😭😭😭 What a book. Totally loved this - one of my favourite reads of the year so far. April, worried that her career as an actress is over, returns home to her family’s distillery in Skye. There she finds the business barely managing after her grandfather’s death, run by their long term gruff employee - Malcolm. As they work together to save the distillery they come to truly know each other and the most adorable, yet hot, romance ensues.

I mean the pièce de résistance of this is Mal. Phew. Never have I read a more endearing character. His anxieties and his fears just feel so genuine, and you feel yourself urging April on to love him because he so deserves it. As is she - I just loved the lack of third act break up in this. Yes, there’s angst and anxiety as their relationship take a turn towards the unknown but it’s not a big blow up - it’s a very mature romance in this way, making the characters all that more lovable.

This also felt like a love letter to Skye, and island living in Scotland. Not a Scottish cliche in sight - yaaaas. Such a beautiful Scottish romance. I am overjoyed that this is the first in a series 🥰

What to expect:

- grumpy x sunshine
- Scottish island setting
- celebrity romance element
- cinnamon roll MMC
- hates everyone but her vibes
- opposites attract
- spicy

It's always the quiet ones...

I'm normally more of a romantasy reader but something about the synopsis of the book just catched me.
And boy was i catched! I really loved this book!
Every single chapter has a song that goes along with it and i really loved that little detail!
So you don't just have the playlist at the beginning, like most books have it.

The relationship between April and Mal was not rushed but slowly built throughout the book.
I also loved the switching POV's because you really get both their sides and what they think and feel.
There was one moment in the book that made me squeal so badly that i jus started blasting Too sweet by Hozier.
That song fit perfectly for that moment and once you've read the book you'll know exactly why i did it and will do the same!

So to sum it up, if you are looking for the following tropes then this book is for you:

- Grumpy meets Sunshine
- Small town romance in Scotland
- Opposites attract
- Found family
- Childhood crush
- Family business

Thanks so much to Elliot Fletcher, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

What a fun read! I wasn't too sure what I expected, but I'm so glad that I've read it. I loved the connection between Mal and April, their underlying tension carries the entire narrative and their explosive encounters kept me hooked. The beautiful Scotland setting and the backdrop of the Whiskey distillery created a unique and well thought out concept and had me hooked. I loved the grumpy x sunshine nature of their relationship, and the jealousy scenes were absolutely delicious.

Fletcher also does a wonderful job at showcasing the pressures the characters feel, as well as the portrayal of anxiety. It's well thought out and well portrayed,

A truly fabulous read. 4.5 stars.

Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher is a romance set in Scotland. This is the story of April and Mal.
 
April is an actress and an influencer and when her career is having a down moment, she needs a break and visits The Isle of Skye. On the island her family has a whiskey distillery, and she tries to restore it. April is a very optimistic and likable character and that made it very easy for me to dive into this story.
 
Mal has lived on the Isle of Skye his whole life and he doesn’t need much. He runs the whiskey distillery of April’s family and is content doing this and spending time with his dog. He thinks April is a spoiled princess and seems very grumpy at first, but with every page he thaws a bit more.
 
I loved the Scottish setting and the small-town vibes from the Isle of Skye and that provided a good base for this story. April and Mal don’t like each other at first and that only underlines the grumpy-sunshine-dynamic and I liked how their relationship slowly turned into more. Some scenes could have been spiced up more, but the plot was very enjoyable.
 
Overall, Whisky Business is a lovely romance with the perfect grumpy-sunshine-dynamic. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

This one is for all the awkward shy boy lovers.
The actress fmc comes back to her tiny home town island when her grandfather dies and quickly starts butting heads with the man who had been running her family whisky business.
Mal outwardly gives off grumpy man, but in his mind, all his thoughts are giving shy and nervous. At some points though the awkwardness almost felt too much and I was cringing on their behalf.

There is a bit of miscommunication but it's not awful and is sorted out fairly quickly in a non annoying way.

Whisky Business is everything you want in a romcom. The grumpy x sunshine trope is very well done and the characters were both likeable and relatable. They have great chemistry together and are equally interesting as individual characters. I also really enjoyed the various side characters and I look forward to reading any future books involving their HEA. This book is well written and was easy to read, I found myself reading in a couple of sittings as I didnt want to put it down.

Rating: 5+⭐️

"As humans, we demanded a beginning and end to make sense of the world around us. But for this, there would be an after, but no end. My love for her was as boundless as the
mountain we lay upon. When she left me, my love would remain, burning just as fiercely as it did now.”


