The Kendrick's are back! I was so excited to read this book and it was all I had hoped for. Braden's story is a little different that the first four. We are reminded all the time that Braden is not as brawny as his brother's. He makes up for it in other skills though. Samantha is a warrior princess. Their first meeting in the book is Samantha saving Braden from some thugs. The way the two navigate this book together is wonderful. Braden doesn't push Samantha for the most part unless it comes to her life then he is every bit the Highlander. I think it's during these times that she starts falling in love with him.
It was great to read about all of the Kendrick's brothers and their families.

If I wasn't already mad for the Kendricks this book certainly would have done it. As a nurse, I found Dr. Braden Kendrick a compassionate and dedicated physician, very admirable. We get to know him a lot better and find out maybe not so boring after all. On one of his forays into Old Town to care for a patient, he is set upon by footpads. He is saved by a mysterious duo who don't introduce themselves or talk at all. It doesn't take Braden long to discover the pair's identity.. Both Lady Samantha and Braden have loved and irrevocably lost that love to death. Neither wish to love again, but love will always find a way. Their attraction and the ongoing shenanigans at the foundation she runs takes them for quite a trip. It takes the whole Kendrick clan to solve the situation. This is my favorite Kendrick tale so far, they just get better and better. But oh no! We are running out of Kendrick brothers.

The Highlander's Holiday Wife (Clan Kendrick, #5) by Vanessa Kelly
This is another fantastic Clan Kendrick story - I love all of them. This is Braden Kendrick and Lady Samantha Penwith’s story. Both are strong H/h and their story has it all - angst, evil, suspense, mystery, wonderful family and friends, laughter, tears, beautiful romance and all the feels to get us to a very HEA. I can't wait for the next Clan Kendrick book.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Easy-to-read Entertaining Funny Great world building Happily Ever After Page-turner Romantic Scary Tear-jerker Wonderful characters. I was so happy to be able to read and review this ARC.

Well, you certainly can't say that the Kendrick Clan is boring in any way! lol I really get a kick out of the grandfather, what a hoot he is. Once one becomes a part of the family and there's trouble, you can rest assured that the Kendrick family will be there to help in any way they can. Samantha finds this out when she becomes involved with Braden, the doctor in the family.

Samantha is a widow and is on a quest to find out who murdered her husband, as well as trying to find the orphans who are disappearing.. When she and her bodyguard save Braden's life one night, he in turn makes it his duty to find out what she's up to. Amidst all the danger, a second chance at love presents itself but a true leap of faith will be needed!!

Well written, a sweet romance that is fairly clean and plenty of mystery and action that will keep you on your toes!

I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was a great read! I love that Samantha was a strong woman. The book was not your typical Christmas story but rather a delightful historical novel with lots of twists and turns. Dr. Kendrick is the perfect match for Samantha. This was the first book I was approved to read through NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley!

There is a lot going on in this book, taking place in Scotland in I believe the Regency era. Samantha's husband died and she spends time trying to figure out who killed him and save missing children from the orphanage he ran. She is also trying not to rock the boat and cause her grandfather in law to take her sister in law away from her custody. The sister in law, Felicity, is not that young, but she is deaf and Samantha is worried her grandfather will basically institutionalize Felicity because she is not perfect.

Samantha meets Braden Kendrick, the local doctor also part of the famed Kendrick clan of gregarious highlanders. He helps her on her quest, to keep her safe, but is also interested in her. I felt the romance part of the book was a bit rushed, and could be very rated G (which is not necessarily bad but just not how many of the other current romance books that aren't religious themed are currently writing) yet there was constant discussion of the grandfather staring at the bosom of one of Braden's sisters in law, which was kind of gross.

I enjoyed the characters and the mystery ended up being compelling and almost a majority of the story, but the romance was most definitely front and center. I think I'd give it a 4- rather than a 3+ due to the epilogue which was a nice HEA for the main couple.

I feel conflicted about this book! It has several strengths, including its really interesting and insightful considerations of historic practices, such as limitations in health care general and the risks of birth at the time specifically (as well as other scientific developments, the business of non-profits and the development of sign language) throughout the plot. The main male character is depicted as almost feminist for the time, in his support of women’s health and his respect of the female protagonist and her traumatic past. However, some of these same interesting elements, which lie on the fringes of the central romance, make the plot drag and distract from the two characters’ budding relationship. The story does, however, do a good job navigating the emotional trauma and conflicting feelings of a woman who lost her first love in tragic circumstances and is feels guilt and remorse as she approaches the opportunity for a second love in her life.

I’d recommend this for people who enjoy detailed historical context and a bit of a social justice lens alongside their romantic plot — and who aren’t afraid to take a few side detours to gain historical insights on the way to the plot’s payoff.

Loved it!! I had no doubts about this one!!! Vanessa never fails to entertain!! Never!! I have loved this whole series and I'm looking forward to reading more about the Clan Kendrick, especially Kade's tale. Thank you so much NetGalley for the chance to review this wonderful book and thank you so much Vanessa Kelly for another entertaining time with the Clan Kendrick!! I highly recommend this one and the whole series!!

