This is a fun, entertaining read. I enjoyed the romance ant the path it took to get to their HEA. Callum and June are fun to spend time. The family and friends aspects added to the characters and the overall story. The various characters – both human and animal – brought something special to the book. The story is easy to read and get into.

I enjoyed the audio version of this book and the narrators.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I LOVED THIS AUDIOBOOK!!! 4 stars!
It has everything you could want out of a romance book: emotionally mature older man and a quirky independent girl! Like, sign me up!
This is dual narration and both the voice actors were amazing, them having the same accent as the characters was a major bonus.
Callum is so completely in love with Juniper and never once wavers in his commitment and feelings for her. He knows how he feels about her and allows her the time she needs to realize her feelings towards him. He allows her to stay her independent self while also being there for her so that she know she doesn't have to do everything alone. Her loves that she is different from everyone else in their small little village, even though this is something they habitually make fun of her for.
Juniper loves to wear black, runs her family's inn and gives zero shits (or at least that's what she would like for you to believe). I loved her character so much and it was refreshing to read about a non stereotypical FMC.
I really enjoyed the pacing of this book and couldn't stop listening to it, I finished it in less than 24 hours. This is the second book in an interconnected standalone series and can be read independently of the first book in the series (Whisky Business).
Tropes:
-Brother's ex
-age gap
-sunshine x black cat
-small town
-second chance romance
Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the Arc of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book. Ex's brother is a trope I haven't read much of and WOW did it work for me here. The tension was amazing, both characters had the perfect amount of attraction/longing vs thinking they shouldn't do it, and the whole setup was adorable. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more by Elliot Fletcher. I also really really liked both of the narrators!

Gotta love a hero who's down bad for a woman. The way that Callum pined for Juniper was everything. Unfortunately, she's his brother's ex, which adds a bit of an ick factor. It also causes Callum to stay away, so it takes a long time for them to get together, a very long time, like another couple could have had a kid and sent that kid off to kindergarten. I'm not sure that Juniper was worth the wait. She could have been developed a little more along with her backstory, but I loved Callum, so whatever he wants goes. Read for his HEA.

The narrators did a fantastic job. The female narrator was a little slow, so I sped her part up. Also, there were awkwardly long silences between chapters that could have been shortened. They brought the story to life though.

This was a fun book, and I look forward to reading other titles by Elliot Fletcher.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
🐈‍⬛ x 🥮

This was … okay. It would probably work better for other readers better than it did for me. I did an audio read so I’ll review the narration and story separately.

Juniper has learned her whole life how she’s unwanted - years in foster care, abandoned abruptly by her fiancé- and her entire personality is black cat. Maybe she doesn’t realize that the cat she adopted named Shakespeare is exactly her? Doesn’t see that she’s worthy, unwilling to trust anyone or let anyone in and bites back at anyone who shows her kindness?

Callum Macabe has loved her for years, but put his feelings aside when his brother claimed her. Honestly, his POV was the only bright spot for me. He shows a lot of self-deprecating humor and there were a few laugh out loud moments.

Their entire relationship seemed to be based on sex, especially for June. I didn’t feel the chemistry. There was a whole lot of “tell me” instead of “show me”.

Narration - both narrators did a great job with the material they were given. Unfortunately, June’s narrator doesn’t have much in the material besides “prickly”. Callum’s narrator did a fantastic job at portraying the self-awareness and humor that the character demonstrated.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC and ALC. All opinions are my own.

LOVED THIS. Ex’s brother? Yes please. This was sweet as well with all the family dynamics to work through. Callum and Juniper were so good together and complement each other so well.

The narrators are too tier!

I read this via audio and it was perfection. The accents were fantastic. I normally listen to audiobooks at 1.75 but had to slow it down to 1.5 to understand the dialect best.

I haven’t loved an FMC this much in a very long while, she was so delicately sad and I just wanted to hug her.

The snark was top tier and nicknames top shelf!

I cannot wait for another installment of the McCabe siblings love stories.

This is a cute romantic comedy. I had the please of listening to this on audiobook. The narrators, Russ Bain and Rebecca McClay, were fantastic. I absolutely adore their accents. I will say that I had to slow the speed down to fully appreciate the book.

Juniper was engaged Cal’s brother. Cal has had feelings for June since he first met her on the train. This was before he knew she was his brother’s girlfriend. Many years have passed and there is tension between the two. What will happen if they were to give in?

