SCOT AND BOTHERED
Brooke Sinclair’s dream of being a published author derailed when she was expelled from the University of Edinburgh seven years ago. Now a ghostwriter, she sticks to other people’s stories. But when her college mentor, Mhairi McCallister, needs a cowriter for her memoir about Scotland’s most challenging trek, Brooke will do anything for the opportunity—including agreeing to hike the rugged Skye Trail for authenticity’s sake. What she doesn't know is that the nature photographer who’ll join her is Jack Sutherland, the teaching assistant who shattered Brooke’s writing career—and her heart.
Between falling for a student despite university rules and walking away from his family’s tour-guiding business to follow his photography dreams, Jack is desperate to prove he didn’t disappoint everyone for nothing. And he can’t ignore his aunt Mhairi’s final wishes for her memoir. Even if it means acting as guide and storyteller for the one who got away. Even if it means keeping secrets about Mhairi’s health.
As Jack and Brooke head into the solitude of the sweeping Scottish landscape, they’re forced to confront old feelings that haven’t disappeared with time. But can two weeks and eighty miles heal years of unspoken hurt and offer a second chance at the end of the trail?
CONTENT CONSIDERATIONS
While SCOT AND BOTHERED is a humorous and fun romance, it also includes explorations of grief and pancreatic cancer.
While this is a story of healing, I know grief can sneak up on us when we least expect it, so please take care!
PRAISE FOR SCOT AND BOTHERED
"Scot and Bothered has that alchemic thing that makes me love romance: gorgeous writing and atmospheric settings, unreal romantic tension that would shatter the knife that tried to cut it, and characters who feel like your mirror's reflection. The enduring theme of living a life worth writing about—authentic and wholly yours—is the steady, cathartic heartbeat of the story, and Alexandra Kiley weaves the life and love of it all so effortlessly that it feels like magic. This is a forever comfort read.”
— Jessica Joyce, USA TODAY bestselling author of You, with a View and The Ex Vows
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“Scot and Bothered is a triumph of spirit! A wild adventure of the heart (and hiking boots!) that takes us into the halls of the University of Edinburgh and through the crags and heather of Scotland, this book is as sexy and swoony as it is heartfelt and thoughtful. Kiley deftly explores the stories we tell about our families, our home, our careers, and more importantly, ourselves.”
— Sarah T Dubb, author of Birding with Benefits​
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"The Isle of Skye is famously beautiful, but the journey Alexandra Kiley takes us on in Scot and Bothered might be even more so. I loved every gorgeous step."
— Amanda Elliot, author of Love You a Latke
"Scot and Bothered is a deeply emotional, gorgeously resonant tribute to the power of first love and the beauty of second chances. Passion, pining, a desperately hot Scot, only one tent—this delicious slow-burn romance has it all. There's a reason Alexandra Kiley is one of my favorite contemporary romance writers."
— Maggie North, author of Rules for Second Chances
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"While readers will traverse the Skye Trail in rich detail, it's the journey of romantic restoration that will leave readers breathless and windswept.”
— Livy Hart, author of The Great Dating Fake Off
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“This second chance romance is the perfect combination of pining and off-the-charts chemistry set against the backdrop of the untamed, wildly beautiful Skye Trail. Scot and Bothered perfectly captures the heat and thrill of new love as well as the gut wrenching angst of two people finding their way back to one another. My heart ached for Brooke's vulnerability and swooned for the dreamy Jack, bug repellent hat and all, and, as always, Alexandra Kiley's writing makes me want to hop on the next flight to Scotland just to hug a Highland Coo."
— Aurora Palit, author of Sunshine and Spice
"Alexandra Kiley's sophomore novel is an absolute triumph! This is second chance romance at its finest, with tension and pining that leaps off the page and tugs on your heartstrings. Jack and Brooke will make you believe in true love, and the gorgeous backdrop of the Scottish highlands will make you want to book a direct flight. With Scot and Bothered, Kiley proves she is a writer to watch!"
— Falon Ballard, author of Right on Cue
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“A deftly woven novel that’s warmer than a shot of Highlands whisky. Kiley explores ambition, forgiveness, and second chances, and delivers a tale as fiercely beautiful as Scotland itself.”
— Shaylin Gandhi, author of When We Had Forever
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"Kiley brings her signature wit, charm, and precision to this new triumph of a novel. Scot and Bothered is an immersive, atmospheric delight. I am forever an Alex Kiley superfan!”
— Neely Tubati Alexander, author of Love Buzz and In A Not So Perfect World