REVIEW: Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow

In Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow, Spending a year in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands in a little stone cottage, writing a cookbook that will one day become the next big thing in the culinary world sounds like a dream to Ruby Spencer. But traveling across the Atlantic from NYC to teeny Thistlecross was much more of a trek than she bargained for. However, she’s determined to make it work. And as she meets all the townsfolk, spends time in the Cosy Hearth–the local pub just up the path–and begins cooking with Grace, who runs the pub, things start to settle into place for Roo. Well, mostly. Her cookbook isn’t coming along as quickly as she thought it would. And then there’s gorgeous Brochan, the local fix-it-guy, whom she can’t get out of her head.

“The whole ‘I’m going to move to Scotland and write a bestselling cookbook’ thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Mostly because I am having a minor crisis of identity. Why the heck did I think I needed to come here in the first place?”
“Because you are brave and badass and because you do hard things that will make sense someday,” answered Lee.

Roo is soon piecing together what she wants her cookbook to be based on while exploring what Scotland has for cuisine…and spirits. They’re not kidding when the locals say they have some of the best whisky on the planet. But soon Roo finds herself all wrapped up in the town’s new controversy: an American chain restaurant wants to take over the Cosy Hearth, leaving her newfound friends–who are like family to her–in the lurch. Roo can see a bit of both sides but ultimately wants what is best for Brochan, Grace, Neil, and the rest of Thistlecross. Although if she jumps in the middle of the fray, will they see her as an outsider or as one of their own?

‘There they were, whisky and food nerds in their mid-thirties and almost forties without a clue who they were or what they were doing with their lives. But they had each other, and that made them feel like they had unearthed some sort of luscious secret.’

Talk about a fun, immersive novel that will hit all of your emotions *and* your senses. Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year will have you feeling like you’re right there in the middle of the Scottish Highlands with a front row seat to the ups and downs of Ruby’s personal journey.

‘This was not what she had come to Scotland for, but suddenly she couldn’t imagine her life without the Cosy Hearth or the people in it.’

I was sold on this novel as soon as: A) I saw the cover, and B) I saw it was set in Scotland. That’s a win-win right there. But add in all the scrumptious food Ruby, aka Roo, cooks and eats while exploring the Highlands plus the seriously wonderful cast and I was in literary heaven. Okay, so the hero, Brochan (pronounced Broo-ken) with his beard, mischievous glint in his eyes, and his love for town and country didn’t hurt either. At all. Although it was Roo in all her quirky, awkward, but charming foodie ways that captured my heart and held on with both hands.

I’m a sucker for a small-town romance so Ruby’s trek to Thistlecross and the lovely people there warmed my heart. Things started off a little rough, though. The location, while beautiful, was way more, ahem, rustic than she first thought it would be. But Roo was a trouper, and she made the best of it while getting to know the locals and got working on her cookbook. I’m serious when I say there was a lot of talk about food–mostly local cuisine but it really ran the gamut from savory to sweet to whisky and back again. (So don’t read this on an empty stomach! Or at least have snacks handy!) Home, hearth, and hearty meals was the way Roo and her neighbors connected. And it felt so…cozy. Those same things that drew her into their small world is what made this a touching, warm story for us readers.

Brochan turned out to be a swoon-worthy hero. His and Roo’s banter and flirting was so darn cute that I just couldn’t get enough. And once their romance heated up? It was fiery in all the right ways without being too over the top. I will say that if you have doubts about Brochan’s loyalty or wonder if he’s a man of his word, don’t give up on him. (Or Roo!) Rochelle Bilow pulled out *all* the stops for the ending and had this reader misty-eyed with its sweetness.

QOTD: If a book is set anywhere in the UK, I’ll read it. Do you have any locations that will make you grab up a book right on the spot?

Book Info:

Publication: Published February 14, 2023 | Berkley |

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 in this charming debut romance.

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.