Stealing the Highland Bride

by Kenna Kendrick

Rhona was supposed to give birth to her first child with her husband by her side. When the noble Laird Iain Cameron is brutally killed by the sinister Murdoch Mackintosh, Rhona and her clan find themselves at his mercy. Filled with desire for her, Murdoch makes her his wife and claims her child as his own.

Stewart Mackintosh was forbidden to fall in love with his brother's wife. All he ever wanted, was for his clan to thrive and peace to be restored. Now he is losing himself to a woman he shouldn't desire. But to be with her, Stewart must make the ultimate sacrifice to save Rhona and the bloodline of Clan Cameron.

Genres: Historical Romance

ebook

Published May 23, 2019

About the author

Kenna Kendrick is an American based author of Historical Scottish Romance living in Austin Texas with her husband and three children. Her, more than 25-year-old, experience as an English Teacher has brought her close to the literary world, growing her love for fictional stories.

Her love for literature was also strong because of her father John, who used to write crime-stories. While she tried following on her father's footsteps, a trip to Scotland sealed the deal, as she fell in love with the Celtic myths and the bleak Highlands.

If you'd like to join Kenna in her literary adventures, never miss her new releases, and receive a FREE gift, be sure to subscribe to her newsletter! Simply click the following link:

https://www.kennakendrick.com/ymci

Reviews

[Grinning Cat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring. The viewpoint was so detached that I could find no way to connect with the characters- the author informs rather than demonstrates. Lots of spelling/grammar errors. I’d say it needs editing, but I don’t think anything could fix this snooze fest.

[Cherie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Laird Iain Cameron is killed in battle the victor Murdock Mackintosh, decides he's going to claim Iain's wife as his prize and force her to marry him. Rhona try's to thwart him at every turn but with the wedding fast approaching can she find a way to escape his clutches? Buy this book to find out! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wonder if there's a follow-up book. I would love to see how this story continues. I will definitely but more books from this Author!!
Cherie

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from some grammatical/ punctuation errors, I found this book to be an interesting read.
The story had enough action , suspense and romance to keep me interested .
I look forward to the next installment to as what happens eith Murdoch, Rhona , Stewart, Duncan, the babe and the other characters who played a part in this tale.
Nicely done Kenna!

[Konica Kamal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just terrible. I don’t know what I was expecting but sure didn’t expect it to be be this. Too much Scottish vernacular and most of it doesn’t really sound right, based on many other Scottish romances I’ve read, including all the Outlander books. I mostly just skimmed thru this book trying to get to the end. The writing is just awful in some parts - after Rhona has the baby, the paragraph just starts with something like, “we won’t get into how the childbirth was, let’s just say Rhona was in horrible pain.” WTF?
I almost stopped reading right there. Some passages dragged and rambled with no apparent value to the storyline, such as it was.
I received this book as a free download so gave it a shot but likely would not pick up another book by this author. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, but it badly needed editing. There were several typos and sections that seemed repetitive or inconsequential. I would have liked mor definition to the characters to provide the reads with more of a connection to them. Also hoping not to give anything away, but if they could see the castle, wouldn’t they be close enough to be found if anyone went looking for them? As this is new author I hope my comments will be taken as constructive criticism and that she will continue to hone her craft as her romance was delightful.

[Cherie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start for a new author. The cover was the
best part.
Interesting characters and plot. Way too much repeating about the brothers being so opposite
from each other. Many grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. Needs editing badly.
A sad beginning ending with a sweet romance story. Nothing as far as any steam in the romance.
Very predictable storyline which will continue into another book.

[Christina Thomas]

I love highland romances and this is one of the best one's I've read in a long time! the romance in it just keeps you in awe and you wonder how it will end. If you like Highland books especially romance books this is a a must read!

