The Highlander’s Christmas Bride by Vanessa Kelly

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

The Highlander's Christmas Bride (Clan Kendrick, #2)The Highlander’s Christmas Bride by Vanessa Kelly

Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: Clan Kendrick #2

Release Date: October 29, 2019

Donella Haddon retired to a convent 3 years ago when her cousin Alec, who is her betrothed, married another woman and her mother tried to kill him, but now the nuns have decided that Donella doesn’t have a true calling and have asked her to leave. Her uncle Earl Riddick is in business negotiations with Logan Kendrick and asks him to escort Donella home.

Logan Kendrick has only recently returned to Scotland after many years of self-imposed exile in Canada after the death of his brother Nick’s son. But his time is Canada wasn’t all self-crimination – Logan built a successful business, married his love, who also happened to be his partner’s daughter and fathered a son. He lost his wife shortly after his son Joseph’s birth and hasn’t stopped grieving. But when he meets Donella, there is no denying the attraction between them. However, things do not start out well and almost as soon as they start out for her uncle’s, they are set upon and the Murray’s attempt to kidnap Donella. Logan is forced to abandon the coach and take Donella into the wilderness. After a grueling journey, they finally arrive at a cottage and take shelter and wait for Alec to arrive to take Donella home. When Alec arrives and finds them in the bed, he demands that Logan marry her – she refuses and they part.

Logan returns home and finds out that his grandfather had returned from Canada with his son. Although he was scared that Nick would be upset, everyone immediately accepts him. But he is still a little quiet around everyone.

Back with her family, Donella tries to convince her family to let her join another convent, but they insist that she go to the family home and prepare a Christmas celebration – since Evie (Alec’s English wife) celebrates and so does Donella since she is a catholic. They send her to stay with the Kendrick’s until Alec and Evie can join her. At the Kendrick’s she immediately bonds with Joseph and grows closer to Logan. It appears that they are on track to their own HEA, but not everyone is happy with that plan. Former lovers and loves will interfere and secrets may tear them apart if they can’t find a way to move on from their pasts.

I thought this was a pretty good story, it did seem to drag a bit and I don’t know if I completely believe Logan is truly in love – the man seems to “fall in love” at the drop of a hat, so I don’t know if I trust his love is true. I did enjoy catching up with Nick, Victoria, Alec and Evie, as well as getting to know Donella. She was likeable, but a bit misguided. I loved her interactions with Joseph and was touched by the bond between them. This is the second book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Beyond Cutting by Vicki Clifford

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery1 Comment

Beyond Cutting (Viv Fraser, #1)Series: Viv Fraser #1
Publication Date: 2/20/14
Number of Pages: 242

** 3.5 Rounded Up **

This was my first book by a new-to-me author. It is a very diverting mystery, but, in my view, it isn’t a cozy mystery which is more what I was looking for – it is darker and grittier. Be aware that the book is written in third person/present tense – and it took me a while to become accustomed – however, once I did it wasn’t a problem. I do understand that all of the other books in the series are written in third person/past tense – which is more what most of us are accustomed to.

Vivian (Viv) Fraser is a hairdresser/journalist/Dr. of Anthropology and she’s extremely sensitive when anyone refers to her as ‘just’ a hairdresser. She very quickly takes offense. She’s alone and finally beginning to come to grips with the death of her lover, Dawn. She’s finally begun to feel pangs of attraction again, but I can’t decide whether she’s more attracted to Sal Chapman (she’s a profiler at the police headquarters) or DI Marcus (Mac) Marconi (he’s the inspector investigating the case). At any rate, I had a hard time warming up to Viv – she was a little too ‘in your face’ and didn’t appear to be a very caring type of person. Perhaps I’ll find her to be different in the next book I read, but, in this one, I didn’t particularly care for her.

Juliet (Jules) Muir, editor at a national newspaper, and an old friend of Viv’s calls to ask Viv to take on a writing/investigative assignment. The task is to investigate the circumstances around a missing young man, Andrew Douglas, to find him if possible and to write an article for the newspaper. Jules asked Viv to take the assignment because she was familiar with the after-hours gay scene in Edinburgh and would be able to move freely in that environment.

As Viv investigates, she finds herself investigating more than just a missing young man. There are drug dens, murders, sex trafficking – pretty much everything on the darker side of life. People are not who they seem to be and it reaches right up into the affluent sections of society. There were many villains involved with many different parts of the crime and I didn’t feel ‘finished’ with a couple of them. The murderer came out of left field – you definitely won’t guess who it is because you don’t really meet them until they are revealed.

The bottom line for me is that it is a good mystery, well written, well-plotted, but it wasn’t my normal cup-of-tea. I will try another book or two in the series to see how things progress and whether I can come to like Viv.