This audio book was a pure delight! Having visited several of the locales described in the book, I was magically transported back to my wonderful holiday in Scotland. I was cheering for both of the main characters throughout the book. While second chance romances are not always my favorites, both main characters were richly drawn and likeable. I was cheering for them all along the way!

I will continue recommending this book to customers who are looking for a great romance with a chance for some armchair travel.

I'm a sucker for any Scotland based story. 🤗
Thank you Alexandra Kiley and NetGalley For sending me a copy of the audiobook for review.

I didn't realize this was the second in a series (and immediately went to check out the first upon completion). I can see where there was a slight crossover, but not enough that it took away from the enjoyment of this book.

I spent the majority of my childhood as a girl scout, and out of doors is so near and dear to my heart. I felt like I was living a dream reading this book. The FMC and MMC hiked a historic trail through Scotland the beautiful natural landscape of Scotland, documenting through prose and photographs for an upcoming book. The nod to Avon Skin So Soft being the only solution to Ward off fighting insects had me chuckling, because it is absolute truth!

Of course the 2 have history, meeting and falling for one another when she was an American student running to Scotland for a new life, and he was a TA in one of her classes. Of course things get complicated, and life begrudgingly since then in two different directions.

Watching them try to get back what they lost, and get back on the paths towards what they were actually dreaming of back in college is heartwarming.

I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook, with this. spoon-worthy Scottish accents. 😉

Loved this audio, the Scottish brogue is music to my ears. This second chance romance was an emotional read. Jack and Brooke met at University in Edinburgh and had a secret romance since he was a teacher assistant in the same program. With an erupt breakup, they have not seen each other in over seven years. Now Brooke is back in Edinburgh to help write her beloved mentor's memoir who happens to be Jack's aunt. Jack and Brooke will be working on his aunt's memoir together and go on a hiking trail that his aunt discovered. During this hike, they both try to hold back their feelings and hide the fact they are still in love with each other. The dual timeline gives a glimpse of their past.

I am soo sorry to say that this one was just not my cup of tea. It’s clear from reading other reviews this is a me problem, but there were a lot of things that just didn’t work for me. The initial conflict surrounding their breakup was handled so poorly and the miscommunication was hard for me to stand, and a lot of the other problems in their relationship fell into the miscommunication category which really irked me. I also just didn’t really like either of the characters that much. I did however love the setting and the male narrator really brought the story to life with his Scottish accent. Sadly, the female narrator had a very distracting pronunciation of the word ‘against’ which was apparently used 60,000 times throughout the book because I could hardly focus on anything else.

Liked it (rounded up)

Second chance romances are always hit or miss for me. They tend to rely heavily on dual timelines, which I usually enjoy—but in this case, it felt like the reveal of the original breakup was overly drawn out. We find out early on that the relationship was a forbidden one (TA x student), so it’s not exactly a shocking twist. Since it’s a familiar trope, I think the story would’ve benefitted from revealing that upfront so we could dive into the healing, angst, and reconnection sooner.

That said, I really liked the emotional push and pull between Brooke and Jack. Her resistance, his regret and persistence—it was sweet, even when messy. Jack's efforts to fix things often backfired, which made for some great tension, and Brooke’s internal conflict as she starts to thaw was well done. Their chemistry still sparks after all that time, and that simmering angst was definitely the highlight.

The Scottish setting was vivid and immersive. I loved the atmosphere, and the narrators really brought it to life with the accents. The subplot with Mhairi (Jack's aunt and Brooke’s mentor/friend) was a nice break from the romance and added some warmth.

My biggest critique: I wish we got more insight into their individual lives during the seven-year gap. Their bond could’ve used a bit more depth, and a few lingering questions were left unanswered. Still, it was an enjoyable listen and a solid emotional ride.

There were for sure some very swoony moments that I wrote down and took note of:

𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.

"ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ," 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝒶 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈. "ɪ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ."
𝒜 𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒥𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒷. "ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ."

𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒕𝒐𝒐.

Angus King and Savannah Davies are new to me (I believe) and I loved them a lot. They did a great job and I want to listen to more of them.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ALC.

I did not finish at 72% (audio and reading digital) . I was really excited for this book and really enjoyed the first one in the series. But this book just kept going on and not giving me much.
The two POVs and the time switches were too much. The author should have just picked one.
I really liked Jack in the last book so, he was the only reason I hung on for so long. But he and Brooke just weren't clicking. If she was still so upset about what happened all those years ago why was she even thinking about reconciliation.
I was starting to get so annoyed at the characters that the female narrator started bugging me. But I was probably just tired of Brooke. Lol I'm so disappointed.

i really enjoyed this!! i love second chance and this was such a unique take on it. i loved the setting (duh), the academia vibes of some then chapters, and i loveee a self discovery/hike journey with forced proximity!!!!! i just think the dual pov with then/now chapters made the audiobook harder to follow (especially when the then/now happens one after the other with the same POV). i still thoroughly enjoyed this💞🪻

A romance set in Scotland? At the University of Edinburgh no less? Sign me up or so I thought! Jack was too problematic of a hero for me to enjoy this romance. Brooke deserved better.

I hate to say it, but this book was a big disappointment — there was just nothing compelling about the relationship between the two characters that made me want to root for them. The build-up to the betrayal in the past was long and drawn out, and the dual-POV became really tedious when paired with the dual timelines. I wish the author had chosen one narrative structure (either swapping POVs or switching between timelines) instead of cramming both in.