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐⭐.5 stars


⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️

This is a sweet, short Scottish love story. Rhona, cousin and wife of Iain Cameron, loses her husband in a battle with their lifelong nemesis, the Mackintosh clan. Murdoch Mackintosh, the leader, in turn, stakes his claim on a heavily pregnant Rhona as his prize as he intends for her to marry him and he will raise the Cameron child as his own. Stewart Mackintosh, Murdoch’s half-brother, sees this move as anything but loving, romantic and understanding as he is rude, ugly, and contemptuous toward her. Stewart, however, has befriended, protected and defended Rhona. In time, they fall in love and on the wedding day while the castle and guards are busy, Stewart and Rhona make off for a safe place miles away from all they know. They wed and live happily ever after.

It wasn’t long enough to develop any sort of character that you’d be vested in. I do like my historical romances to have a touch of history to them.


🫤MEH🫤
🫤 There were a few typos and grammatical errors but no way to report them.
🫤 It’s not “historical” per se just set in a Scottish environment from the past but you don’t learn anything.
🫤 I haven’t read anything written in a Scottish vernacular and it was a little bit of a learning curve to place it. When it’s on an audible, totally easy to understand. Reading it is a whole other ball game
🫤 There were quite a few passages that seemed like they were cut/paste from a previous paragraph. I think an editorial pass would have benefitted this greatly.

[J Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can’t force love…

When Laird Iain Cameron died in battle with the hated Mackintosh clan, his wife Rhone knew that life for the Cameron clan would change for the worse and she fears for the safety of her unborn child. She never thought that would include Murdoch Mackintosh, commander of his father’s troops, would demand her hand in marriage holding the safety of her clan hostage in exchange for her compliance. The marriage would join the clans under Murdoch’s leadership once his ailing father dies and he becomes Laird. If her soon to be born child is a son, and the future Laird of the Cameron’s, allowing him to live would be a threat to the Mackintosh rule; a threat that Murdoch would not allow to live. Murdoch’s younger brother, Stewart, is an honorable man – nothing like his evil brother – and tries to shield Rhone from his brother’s intentions but Murdoch is becoming more insistent and the wedding will take place soon.

The characters are likeable, intelligent and engaging but I would have liked the story to be longer. It felt more like a novella and the ending pointed to the next book. This is the perfect book for those who love historical romances and want an afternoon’s enjoyment.

[Martha]

I loved the story of Ian and Fionna of the Cameron's Clan. Ian became Laird and he and his wife Fionna loved each other and she got pregnant. Ian went to war with the MacKintosh when MacKintosh's warriors overrun the Cameron Clan and Ian got killed by sword by Merdock MacKintosh and issued order for Fionna to marry him. He would raise her baby by Ian to be a MacKintosh. Upset, Fionna could do nothing to stop him, if she did, he would kill the rest of the clan or take them prisoners. Fionna and Stewart became close as he was requested by his brother to guard Fionna closely. Weeks before said marriage was to be, Fionna had labor pains and her baby son was born. She named him after his father and Ian, saying he would be the next Laird over the Clan and kill Merdock Mackinstosh for his father. Duncan, Ian's brother was banished from Castle when Merdock saw he had feelings for Fionna. Soon Stewart became close to Fionna and her baby, showing he cared for her before the wedding date was set. His brother saw they were getting close and hurried wedding up. Date of Wedding came and Stewart got Fionna and her baby away from the castle before she had to walk down isle. They fled to the Moors and got married. Good story. Martha

[Sharon Osburn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will say it’s hard to develop characters in a story so short. Thankfully it was only 112 pages on my kindle but it was horrible to force myself to finish it. I do apologize for being so blunt but I just didn’t like the plot, and didn’t like the style of writing it felt like an old fashioned book report. The Laird of the newly acquired castle by killing the longtime enemy Laird in battle was so evil to the fallen Lairds pregnant wife at the castle yet the author failed to show any cruelty and wicked violence to her other than his intent to marry her. The story tells she was held prisoner in her own home and how evil the new Laird was, I never saw it. This is the whole story repeating over and over. The Lairds brother is to guard her and he does but he is a more polite and kind person and he falls in love with her and plans to betray his brother and escape with her. Again the reader is told over and over the laird is wicked and evil and the brother is so wonderful. Yet it is he who betrays his brother, his Laird, whom he fought many battles with side by side, turns his back on his clan and sides with the lifelong enemy clan. In a nutshell they do escape with her baby and ride high into the highlands late autumn with winter weather and live happily ever after.

