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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
After I saw this cover I was HOOKED.
But let’s not always be judge books by their covers.
What started off really strong as a cozy read where our FMC runs away to Scotland to write a cook book, turn it’s just an okay tale.
The banter in the beginning was fantastic but then once our main couple got together around the 30% mark, this turned to sour milk. Like I all of shudder got bored with how predictable this book was.
Overall the cozy feelings are there but just an average romance.
I’m gonna go rewatch outlander now
But let’s not always be judge books by their covers.
What started off really strong as a cozy read where our FMC runs away to Scotland to write a cook book, turn it’s just an okay tale.
The banter in the beginning was fantastic but then once our main couple got together around the 30% mark, this turned to sour milk. Like I all of shudder got bored with how predictable this book was.
Overall the cozy feelings are there but just an average romance.
I’m gonna go rewatch outlander now
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rage DNF when I saw where the book was heading. At 37% the FMC betrays the people in town who have been the most kind, generous and welcoming to her because ~the feminist mayor is just so cool~ As if all women in politics should be trusted just because they’re not men in politics 🙄
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you @berkleyromance @prhaudio for a copy of this romance set in beautiful Scotland. Ruby moves to a small town in Scotland to write a cookbook and ends up meeting Brochan, a grumpy handy do it all handyman. I love the slow burn between the two and the banter between them. The story was charming with the small town vibe and the narrator did an amazing job making you feel like are in Scotland. Overall, a fun read.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rochelle Bilow gives readers so much more than a romance in Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year. Filled with a sense of wanderlust, Ruby's story is about finding love, finding home, and finding your person.
Both Ruby and Brochan are passionate people, and this story was truly their way of rediscovering that. However, just like in real life, following your passion looks different for everyone and Bilow made sure that carried through to our main characters. While Ruby's attempt to reconnect with her passion took her from New York City to the small town of Thistlecross, Scotland, Brochan's passion kept him near home to defend the people and places he loved.
I truly enjoyed the journey Ruby went on throughout this novel. As Ruby herself points out several times, she doesn't need - nor was she intending on finding - someone to make her feel complete. And Brochan ended up being much more than that. I loved Bilow's emphasis on finding your home and your person.
This was truly a love story for love in all its forms. Sometimes, love is sacrifice. Sometimes, it's affection. Sometimes, it's cooking for those you care about. Ruby touches on all those forms and more. This one was closed door/fade to black, but Ruby and Brochan's story was rich in so many other ways that I didn't even mind.
Bilow's culinary past shines through in the dishes that Ruby makes for the people she cares about. With a fantastic story, a newfound love for life, and a fulfilled sense of wanderlust, Ruby Spencer brings a romance to inspire us all.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
<i>Quick Stats</i>
<b>Age Rating: 18+</b>
Over All: 2.25 stars
Plot: 1.5/5
Characters: 2/5
Setting: 3.5/5
Writing: 2/5
<i>Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.</i>
So. This book… was a book.
The premise was interesting. Woman moves to Scotland to write a cookbook. Meets broody scotsman. Romance and found family and lots of yummy food. Yay!
And that was executed—especially the food descriptions. This book was very wordy when it came to describing the settings and the food. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it was something I noticed.
My main issue is that I was so, so bored. None of the characters had a personality. Ruby didn’t really have any motivations driving her. There was not even a hint of a plot until the 70% mark. The only thing driving the story forward was miscommunication and secret keeping. My gosh did Ruby keep making the stupidest decisions. Like, “oh, this lady I’ve spoken to once before wants me to keep this massive secret from the guy I’m about to start sleeping with? A secret that it makes absolutely no sense to keep, because keeping it would hurt 1. Said guy 2. The woman who opened her house to me and who I love and 3. Me, my livelihood. Well, she called me her friend and I pinky swore, so I can’t betray her confidence!” What the fuck was that. It made zero sense for her to keep that secret.
Every “plot twist” was evident from like, page one. Every single one. And it was annoying to keep having these “mysteries” hinted at when it was so obvious.
The first 30% of the book was honestly…fine. It was boring, the characters were flat, and there was no plot, but it was tolerable. Once we start to get those secrets and hints of plot twists and such it got painfully annoying to read.
At 70% we get a real plot and the pacing finally picks up. The plot we get here is interesting, in theory. If that aspect had been taken and woven into a real driving point for the whole book, I think the book would have been a lot more interesting. However, it really only becomes relevent and actively addressed at the 70% mark, where there’s no time to fully explore it. This leaves it feeling rushed. Not to mention this is also the point at which all the secrets and miscommunication come to a head, taking away from any enjoyment I may have had from the actual plot.
I didn’t enjoy this book. However I don’t think that means no one will. If you’re really into Scotland or food, those aspects of the book might well make up for the slow pace and lacking characters. I think this book has potential to be enjoyable to some, just not me.
<b>Age Rating: 18+</b>
Over All: 2.25 stars
Plot: 1.5/5
Characters: 2/5
Setting: 3.5/5
Writing: 2/5
<i>Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.</i>
So. This book… was a book.
The premise was interesting. Woman moves to Scotland to write a cookbook. Meets broody scotsman. Romance and found family and lots of yummy food. Yay!
And that was executed—especially the food descriptions. This book was very wordy when it came to describing the settings and the food. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it was something I noticed.
My main issue is that I was so, so bored. None of the characters had a personality. Ruby didn’t really have any motivations driving her. There was not even a hint of a plot until the 70% mark. The only thing driving the story forward was miscommunication and secret keeping. My gosh did Ruby keep making the stupidest decisions. Like, “oh, this lady I’ve spoken to once before wants me to keep this massive secret from the guy I’m about to start sleeping with? A secret that it makes absolutely no sense to keep, because keeping it would hurt 1. Said guy 2. The woman who opened her house to me and who I love and 3. Me, my livelihood. Well, she called me her friend and I pinky swore, so I can’t betray her confidence!” What the fuck was that. It made zero sense for her to keep that secret.
