Thursday, May 2, 2019

Blog Tour: Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson


Getting Hot with the Scot
Melonie Johnson
Series: Sometimes in Love
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
“Playful, passionate, and positively unputdownable!”—New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren

IT’S TIME TO FLIRT WITH A MAN IN A KILT


Cassie Crow, a pop-culture reporter for a TV talk show, is focused on becoming a “serious” journalist. But when she stumbles into a kilted Highlander with a killer accent, Cassie decides that taking one night off from work and spending it with a sexy Scot couldn’t hurt. . .

Logan Reid has built a career on his charm, hosting a series of off-the-wall hijinks on the Web. But when the Scottish prankster meets the all-American, equal parts intelligent and irresistible Cassie, Logan realizes that one night of fun won’t be enough. Could it be that this career-focused, commitment-phobic couple is finally ready to take a chance at true and lasting love?

“Witty, sexy, and oh-so-fun. . .Melonie Johnson is an addictive new voice in contemporary romance.” —New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker
REVIEW

Chicago Cassie was focused on her career, and aspired to breakout from her role as pop-culture commentator to that of a more serious journalist. However, she wanted to shed Chicago Cassie, while vacationing in Europe with her college besties, and allow Vacation Cassie to cut loose, be a little reckless, and find a foreign fling. A wrong turn and a hilarious meet-cute bring Cassie and Logan together, but could this fling turn into more?

I always love, when the hero and heroine begin their pursuit with very clear intentions, but then they change along the way. In Getting Hot with the Scot, Cassie was looking for one night of passion, while Logan was seeking a signature on a release form. At some point in the story, both Cassie and Logan got what they were after, but to my delight, the relationship did not end there. Johnson did a great job getting all the pieces to fall into place, which allowed this romance to continue even when the vacation was over, and I enjoyed getting a front row seat to all the action.

I sort of thought the book would wrap up shortly after Cassie's vacation ended, but the story continued, and allowed Johnson to further develop the characters and their relationship. We learned more about why they avoided commitments, and we saw them work to overcome the obstacles, which were keeping them from getting their HEA, and I think a lot of readers will appreciate this.

Getting Hot with the Scot was a fabulous rom-com. It was fun, sexy, witty, and even a little emotional. Johnson assembled a strong cast, and deftly laid the groundwork for subsequent books. I am already looking forward to the next book, after getting to see Bonnie and Theo interact and learning a little about their backgrounds. The conflict in this book was on the weaker side, but I didn't care, because it was so obvious that Cassie and Logan belonged together, and I was rooting for them the entire time.

Other strengths:
  • I loved getting to spend time in Scotland, London, and Chicago. We saw a few sights, ate a little local cuisine, and absorbed a bit of the culture. 
  • The female friendships in this book were fantastic. This group of five became a unit in college, but within the group we had two sets of lifelong besties. Cassie and Bonnie had been friends since the tender age of six - Cassie the Dianna to Bonnie's Anne, and the depth of their bond was obvious. It's also always fabulous to see a group of women supporting each other, as this group did. 
  • There was some fun commentary regarding romance readers, and I liked the way Johnson worked it into the story. Remember: Smart women read romance. 
  • I loved Logan's family. His mother was a doll, and I adored my visit to his hometown. I am super curious about all the food and traditions they mentioned while we were there too. 
Overall: I was thoroughly entertained by this debut, and am so excited that I found a new rom-com series to love. This book had me laughing, swooning, and smiling, and I can't wait to repeat those actions as I enjoy the other Sometimes in Love books.

* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK LINKS


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Star Wars junkie and Shakespeare groupie who quotes both Yoda and the Bard with equal aplomb, award-winning author Melonie Johnson—aka #thewritinglush—is a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist who loves dark coffee, cheap wine, and expensive beer. And margaritas. And mimosas. And mules. Basically any cocktail that starts with the letter m. She met her future husband in that most romantic of places—the mall—when they were teenagers working in stores across the hall from each other. They went on to live happily ever after in the suburbs of Chicago with two redhead daughters, a dog that’s more like a small horse, and a trio of hermit crabs. After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie taught high school English and Theatre in the northern Chicago suburbs for several years. Now she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin.



How do you feel about prank shows?
Let us know in the comments!

20 comments:

  1. Oh Sam, this sounds so good! I, too, love it when a couple enters into an arrangement with clear intentions but their chemistry ends up changing things. Great review! I just put it on hold at my library. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a fun book, with just the right amount of depth for me. I like the lighter, rom-com stuff, and I really enjoyed their journey. I hope you like it too.

      Delete
  2. I love book that take me around the world and sample all the fine cuisine. This sounds like it has a lot going for it. Yeah for strong female friendships!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We get to see a bunch of stuff in England and Scotland, and I especially enjoyed the real traditional things we share with Logan's family in Scotland.

      Delete
  3. I love rom-coms! This one sounds wonderful with how the main characters fall for each other, despite having a temporary arrangement. I like when a love story also gets me a little emotional. All of the traveling and strong female friendships sound like they really enhance the story. Excellent Review Sam!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Johnson did a good job letting me get to know the other women, as I believe, they all will get their own books, and I didn't just like them, I liked them as a group. There was a good dynamic.

      Delete
  4. I love when culture comes alive in a book! Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am a big fan of author's who use the setting of their books, especially if they can pull me into it.

      Delete
  5. This sounds like a good read. I was wondering how it would be with that title. Sometimes cheesy titles = cheesy books. I'm glad this wasn't one of them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a little cheesy, but I am going to call the title fun, and that matches the tone of the book. It has a lot of rom-com to it, but also has the characters come to terms with some of their baggage, and that was just the right amount of depth for me.

      Delete
  6. This sounds so cute! And who could resist a Scottish accent?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's fun, and I keep calling Logan "Jamie", because I am associating him with the Outlander hero.

      Delete
  7. I love female friendships so much in books! It's one of the reasons why I love Lauren Layne so much. And this sounds really good! I love novels set in Scotland and I love when they introduce bits of the local cuisine!
    Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I adore Layne, too! This was a lot of fun, great supporting characters, a bit of travel, and I think it's a solid start to the series.

      Delete
  8. This is kind of reminding me of Heartland by Kimberly Stuart that I read last year! And it sounds so nice to go through all of those three settings with the book. The best romances for me are ones which don't quite end where you think it will, but sometimes goes a bit further. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not familiar with that book, but I love books with travel in them.

      Delete
  9. I'm glad you enjoyed this one even if I couldnt get into it. I just couldn't care for the MC which is never a good sign. But reading your review makes me wish it had worked better for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I usually need to like the mc to enjoy the book too. I was good with Cassie and I really liked Logan

      Delete
  10. I just have to say I ADORE the name of this book and for that reason alone I must purchase it. =)

    Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It screams romance read to me, and it was a fun romance

      Delete