Really enjoyed this slow-burn romance with a touch of angst, great banter, and characters with real chemistry. Juniper and Callum’s story unfolds over several years, with near-misses, complicated timing, and a long-standing connection that never quite fades.

They first meet on a train—there’s an instant spark—but Juniper has a boyfriend… who turns out to be Callum’s brother. Years later, they cross paths again at a hotel in Glasgow and nearly fall into something more, but Callum walks away. Fast forward five years, and they’re both living in the same small town, where that unresolved attraction is still simmering just beneath the surface.

Callum’s persistence really stood out for me. He’s patient, grounded, and completely drawn to Juniper, even when she’s keeping him at arm’s length with her sharp wit and guarded energy. He takes her stubbornness in stride and never pushes too hard—but he also doesn’t walk away. As he helps her with repairs on her struggling inn, the walls she’s built start to come down, and her long-standing rule about never getting involved with a McCabe brother starts to crack.

I appreciated that their relationship wasn’t easy—it felt earned. There’s tension, hesitation, and emotional baggage, but also genuine growth and connection. If you enjoy stories about long-term attraction, emotional vulnerability, and second (or third) chances, this one is worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

Scotch on the Rocks is a small-town romance featuring a MMC and FMC who have felt a long-time connection to one another. However, they tell themselves that they are “off limits” to one another because she is his brother’s girlfriend/fiancée/ex-fiancée. In addition to the main romance plot, both MCs have side storylines related to their relationships with family. This book is the second in The Macabre Brothers series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I read the first book in this series, Whiskey Business, and I think I enjoyed the latest book just a bit more. I tend to enjoy series in general, because I enjoy getting to know the supporting characters and seeing the MCs from previous books appear in subsequent stories. April and Mal from WB are significant supporting characters in this book.

I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and enjoyed that the book didn’t only focus on the main storyline. The storylines involving their families made the story richer. The slow burn was a little slow for me at times, but overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Elliot Fletcher for the digital ARC. This was my second read by this author.

Tropes: small town, forbidden romance, sibling’s ex, slow burn, he falls first/man obsessed, grumpy FMC/sunshine MMC
Rating: 4.0/5
Spice: 3/5

📖Callum has always had a thing for Juniper. Ever since the first time he laid eyes on her… The only problem? She was his brother’s girlfriend.

Years later, with a broken engagement behind her, Juniper is ready to make her mark on the family hotel. Ivy House needs upgrades and a fresh new look—and what better time to start than while her mom’s out of town? But when plumbing issues throw a wrench in her plans, guess who shows up to help? Callum. Golden boy. Her ex-fiancé’s brother. The one who drives her absolutely mad.

📝Scotch on the Rocks was such a fun read! I loved the tension between Callum (our MMC) and Juniper. Their dynamic felt like a golden retriever/black cat pairing, and I was so here for it. The banter had me smiling the whole time, and their chemistry was off the charts.
We all know I’m a sucker for a good slow burn, and this one definitely delivered. I was a little hesitant about the whole “brother of the ex” setup, but it was handled so well—it honestly made the story more compelling. I even liked it better than book one, Whiskey Business.
I CAN’T WAIT for Allister’s story!!!

4.5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:

I’m a sucker for a story set in Scotland and this one certainly hit the spot! The forbidden love of a girl and her ex-fiancé’s brother is spicy and fun to read about. Sneaking around and playful banter filled the pages, making it an easy read. Even without reading the first book, I was able to follow along! Interconnected standalones are becoming a personal favorite, so I was thankful this book fit the bill. I have already pre-ordered LitjoyCrate’s SE of book one and two so I’m thrilled to have physical copies of this series!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free e-arc!

Slow burn Love Story

Juniper Ross (MFC) “Harpy” is a single 30 y.o. With a degree in journalism and is currently in the Isle of Skye, her hometown, to help her adoptive mum with their family Inn, the Ivy House Inn.

Callum Macabe (MMC) is the oldest of the Macabe children, he’s a veterinarian on the Isle of Skye and has been in love with Juniper since he very first met her at the train station years ago, only to find out that she was his younger brother, Alistair’s, girlfriend.