[Rita Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good love story which began when Iain and Duncan meeting their cousin Rhona as children and they visited each other until adulthood. Iain was to become Laird after the death of his father and Rhona his cousin was to be his chosen bride. Iain and Rhona had a true love for each other which resulted in their son Andrew Iain. However, while battling the MacKintosh clan he was murdered by Murdoch who took over all their lands and was forcing Rhona into marriage. Murdoch placed his brother Steward to guard and imprisoned his wife to be but they developed an attraction to each other since Steward was kind and considerate and his brother the Laird Murdoch was cold and calculating. Steward knew that he couldn't let his brother claim Rhona as his bride and that she would never love him. She and her people were being treated as prisoners within their homes and watched daily and threatened. Stewart planned to rescue Rhona and her son from this marriage and stole away before the wedding to another town where he himself pledge his love and married her himself.

[Jodie Myers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to start with this one. I saw this advertised for free and figured I’d give it a chance, it’s not my usual type of thing but why not try something new? I have to say from the get go, I did not have much hope for this. I probably made a mistake in reading a couple reviews beforehand that put me off even more but I powered through!
I’ll be honest, this does have potential! The reviews I saw about there being grammatical errors aren’t wrong, but it’s nowhere near as bad as I thought. There a handful of full stops where there should have been question marks but that’s all, really, but let’s get into the main of it.

I’ve been keeping notes throughout and….Ohhhh boy 😬 the first thing that irritated me about this book was one line in particular that described a child’s scar as giving him a “somewhat embarrassing appearance”. This didn’t sit very well for someone who has plenty of them, but whatever, that’s a personal issue, let’s move on.
I quickly noticed the severe lack of detail in this book. There was absolutely zero world building, character building, and barely any relationship building. If you want to get a readers attention you HAVE to be detailed! There’s no way a reader can picture a world or character in their head when the most detail they get about anything in the book is the main characters hair and eye colour. That’s like the most base level description possible, where is the effort? Where is the attention to detail?
We got the bare minimum of “blah blah these clans hate each other blah blah” but once again, no detail, no background info. I want to know WHY these clans are so against each other. What happened? Why are they fighting? Why did the Mackintosh clan suddenly decide to fight with the Camerons and kill their Laird? I assumed that stuff would maybe come later on so again, I powered through in hopes I’d get a little more insight. But it never came 🙃
I also understand this was probably meant to be set in the past but there’s no evidence to show this, other than the fact that two kid cousins were betrothed and married each other when they grew up???? Not exactly a modern day thing, not that I know of anyways. Creepy, but whatever, it happened.

And oh my GODDDD what is with the constant time jumps at the start?! This drove me completely insane 🫠 Look, I’m not opposed to time skips in stuff like this but you have. To do it. Well!! This was not done well. One minute they’re kids, they meet, they talk, then suddenly it’s “from that day on they were firm friends” like is that it? It’s giving ✨absolutely nothing✨
Suddenly there’s an 8 year time skip, then a few sentences later another year. I swear there’s like 3 time jumps in this one chapter?! STOP IT! The pacing is just bad.


“We need not describe the birth in any detail. The labour was long, and Rhona experienced pain that she had not felt before”.
I nearly DNF’ed right here. I wish I was joking when I say that was a direct quote. I will keep saying it, WHERE IS THE DETAIL?! Where is the effort?! Come ON Kenna give us something more! After this I genuinely just ended up skipping through half of the rest of it.