Let’s start by saying that this book was just incredible, I absolutely loved the writing style, the way one can see how everything is curated to the smallest detail: from the explanation of how whisky is made, to the dynamics of the people living in Skye.
Usually i’m not the biggest fans of fmc who are actresses or “divas” but you can’t help loving April!! She’s just a genuine, generous and passionate soul who deserves the world, which happens to be right what Mal intends to give her🥰🥰
My favourite character was probably Mal, since we’re pretty similar and i saw myself a lot in him and his fears, it’s been so nice to see him shine brighter while falling in love with April, like he just needed that sparkle in his life to make it complete

I also loved some of the secondary characters especially Mal’s siblings, Heather and Callum and their family dynamics.

Whisky business has definitely become one of my favourite romance books ever and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

When I seen this book was set in Scotland and had the trope Grumpy X Sunshine I knew this book was for me, I knew I had to read it and it did not disappoint !

From the very first chapter of the book I was hooked, I honestly couldn’t put the book down. I read it in two sittings and loved every thing about it.

April and Mal are so likeable and so relatable which is sometimes hard to find in romance books. From the first very few chapters you could see the connection between them. They had me smiling and laughing all throughout the book.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good Grumpy X Sunshine , Opposites attract romance because this is it !

I can’t wait for the rest of the Macabe brothers series !

Also can we take a moment to appreciate how good that playlist was. I loved every single song and It fit in so well with the book.

*Thankyou NetGalley and HarperCollins Uk, HarperFiction for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review*

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I reviewed this book but I was so surprised in such a good way. These two main characters were everything. I am so looking forward to adding this to my physical bookshelf. The FMC was so relatable and real and for that I have to massively credit the author. A wonderful story

4.5⭐️ - I fear I will never stop talking about what an unexpected gem of a book this was! I enjoyed it from start to finish and couldn’t stop highlighting quotes.

An adorable romance story that follows April Murphy, a famous actress, who returns to her hometown to check on her family whisky business after her uncle passes away, where she comes face to face with her childhood crush Malcom Mcabe. He’s longed for her since they were children and can’t stay away, even though his insecurities make him feel there’s no way she’d ever feel the same ❤️‍🩹

Mal was the PERFECT MMC. He was so shy and easily annoyed by April, he was quick to judge her but soon realised he’d been very wrong and did everything in his power to make it up to her. And I loved following April’s journey of wanting to form genuine connections after a hard time in her career.

Things to expect from this book:

🌼 Actress FMC & recluse MMC
🌼 Childhood crush
🌼 Dog lovers 🐶
🌼 Found family
🌼 Grumpy x sunshine
🌼 No third act breakup
🌼 Small town in Scotland

I’m so excited that this is going to be a series and can’t wait to pick up the next book when it’s released!

Thank you to Harper Collins & NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review!

"I also begrudgingly noted that he looked sort of beautiful in the morning light."

A sweet, soft and spicy romance that gives its readers main characters with lovely romantic tension.

The characters were the stand out force in this story. I really enjoyed the character's personalities and their developments throughout the story. The dynamic between the two main leads was really enjoyable to read, with the female lead being more of the strong personality (always love a softer male lead). I enjoyed that the female lead had confidence in herself, her thoughts and motivations, and I loved that this strength didn't disappear as the romance developed.

If anything I would have loved more information and scenes that involved April's acting and other sub-plots, but that is me being picky! Whilst the focus on this story is definitely the romance between the two characters, this story still had the substance of having side characters with developed personalities and other book themes and aspects throughout.

Overall, I need a Mal - and an April too - in my life.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

When I saw the cover of this book I knew it would be right up my street. To be honest anything with a Scottish MC I am in.

In Whisky Business, Opposites attract when a fish-out-of-water actress and a grumpy Scottish whisky distiller are forced to work together to save the business they both love. Her families distillery. April who is an actress returns to her small hometown after the death of her beloved grandfather and instantly falls in to a love hate relationship with the grumpy Mal, who has been running the business whilst she has been away pursuing her career. He is an old family friend and very set in his ways.

The book is cute and funny and the love story is so beautiful to read. The chemistry from these two is off the charts especially when Mal is so grumpy 99% of the time. And written in such a way that you are routing for them in the end and it becomes apparent why he acts the way he does. I was all in for this story warts and all. I will definitely be looking out for this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this one a shot cause I was keen on the idea of a Scotland-set rom-com written by an author who actually lives in Scotland. I did mostly enjoy it – the relationship build-up is great and it's a fairly well-done rom-com – but I had a few issues. In my opinion it wasn't really convincing as a famous person/normal person romance because much of April's backstory was pretty vague and not necessary to the story (I liked the school crush/pining backstory a lot more and wish that had been developed!) It felt like it hit a lot of the standard beats of 'fame is bad' without dissecting it like other similar rom-coms I've read. A lot of the language was generically American, and apart from the Skye setting it didn't feel particularly Scottish at all, which was disappointing. The author also used dialect for a few characters which a) made no sense seeing as the majority of the characters were from Skye and presumably shared the same accent and b) I seriously seriously hate this in books because it's just offensive towards people with accents people perceive as 'other'. Also, the love interest Mal was not always to my taste – he was way too possessive and the idea of nicknaming someone 'princess' and then using it publicly made me want to die. I would give it 3.5 stars cause the middle bit was really good and I would probably read the rest in the series.