Callum & Juniper relationship is complicated, the fact that she is his brother’s ex-fiancé and still has the engagement ring on her shelf and that about a year or so after splitting up, Callum & her almost spent the night together in Glasgow.
Now Callum wants his chance with Juniper and he’s pushing her out of her comfort zone, slowly taking her on dates in exchange for him making repairs at her family’s Inn.

Slow burn, open door romance with a HEA

Elliot Fletcher delivers fun and steamy Scottish romance in Scotch on the Rocks. This book is a perfect blend of "years of pining" and all the rom-com tropes I adore, featuring a grumpy heroine and a sunshine hero you'll love.

Plot Overview:
Juniper Ross has a strict "no Macabe brothers" rule, especially since one is her ex-fiancé and another is dating her best friend. But when super-hot, small-town hero Callum Macabe keeps popping up exactly when she's at her most vulnerable, Juniper finds it harder and harder to resist the undeniable pull towards breaking all her own rules.

My Thoughts:
Oh my goodness, the pining in this book was EVERYTHING! Those "I remember everything you say" moments just absolutely melted my heart. And Callum? I wanted to shake him so many times with his "yes" man attitude – he had so much on his plate, I just wanted him to take care of himself before burning out. Thankfully, Juniper was right there to push him to do things for himself, which I loved.

Speaking of Juniper, I adored her grumpy, keep-everyone-at-arm's-length vibe. Her constant, totally valid worry about people leaving her felt incredibly real, given her past. The witty banter between these two was top-notch, and the devil cat and mischievous cows added such a fun, quirky charm to the whole story. This book truly gave me all the tropes and feelings I crave in a rom-com!

Tropes & Kinks:
*🖤 Black Cat (Grumpy FMC)
*☀️ He's a Sunshine Vet
*🏡 Small Town (Island)
*⏳ YEARS of Pining
*🥰 He Falls First
*🤫 Ex-Fiancé's Brother
*😈 She Likes to Control Things in Bed
*⛓️ Light Bondage
*🔥 Edging
*👩‍❤️‍👨 Best Friend's Brother / Sister's Best Friend
*🏘️ Neighbors (Forced Proximity)
*❤️ It's Always Been You
*🐄 Farm Animals Causing Drama
*🕰️ Age Gap

Representation:
*Adopted FMC
*MMC Caretaking of a Parent (Alzheimer's)

Final Thoughts:
Scotch on the Rocks is the perfect blend of heartwarming emotion and laugh-out-loud moments. If you love a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, years of delicious pining, and a hero who just melts for his girl (even when she's not actually his), you absolutely need to pick this one up! It's a blast.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 | Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

Thanks to NetGalley for the free book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A man obsessed?? Say less!

This was a lovely book that effortlessly weaved heavy issues with light-hearted moments of romance.
I was hesitant to read this book because, although I enjoyed the first book in the series (and rated it three stars), it didn't leave me eager to read the rest of the series. That said, I adored this book and I will definitely be reaching for the eventual third book (Alfie's story perhaps?).

I especially loved the character of Callum (MMC) as he was so down bad for Juniper (FMC)! He had been pining over her for years and absolutely jumped on every opportunity he had to take care of her. Even with him being this 'down bad' for her ... he certainly didn't skimp out on the banter!

My only (minor) critique is that it felt a little bit slow at times, particularly toward the middle of the book, and the ending scenes came at you very hard and fast.

Overall, this is the ideal book to reach for when you want a good mix of spice, banter, and romance while still navigating the complexities in life.

Tropes:
- Ex's brother
- Small (Scottish) town
- Banter !!
- Forced proximity
- Pining
- Irritation to love
- A man obsessed
- Secret crush
- 4 spice

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was spicy, fun and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and will continue to look for more books by this author.

thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley for this ARC!! I don’t think I’ll ever recover from Juniper and Callum. Definite 5 star read!! The pining! The banter! The tension! The tenderness! The attention! The passion! The male YEARNING! I could go on and onnnn. Elliot Fletcher really put her whole heart into this one and broke mine a little in the process. They just don’t make men like Callum out here in America…

Fun hate to love, slightly forbidden romance. Love the setting and the banter between the main characters. Loved seeing the characters from Whisky Business so much too.