Every “plot twist” was evident from like, page one. Every single one. And it was annoying to keep having these “mysteries” hinted at when it was so obvious.
The first 30% of the book was honestly…fine. It was boring, the characters were flat, and there was no plot, but it was tolerable. Once we start to get those secrets and hints of plot twists and such it got painfully annoying to read.
At 70% we get a real plot and the pacing finally picks up. The plot we get here is interesting, in theory. If that aspect had been taken and woven into a real driving point for the whole book, I think the book would have been a lot more interesting. However, it really only becomes relevent and actively addressed at the 70% mark, where there’s no time to fully explore it. This leaves it feeling rushed. Not to mention this is also the point at which all the secrets and miscommunication come to a head, taking away from any enjoyment I may have had from the actual plot.
I didn’t enjoy this book. However I don’t think that means no one will. If you’re really into Scotland or food, those aspects of the book might well make up for the slow pace and lacking characters. I think this book has potential to be enjoyable to some, just not me.
Thank you so much to partner Berkley Romance for a free copy of <i>Ruby Spencer's Whiskey Year</i> and PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook!
"If you love it, then it's right. Doesn't have to be anymore complicated than that."
Scotland has been on my shortlist of international places to visit and this book made me want to go there even more. One thing I love about reading is being able to escape to these different locations and get a feel of what that city is like. Another thing I love about reading is when you see characters doing what you sometimes dream of doing. In this case, its leaving everything behind and deciding to live in a foreign country for 1 year to work on a cookbook. Okay so maybe I do not want to write a cookbook but just the idea of being able to pick up a luggage bag or two and go wherever your heart desire with no plan sounds like a fun dream!
One thing Ruby Spencer did not intend to do while being away was to meet a suitable bachelor. She had her fair share of one night stands or dates that didn't amount to anything or just trying to force something to happen. But Brochan was different. I like that they took their time, being friends first with occasional flirts. They knew each other was special even if they couldn't pinpoint what made them special when they first met. They just were so drawn to one another. And I love that Ruby thought that this was going to be just a fling until she realized that he was what she wanted & that being in Scotland was where she was meant to be. I mean how does one not melt when they say, "I want you so much I would set the world on fire just so you could warm your hands." SWOOOON! And yes of course there is a conflict but I won't go into details of what happens, you'll have to read for yourself.
"Life gets weird and messy. And doing life with another person is even harder."
Another element of this book that I loved was the trope(?) of found family. It is not that Ruby did not have parents or family back in the United States but when you move to a new country, you are starting over. You need those supportive people in your life and she was able to find that with those in the Cosy Hearth and in Thistlecross. Grace was such a motherly figure for Ruby and I love their connection and their relationship was exactly what Ruby needed. There was also a reconnection made that I thought was going to be more awkward and troublesome that wasn't - lips sealed on that too!
I thought the audiobook was fantastic and that the narrator did a wonderful. I am not skilled in Scottish dialects or accents but Nikki Massoud did a great job with the different characters. Also with the going back and forth between American and Scottish must not have been an easy feat to do.
Does this all seem to be too perfect? Sure but that is what fictional romance is all about!
Check this book out if you are looking for a cozy romance that makes you long to go to Scotland and also hungry for some yummy food!
"If you love it, then it's right. Doesn't have to be anymore complicated than that."
Scotland has been on my shortlist of international places to visit and this book made me want to go there even more. One thing I love about reading is being able to escape to these different locations and get a feel of what that city is like. Another thing I love about reading is when you see characters doing what you sometimes dream of doing. In this case, its leaving everything behind and deciding to live in a foreign country for 1 year to work on a cookbook. Okay so maybe I do not want to write a cookbook but just the idea of being able to pick up a luggage bag or two and go wherever your heart desire with no plan sounds like a fun dream!
One thing Ruby Spencer did not intend to do while being away was to meet a suitable bachelor. She had her fair share of one night stands or dates that didn't amount to anything or just trying to force something to happen. But Brochan was different. I like that they took their time, being friends first with occasional flirts. They knew each other was special even if they couldn't pinpoint what made them special when they first met. They just were so drawn to one another. And I love that Ruby thought that this was going to be just a fling until she realized that he was what she wanted & that being in Scotland was where she was meant to be. I mean how does one not melt when they say, "I want you so much I would set the world on fire just so you could warm your hands." SWOOOON! And yes of course there is a conflict but I won't go into details of what happens, you'll have to read for yourself.
"Life gets weird and messy. And doing life with another person is even harder."
Another element of this book that I loved was the trope(?) of found family. It is not that Ruby did not have parents or family back in the United States but when you move to a new country, you are starting over. You need those supportive people in your life and she was able to find that with those in the Cosy Hearth and in Thistlecross. Grace was such a motherly figure for Ruby and I love their connection and their relationship was exactly what Ruby needed. There was also a reconnection made that I thought was going to be more awkward and troublesome that wasn't - lips sealed on that too!
I thought the audiobook was fantastic and that the narrator did a wonderful. I am not skilled in Scottish dialects or accents but Nikki Massoud did a great job with the different characters. Also with the going back and forth between American and Scottish must not have been an easy feat to do.
Does this all seem to be too perfect? Sure but that is what fictional romance is all about!
Check this book out if you are looking for a cozy romance that makes you long to go to Scotland and also hungry for some yummy food!