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๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ This one is about Juniper, Aprilโ€™s best friend (to find out who April is, read Whiskey Business!), who is still recovering from her broken engagement to Alistair Macabe. Her rules for recovery are simple: stay away from the Macabe brothers! Easier said than done when Callum Macabe notices her struggling to keep her inn afloat. Callum could never resist helping othersโ€ฆ not to mention heโ€™s carried a torch for his brotherโ€™s ex-fiancรฉe since he met her! But with so many outside stressors, can they make a real go of it? ๐Ÿฅƒ

๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ I loved this one too! The first book was just so good, I couldnโ€™t wait to read book 2, and it did not disappoint! June is having a hard time with her failed engagement, not so much because she misses Alistair anymore, more that she has felt unworthy of love for her entire life and is struggling with feeling that she needs to please the people in her life so they will stay. Since she was adopted, she feels that nobody will want her if sheโ€™s not useful, since, to her, even her birth mother didnโ€™t want her. It broke my heart for her! Luckily, Callum was ready to swoop in and show her what steadfast, unshakable, unconditional love is like. And the open door spice was so good! ๐Ÿฅƒ

๐ŸŽง I listened to the audiobook of this one and it was great! The Scottish accents felt real but theyโ€™re not so strong that you canโ€™t understand whatโ€™s being said. I was able to listen comfortably at 2x speed and it went up to 3x with no distortion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ALC!

๐Ÿซ– I paired this book with Isle of Skye tea from Hebridean Tea Store. These books are set on a tiny island in Scotland, and the atmosphere and vibes (and small town feel) are a 10/10! Love the close knit (sometimes gossipy) community! ๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿซ–

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This book was an easy five stars for me when I first read the ARC. The audio is just as good. Dual POV, accents, perfect pacing. The narration reads exactly as I heard the book in my head. Elliot Fletcher has written a wonderful story here - I was hooked from the dedication.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audi for the ALC!

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Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, and Elliot Fletcher for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you like a LITTLE taboo (ex fiance's brother..), black cat and small town golden boy, small Scottish island life, tension, found family, dementia caregiving, atypical families and more- I REALLY think you'll like this book. It hit so many marks of a solid second book in a solid romance series about three brothers.

I enjoyed book 1, book 2 was great- but our author really has me pining for book 3, Macabe brother Alistair's story! 2026 here we come!

Narration was incredibly well done. After listening to book 1 on audio- I have to say I prefer the narrators for this book well beyond the narrators in the first book. It just seemed to be a clearer Scottish accent to these American ears. This is a personal opinion and not at all to take too seriously.

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Really enjoyed this slow-burn romance with a touch of angst, great banter, and characters with real chemistry. Juniper and Callumโ€™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 trainโ€”thereโ€™s an instant sparkโ€”but Juniper has a boyfriendโ€ฆ who turns out to be Callumโ€™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 theyโ€™re both living in the same small town, where that unresolved attraction is still simmering just beneath the surface.

Callumโ€™s persistence really stood out for me. Heโ€™s patient, grounded, and completely drawn to Juniper, even when sheโ€™s keeping him at armโ€™s length with her sharp wit and guarded energy. He takes her stubbornness in stride and never pushes too hardโ€”but he also doesnโ€™t walk away. As he helps her with repairs on her struggling inn, the walls sheโ€™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 wasnโ€™t easyโ€”it felt earned. Thereโ€™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 Audio for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

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Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.


While I thoroughly enjoyed Elliot Fletcherโ€™s writing, this story just was not an absolute hit for me. This is more a โ€˜meโ€™ problem - I did not really enjoy the ex-partner theme/part/trope throughout the book, or the secrecy around it. Or maybe felt that it went on a little too long for me to enjoy it? I do think other readers will have a different experience though, and did like the small town vibes and Shakespeare the cat.

I enjoyed the narration by Rebecca McClay and Ross Bain a lot, I found the delivery to be smooth and definitely kept my attention.

My overall rating: 3.75
My rating on GoodReads: 4
My rating on StoryGraph: 3.75

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Such a great sequel in the Macabe brothers series! Callum and Juniper are perfect for each other in every way! And those spicy scenes were HOT! The narrators for the audiobook are amazing and are super easy to listen to. This was just released on July 8th so make sure to pick it up if you like Scottish romances! I can't wait for the next book in the series! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my audio ARC!!