The setting was appealing, but unfortunately that just couldn’t make up for the monotony of the plot. The insta-love at the beginning of the relationship was also kind of cringey, and the couple’s behavior just silly (oh gosh, we just can’t keep our hands off each other for a semester!). Overall, I was really let down by this story, even though I’d been delighted to get the ALC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the chance to listen to this ALC and provide an honest review.

This started very promising, but I couldn't feel anything towards the end.

I loved their meeting, the dual POV, and how the author portrayed the characters' feelings towards each other, life, success, failure, and all. But I felt like the couple from their college/grad school years weren't the same people in the present year. I understand the author wanted to change them to show there was a big time jump and the characters matured during those years but it felt like they were entirely different people.

My biggest problem was not understanding why they got back together. I think their reason for a breakup was very solid, and we never get answers about the years they weren't together. There's a seven-year gap that feels like an ocean distance between the characters, and the little time they spend together wasn't enough for them to forgive each other and get back together.

I felt really disconnected from both main characters and didn't understand them, which made it so hard for me to enjoy the second half of the book. The characters lost their chemistry after that, and I lost interest.

Overall, it is an enjoyable read, but I felt like it had so much more potential than this.

This book made me want to hop on a plane to Scotland and face the Bad Step! Such a fun light hearted romance that was the perfect spring time book!

I don’t know what to say about this book. I listened to 40% of the audiobook and I couldn’t even tell you what I listened to. There was no plot. The narrator wasn’t very engaging but that could be a function of the plot…

I listened to this audiobook of Scot and Bothered and was super enticed by the title, cover, Scottish vibes, dual POV, slow burn, and forced proximity.

Sometimes when I read (in this case listen) to a book - it just gets that middle of the road feeling. This was how this book was for me. It is not a bad read, by any means, but it didn't put me in a chokehold either. The characters are good overall, but sadly they are not taking up rent free space in my brain. The back and forth timeline sometimes fell flat for me and for some reason just didn't love it. Again, this book was not bad and I'm sure if you've been to Scotland or love that second change romance vibe you may actually truly enjoy it!

3.25-3.5⭐

This was a good palette cleaner book!
Sweet story of two people who found each other again after previously trying to make a relationship work at the wrong time.
While it has a bit of a sad premise (pancreatic cancer representation), the story is so sweet.
A second chance romance. Finding yourself and finding love.
Love that the FMC is a writer and the MMC gave me all the cozy teddy bear vibes.
Scottland as the backdrop!
Plot is well written in both places of time. Pace is done well throughout.
Characters are well developed.
Quick read!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Story about second chances; not just in love, but in yourself and following your dreams. Learning that sometimes you just have to take the risk and travel the journey, even if you go a little off course. Listened to the auto book, narrators did well with going between voices. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the chance to listen to this story.

Rating: 4 Stars

Narrators: Angus King and Savannah Davies

I enjoyed this book. It is more Women's Fiction than Romance, but it was still pretty good. It follows an American who is working on becoming a writer and has some hiccups along the way and fell into ghost writing and a Scottish trail photographer. This books jumps back and forth between now and 7 years ago and shows the relationship between Brooke and Jack as they get a second chance while working on Mhairi's Memoir.

The narrators both did really well narrating Scot and Bothered.

Text-
Duel timeline and duel POV

I’m not a huge fan of second chance romance but this has pretty good. The reason they broken up in the past, and that whole scenario, was really frustrating. I felt like it really could have used some groveling.

You get some nice character growth but they probably both could have done with some therapy. I did get a little emotional there at the end with one of the side characters.

I’m not outdoorsy so the hiking/camping aspect didn’t speak to me but the setting was nice. It really makes you want to go to Scotland experience it.

Overall I didn’t hate it but it wasn’t a 5 star read for me. I probably wouldn’t do a re-read but I would read the author again.

Audiobook-
I love when you get two narrators for a duel POV book. You got a bit more acting with them. And the MMC accent was pretty good.

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to it on audio and the two narrators brought this story to life. This story flows between time periods that slowly unravel the relationship between or two main characters. The authors writings transports you to the Scottish highlands making you feel like you are the one on this epic once in a life time adventure.

I loved this audiobook. It did have a slow start for me. I really liked how the narrators made it feel like we were hiking the trails with them in the way they described the scenery and views. It felt almost magical hearing some of the descriptions. I loved the barter between the fmc and mmc as they started to work through some of their past troubles. I love a second chance romance and this was well done. I did keep finding myself wanting more of the now and less of the past at times because I was so caught up in their current story. I see why we needed both views though so as a reader/listener we could have the whole picture which I loved. I also truly enjoyed that not only was this a second chance romance but a journey for both main characters finding out about their own path and what they want from life. Learning and growing as they worked to overcome their issues and hurt from the past was something that is very relatable. I think the narration brought the story to life! I loved getting to see little bits and pieces of characters from Kilt trip as well and seeing more of the family dynamic carrying over from that book. I really enjoyed finally finding out who was the great love of jacks! I do wish that this book would show as book 2 in the series or related to the first book as an interconnected stand alone grouping so that others who may not have read kilt trip can fully enjoy the cross over moments and follow all the brothers stories! Over all I truly enjoyed this audiobook.

I plan on posting a review on Goodreads, and Amazon. as well as TikTok within the next few days!

This was such a good book! I love the second-chance romance and the heartfelt family vibes in the story. I also really liked that the second chance wasn't so dramatic like they sometimes can be. Maybe I am too forgiving, but I hate when a character is trying to make up for a mistake and the other character is not having it. So I really appreciated that the characters didn't have such a dramatic getting back together story. There was the perfect amount of tension. I also loved the dual timeline.