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult for the advanced audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute read and my first by the author. I enjoyed the small town vibes, Scottish setting and men. The chemistry between Callum and Juniper was off the charts. Spicy and fun. Fletcher starts the story seven years in the past and then moves to the present as the story develops the characters banter increases and I really enjoyed the banter back and forth. We meet Juniper and Callum in book one, getting a feel for their personalities. Callum the cheeky, fun loving Macabe brother seemed so carefree but in this book we get to see all his feelings laid bare. I am such a sucker for a male pov, especially when he falls first, and hard. Juniper is a guarded character. I felt instantly drawn to her though. I loved the slow unfolding of her character, as we get to see behind the walls she's built. The connection and trust growing between her and Callum was perfectly done. Their chemistry and banter was hilarious. I loved their verbal sparing matches. This is another great small town romance with plenty of tension, conflict, romance and spice. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

Thanks to HarperAudio Adult and NetGalley for the advance listener copy of Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher!

I absolutely loved this book! The setting was rich and cozy, and the characters were lovable. It was such a treat to return to this world and catch up with Mal and April from the first book. The story of Callum and June completely stole my heart.

Callum is the ultimate soft-hearted romantic—he’s been quietly supporting June behind the scenes for years, ever since falling for her at first sight, even though she was engaged to his brother at the time. His devotion was swoon-worthy, and watching him patiently break down June’s walls was deeply satisfying.

June was initially hard to connect with—guarded and mistrustful—but as her past unfolded, her actions made perfect sense. Her abandonment issues and past heartbreak shaped her into someone who believed she was unworthy of love. The emotional journey she goes on is raw and real, and the way Callum helps her realize her worth was beautifully done.

Their enemies-to-lovers banter added humor and spark, and the payoff was truly rewarding. The supporting characters added depth, and the rekindling of friendships and healing of old wounds made the story even richer.

As for the audiobook, both narrators brought the story to life well. The male narrator nailed the male voices but struggled with the female ones, while the female narrator did the reverse. Still, their combined performance was engaging overall.

This is a heartfelt, slow-burn romance full of humor, healing, and love. I can’t wait to read more from this series!

I was really excited to read this book after reading the first in the series, Whiskey Business. I enjoyed the narrators for both characters and thought the pacing was really nice.
While not needed to appreciate the story, I liked that I had read the first book as I already met Callum and June, and liked them separately in the first book.
I thought this story did an excellent job of going through family struggles, dealing with loss and finding who you are with someone else. I appreciated the banter, the buildup to friendship. Sometimes enemies to lovers have the main characters being unlikely enemies but this book really made you feel how much June didn't want to like Callum and I appreciated her ability to make the reader feel their tension.

I absolutely adored this book. The FMC and MMC have known each other for years. His brother is her ex. Need I say more? Probably not but I will. For starters they can’t stand one another. At least that’s what they each believe. The sort was well written and narrated perfectly. This is the first book I’ve listened to by this author but their name is now all over my search engine. What a fantastic listen. 4.75 ⭐️

Okay I liked this book so much more than I expected!! I hadn’t read the first but didn’t feel confused or lost at all, and now will definitely be reading the first! The characters were really loveable but nuanced and I am a sucker for a guy pining. The narrators were so perfect and matched the characters really well. Also obsessed with the accents. Overall a really fun and cute read with some some beautiful messages. I loved!!

4.5 stars.

