on the Rocks is for you!

My thoughts and opinions are my own, and I’ve been offered no compensation in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

LOVED this. Callum's yearning for Juniper is off the charts- it's so palpable when you read it. The banter was *chef's kiss* perfection. So funny! The story starts out with a bang and doesn't let up. And the steam factor? Phew. High heat.

In lesser hands, Juniper could have come across as such a dark, snarky character, but Fletcher makes you cheer for her all the way. My only complaint: I could have done without Callum calling her "harpy" for what seemed like every other sentence. That started to grate on me quickly; that's minor, and that's just me. You don't have to have read Whisky Business to enjoy Scotch (in fact, I liked that one but didn't love it). Can't wait for Alistair's book!

Scotch On The Rocks - ARC Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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PUB DATE: July 8th
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FEATURES:
-Scottish Romance
-Adult Contemporary Romance
-Opposites Attract
-Black Cat/Golden Retriever Trope
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LIKES:
-Character Growth: Both lead characters had difficult family issues and pasts. They grew in their self awareness, worked through a lot, and learned to love themselves and set healthy boundaries.
-Prickly FMC
-Snarky Banter/Verbal Sparring as Flirting
-Cute Dates and Inside jokes
-Cute Epilogue
-Scottish Island & Small Town Setting
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DISLIKES:
-Insta-Love: Callum fell for Juniper hard after just seeing her through a train window?
-In love with My Brother's Fiancé: Callum was pining for Juniper for years while she was actually dating and engaged to his brother. This whole thread, and then the ensuing jealousy between brothers, fights within the family, and family awkwardness about all of it was just a really strange vibe and I wasn’t feeling it. It felt weird and made for so many uncomfortable moments.
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Thank you @harpercollins and @netgalley for my eARC copy. I was given this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

ARC Review: Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher
Pub Date: July 8, 2025

Thank you to @avonbooks for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First of all - a moment for this cover!!! It will continue to live rent free in my brain forever - I am obsessedddddd.

I thought the tension between Callum and Juniper was just oh so delicious - I loved seeing him break down her walls and her realize that she does in fact deserve to be loved. I of course loved the Scottish setting and it made me miss Scotland (which is a constant state of being for me at this point)

Read this for:
- Black Cat FMC with an actual black cat
- It's always been her/he falls first
- Scotland
- ex fiancee's brother
- She takes charge
- Yearning
- Small town

Trigger warning for: parent with dementia

Wow. I loved this even more than Whiskey Business, and making a second book even better than the first is such a feat! The banter was impeccable, the tension (their secret obsession with each other + the taboo of her being divorced from his brother) was perfectly paced and HOT. Yet the hotness was matched with carefully woven emotional intimacy! The spicy payoff was even more than I had expected. Having visited the Isle of Skye, I found the scenery descriptions immersive and accurate. One of my favorites of the year so far!

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC! Release date is June 8, 2025!

What a lovely romance! Let’s start with Callum—the burly shinty (which I think is like rugby?) playing Vet. He’s Scottish and obsessed—we love a man who pines.

Juniper? Perfection. Her black cat attitude matches perfectly with her *actual* black cat, Shakespeare. They both have a bit of an icy attitude, but it’s from their own self-protective measures rather than actual iciness. I loved watching Juniper’s character development.

Next up, setting. As someone who has never been to Scotland, this makes me yearnnnnn for a visit. I loved the traditions, mannerisms, and locations described in this book that were uniquely Scottish and I appreciate when an author makes the setting come alive.

Next up, plot—there was a good deal going on. Family struggles and trauma on both sides, and, oh yeah, Juniper was previously engaged to Callum’s brother. Yup, you read that right. June & Callum had real life struggles to overcome, which was part of what made this plot so beautiful.

Finally, the connection these two had was truly remarkable. I’d recommend this for romance lovers who are looking for genuine connection between MC’s, a Scottish setting to die for, and unforgettable cast of characters.