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All the pinning from a Scottish man in a kilt!

This is the second book in the Macabe Brothers series, but it can definitely be read as a stand alone. For anyone who loves a black cat/ golden retriever energy, opposites attract with a little bit of brother's ex-fiance drama, friend this is for you. The back stories were beautifully done, especially Juniper's. Without giving anything away, the "not good enough" really got me. There were some heavier topics discussed in this book (alzheimers, child abandonment and foster care) which in my opinion were written about with much care.

Also, can we talk about the friend group?! I loved how we saw the friendship evolution especially between Juniper and Heather. I wasn't all rainbows and sunshine, it was about understanding and forgiveness, it was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. I really enjoyed this read, can't wait so see what happens in Allistairs's book.

I loved the narrators on this audiobook. Russ Bain and Rebecca McClay did an outstanding job.

P.S. Are we getting a Macabe Sister book? I feel like we're all waiting for Heather's happily ever after

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๐Ÿ“–Callum has always had a thing for Juniper. Ever since the first time he laid eyes on herโ€ฆ The only problem? She was his brotherโ€™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 lookโ€”and what better time to start than while her momโ€™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-fiancรฉโ€™s brother. The one who drives her absolutely mad.

๐Ÿ“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 Iโ€™m a sucker for a good slow burn, and this one definitely delivered. I was a little hesitant about the whole โ€œbrother of the exโ€ setup, but it was handled so wellโ€”it honestly made the story more compelling. I even liked it better than book one, Whiskey Business.

๐ŸŽง I enjoyed the audio but it was hard to understand the accents at times. I just listened slower than I normally would!

4.5

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the tension is unreal. Off-the-charts chemistry, delicious angst, and just the right amount of emotional chaos ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ Itโ€™s slow burn done rightโ€”and I was absolutely here for every bit of it.

But letโ€™s talk about the audiobook for a secondโ€ฆ those accents?? Had me fully in my feels. It brought everything to life in the best way.

If you love your romance complicated, angsty, and HOTโ€”with a side of forbidden tensionโ€”you need this one on your TBR

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Alright, I usually steer clear of books with titles like this beause I assume they'll be either cheesy/poorly written/or all smut and no plot. Well I'm glad to report that I was wrong about this one. I LOVED this take on "his brother's ex" and that it was years in the making. I love seeing a black cat like Juniper being loved from afar by Callum. Only 4.5 stars because it wasn't earth shaking for me, but I really loved it from start to finish. The audio was perfection but I did wish it was duet narration, especially since both MCs had Scottish accents (swoon). The spice was delicious, the slow burn and tension making it even better. Definitely not the last time I'll pick up an Elliot Fletcher book!


Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ALC so I could share my honest review!

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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.

The narrators were fantastic. the male narrator to me sounded like a natural Scottish accent (but I'm American so I don't really know). I do think the female narrator was a bit soft for the character but it fit at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.

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I have to start this review by saying listen to the audiobook. The male narrator has the best Scottish brogue and fits the character perfectly.
The story is wonderful and the ex-boyfriendโ€™s brother/ enemies to lovers but not really is so good! The spice was spicing and the book had plenty of story to make it a must read. I also loved the nicknames the main characters made for each other throughout the story, there was humor and serious topics so it was well balanced overall.

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Before I begin I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the advance listening copy. All opinions are my own for this honest review. Of note, as HarperAudio Adult kindly reminded me, this review is based on a pre-release version of the audiobook, therefore I have not taken into account any issues with the audio in its current state.

Style: Dual POV, Dual Narration.
Length: 10 hrs

Did I know I needed kilt wearing possessive-but-soft MMC with a Scottish accent in a slow burn forbidden romance with years of unresolved tension, and enough angst to fill a loch? No, no I did not, but as it turns out it is exactly what I needed!

I absolutely loved Russ Bainโ€™s performance! He has such a rich and beautiful Scottish accent, he perfectly embodied Callum (the dependable, quietly self-sacrificing vet who carries far more than he lets on). Thereโ€™s a real tenderness under his slightly gruff edges, and Bain captured both the emotional restraint and deep devotion simmering beneath the surface.

