Series: Clan Kendrick, #5
Traits & Tropes: widowed heroine; working hero; highlander hero; mystery/intrigue, slow burn
Publication Date: 09.27.22
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Edinburgh, Scotland, 1826
Heat Level: 0
Rating: 3/5
Ever since her husband was murdered, Highlands native Lady Samantha Penwith has devoted her nights to searching Edinburgh’s seedier streets for his killer. On her latest sortie, she and her companion interrupt an attempted robbery and then disappear, leaving the intended victim puzzled but grateful for the intervention.
Braden Kendrick is a very dedicated doctor, often ignoring considerations for his own safety in the name of treating some of the city’s poorest residents. But after his close call with violence, he’s determined to uncover the identity of the mysterious lady who saved him. When he does learn who she is, it means facing his own painful past and learning to risk falling in love again just in time for Christmas.
I’m so sad to have to review this book in this way after how much I looked forward to it. I’ve really enjoyed the Kendrick family and have been anticipating strong, silent Braden’s story for some time. I found Samantha to be rather unreasonable in her reluctance to accept Braden’s help and she came off as reckless and hypocritical when it came to safety concerns, especially considering how she and Braden initially met. It was a good thing Braden was persistent, but I was left wondering how Braden was somehow suddenly in love with Samantha despite the fact that she’d been pretty mean to him, and they hadn’t even so much as touched. That said, we did have a promising slow burn here, but then it disappointingly faded to black and without that connection, we’re only told that love has developed between Braden and Samantha, but I didn’t feel that it was ever really shown. The romance was slow but also rushed and it just didn’t exactly feel romantic to me given the on-page interactions we did get between Samantha and Braden, especially coupled with all the other plot lines that were going on. I did appreciate that this serious-toned book was broken up by some Kendrick family humor, but Samantha’s villainous grandfather-in-law was a lot and I’m still not sure how things were resolved with him. The villains in this story were pretty obvious from the beginning, so that did lessen the mystery a bit and make Samantha seem a bit air-headed, but their motivations were rather cobbled together and never all that clear. Overall, this was an entertaining story but it was lighter on the romance than I’d hoped, especially for such a highly anticipated read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3719281477
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4334910165
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