Review: Scot and Bothered

Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

He’d been the one person she’d trusted with her dreams and he’d single-handedly unraveled them. 

Scot and Bothered was a second chance story told in alternating Then and Now chapters, that pretty much last throughout the whole book. Brooke is an American who is studying at the University of Edinburgh in their English program, she has the dream of being a writer. Jack is a Scotsman who is in the MBA program, he supposed to help with his family's tour guide business when he graduates. When they meet at a party, they're both instantly drawn to each other, until Brooke shows up to class one day and Jack is one of the T.A.s in the class. They know they shouldn't start anything but they can't help themselves and when Jack feels like his hand is forced and makes a decision without telling Brooke, they both feel the consequences. It's not until seven years later that these two are forced together to collaborate on Jack's aunt's memoir, Brooke's mentor, that old wounds are finally healed. 

It was easier to slip into someone else’s story, someone else’s voice, than to admit she’d lost her own. 

I'm not a strict linear reader, so I don't mind alternating timelines that are simultaneously showing our characters in present time and pushing the story forward while also going back in time to show how they got where they are and why they are the way they are. However, I usually like the past timeline to be wrapped up around midway point, having gotten the foundational information needed to understand but then fully in the present so the characters have time to work out what they need to and fall in love again. The alternating timelines kept up until, almost the very end of the book and I was left feeling like Brooke and Jack didn't spend that great gritty time working out what they needed. When Brooke and Jack are forced together, Brooke's writing her mentor's memoir, while Jack's taking the photos for his aunt's book, Brooke is still extremely angry over how everything went down seven years ago. She does not take her foot off his neck for awhile but it seemingly takes one, I'm finally getting angry line, from Jack and she kind of lets it go. It's an apology of sorts but I still felt she let that strong anger go kind of quickly. 

“I feel bound to a life I didn’t pick. I have never felt free.” 

The anguish in his voice broke her heart in two. And spoke to something she never felt allowed to voice. 

Considering the set-up of Jack being not her specific T.A. but a T.A. in her class, I'm not sure I felt the desperate “we must be together” even though we could wait and there would be no consequences. I could see Jack caving but Brooke's character is described as very by-the-book and she's there on scholarship and talks a lot about how important this all is to her. I know she's in love for the first time and likes how Jack brings out her adventurous side but it still felt a betrayal to some of her characterization, because they wouldn't have to stay away forever, just for the semester or even two. I spent more of the Then chapters shaking my head and thinking the big blow up coming could be easily avoided. How unromantic of me, but there it is. 

“I fucked up. So badly . I wish more than anything I could take it back. I know I broke your trust and it’s unforgivable.” 

Around 30% is when Brooke loses her red mist of anger and they start to talk. They're hiking the Skye Trail in Scotland, the mentor/aunt founded the trail and the memoir is focused on that. If you read the first in this series, you'll remember the amazing way the author incorporated aspects of Scotland, geography, historical facts, and legends. We mostly get geography here and while I didn't find it as encompassing as the first, I still enjoyed how the setting, the land and trail, added atmosphere to the story. We get some secondary characters that are hiking and a little bit of Jack's family, what connects the series, but mostly this was focused on Brooke and Jack.

It wasn’t the look of someone who’d never cared. It was the look of someone who still cared. 

Around 70% Brooke is ready to try with Jack again and like I said, I never felt like there was much working out the emotional problem in the Now chapters, Brooke felt like she just kind of mellowed and their instant connection from the Then chapters was what I felt left with to explain and feel why they were giving in to this second chance. It felt odd that Brooke's over what happened in the past before readers even find out how everything blew-up, which is revealed around 80%. How could I the reader move on with her if I didn't even know what happened yet? 

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

The alternating timeline chapters went on too long for me and I didn't get the knuckle down and work it out for this second chance romance, it felt like it came too easily (lower angst readers would enjoy more). The Skye Trail descriptions gave good setting but the pace dragged in the later second half as I felt the characters were stagnating because the Then chapters were still behind where the Now Brooke and Jack seemed to emotionally be. There was a brief upset moment to add late second drama but gotten over quickly and a two years in the future epilogue to cement the HEA. This didn't quite hit like the first for me but I'll definitely be returning to the series for the third brother's romance.

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Review: Kilt Trip

Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

For someone who traveled light, Addie carried a hell of a lot of baggage. 

Addie's mentor has brought her and her bestfriend on the tough ride of starting a new business. Addie's been around the world as a travel consultant but never to Scotland, where her parents honeymooned. After losing her mother in her teens thirteen years ago, Addie also emotionally lost her father as he pulled away from her in his grief. This taught Addie that she needs to protect herself from love, as losing one person can cause someone to lose everything, and why her job is so ideal for her, always moving and making no lasting connections. When she's sent to Scotland to help overhaul a family run tour business, her mom is on her mind even more, as pictures of her mom at Scottish sites from her honeymoon are some of Addie's most prized possessions. Addie can't let emotional issues ruin her business strategies, though, as her mentor is counting on her to streamline this tour business quickly and efficiently to add to their new portfolio. Which makes the chemistry she's feeling with the owner's son, even more dangerous. 