Rebecca McClay brought heart to Juniperโ€™s POV which I felt really portrayed her fragility, fear of abandonment, and the gradual emotional. The only minor critique to me would have been that her male voice wasnโ€™t always easily to distinguishable from Juniperโ€™s (or just the other female voices in general), she did however manage to maintain the emotional tone, which remained consistent and grounded throughout.

I've said before, my usual listening speed for audiobooks is usually around 1.5, but for this one I chose to slow the audio slightly to 1.25 speed so I could really savour the accents and ensure I didnโ€™t miss any of the richer phrasing. Definitely worth it, and while it was still smooth at faster speeds, I definitely recommend taking your time with this.

This is a romance that spans years, not just weeks. There is pining. There is yearning. Callum has been in love with Juniper, but unfortunately he was just a little late to find her. Meeting on a train and becoming completely enamoured, he later discovers that she is actually his brotherโ€™s girlfriend. What unfolds is a story full aching restraint, and eventual surrender. If you like angst and that soul deep yearning, with really great banter that softens the edges of a developed enemies-to-lovers (although not really a true EtL) this is probably one you'd want to check out (if the โ€œHarpyโ€ nickname wasnโ€™t my personal favourite- this actually felt a little on the meaner side to me).

I don't know exactly what it was, probably because of the accent (if I'm being honest), but lines like
โ€œToo bad I was fโ€”ing greedy. I wanted more than that. I wanted to inject myself into her bloodstreamโ€, really just hit harder in this one. I'm not usually the "swoony" type, but this one had me for sure

So, I didn't actually know that this was the second in an interconnected series when I picked it up, so I really didn't know what to expect. But I would this was on the spicier side of my expectation. There were a lot of scenes that really centre on her pleasure and an MMC who genuinely seemed to enjoy taking his time, even getting his own pleasure by giving hers.

Scotch on the Rocks had a great blend of slow burn tension and emotional release, and a very healthy dose of quiet yearning. If you're into strong accents and a swoony, but brooding-kilt-wearing guy next door their love stories steeped in loyalty, laced with tension, this one's worth the listen (Personally I would recommend this as an audiobook, because I don't know why you wouldn't want to have the phone book read to you in this accent...but maybe that's just me!) Anyway! I will be going back to revisit Whiskey Business for more of this small town series.

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โ€œ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐š๐ค๐ž ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ -๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ ๐จ๐š๐ฅ, ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ. ๐ˆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐š ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž ๐›๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ.โ€

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.

โ€œ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ž.โ€ ๐ˆ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐š๐ง ๐š๐œ๐œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
๐‡๐ž ๐๐ข๐๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง ๐›๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ค. โ€œ๐ˆ ๐ง๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž, ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ.โ€
โ€œ๐๐ฎ๐ญ . . . ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐š๐ฅ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ง๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ž.โ€

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

โ€œ๐†๐ž๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ค๐ง๐ž๐ž๐ฌ.โ€ ๐ˆ ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐›๐ž ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐š๐ง ๐ฐ๐š๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฅ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐ฆ๐š๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐, ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ˆ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐โ€“๐ˆ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐œ๐ก ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐ž๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ฎ๐ ๐ž๐œ๐ก๐จ๐ž๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ.
โ€œ๐€๐ซ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ž ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ, ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ฉ๐ฒ?โ€ ๐ˆ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐ž ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐š๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐›๐š๐ง๐, ๐ ๐š๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐š ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž-๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐œ๐ค ๐๐จ๐  ๐š๐ญ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ญ.
โ€œ๐ˆ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ž๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐  ๐ž๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก.โ€

And Callum.... *wheezes*

โ€œ๐Ž๐›๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ˆ ๐๐ข๐๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ž ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ ๐œ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ซ ๐ž๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐‰๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ. ๐ˆโ€™๐ฆ ๐ก๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐›๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐š๐ง๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž, ๐š๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ .โ€ ๐‡๐ข๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐ž ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ง๐ฎ๐œ๐ค๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ. โ€œ๐’๐ง๐š๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆโ€™๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ.โ€

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!

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Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher is a deliciously messy, forbidden romance that totally pulled me in. The chemistry between the main character and his exโ€™s brother? Off the charts. Thereโ€™s angst, heat, and just the right amount of emotional chaos. What really sold it for me was the audiobookโ€”those accents made everything feel extra real. If youโ€™re into slow burns with complicated feelings, this oneโ€™s a gem.