Okay so where is my Scottish man? This book was such a good time and my first book by this author! One of my favorite things in a book is the angst that comes along with knowing someone is off limits but wanting them anyway🤭 This one was witty, spicy, angsty, a little bit forbidden, and gave me the perfect amount of wanderlust!! I loved how badass Juniper was and Callum was just so yummy😮‍💨

Juniper Ross’ motto is: Don’t look at a Macabe brother, Don’t talk to a Macabe Brother, Don’t think about a Macabe Brother. Which is easier said than considering Mal Macabe is in love with her best friend, April, and Alistair Macabe is her ex-fiance and the man who broke her heart. However, the Macabe brother Juniper has the hardest time ignoring is Callum Macabe.

Callum fell for Juniper from the very first time he saw her on the train but soon realized why she turned him down when she was later introduced as Alistair’s girlfriend. Even after Juniper and his brother became engaged, Callum couldn’t help but feel a strong pull toward Juniper, although he never acted on it.

A year after Alistair broke their engagement Juniper runs into Callum and they have a near passionate encounter that ends in disaster. This is when Juniper enacts her no Macabe brothers rule. However, she should have known better than to think that Callum would simply give up.

Callum and Juniper appeared to be complete opposites but in many ways they were incredibly similar. Juniper hid her fragile heart behind a tough exterior and Callum hid his heart behind his easy going persona. In each other they finally found love and acceptance in a way neither ever imagined possible.

I loved Callum and Juniper's love story; their nonstop banter, their ability to communicate clearly, the way Juniper secretly loved when Callum called her sweetheart, and the way Callum was all in for Juniper. Scotch on the Rocks was a superb read and I cannot wait for Alistair’s story.

I was waiting so impatiently for the next addition to the Macabe clan!

This book was cute and a bit more unique as far as the main characters meeting!
Callum Macabe, too nice for his own good as the town veteran & veterinarian.
Juniper Ross, a black cat who is trying her best to overcome her lack of acceptance to love.

They make a perfect duo and Elliot Fletcher writes this couple perfectly.

The slow burn was definitely slowly burning but picks up quicker in the second half. My favorite parts of this book were mostly the banter and roast to romance ratio between June & Callum!

Not entirely my vibe but i loved the darama and the banter (and the YEARNING!!) - this was super cute! I need a Macabe brother of my own now!! (especially since I'm Scottish so I felt drawn towards this book). Will be picking up the first in the series as well!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!

Synopsis: After a chance meeting on a train, Callum realizes that the woman he feels an instant connection with is his brother’s fiancée, Juniper. Years later, long after Alistair and Juniper’s engagement has ended, they all find themselves reunited in their hometown. When Cal offers to help Juniper in renovating her family’s inn, they are reluctantly thrown together for a second chance at romance.

This story starts out with a bang but the tension is quickly dialed back, partly because of their their black-cat/golden-retriever dynamic. The first few chapters were slightly jarring to me for that reason, but I quickly found a rhythm and felt the rest of the book to be more evenly paced. There’s plenty of open-door spice in this book! The witty banter keeps the tone of the story playful and light, but Cal and Juniper's backstories give a lot of added depth to the narrative. Callum, a war veteran turned veterinarian who has to support his ailing parents, and Juniper, an adoptee grappling with abandonment issues, were both engaging and well-developed characters. Just like in Whiskey Business, I thoroughly enjoyed all the Scottish culture and geography scattered throughout the story, along with the return of April and Mal from the first book! My biggest pet peeve is that the Macabe brothers are Mal, Cal, and Al... and I hope the author skips Alastair’s story because he seems like the worst. I’m not sure that the complicated history or ex-fiancées older brother trope is for me, but I still really enjoyed the writing! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

I had a fun time reading this. The tension between Callum and Juniper is INSANE. And the PINING. The YEARNING. Next level.

The perfect read for those who love:
- Brother's ex-finance
- Acts of service as a love language
- A black cat FMC
- A golden retriever MMC
- Banter for days
- Spice where she's in charge
- Small town
- Set in Scotland (Isle of Skye)
- Tension so thick it explodes
- Forbidden, but they don't want to keep it a secret

I only rated it 4 stars because I found the first few chapters a bit jarring, and I was left a tad confused about what was happening. And I would have loved to know more about Callum and June's history, as it would have made my connection with them stronger.