It wasn’t just his family conspiring against him. The universe was in on it, too. 

Logan can't help but feel betrayed when his father brings in an outsider to help overhaul their tours. He once tried new ideas to revamp their tours and failed miserably, feeling like his lost his two brothers when they then left the business. He's proud of Scotland and doesn't want to lead visitors around just to the gimmicky tourist sites and wants to keep the family and friends feeling to his tours. Which makes fighting Addie's ideas even more imperative, and more complicated as he starts to develop feelings for the trying to be emotionally walled up American. 

That spark she’d been trying to smother since she’d first set foot in the office was looking for any opportunity to catch. 

Kilt Trip was an immensely enjoyable contemporary romance that felt cozy, emotional, delivered on the setting, and sizzled with some heat. I went to check out this author's back-list immediately after finishing this and was shocked to see this is what looks to be a debut. You all are going to want to pick this book up and then keep this author on your radar; I'd say she's in the Kate Clayborn alike circle. The first half has a pace that I don't want to give the negative connotation of slow but the pace is slower; there's some romance lit fic feeling without the lit fic language, if that makes sense. We get povs from both Addie and Logan, which I love, and the first half has a little more of Addie trying to remain walled up from her developing emotions towards Logan and feeling, thinking about her grief from losing her mother so young, missing her and how it destroyed her relationship with her father. Addie has her mentor and bestfriend but they all three travel and she doesn't have a solid landing place to rest and feel loved, she's lacking deeper connections but also fears them. 

He was a dangerous combination of sensitive and challenging, and Addie was having a hell of a time feigning disinterest. 

Logan was the perfect other half that she needed, he pokes at her sparking side, they have good teasing and back-and-forth but also knows when to back off a bit to allow her to regain her equilibrium and not scare her away. Logan has his own emotional issues, since his attempt to change the family business almost ruined it and his brothers left the business, he's scared of change and dealing with some abandonment issues with his brothers. I loved Logan's character but there could have been a little more flushing out of him, more conversations with his brothers would have been great and even though I liked how he realized when Addie needed a break, I kind of wanted more gritting out pressing need from him, too. 

“If you think I’m delightful when I’m mad, you should see me when I’m not.” He tugged her closer, his fingers slipping below the soft black bow. 

Her soft intake of breath sent fire through his veins. She stilled in his arms, wet her lips, and looked up at him through her lashes. “Then, let’s stop fighting.” 

The later second half picked up the pace, enough of a not smooth change to make the overall pacing feel a bit disjointed to me, but all of the story's previous developing heat between Addie and Logan lead to, thank-you for including open-door in contemporary romance like the good old days, scenes. These two were cute, scrappy, flirty, and had delightful chemistry that I could read all day. The danger of Addie's job and her and Logan's emotional issues does eventually come to a head, they were great with addressing, talking, and trying to deal with at first when they admit to each other deeper feelings but that third act breakup is a persistent beast and a seen as a betrayal development separates the two. This was left close enough to the end that I thought the eventual HEA development didn't get enough time to give me the depth in it I wanted (here too I wished for Logan's character to have more) but there was an epilogue that jumped a year to show more to readers. 

He offered her the one thing she hadn’t been brave enough to admit she wanted: belonging. 

I loved how the setting was actually utilized, you'll get some facts, legends, history, and atmosphere feelings of in and around Edinburgh to transport you away and some of that delightful smile inducing back and forth chemistry and building heat tingling that delivers on the promised steaminess. The emotional was there with Addie's grief over her mother and Logan's awareness, ability, and caution to know how to care for Addie. Logan's gone for Addie pretty quickly but was wary of causing her to run away, it was nice to see the guy fall first but Addie's walls want and start to crumble pretty quickly too, so this also delivered with romance aspects. The I love yous maybe developed a little too quickly, missing more foundation there, but like the pace issues I had, ultimately not a deal breaker. If wanting to read a cute, fun, set in Scotland, romance that deals with grief but also delivers on chemistry and heat, you need to pick this one up.

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Reading Update: Page 1

 

I'm closing out this Monday with some sandwiches and what looks like a super cute romance. 

Addie's a travel consultant whose emotional baggage has had her avoiding Scotland. When she's sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands, she finds herself butting heads with someone who thinks she needs to see the magic and hidden gems of the land. 

Logan loves sharing Scotland's beauty, and after discovering Addie's secret, he's determined to help her find closure by taking her to the places in the pictures of her mother. 

Their truce is not only holding but starting to shift to what ifs.. 

Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley (Releases tomorrow, March 5th!) purchase link

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Sandwiches recipe

These were so good! Definitely making them again.