I loved "Scotch on the Rocks" by Elliot Fletcher! I was all in from page one on this brother's ex-girlfriend, age-gap, he falls first, small-town Scottish romance. Talk about a tension-and-yearning-filled romance! My goodness, the yearning between Juniper and Callum jumped out in every sentence on every page! The one thing I love about Fletcher's writing is that she seamlessly melds serious, well-thought-out issues, witty banter, and Scottish hallmarks with ease. These are two characters with a tremendous amount of backstory and depth. Juniper is a foster kid, and every single interaction she has with anyone, including friends, is an arms-length one. She learned from a very young age (erroneously!) that people don't stay and that people don't stay long enough to love her. Her abandonment issues run deep, and it has made her prickly. She leads with her claws drawn, but is actually a huge softie once you get to know her. Callum has loved Juniper for years from afar because, as it turns out, she was his brother Alistair's girlfriend when they first met. After Alistair broke Juniper's heart and ended their engagement, Callum bided his time and stayed in love with Juniper for years until it was clear she didn't only want him for revenge. Callum has his own baggage, including some trauma from his time in the military, a father with alzheimer's disease, and a penchant for being way too helpful in their small town/running himself thin. These characters display tremendous amounts of growth throughout the course of this story. I just love their character arc! Juniper and Cal's relationship is slow to unfold, but my god, it's worth the wait. The depth, the spice, the anguish, the scandal. Russ Bain and Rebecca McClay do a spectacular job narrating this story. I LOVE Russ's accent, and I think it is perfect for this book. Absolutely perfect dual narration, if a little fast-paced. I also loved getting another glimpse at April and Mal and where their lives are now, and I have a hunch we'll be getting a book with Alistair in no time! I love this book, and I highly suggest you read it as soon as possible! I *love* the Skye universe, and I know you will, too. Though it is an interconnected standalone novel, I highly recommend reading "Whisky Business" first!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elliot Fletcher, HarperAudio Adult, and HarperAudio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This is a:
Black cat/Golden Retriever
Age Gap
Scottish
He falls first and harder
Brothers Ex
Small Town
Romcom goodness that had me wanting to devour it in one sitting…and I would have if did not have adult responsibilities. Callum is a vet..both means he is a veteran and a veterinarian. She, Juniper runs an inn that needs work. He helps her of course.
I loved them so much. I loved the banter, I loved how much he falls for her. The spice was great. And the character development was well thoughts out and executed.
The audiobook…now sometimes I am not a huge fan of accents with my audios becuase I speed them up. I speed them up fast at times as my brain doesn’t like slow speaking speeds. BUT this one works really well speed up with the Scottish accent! They were easy to understand. The dual style was great and I thought the book was well produced!

Thank you to HarperAudio for the complimentary listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Audio Narration: 4/5 Enjoyable listen. Solid on inflection & pausing. Definitely one you need to speed up, it sounds a little slow at 1x. My biggest complaint in the character voice variations within each POV. There isn’t much change and it can sometimes make it hard to distinguish who’s who.

THIS is how you start a book!

I love when a book starts with a bang and boy does this one.

I read Whisky Business last year and had such a good time with it I knew I needed to jump on this one! It did not disappoint and dare I say, the author has stepped up her craft! This is one you won’t want to miss!

What’s to love…
- black cat FMC + Golden retriever MMC (reverse grumpy/sunshine)
- He’s is down BAD for her
- forbidden romance (ex-fiancee’s brother)
- age-gap (9 years)
- A++++ banter and tension
- well-developed characters (and a side of trauma, and healing)
- Isle of Sky (small-town) Scotland setting
- dual POV (so we get to see how much of a simp the MMC is)
- SPICY 🌶️ - a little edging, a little teasing, perfectly placed and utterly delicious!

What’s not to love…
- because the beginning was such a BANG the acing then felt a bit off as we dialed back the tension and steam - in the end it was overall well paced but it initially lost my attention for a brief moment.

🌶️ - This is spicy, open door and explicit. This one might be hard to skip the spice scenes if thats your preference. Those who appreciate a nice balance of plot and spice will find this one has plenty of plot but also plenty of of spice. Chapters with spicy bits are: Glasgow Three Years Later, 18, 23, 29, 34, 35, 37

Ex fiancé's brother. What can I say? I am a sucker for a little bit of a scandal. After Alistair McCabe broke Juniper Ross' heart she made rules.
• Don't look at a Macabe brother
• Don't talk to a Macabe brother
• Don't even think about a Macabe brothers.
Unfortunately Callum McCabe had other plans for her.
If you are looking for an MMC who is absolutely head over heels gone for his women look no further. He goes as far as to submit to her in the bedroom. This book is spicy and fun with lots of good banter. There is also a lot of heart to it with the family backstory involving adoption and alzheimers. There were some parts of the story that i wish were more developed like her backstory but overall it was excellent and a lot of fun.
The narration was excellent and made the story come alive.

No, no, no, not for me. DNF at 2%. The way women are referred to as bitches is automatically a no. And there's a statement about a baby being born in a toilet that concluded my experience with the book.
The audio narrators were fine, no complaints there.

Narrated by Russ Bain & Rebecca McClay

Okay… so I may or may not be in love with Russ Bain now. He voices Callum in the audiobook, and that voice? That accent? Absolutely illegal. Meanwhile, Rebecca McClay narrates Juniper and while her voice initially gave me “baby-talk” vibes I wasn’t wild about, she actually does a solid job overall.

The story? An absolute dish of a romance. Think steamy, funny, and deliciously dramatic. I’m ordering book one, Whisky Business (because yes, I need more of the McCabe Brothers) immediately. Heads up: If you're sensitive to open door scenes and dirty talk, maybe steer clear. If you consider that a selling point—buckle up.

Many thanks to HarperAudio and NetGalley for an early review copy.