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What a delicious read! I loved the first audiobook in this series and the second some how was even better! The pining from the male MC was fantastic and I can't wait for the next book from this author. The narrators were so goooood and I am so glad publishers are using narrators with thick accents that drop you into the location even more. This is a must read for anyone who liked the first, or anyone who liked At First Spite by Olivia Dade.

I loved this book and this audiobook and cannot wait for more.

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I already loved this book so much. I've described it as a "warm, big hug after a vulnerable conversation" and it still holds true to that even in its audio form. Callum and Juniper's love story is one for the books. I love them both individually as characters as well as a couple. Russ Bain and Rebecca McClay did a phenomenal job in bringing them to life and had me giggling and kicking my feet so many times while listening. I am honestly a little sad that I finished it because I truly wanted to be in this universe a little bit longer. However, I'm really excited for everyone to experience both Callum and Juniper too. All in all, this is one of my favorites books of the year.

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AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:
Story: 4 stars Narration: 4 stars Overall: 4 stars

Scotch on the Rocks is the second book in the Macabe Brothers series. It can be read/listened to as a standalone. This is an opposites attract, age gap romance between Callum and Juniper. These two first met years ago on a train. Later on the same day they meet again when Juniper is introduced as his brother, Alastairโ€™s girlfriend. Fast forward a few years more and they are no longer together. Callum and Juniper are both living on the Isle of Skye. Callum has been in love with Juniper for years and wants his chance now. Listen to this audiobook for their story.
This audiobook was narrated by Rebecca McClay and Russ Bain. Rebecca McClay was magnificent as the grumpy Juniper. You could feel her wide range of emotions through her voice. Russ Bain was perfect as the happy Callum. His smile and wonderful attitude was clearly evident in his voice. The banter and their chemistry was delightful. I recommend listening to this audiobook.
Thank you NetGalley for this ALC.

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Rating: 4.5/5
I often look for romance stories with a Golden Retriever MMC who is a โ€œfreak-in-the-sheets.โ€ Something appeals to this type of character, especially when matched with a โ€œBlack Catโ€ FMC. Elliot Fletcherโ€™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 brotherโ€™s ex-fiancรฉe. 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 Aprilโ€™s story.

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Easily one of my favorite books of the year, Scotch on the Rocks is the small-town story of Callum and Juniper. The narration by Russ Bain and Rebecca McClay is a huge reason this book is getting the favorite treatment from me, because I couldn't stop thinking about this book or get their voices out of my head. Juniper and Callum are a classic black cat/golden retriever mix with baggage, and the nuance in Elliot Fletcher's superb writing is only amplified in the narration. I absolutely LOVED this book.

After reading reviews, I find that some of the complaints are valid and maybe didn't impact me as much simply because I consumed it as audio versus in a couple sittings (ex. redundancy of being the brother's ex or insecurities). I honestly found the character's incredibly relatable and the book had the perfect amount of spice and emotion that I'll be thinking of this as a comfort read for a long time to come.

I do have a couple points I saw in other reviews that I vehemently disagree with and it kept me up at night because I feel the need to defend it so here be spoilers: Callum's decision to reveal the relationship in such a blunt manner against what he and Juniper decided is so much more than just him being jealous. The entire book has been him subverting his own wants/desires for others - his family, Juniper, etc. The one thing he wants is to tell the entire world that he and Juniper are together and he finally decides he's had enough of bending over backwards and being the nice guy for Jill, for his dad, for his family. While it's misguided, I disagree that it's a knee-jerk jealousy reaction for him.

Meanwhile, Juniper is not in love with Alistair. Wearing the "engagement dress" doesn't mean anything other than beauty to her, and the fact that she can wear it without getting hung up on the past is a big step. She's looked at the ring on her sideboard as a reminder that good things end, so it only goes to show that she's taking the step towards reclaiming her own past, present, and future. Deciding to call Fiona "mum" for this first time DID feel trite, I'll give that to everyone pointing it out. That being said, coupled with the growth of her actively chasing/trying to find Shakespeare versus assuming he left her and wouldn't come back is showcasing that she's maybe not so fixated on the other shoe dropping as she thinks she is. She's willing to fight and put herself out there - both in searching for Shakespeare and calling Fiona "mum" - regardless of her fears. I just can't stop thinking about this book, I'm sorry.

Definitely a sleeper hit of 2025 for me. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the advanced copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

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