Whisky Business is a cozy, spicy romance that takes place on the beautiful Isle of Skye in Scotland. It’s a slow burn romance with very appealing leads and I really enjoyed it!

April Sinclair is an actress, who has come back to the Isle of Skye after being gone for twelve years. She has hopes of finding peace so she can rethink her career options. (She’s been unhappy with her recent acting jobs.) She is also grieving her grandparents’ deaths, especially her grandfather (Kier) who recently passed away. Her family’s whisky business has been struggling and she wants to try and save it. It’s her legacy but if it’s too far gone, she’ll have to sell it. When she and her adorable rescue dog arrive at the manor she is surprised to find Malcolm (Mal) and his dog in her kitchen! She knew Mal when they were teens and she had a wee crush on him.

Mal scowls and isn’t happy to see April. He wonders why she didn’t visit sooner when her grandfather was ill and dying. (This is a little mystery.) Mal had a deal with Kier to buy the distillery and was making payments on it. He’s upset when he finds out that April is the new heir to the property and business. They decide to work together to try and make the business profitable again. They butt heads but are drawn to each other.

Mal is very shy. He was born with a cleft-pallet and had many surgeries when he was young. He grew up self-conscious about the way he looked and sounded. He doesn’t get along with his father because his father doesn’t think Mal’s job at the distillery is good enough. Mal doesn’t think he is worthy of April (she is a gorgeous, world-famous movie star after all). She thinks he’s hot but while there’s a lot of flirting between them, they give each other mixed signals for a while.

While Mal works hard in the distillery, April creates a website, posts on social media, and holds whisky tastings for the tourists. My favorite part is when they throw a launch party for their community to celebrate their new whisky label and there’s delicious food and lots of friends – Mal even wears his kilt. He is inexperienced when it comes to women but when he and April finally come together, they make up for lost time and there are a lot of steamy scenes, maybe a few too many for me, but I went along with it – they are both so deserving of love.

The story gets angsty when April has to make decisions about her career and her future. Mal treasures their time together – he saves all ‘their little moments together like shells’. April loves Mal and his dog, seeing the stars from her window, and hearing the sound of the sea as they fall asleep.

I so enjoyed this small-town Scottish romance. Mal has two older brothers and a sister who are all very close and bring a lot of humor and teasing banter to the story. It looks like the brothers will be getting their own books with Callum’s story, Scotch on the Rocks coming July 8th. I look forward to catching up with them and seeing what they’re all up to.