Title: Whisky Business by Elliot Fletcher

Release Date: May, 16th, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars


April Sinclair returns to her quiet island life with dreams of revitalising her family's distillery on the Scottish Isle of Skye. However, she's met with resistance from the grumpy and attractive master distiller, Malcolm Macabe, who wants nothing to do with her presence. Despite their differences, April and Mal must work together to save the business they both love, leading to unexpected sparks between them.

What an absolute gem! I fell in love with both the hero and heroine from the very first page.

The Scottish setting adds such a wonderful atmosphere to the story, making it even more enchanting. This book was exactly what I needed - a light and fluffy read that left me with a smile on my face. The dynamic between the grumpy hero and the sunshine heroine is delightful, and the witty banter had me laughing out loud. Plus, the tension and spice between them? Off the charts! If you're searching for the perfect romance read that balances humour, tension, and spice flawlessly, look no further than "Whisky Business." It's a must-read!

Tropes:

Opposites attract
Grumpy/Sunshine
Workplace romance
Spice

Thank you to the publisher HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperCollins ,The Author Elliot Fletcher & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED THIS ONE, such a warm hug read, with such loveable & unique characters - actress x whisky distiller, don’t mind if i do! & i was obsessed with the small town vibes!

mal was the most perfect, sweet, lovable, caring grump & i loved the childhood crush trope! he was so gone for her from the beginning and just so amazing throughout the whole book, i adore a shy sweetheart mmc & he was the perfect example! when he mentally clicked, my heart MELTED into a gooey little puddle each time. SO cute!!

“Click.  I knew what I was doing. Saving all these little moments with her like shells collected at the beach. An April album for my mind to flip over when she was gone, proof that I was happy, if only for a short time.” AN APRIL ALBUM!!!

i loved loved loved aprils passions and drive to follow her dreams, and just how lovely she was as a character! i loved her and mals banter throughout & watching their relationship develop into such a sweet and heartwarming love story <3

thank you for the arc! highly highly recommend to everyoneee!!! a new fave comfort read for sure !! xx

4.5💫

Whiskey Business is set in Scotland (Isle of Skye) and is (more or less) a second chance romance with the difference that April and Malcolm haven't seen each other in years but have been sweet on each other as teenagers. I wanted to like it because I thought that a Scottish author might do justice to the location and I like the "grumpy/sunshine" trope but the book just fell flat. It's boring as nothing happens; there are hints of drama but they are brushed away in the next paragraph and are always solved with sex. Aside from the lack of drama, the book made me feel nothing. I believe that books should make you feel something but Whisky Business misses the mark by miles. Also, the fucking playlist. I gave it a listen and it's nice (very pop/folk heavy) but it's utterly predictable and using song titles as chapter titles gives me flashbacks to the time when it was common for fanfiction on Tumblr.

My main four issues:

1.) The writing. I'm sorry but it's badly written and the author's written Scottish accent was confusing. I can understand the Scottish accent but this ... it just feels like a US-American wrote it, which is strange because the author seems to be Scottish.

2.) The characters. Both are boring people but the MMC is just a horrible human being in general. Yes, Mal's and April's first meeting as adults is based on "first bad impressions" trope but he's so fucking mean because of lies, miscommunication and stereotypes. Mal believes that she's a shallow, vapid person because of her celebrity status and because she never cared for her sick grandfather (and never appeared to his funeral), and thinks like it for ~60% of the book until she cries, and suddenly he realises that he's an ass. Also, he has anger management issues and acting like a cave man (or an "alpha man") when "rescuing drunk April" isn't sexy. April is ... she's a people pleaser and should go to therapy as well. He treats her awfully for the majority of the book before he offers some half-hearted apology that she accepts rather quickly because "I know him"? Girl, grow a backbone, please.

3.) The romance in general. They have no chemistry. It's pretty much "I liked you as a teenager but never acted on it" and now, they act on suppressed emotions. Mal treats April like garbage for the majority of the book before he offers her a measly apology, some half-assed breakfast and the "I want you" speech, which she all accepts relatively quickly, and then they just have sex. The last 30% have zero substance because whenever there's a potential issue (cyberbullying, jealousy, money issues, April's future and past, ...), they just fuck it away. Their romance has no substance and is based on sex to the point that she's sore (as they fuck two times a day with multiple orgasms) but yet, they still continue fucking. Their entire relationship is instant-lust, instant-love and based on physical attraction. Aside from that, the author tried the "hot & cold" trope, which just gave me whiplash. Especially with Mal who's like "I want her"/"I don't like her"/"I want her"/"I want her gone". For someone who's supposed to be an adult, he acts like a child.