4.5 stars

Spicy and full of some of my fav tropes: slightly forbidden, grumpy FMC, he falls first, he's nice to everyone but her. The banter was top tier and I loved seeing that in the first book so having a whole book of it was great. Callum's complete and utter gone-ness (not a word but you get it) for Juniper, a dream. And I really enjoyed that they never made the ex-fiance/Callum's brother out to be a shitty person, yet he had a very natural reaction to the situation. I genuinely can't wait till Alistair's book for this reason.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

“𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥, 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬.”

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC and ALC!

This book was so very close to a slam dunk for me. The male narrator was superb but the female narrator fell a little flat to me. So much so that I almost recommend this be read with just your eyes, which I almost NEVER do.

That said, the story is lovely and spicy and the YEARNING. Imagine thinking you've met the woman of your dreams only to find out she's dating your brother. Then engaged.... and then they have a messy breakup and you wait YEARS to shoot your shot.

Callum my love is the ultimate good boy. Veterinarian, golden retriever personality, helps everyone around town, ultra dependable, but no one looks after HIM. And he falls for his brother's ex who is a black cat character if there ever was one. I LOVE Juniper. I love that she's got edges and she wont apologize for them. These too love to fight. Snarking at each other is fore play. And it's hot.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞.” 𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤. “𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭.”
“𝐁𝐮𝐭 . . . 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞.”

And my friends, Juniper is my kind of lady. In control in bedroom, and she makes this man get on his knees multiple times.

“𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬.” 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝–𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐝 𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬.
“𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲, 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐲?” 𝐈 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞-𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭.
“𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.”

And Callum.... *wheezes*

“𝐎𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠.” 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬. “𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.”

I love that Callum never expected Juniper to change for him. He never wanted her to be nice, he never needed her to be soft. He wants her edges. He WANTS her bite. He's perfect.

Obviously there are other things at play here. It's a big family and not everyone is going to be happy with these two getting together, but there are some lovely heart warming moments and some things I hope work themselves out in later books.

I will say, despite the bedroom submission of Callum, she NEVER called him a good boy, and I just feel a little robbed by that. It was a missed opportunity that likely only I noticed. :P

Really loving this series and excited to see how it continues!

4 ⭐️

I adore this book! ☺️🫶🏽
Callum was so down bad for Juniper 🫦 all I kept thinking about was that tik tok trend “you better drop to your knees if you want it” 🤣 he didn’t hesitate to get on his knees for her 🤭
Juniper is HOT 🫦 why was I blushing when she told this man to get on his knees like ma’am I’ll get on my knees for you too 🧎🏽‍♀️
Juniper ahhh my baby 😭 I felt for her so much! Her story just tugged on my heartstrings! She was just so misunderstood I hate everyone for being mean to her she was just tryna protect herself 😭🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
I loved their connection and how he just understood Juniper and loved her for her, unlike other people in their town.
One thing I got to say is I was so annoyed with how Callum was so cocky in the beginning 😭 that’s probably just a personal preference cause I hate when a man is overly cocky & arrogant in a way 😭 but I did like their banter! It got better once they started getting more closer!

I love this series so far because the Scotland vibes are just so amazing! I visited Scotland in 2023 (where I read the first book in this series Whisky Business) and loved it! So as I’m reading this book I can just picture the vibes and places she mentions! 💚

Rating: 4.5/5
I often look for romance stories with a Golden Retriever MMC who is a “freak-in-the-sheets.” Something appeals to this type of character, especially when matched with a “Black Cat” FMC. Elliot Fletcher’s Scotch on the Rocks has the characters down and adds a bit of a forbidden element.

Juniper and Callum have a 9-year age gap; she is his brother’s ex-fiancée. I love a messy romance story, too! Did I mention that Callum has a Scottish accent? The banter between Juniper and Callum is great! Even better with the audiobook narration performed by Russ Bain and Rebecca McClay.

Scotch on the Rocks has all those feel-good moments throughout the story, and the dialogue between the two characters was on point, not to mention the spice. Callum knows just what to say during those steamy scenes.

