Review: Kilt Trip

Ah, Scotland. As I write this, Google Photos are reminding me that I was in Scotland for the first time four years ago. And I’m also still working through posting some recent trip photos from my trip to England and Scotland in December. So, while I always love reading books set in Scotland, it was an especially lovely (and wanderlust inducing) time to read Alexandra Kiley’s debut novel Kilt Trip. I had really been looking forward to this book and it ended up being a nice romance to get lost in while wishing I was exploring Scotland in person again instead of through the pages of a book.

Here’s the book’s description:

Ready or Scot...
Globetrotter Addie Macrae always follows her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she jet sets around the world—anywhere but Scotland. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a struggling family-run tour company in the Highlands—and save her own job—Addie packs away her emotional baggage and turns on the professional charm.
Rugged as the land he loves, Logan Sutherland’s greatest joy is sharing the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems…even if it means a wee bit of red ink on the company’s bottom line. The last thing Logan wants is some American “expert” pushing tourist traps and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster—especially when Addie never leaves her desk to experience the country for herself.
As they wage an office war, Logan discovers Addie’s secret connection to Scotland: a handful of faded Polaroids of her late mother. Hoping for a truce, he creates a private tour to the places in the pictures to help Addie find closure and appreciate the enchantment in less-traveled destinations, never expecting the off-limits attraction sparking between them. But Addie’s contract is almost up, and magic won’t pay the bills. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer?

OK, so, while this book was a lovely little romance, I was let down by it. Was it because my expectations were so freaking high? Perhaps. But it started off with tropes that I do not like at all and it was really hard to bring me back from that. I don’t love enemies to lovers and I don’t love when a character waltzes into another’s world and assumes they know best (it’s why some Hallmark movies are so terrible to me). I actually stopped reading a book before the holidays because it started a lot like this one but I persevered with Kiley's because 1. The book was set in Scotland and 2. A trusted friend told me it got better. It wasn’t as “better” as I wanted but I managed and was treated to a perfectly respectable romance but one that won’t stick with me.

I don’t want to focus on the negatives but I do want to illustrate what didn’t work for me at the start of this book. It just seems fair to explore it so you can decide if it’s something that will also be a problem for you or is something that you don’t mind at all. That’s the beauty of books - some people love them, some people don’t. I want you to make your own call here! So, first of all, Addie is late to joining a tour at the start of the story. Which, you know, happens. Part of why she was late though was because the airline lost her suitcase. The woman works for a travel consultancy agency and travels All. The. Time. There is no way she would have checked a suitcase! Anyway. Because she was late, she can’t find the start of the tour so she’s mentally docking points. First of all, if she was on time she’d have seen the group of folks waiting for the tour. Second of all, I’ve been to the exact spot she is supposed to be and I don’t think it's all that difficult to find. Then I realize the tour is literally just bringing people up Calton Hill and learning a little bit about it from a guide. A guide who runs tours that are supposed to be exploring “hidden gems” of Edinburgh. Calton Hill is not hidden. It’s very visible (and, fun fact, was created by the ash of the volcano that Edinburgh Castle now sits on) and has a number of monuments you can see from all over the city. And then when Addie finally meets the staff of the company she’s there to makeover, she assumes she knows best and everything they have to say is stupid and won’t make them any money. I would have LOVED to find a tour company like Logan’s who actually did find some of the hidden gems when I was in Edinburgh because I know there are tons of things to see that are off the beaten path (which I also explored and loved).

And speaking of her work. I have no idea what Addie was actually supposed to be doing. Making the tour company better and more profitable, sure. But if the client (Logan and his family) are set on something, shouldn’t she try to see if it can work instead of dismissing it immediately? Her boss was even worse. I used to work for a PR agency and we’d provide our expertise and opinions but, in the end, what the client wanted, the client got. The woman’s never been to Edinburgh and she thinks she’s an expert? It was just really hard for me to get over how frustrated that made me. Logan was just as bad, though, and wouldn’t listen to anything Addie had to say and was acting like a sulky teenage boy. So many people want a balance of big attractions and little known spots and he didn’t seem to grasp that.

The book looks like it should be a rom com, given the bright, happy, illustrated cover. It’s definitely firmly in the romance category, though there are a few humorous moments that are wacky as you’d expect from a rom com. The issues Addie had to work through (grief over the death of her mother and traveling to Scotland without her, and so on), made the story much heavier than you would expect. It’s not a bad thing, just a case of, don’t judge the romance by the cover.

The thing that saved this book for me was the setting. Surprise, surprise! I loved being able to “visit” places I had just been (Edinburgh and Stirling Castles and Edinburgh itself) while traveling to other spots in Scotland that I wasn’t able to visit. The atmosphere was wonderful and it’s a great armchair travel book if you’re feeling the wanderlust. Just know you’re going to want to book a trip to Scotland immediately if it’s anywhere on your travel bucket list!

While Kilt Trip wasn’t a winner for me, that’s not to say you won’t enjoy Alexandra Kiley’s debut novel. It was a fine romance with an amazing setting that I think other romance readers would enjoy.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, HTP Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*