4.) All the heavy topics. Cyberbulling? "Yeah, I ignore these comments". Toxic family relationship? "Oh, he's sick, I have to forgive him now?". April's acting career? "Oh yeah, #metoo but yolo, I have a better agency now". Societal expectations of young women in the entertainment industry? "Yeah sucks, but it is what it is". If you include such big topics, do it well or do not include it.


PS: The setting on the Isle of Skye is such a scam and doesn't add anything to the plot. The only times it is relevant are for a) tourism, b) "it's an island, dating is difficult here" and c) one hiking scene. I would have expected a bit more and it gave me the feeling of a lack of research. If you would remove the location from the book, the book itself wouldn't suffer much from it. Especially since a) you have tourism everywhere, b) a difficult dating scene can also be used for small-town romances, and c) hiking can also happen in other regions, just swap the Old Man of Storr out for something else.

Whisky Business was so good! Malcom is such a cinnamon roll of a character, he's the sort of character that you want to reach into the pages and give a big hug. He's so soft and anxious, his self-doubting got a little bit much at times so I was happy to have therapy mentioned in the epilogue rather than everything being solved by falling in love.

April is a great character too, she's trying her best in a bad situation and I liked the way things were tackled. There's no third-act breakup which I loved!

I enjoyed the Scottish setting, if anything I could've done with more Scottish accents and seeing more of the landscape and town. It felt quite isolated with the majority of the story taking place in the manor and distillery.

I'm hoping the rest of the McCabe brothers get books, there's a lot of intriguing set up in this book so I'm definitely looking forward to their stories!

5.0 stars

Grumpy x Sunshine, Childhood Crush, Forced Proximity, Celebrity Romance

April, a declining actress returns home to a small town in Scotland where Mal is running her late uncle's whisky distillery, which they must work together to try and save.

Oh my Gawd, I loved this book!! Mal was such a wonderful mmc. He was sweet and attentive and was so clearly deeply in love with April. I think his anxiety was written very well and I loved how well April dealt with it. This is definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 - I loved this book. Mal and April are great characters and I loved boy and Dudley too 🥰 can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

I ADORED THIS BOOK with every fiber of my being! Was it a little slow in the beginning? yes, and that kind of put me off because i just wanted to jump straight into the romance that was going to be obviously out of this world and insanely hot (spoiler, it was) but at the same time the slowness really did it for me, we go to see so much of the characters development and their dynamic, as well as how they acted around others and felt about themselves and each other. It was so so so freaking sweet.
Was i a little bit annoyed with Mal in the beginning? Yes, because he was being a meanie for no reason and it was annoying the heck out of me, but its ok. He was working through his own feelings and assumptions and he was a big boy in the end and admitted how he felt, and went after what he wanted instead of thinking that he wasn't good enough for April, or stupidly thinking that he wouldn't want her back. He is the definition of a gentle giant who i just wanted to wrap up in a blanket and coddle.

Every single second of this book had me gripped and desperate for more of them and their budding (then explosive) relationship. Honestly, i think this is the cutest romance i have read in a while, and i think it's one of the only romances that i have read lately which actually deal a little bit with real life issues and problems instead of just focusing on love and a happily ever after. Even the way that the author addressed things like mental health and illness, social media and the stigma of being in the public eye was really nice to see, and it gave a real nice sense of realness to the characters that had me falling in love with the both of them, and had my heart breaking for them when they opened up and expressed their feelings.

Don't get me wrong, this book isn't all hard truths and character development. There were SO MANY moments between Mal and April that had be squealing because of how freaking cute they were!!! I didn't know it was possible to be so jealous of a fictional character, but here i am wishing that i had someone like Mal in my life. Their chemistry was insane, out of this world intense, and all the better when they FINALLY stopped trying to resit what was clearly happening between them. There were so many little scenes where April would be teasing Mal and he would get flustered and almost run away, BUT THEN THEY HAD THE MINI WHISKY EVENT AND HE COULDN'T KEEP HIS EYES OR HANDS OFF OF HER!!! i'm not going to spoil it, but what they did in that back room had me kicking my feet and fanning my face, and it impossibly got even better from then on out.

Like i said before, there is so much more to this book than a simple small town romance set in Scotland, and i would be lying if i said that i wasn't happy they got their own happy ending. The epilogue was beautiful, and i feel like it was the perfect round up on an already beautiful story. I'm so so so glad that they were able to move past all of the obstacles that they had in their way.

A massive thank you to the author and publisher for giving me an arc of this to read. It was so much fun!!