Review – Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow

Posted February 13, 2023 by Carole in Reviews / 9 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review – Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year by Rochelle BilowRuby Spencer's Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow
Narrator: Nikki Massoud
Published by Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Random House Audio on February 14, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Length: 8 hours 52 minutes
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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four-stars

When a thirty-something American food writer moves to a Scottish village for one year to fulfill her dream of writing a cookbook she finds more than inspiration—she meets a handsome Scotsman she can’t resist.

Ruby Spencer is spending one year living in a small cottage in a tiny town in the Scottish Highlands for three reasons: to write a bestselling cookbook, to drink a barrelful of whisky, and to figure out what comes next. It’s hard to know what to expect after an impulse decision based on a map of Scotland in her Manhattan apartment—but she knows it’s high time she had an adventure.

The moment she sets foot in Thistlecross, the verdant scenery, cozy cottages, and struggling local pub steal her heart. Between designing pop-up suppers and conversing with the colorful locals, Ruby starts to see a future that stretches beyond her year of adventure. It doesn’t hurt that Brochan, the ruggedly handsome local handyman, keeps coming around to repair things at her cottage. Though Ruby swore off men, she can’t help fantasizing what a roll in the barley might be like with the bearded Scot.

As Ruby grows closer to Brochan and the tightly held traditions of the charming village, she discovers secret plans to turn her beloved pub into an American chain restaurant. Faced with an impossible choice, Ruby must decide between love, loyalty, and the Highlands way of life.

I really enjoyed this book! Ruby Spencer quits her job as a food writer and moves to a small Scottish town to write a cookbook. It doesn’t take too long before she becomes captivated by the small town of Thistlecross not to mention the local handyman, Brochan. Between the romance, the food, the whiskey, and the setting, I found a lot to love in this entertaining story.

I liked Ruby and Brochan together and thought that the chemistry between them was very well done and I appreciated the fact that Ruby and Brochan are in their mid to later thirties. Ruby seemed to fit into the small town right away and I really liked all of the characters in town. My favorite parts of the book were when Ruby and Brochan were alone. They really did just seem like they were meant to be and I was very invested in seeing things work out for them.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Nikki Massoud did a great job with the story. I loved the various voices and accents that she used for the characters. I thought that she did a great job with both the male and female voices and I found her voice to be very pleasant. I loved that the emotion of the story was expressed in her narration. I feel like her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this book.

I would not hesitate to recommend this story to others. I found this to be a wonderful story full of fantastic characters that I found hard to put down. I hope to read more of this talented author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

9 responses to “Review – Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow

  1. I’m glad to hear you liked this one. I put it on my TBR list because of that Scotland setting, but want to read it even more now. 😀

  2. So glad to see positive things about this book. I have a library hold in and am excited to go to Scotland with Ruby. All that food stuff is a plus for me

  3. It sounds like this one was such a keeper there! I do love it when narrators implement strong levels of emotions into the performance, just makes it a better experience for the listener.

    Great review!

  4. This sounds absolutely delightful! Food and small town Scotland sounds like a perfect pairing and I will definitely look for the audio of this one!