Callum falls first and hard, but things are more complicated as Juniper is his brother’s fiancée. The book jumps forward 8 years and Callum is everywhere and ever the helpful neighbor. Juniper and Callum have great banter and I really enjoyed watching them grow together throughout the book.
I read this book as a standalone and I was new to the author. I don’t think I really missed any part of the couple’s story (the flashbacks at the beginning do a good job of that). After this book I want to go back and read the first Macabe book, as well as look into if there are other works.
The narrators did a good job of bringing the characters to life.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Scotch on the Rocks is the standalone follow-up to Elliot Fletcher’s 2024 trad debut, Whiskey Business. Both books are set on the Isle of Skye and the small town Scottish atmosphere is A++ perfection. TY Harper Audio for the gifted audiobook!

This one follows Juniper and Cal, who’ve known each other for years — June was previously engaged to Cal’s brother. Cal fell for her the moment he saw her on a train to Edinburgh, not knowing she was headed to meet his brother. Now, three years after the break up, Cal is finally done waiting.

I really loved this story and these characters. Their chemistry is off the charts and the forbidden romance angle is so well done. It’s presented as layer and complex, complicated by the expectations of friends and family. But it’s also simple — they’re in love and that’s the most important thing. Both Juniper and Cal are also carrying deep family wounds that are forced to the surface for ~reasons~. Watching them work through it all, both individually and together, is so rewarding.

Read for:
Forbidden romance
He falls first/he’s gone for her
Black cat x golden retriever
Ex-fiance’s brother
Age gap
Scottish setting

Audio: Dual narration for dual POVs, always a plus! I loved the male narrator’s performance and totally lost myself in his chapters. The female narrator wasn’t my favorite, but it’s really just personal preference — to me, her tone didn’t quite match the emotional depth of his. With a different pairing, this could have been a home run. I still enjoyed it though, the performance didn’t ruin the book for me at all, and it’s still one I’d recommend to fellow audiobook lovers if that’s how you want to read this story!

The spice came in hot and then left you wanting more. I really enjoyed the build up, tension, and banter between the main characters.

I consider myself a Scottish Romance connoisseur and I must say, this really isn’t a great one. The problems I had with the first book are a lot of the problems I had in this second. The big one being: Elliot Fletcher, WHY do you like your male leads ejaculating into their pants so much? These are grown men, not prepubescent boys who can’t hold it in. Is this how you get your rocks off? I brushed it off as a little weird in the first book, but here we are in the second book and ITS. STILL. HAPPENING.

On top of these strange sex scenes, the book is just kind of boring. I didn’t really see the chemistry between Juniper and Callum. I found their scenes together to be sub par. I also have an issue with Callum. That man does not understand boundaries and was kind of an awful romantic interest.

I don’t know if I’ll give the second book a chance. Maybe to find out if she grows out of this weird cum-in-pants habit.

Scotch on the Rocks follows Juniper as she tries to juggle covert renovations to her family's business, grief over her father's passing, the mess the renovations become, and of course her complicated and not at all appropriate feelings for her ex-fiancees brother, Callum.

This was my first book of Elliot Fletcher's and I had so much fun! The setting, the tension, the accents on the audiobook. Everything about this was a 5 star read for me, and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book! If you are looking for some mutual pining with a touch of forbidden, I would highly recommend Scotch on the Rocks. And if you have the option, the audiobook was phenomenally done.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook for my honest opinion.

Callum is head over heels for Juniper from day one. He had it bad for her and she couldn't face her feelings.

This is a 2nd chance romance and also a 'my brother's ex' trope. It was a cute story with a lot of back and forth on how it would pan out. This was an emotional and fun read. I'm loving this series so far!

The narration was good. The female voice felt a little too innocent at times.

A sweet, spicy second‑chance romance set on the misty Isle of Skye — Juniper comes face‑to‑face with Callum, her ex‑fiance's sexy veterinarian brother. Think forbidden attraction, slow burn banter, and a charming small‑town vibe.
As much as I loved the setup — the "ex’s brother" trope is just not for me. This one is a solid  3⭐️.

3/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️
Audiobook 🎧 (ARC)

Thank you for the ARC!

Juniper is grumpy, a little goth and has trust issues. Callum is the towns golden boy. They’re complete opposites but Callum hasn’t been able to get his mind off of her for years. The only issue? She’s his brother’s ex fiancé.
But when Callum starts showing up everywhere she is…she knows there’s something there. She just has to open her heart enough to accept it.

This was a cute little Scottish romance. Callum was down BAD for her (spoiler: he crawls to her 🥵) but I’m honestly still a little confused about why her ex ended things 🧐

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (there’s a scene in the beginning that kind of ruined the tension for me personally...)
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (at least, I might have missed some at the end)
Humor: Yes
Perspective: first person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Immediately
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, about 5 months later

Should I read in order?
This is book 2 of Fletcher’s The Macabe Brothers series – there’s some crossing of characters from book 1 but overall I found this super readable alone (though I’m not sure how much character depth you might see for either of these mains in book 1?)