Like I said at the start, this does have potential to be an enjoyable story, although probably still a pretty predictable one. It felt like a rough first draft and was far too rushed and the title alone basically gives the whole story away in my opinion. Judging by the way this was written and the title of every single one of the authors books (seriously, every one) this very much seems like the author visited Scotland once, fell in love with it, became a little over obsessed, and made it her entire personality. The use of “ye” and “nae in every sentence was irritating. We get it, they’re Scottish, it’s meant to sound the way they talk but it’s too much! Sometimes just using the word “no” is okay!!!

I’d say I’m sorry for being harsh but honestly? I’m not. This needs WAY more effort putting into it for it to be enjoyable, more twists and turns, more unpredictable scenes. I wouldn’t read this again, nor would I be willing to try another of this authors books 🤷🏻‍♀️

[The Shopping Angel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I believe I received this free after reading another book by the same author on Kindle Unlimited (?)

Unfortunately I cannot think of anything good to say about this book. I disliked just about everything about it, from the very beginning.
It's stilted, doesn't flow well even before I start on the ridiculous speed at which we are led to believe a Lady (whose one true love/husband has been killed and has given birth not so long ago) jumps into bed with her 'guard' (the baddie' s brother!)
This tale is rushed, ridiculous and does not flow well.
Sorry, I didn't mind the previous books I'd read by this author, but this seemed as if it was an earlier book she'd written before finding her flow (or something!)

[Mark Crampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat short and predictable, I'm afraid, but a quick easy read with a cup of tea, for a' that.
A bit of the Scottish vernacular was wrong, but only a few really noticeable words.
The main issue is that while both Cameron and MacIntosh (nae "Macintosh"!) ARE (small) highland clans, their lands do NOT abut even close to one another! Clans Frazier of Lovatt, McDonell, and MacPherson lie DIRECTLY BETWEEN them!
The Cameron lands are on the north slopes of the Grampians, facing the Great Glen - so folks in the Glen would be looking UP at the Cameron lands, not down upon them.
Please research Scottish territory, mountain and Clan maps! To ME, this is a maker/breaker in Scottish historical romance/fiction!
(Yes, I do have Scottish roots - Clan MacKenzie of Kintail.)

[Roxanne Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been a good story but too much wrong. The title is misleading. Murdoch goes from being an evil tyrant to a sympathetic character and back so much he seems schizophrenic. When he finds out Rhona has escaped with his brother, this woman he coveted so much, he just gives up? And when Rhona and Stewart get married they don't understand the Latin spoken during their wedding? They must be protestants because any cradle Catholic would know. Falling in love a matter of months after she was widowed of a man she loved with all her heart? As a widow myself, I'll tell you, I just didn't buy it. Very disappointing.

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not a very long story, it was a good one. It started off with death and destruction which made it a very sad beginning, but from there the survivors came together to support one another. The castle was taken over by the enemy laird’s heir, his brother and their army. The heir was evil and cruel and expected the former clan’s widow to marry him. Not wanting to spoil the story and give away what happens, there is an unexpected ally that gives support and compassion to the situation. It is a lovely short story that has such sadness in the beginning, cruelty and a sense of hopelessness in the middle. The conclusion is worth waiting for. Give it a go, you will not be disappointed.

[Louise purfield-coak]

This is a sweet Scottish historical romance with an HEA. The story makes very clear that love can't be forced but must be earned. I finished this very sweet romance which contains an ugly villian and several male heroes for our brave and strong heroine. The ending more than hints at a sequel as we follow the fortunes of the Cameroons. We are left to wonder if the baby Cameroon heir will grow up to retake the Cameroon castle back from the Lord of the Macintosh Clan. Stay tuned.
I received this book free as an ARC copy for an honest review. I finished it in one day and it left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling at the end of the evening. Pleasant Escape!

