Getting Hot with the Scot (Sometimes in Love, #1)

by Melonie Johnson

[Sam@WLABB]

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 provided in exchange for an honest review.

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