Scotch on the Rocks is the second book in The Macabe Brothers series and can be read standalone. I had no problem following it; however, I enjoyed Book 2 so much that I want to read about Malcom and April’s story.

This was my first book by Elliot Fletcher and I’m officially obsessed! I don’t know what she put in this book, but the characters and story consumed me in the best way possible. I had the opportunity to receive the book and audiobook and the narrators really made the story and characters come to life for me! 💕

If there was a book to describe the emotion and utter rawness of the song Silver Springs, this book is definitely it! Black cat and golden retriever energy, that has some of the best banter I’ve ever read. When I tell you this man Callum is obsessed, I mean, the man has been pining for Juniper for 8 years!!!

The whole vibe of this book was perfection and it gave me all the feels! Small town Scottish island, Juniper works at the local Inn, Callum is a vet, and he’s her exes brother. I need to book my trip to Scotland asap, because it truly made me feel as if I were really there!

There were so many teasing moments, (thank you @elliotfletcherwrites for the incredible edging 😂) that when the moment finally happened, I was screaming! The way Juniper took charge and Callum willingly submitted to her every demand had me in a chokehold!🔥

As you can tell, I loved this book and I think everyone should go and read/ listen to this with Fleetwood Mac on repeat! Incredible banter, tension, pining, and spice. Scotch On the Rocks is available now!

Thank you to Avon Books, Harper Voyager, Harper Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC. I will immediately be going back to read Whiskey Business and patiently waiting for Alistair’s book! ❤️

This book was full of so much heart and sass I loved it! I love a brother's ex and a black cat/golden retriever to boot! Made for me. I was a huge fan of Whisky Business when it came out and the second I knew about this one I knew it was going to be a hit for me. It was just a slow burn enough, while giving us a first taste of their chemistry at the very beginning. Really enjoyed this!!

This book will be special to me for many reasons but one of them is because it pulled my out of a slump I had been for a bit.

I came into the book expecting some steam, angst, and lots of tension. This is a ex-fiancé older brother romance and DAMNNNN, did I stay for the drama of it all!

Callum is the town’s charming golden boy (veterinarian who is absolutely the best with animals) with a sad boy interior who has been in love with Juniper, his brother’s ex-fiancé from the moment he met her on the train 👀

He’s WHIPPED from the beginning y’all. Truly was obsessed with how much he loved Juniper and despite his feelings always prioritized what Juniper wanted. He didn’t want to be a distraction but wanted to be the ONE and he in fact was 🤭

Juniper is a fabulous black cat girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She doesn’t let anyone in nor does she intend to EVER. #abandomentissuesgirlie. (She also owns the cutest black cat) She could also step on me easily as she is a tall girl!

Hate to love will never bore me and this book is a great reminder as to why! The slow realization that feelings are quite NOT hateful always creates a giggling moment for me. Flirty banter?? CHECK, Sexual Chemistry?? CHECK, and Opposites attract?? Double check!!

This story takes place in a small town in Scotland 🙂‍↕️

You guys are in for a treat! Thank you Avon for the E-Arc ❤️

I was excited to receive this book as an arc, because I love a forbidden romance. Specifically, brother's ex and/or ex's brother is one of my favorite tropes and that's exactly what this book is! I felt like I could really see myself a lot in Juniper. I wasn't adopted like she was, but I understand the feeling of always waiting for the other shoe to drop and to expect people to just grow tired of you after a while.

This would have been a five star read for me, but the book started out a bit slow in my opinion and the ending also wasn't my favorite. I'm sure that Alistair will get his own book that really talks about what happened between him and Juniper, but I was hoping we would get that flashback in this book, since a lot of the plot of this book was around that breakup after her father died.

Overall though, this was an enjoyable book and I hope to continue to read more in the series! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the arc!

thank you so much for the chance to read this early. this is a fantastic series and i cannot wait to read more.

I didn’t love this as much as I thought I would. The characters could have been more fleshed out and I feel like the dialogue was choppy and sort of rushed. It was okay but it was too “cringe” for me. 2.5 stars.