One of... Buzzfeed's Romance Books To Look Out For In 2023  Paste Magazine's Most Anticipated Contemporary Romance Books of 2023 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. “This book doesn’t just have a phenomenal romance at its heart—and a sexy Scotsman to swoon over—but a truly immersive sense of place, one that you’ll never want to leave once you’ve allowed yourself to discover Thistlecross’s inherent charms and the hilarious locals who inhabit this cozy village.”— Paste Magazine " Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year is utterly charming. Rochelle Bilow’s evocative writing made me feel like I was in a cozy Scottish cottage right alongside her irrepressible heroine, swooning over the local food, whisky, and strapping bearded handyman. I finished the book, my heart full and my stomach rumbling, then immediately googled 'plane tickets to Scotland'.”— Laura Hankin, author of A Special Place for Women "Rochelle Bilow's debut is a transportive delight! The humor and warmth are like a sip of fine single malt, with all the depth and complexity of flavor to make you plan your own escape to Scotland. If you're in search of a love story to make you feel like you've come home, don't miss your chance to fall in love with this book."— Denise Williams, author of Do You Take This Man “The perfect cozy read for a chilly winter day.”— Culturess "Bilow has written a romance that should be savored slowly, if only to thoroughly appreciate her poetic prose and immersive sense of place....A charming, lyrical debut about love and self-discovery."— Kirkus Reviews "Bilow’s debut is perfect for readers enamored of Scotland and friends-to-lovers romances." —Booklist "Food writer Bilow’s debut romance is just as charming as its Scottish village setting."— Library Journal Rochelle Bilow is a food and romance writer who previously worked as the social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. A graduate of The French Culinary Institute, she has also worked as a line cook, a baker, and a wine spokesperson. Her first book, The Call of the Farm , a swoony farming memoir, was published in 2014. Raised in Syracuse, New York, Rochelle now lives in northern Vermont. Chapter One Ruby Spencer was absolutely, positively sure about three things. 1. Quitting her job and moving to a random town in the Scottish Highlands for a year to write a cookbook was the craziest thing she had ever done. 1.5. (Would ever do.) 1.75. ((The crazy thing was the Scotland part, not the cookbook part.)) 2. In all her thirty-five years, she had never lived anywhere as beautiful as this tiny stone cottage, overgrown with ivy and moss, with its sweet mint-green door. 2.5. Even if it didn't have a kitchen. 2.75. Hahahahaha. 3. After two delayed flights, a canceled one, an overnight snooze on a bench in Heathrow Airport, and one missing piece of luggage later . . . her armpits absolutely, positively stunk. Ruby set her canvas duffel on the cool floor, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. God, I smell awful. On her next breath, she focused her attention on the cottage around her. She wiggled her toes inside her Keds and shimmied her shoulders on the exhale. The air inside the cottage smelled sweet and heady, like cinnamon and smoke, black tea leaves and vanilla. Which was nice. Which was much better than her armpits, which smelled like curry and garlic. She kept her eyes shut as she listened for the tiny sounds that tend to hide in old stone Scottish cottages. To her right and slightly above: the wind whistling through the chimney and into the hearth. In front of her and through the window: gentle clucking f