A great read that I highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

First I love black cat x golden retriever relationships, and I loved this one of Juniper and Callum. And loved the location of Scotland. I have not read the first book, Whiskey Business, but now I want to go read that one.

Absolutely loved this book! I loved how much he loved her from the beginning. I enjoyed the relationship they had, even when they were “enemies”. The tension was real there. Also I think that the time between the ending with one brother to this relationship was appropriate, because it can be iffy sometimes for me. I could relate to caring for a family member with dementia, so I appreciated that one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a great read. After a chance meeting on a train, Callum was instantly attracted to Juniper. He was drawn to her and had to get to know her. Juniper was prickly and snarky and Callum was hooked! Unfortunately, Juniper turned out to be his brother’s fiancee and was on the train to meet his family. Queue awkward family encounter that was pretty hilarious.

Fast forward to years later and they unexpectedly run into each other where they agree to work together restoring her family’s inn and wow the banter and sparks are there. The tension is slow but just sizzling below the surface. Callum is breaking down her walls and wants in. He wants her to know that he is the man for her and will do whatever it takes to make that happen.

I love the setting in small town Scotland. Juniper is the black cat with abandonment issues and Callum is the golden retriever, war hero turned veterinarian that becomes a little obsessed, but knows what he wants.

This book made me miss Scotland and isle of skye soooooo much. I really loved the characters and relationships, but the sibling’s ex lover trope rubs me the wrong way. It was handled pretty well in this book as the conflict wasn’t like insane and there was no cheating or overlap but it still gave me the ick a little.

There were also a few repeated phrases that popped up too many times in the book like people’s gaze flicking between another persons eyes happened at least four times.

I happened upon the first Macabe Brothers book (Whisky Business) on Kindle Unlimited last year, and I really loved it and was super annoyed to have to wait for the next one to come out this summer. NetGalley to the rescue! This book had me from the first page - Callum Macabe falls in love at first sight with Juniper Ross on a train 8 years prior to the start of the events of this story, only to find out that she's his younger brother's girlfriend. A few years later she's single and runs into Callum in a bar and they almost act on their attraction, but Callum can't stand to be a substitute for his brother when he's still in love with Juniper. And now, in the present, they're sworn enemies on the tiny Scottish island they're both from. Juniper is struggling to help her adoptive mother run the inn that she once managed along with her now deceased husband (Juniper's adoptive father), and Callum is the local vet who is stretching himself thin caring for his father (who has early onset dementia), working, and trying to deal with his inconvenient feelings for Juniper. I loved the spark between the two of them - I think that enemies to lovers relationships can be a little too intense, bordering on toxic, but these two really seemed to get enjoyment from their friction (I found their fight to get the last cookies from the town bakery to be especially funny) as a bit of a break from the things that are so out of their control. Also, with a vet as a main character there are so many delightful furry friends in this. Content warnings for death of a parent (off page), serious illness of a parent (on page), and some on page violence.

I highly enjoyed this book! I did not read the first in the series but that made no difference. The author covered a few heavy topics with grace. I do have a weakness for a man who pines so that tips heavily in this book's favor! I also enjoyed the lighthearted back and forth between the main characters. I look forward to reading the first book now and will keep an eye out for the next in the series.

Scotch On The Rocks is a classic I-fell-in-love-with-my-sibling's-significant-other book. I seem to be on a messy-book jag as this is the second book this month that I picked up with this theme. I'm not complaining!

Scotch On The Rocks features super nice guy Callum and prickly cold Juniper. Their romance takes years to simmer, and this book follows it through the boil.

Fletcher does a great job dealing with heavy topics like child abandonment and parental caretaking while also making the story sexy and entertaining.

I read this book out of order so now I have the treat if reading the first one in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this book.

This might be my favorite romance this year! Callum’s sweet and steady pining juxtaposed Junipers black cat I can do it myself energy was the perfect balance. The banter and spice reminded me of Tessa Bailey but it felt like it had the heart of an Abby Jimenez. With it being so reminiscent of Abby’s most recent books I felt like it still held its own, and Scotch on the rocks was still very much a romance first and foremost with the family aspects being important but not overtaking the story. I ALSO think she set up Alastair’s book so well… I did not think I’d be excited for his story but now I am so ready.