Basic plot:
Callum has loved Juniper upon first meeting – and watching her almost marry his brother, then fall apart...as the years go by he just wants her to see him as something more.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- Scotland setting
- smaller town
- best friend’s brother
- forbidden love – hero’s brother is her ex-fiance
- friendly enemies elements
- light age gap (I think about 10 years)
- unrequited love (hero)
- veterinarian hero
- former military hero
- opposites – he’s more sunshine and she’s more grump
- higher steam but a slower burn – at least 4 scenes (I might have missed some at the end)

Ages:
- I think heroine is around 30 and hero is around 40?

My thoughts:
I really wish I had liked this one more. I usually really adore unrequited longing from the hero so I’m not sure what happened here. I think part of it for me was the initial scene that happens early on in the book felt out of nowhere and wrong to me and it’s like it tainted the tension in the book for me. Especially because after that there’s this false kind of bravado the hero puts on. And any time they come close to talking about real feelings the heroine kind of shuts it down. I was just so ready for these two to be honest with each other way before they actually were!

The narrators were great and I really loved listening to their narration.

Disclaimer: I was able to access this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I think this was a good read. Very much like reading a Hallmark movie. The plot is predictable, and the characters are all a little flat. I would like to have seen more from some of the side characters. But if you're looking for a fun romance that won't make your head hurt, this is a good one. I listened to the audiobook and liked the dual narration and the fact that the accents seem to line up with the book's setting (from what I could tell). I think all the characters had realistic issues that drove the plot forward. I did struggle a little bit to get through the whole thing, but I still think that it was a fun read.

Grumpy/Sunshine trope but she’s the grump.
I’ve been listening to the advanced copy of the audiobook in the second book of this series. I did not read book 1 and can say this book works as a standalone.

Here are all the reasons this book worked for me in all the best ways!
I have a weakness for a Scottish accent I knew I would have to listen to this book just for that alone. It did not disappoint with duel narrators.

I love a FMC who is like an M&M. Tough outer shell but sweet on the inside. Juniper is healing from a failed engagement that occurred while her Dad was dying. Her parents adopted her when she was 7 and the scars of Foster life still linger for her. Her former fiancée is the brother of Callum who has been carrying a torch for her for years.

Callum is Golden Retriever with a dirty mind. Just know the spice level of this book is at 5 🌶️

They also have this combustible energy mainly due to their level of attraction and also from a failed attempt at crossing that line between hands off the former girlfriend of your brother and indulging your desires. After this failed encounter, they turn into enemies. The banter is bananas and the tension is thick.

Can’t wait to read more from this author

PS: the narrators don’t switch into male/ female tones to speak the dialogue and that can make it confusing to figure out who’s speaking. My only complaint. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Okay so I accidentally requested the ALC not realizing I also had the eARC for this one- BUT my favorite way to read books is to be able to go between the audio and ebook so that was super nice being able to do that since I normally can’t with ARCs. The narration in this was perfect! I think the voice actors did a fantastic job and were selected well to fit the characters. This was Dual Narration which I also really like! Honestly there was nothing particularly wrong with this story, but I just wasn’t sucked in, and found myself getting easily distracted. I also didn’t really feel connected to the FMC or the MMC. Some good things though, I thought the book wasn’t a great length for the content, I didn’t feel like anything was rushed or drawn out. I also really appreciated that there was not a third act break up, that’s honestly one of my biggest pet peeves! It was absolutely not a bad read, I ultimately just think this book wasn’t for me!

Unfortunate timing at its worst.

Can you imagine falling in love at first sight on a train only to find out it's your little brother's girlfriend later that night?

Callum spent 8 years pining after a woman who was off limits, Juniper. Even after their sudden breakup, he kept his distance but was always behind the scenes making sure things went smoothly.

Juniper struggles with being loved. Her adoptive mother never takes her input on updating their family inn, she feels her suggestions are unwanted. But after all hell breaks loose (a very flooded inn) while her mother is on a singles cruise, she decides to take a leap of faith and move forward with renovating.

And of course, Callum is in the background making sure that all goes off without a hitch.

The flashbacks offered great insight into the current emotional states of the MCs and helped to round out the storyline.

Both narrators for this audiobook did a spectacular job. Accents can be a bit tricky when it comes to narrating, but these were both incredible. Great pacing and is not overly theatrical. A super easy listening experience!

3.75 stars overall for the BOOK
2 stars for the Audio performance.

I really loved the first Macabe Brothers book so I was really looking forward to this book about Callum and Juniper because I loved their whole dynamic and the fact that Callum has been pining for her for so long. I think that was done so well in this book. Callum was such a great character because he was always doing things in secret to take care of Juniper, even though she hated him and I just love when a MMC does that for the FMC that he loves.
At first I didn't love Juniper because I found her very abrasive and standoffish, very Harpy-like as Callum calls her, but I loved how eventually you start to realize the way that Juniper's life has shaped her thought process, and realize that she's not actually an ice-queen, she's just someone with some deep-seeded insecurities who needs someone who will put her first (which again, Callum has been doing quietly and in secret for years! swoon).
I grew to really empathize with Juniper and love her.