It makes me so happy when a new Clan Kendrick book is released! I was immediately drawn into the story and couldn't put it down. As usual, there were great characters, lots of action and love/romance which all added up to a great escape/adventure for me. I'm hoping for more books in this series in the future!

This was a great story that showed you can have happiness after a great loss. Samantha is finding a purpose in life after loosing her husband and unborn child. She is determined to find who killed her husband and to figure out where all of the missing kinds from her orphanage are going. She finds an unlikely ally in a doctor named Braden. Braden was saved by Samantha and is determined to help her in return. Along the way they start to have feelings for each other. Will they be able to solve the mystery and find happiness together? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good story with well-written characters. I liked Braden from previous books in the series and Samantha made a fantastic addition to the Kendrick family. This book is fine as a stand alone, but hints at stuff from the previous books. The book was a little slow paced at times, long, but a great story overall. I look forward to more books in the series. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.

The Highlander's Holiday Wife by Vanessa Kelly was a wonderful, fantastic read! The story was great and had me feeling so many feel-good emotions! Highly recommend!

The Highlander’s Holiday Wife by Vanessa Kelly (Clan Kendrick #5) 4 stars

The newest Clan Kendrick book focuses on Braden, doctor and the quiet Kendrick brother. He meets his match in Samantha, a widow with a mission. They meet in the wee hours of the night in Old Town when Braden is returning from a house call. First a mystery, then attraction, and finally love for the quiet Kendrick. This book had plenty of action and swoon worthy moments. You have to love a Highlander. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the Clan Kendrick series – I hope it will be Kade.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC

This is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, historical romance novel. It has likable, engaging characters, a strong and capable female protagonist, a kind and caring male protagonist, loving and supportive friends and family, a touch of humor, an endearing grandfather, mystery, murder, intrigue, loss, secrets, kidnapping, and a heart warming romance with a happily ever after ending. This is the fifth entry in Ms. Kelly's Clan Kendrick series, and can easily be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. The glimpses of the secondary characters' past events have piqued my interest in reading their stories.
NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. kindly provided me with an ARC of this novel, and this is my honest opinion.

4 stars

Good story part of Clan Kendrick seies, though it can be read as a standalone. Braden is the doctor and living near the older and more deprived parts of Edinburgh. The heroine, Samantha is trying to solver her husbands murder and the disappearance of some urchins. Braden gets help from his brothers and quite a lot of these stories rely on the great wealth and resources of this family. The romance is fairly muted. They marry in part because of the small minded attitude of her grandfather-in-law and to protect her deaf sister-in-law. A reasonable addition to the series. Fairly obvious who the villains were....

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading Braden as an adult after seeing him in the earlier Kendrick family books. He and Samantha are perfect for each other, with both of them such strong, compassionate characters. Ms. Kelly has a way with the Highlander stories, making them both entertaining and informative, with the Kendricks at the top of the crazies we love to visit (especially Grandda). I look forward to Cade's story sometime down the line and hope there will be other spin-offs of these fun characters. Highly recommended.
#netgalley

Absolutely, Wonderful story of loss, retribution and new love. Samantha is a lady of the ton and as such to act appropriately. Yet she’s found a way to search the stews for her husband’s murderer. Braden is a Doctor whose patients are mostly from the stews as well. All the characters are fantastic, realistic and entertaining. Dr Kendrick has a huge, loud Scottish family. This story has action, mystery, intrigue, suspense and romance. Once started I couldn’t put this book down until the end. I look forward to reading future books by Ms Kelly.

There wasn't anything wrong with it, exactly, but by fifteen percent, I acknowledged that I still didn't care about the Scottish doctor, the young woman who is also a wealthy charity leader of some kind and part-time crimefighter (?), or how the two of them will find love together. No hard feelings, not my thing, someone else will probably love it more.

I received an ARC  from Netgalley of "The Highlander's Holiday Wife", written by the fantastic Vanessa Kelly. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Vanessa Kelly never fails to amaze me with her stories. Each Kendrick siblings story is unique yet shows how absolutely wonderful the Kendrick clan's love for each other is where each member of the family is bold, strong and independent yet knows they can depend and trust all members of the family to stand united.
Braden Kendrick is a doctor who sometimes travels in the seedier parts of town to help his patients. Samantha Penwith is a widow, trying to locate some of her orphanage's missing children as well as the people behind her husband's murder in thise same seedier areas. This is a scrumptious love story with a slow building romance between two people who have loved and lost, and are now afraid to repeat their heart breaking. There's more than just the romantic aspect, there is also suspense and mystery that is wonderfully incorporated into the storyline.  A 6 out of 5 stars!

This book’s title was very misleading to me, and I fear that the title grossly underpromises the amazing story that’s within the covers.
I was anticipating a light and airy piece of holiday romance fun, but instead I was transported to a Scottish world of intrigue, missing children, dastardly deeds and a woman who dared to do anything that was needed to protect those within her care. Bravo to Samantha!!! I loved this book despite it’s title that didn’t really represent the story. (Even the cover was insipid compared to the story) Ms Kelly is definitely an author to add to my Must Read list, and I really hope her publisher allows her the freedom and backing to allow her to tell the stories that she’s got in her heart - she could be a new Amanda Quick!