The Highlander’s Kilted Bride by Vanessa Kelly (TLC Book Tour)

 

Do you play an instrument?  I used to play the piano and clarinet, but I haven’t played in quite some time.  Now I enjoy listening to my children play the piano and their other instruments. 

Music plays a key role in The Highlander’s Kilted Bride.  In 1828, Kade of the Klan Kendrick has recently returned home to Scotland after a worldwide tour playing his music and also spying for his country.  He is annoyed at being roped into attending a wedding and perhaps playing a concert of his music rather than getting to spend his time working on his latest piece that has been commissioned by the king.  While on the way to the wedding, his carriage is nearly crashed into by a feisty lady riding a white horse, Charlotte “Charlie” Stewart.  The two met as children and have a shared love of music.  Charlie is meant to marry another, but will Kade and Charlie forge their own path?

I thought The Highlander’s Kilted Bride was a delightful escapism read.  It’s been a very busy week at work and in life and it was fun to be able to settle down each evening and read this novel.  I loved the characters in this novel.  The story starts with a prologue where Charlie and Kade meet as children and Charlie defends Kade by punching another boy in the nose.  This sets the tone for their relationship, and I loved it.  I loved Charlie’s spunky personality and also enjoyed their shared love of music.  All of the other characters were great, but I think I would have loved them even more if I had read the first five novels in this series and knew their back stories.  I always enjoy a Scottish setting and loved the highland setting of this book.

The story was very fun with a wedding, a loss of a family heirloom, and the search for a treasure all with love blooming in the midst.  I enjoyed the mysteries.  I especially loved feisty Grandpa Angus.  He has great love for his family and hilarious anger towards other families for past historic misdeeds.  The book had great humor and had me chuckling often.  I loved all of the family interactions.

Favorite Quote:  “One need not trick oneself out in the latest styles or simper about as a ninny to be a woman, and a lovely one at that.”  I loved the message of being yourself in this novel.

Book Source: Review Copy from author Vanessa Kelly and NetGalley.   Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  

About The Highlander’s Kilted Bride

Publisher: Zebra (August 22, 2023)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages

The youngest brother in Clan Kendrick has become a charismatic force in his own right—especially when the perfect woman gallops into his life—in the latest novel in USA Today bestselling author Vanessa Kelly’s sparkling Scottish Regency series.

Charlotte “Charlie” Stewart would rather don a kilt and ride her horse than simper in a ballroom. But with her younger sister about to be wed, she can’t escape the pressure to be next. A husband has been chosen, and Charlie’s fate seems set. Until an afternoon gallop sends her horse colliding with Kade Kendrick, the broad-shouldered Highlander who was once her childhood pal . . .

As a youth, Kade felt overshadowed by his older siblings. Now he’s a renowned musician whose fame provides cover for his other work—as a spy. Home from his latest mission, he’s annoyed to be roped into attending the wedding of a family friend—until it reunites him with the fearless tomboy who has become a breathtaking beauty. And though his thoughts should be on a new concerto, Kade is soon distracted by rival suitors, a dangerous quest—and the unconventional woman who fills his soul with music and his body with desire . . .

About the Author

Vanessa Kelly is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of The Improper Princesses series, the Clan Kendrick, The Renegade Royals and The Stanton Family series, in addition to other historical romances. Named by Booklist as one of the “Stars of Historical Romance,” her books have been translated into nine languages and published internationally. In graduate school, Vanessa specialized in the study of eighteenth-century British fiction and is known for developing vibrant Regency settings, appealing characters, and witty story lines that captivate readers. She lives with her husband in Ontario, Canada. Visit her at VanessaKellyAuthor.com or join the Clan Kendrick Facebook Group at Facebook.com/groups/ClanKendrick.