Ok, as for the audio, Oh Boy....
I LOVE audiobooks but this one just did NOT do it for me at all. I enjoyed the male narrator, and he saved this book for me. However, the female narrator was not well cast, at all aside from her accent. I thought she was way too soft spoken for a character as sassy as Juniper. Even her most snarky lines were delivered in such a soft voice that they did not hit like the barbs they were intended to be. There was such a lack of inflection and emotion in her reading that I was really bored during all of the scenes she narrated and I had to try really hard to focus on what she was reading otherwise I started to really dislike the BOOK itself.
I really wish I had read a physical/eBook of this rather than listen to the audiobook.

Thank you to Harper Audio for the ALC of this book. All opinions are my own.

really enjoyed this book. Both characters kept me engaged. I really liked the black cat/golden retriever energy. The banter and the spice are chefs kiss. The author did an amazing job with Alzheimer’s representation. She showed the weight and toll the disease can take on the caregivers and family. Juniper’s avoidant style is relatable and well written for why she is this way. And Shakespeare the cat is a perfect side character. Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend. Thank you to net galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3/3.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed the overall vibes of this book. I loved the banter between the MCs, the setting and overall atmosphere of the book was really top tier. I loved when authors do “backward” grumpy sunshine , even tho being grumpy or happy doesn’t have a gender 😅 but this was done really well imo! It didn’t feel awkward or uncomfy and i had a great time.

The only things i didn’t enjoy was that I felt that there was almost too much going on. I love a romance book that has some other central themes / story lines because it makes it more real, but it just felt like a lot here because of that i didn’t connect super deeply to their romance so i think this will be a bit forgettable for me.

The vibes:
-black cat / golden retriever (grumpy sunshine)
-ex-fiancé’s brother
-enemies to lovers
-age gap
-slow burn

I actually wasn’t a huge fan of the audiobook, but still enjoyed the story as a whole.

I really wanted to love Scotch on the Rocks, but for me, it landed more in the “good, not great” category. While the narrators did a solid job—especially with the Scottish accents that added authenticity—I struggled to stay fully engaged with the story.

The premise is promising: Callum has always harbored feelings for Juniper, his brother’s ex-fiancée. When they cross paths years later, the question becomes whether they’ll finally get their chance. The chemistry between them is there, but the story felt scattered and lacked a strong, cohesive flow that could have pulled me in more.

This is the second book in the Macabe Brothers series, and I suspect it might resonate better with readers who’ve read the first installment. If you enjoyed book one, this follow-up is likely worth checking out.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, and Elliot Fletcher for the ALC.

Callum Macabe has his world turned upside down when the beautiful stranger, Juniper Ross, he met and fell for on the train turns out to be his brother’s girlfriend. Juniper has rules to limit her interactions with the Macabe brothers, especially years after a broken engagement to Alistar Macabe. However, things become complicated when she and Callum keep running into each other and are forced to confront the growing tension between them.

Ahhh, what a ride this was! I was a little skeptical going into this because of the “brother’s ex-fiance” storyline but I very quickly got onboard and started rooting for Juniper and Callum! Callum had so many things to balance, from work and helping his community, to managing new family challenges and dynamics with his father’s worsening dementia. Juniper has also carried confusing feelings surrounding love due to her adoption and with how abruptly her relationship with Alistar ended after her father’s death. Alistar was so crumby for not supporting Juniper when she needed him most.

I enjoyed Elliot Fletcher’s writing and how she developed Callum and Juniper’s characters. Their banter was engaging and the tension was HOT. Just when we thought the slow-burn was going to combust, the breaks were pulled and we got a second delicious slow-burn! The audiobook with Russ Bain and Rebecca McClay’s dual POV narration was entertaining! Their Scottish accents brought the story to life beautifully!

Although I greatly enjoyed the story, I wish we would’ve seen a bit more of Callum and Juniper develop an emotional connection throughout the story instead of being a bit rushed towards the end. I also had a slightly hard time with Callum’s jealousy towards Alistar, especially during that ONE scene. I understand he felt protective of Juniper, especially with how things ended between her and Alistar, but he unnecessarily went full caveman! Anyway, I am curiously looking forward to the next book on Alistar! Will he be redeemed after his past messy behavior?!

Eeh!! Alright, I know I had the ebook ARC for this, but I really wanted something easy to listen to while my husband and I traveled for work, and this was fun to listen to with him, and if you say accents, he’s there—so this was perfect . I’ve (ironically) been trying to get him into romance because the books are easy to get into. He enjoyed it too!

The sweetest cinnamon role veterinarian with golden retriever energy who just wants the independent and off limit black cat girlie who’s been hurt too many times by the world but wants to make things better 🥺 tension fueled banter the entire book and plenty of giggles and feet kicking! There are indeed some rocks involved.