[Tabitha Henninger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't usually read this kind of book. Overall, it's okay. Boring, skippable in places, cliche, and the Scottish accents felt off. When I saw the cover, I knew immediately I was diving into a dimestore romance novel. The prologue made me want to fall for Iain... but now he's dead. Why? I don't know. Who actually knows? Some unexplained clan war. I continue onward for this very 1d villain. So 1d in fact that even Stewart kinda calls Murdoch out for being evil and one dimensional. The ending? Well, lets have Rhona Cameron, a new mama who has a baby boy by the late Iain fall in love, sleep with and marry Stewart Macintosh. I am glad the book was short at least.

[Charlene Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a a great story about a Scottish clan. Three young cousins are introduced to each other when they are young teens. The oldest son of the Laird fall in love with his young cousin when they become old age. He later becomes the Laird Iran and ask her to marry him. They are very happy together and she is with child. He goes to battle against an opposing Clan and is murdered. The winning clan Leader comes to the castle and demands she marry him. From her there a lot of trouble. Will she win out not to have to marry him or will she be forced to surrender.

[Colleen Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a story that had romance, drama and was uplifting.
i loved the characters and the story unfolded in an interesting way, this book gave me the romance and drama i wanted without all the gore emphasized in most drama sections of other stories i have read this book is easy to read and follow and left me with a good feeling and I'm look forward to the story of the next generation -little Andrew of the Cameron Clan, well as his Uncle's future adventures and Rhona an Stewart's future story.
thank you for a plesant read.

[wilma may · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hi kenna
I loved the storyline and characters and read the book in a couple of days. However the editor or proof reader needs to pay more attention when spell checking as a lot of the words were joined together when there should have been spaces. Also words had extra letters e.g thatt sheshouldhave disappoint when reading and it occurred more than once. Still love the authors work and enthusiastic books.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the loss of her husband in a battle with the Mackintosh clan Rhone life takes a turn for the worse. Fears for not only the safety of the clan but her for unborn child Rhone is now faced with the forced to marry a Mackintosh. The only question is will Stewart be able to keep her child safe? It was a good story may be a little short, but I enjoyed it. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it

[Mindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story! Rhona, Duncan and Ian were cousins and had spent every summer together since Rhona was 9. Ian an Rhoba have always known they would be married when they came of age. They have loved each other since they were children and were married when the time came. Ian's brother Duncan had always loved her as a sister and protected her when Ian the laird was gone on clan business. The one day everything changed for them because of their long time enemies the MacinTosh 's.

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first read from Kenna Kendrick and I have to say that I really liked it. I love Historical Romances and this was a fairly quick read. Aside from some grammatical issues, the story itself is really good. If you read the blurbs you're going to get the gist of the story. You need to read this story in order to get the full effect of the past which works its way to the present. Then what happens in the present could affect the future. I didn't want to put it down.

[Cindy C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stealing the Highland Bride is a very enjoyable story! Jenna Kendrick's characters never fail to delight; they are likeable, believable individuals who seem very realistic. They hook you from the start and reel you in for the duration. I could not wait for the story to unfold. Throw in all the drama, romance , danger and suspense. This book will hold your attention to the fullest. Remarkable emotions, and unforgettable characters.

[Allie Hitchcock]

I’m sorry that you must not have gotten my reply to reading your book. I loved it and can’t wait o get more. I especially love the way the history and research as well as the characters make everything so real and makes you feel you are right there. Can you send me a link to where I can see what I have t read if yours yet. Please keep me on your mailing list. God bless you for sharing your talent.

[Debbie Odachowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It didn't have the accepted story line of Highland love stories. China and Stewart are very strong characters. Ms Kendrick shows us a unique show of strength and courage for those fighting for their clan. I love a good Highlander story. This is a great one. China not only has to think of her clan at this time but also for the future. She is a very strong character and I loved hearing her story. I look forward to the further struggles to regain her clan. Enjoy!

[Kathy Knopp · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m so sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy this book at all. Too much repetition with the bad brother vs the good brother. I feel that the story should have had ample time for the relationship to move forward but it really didn’t go anywhere. The running away didn’t track with the weather in that they made a beeline straight to the high country which is where they would obviously go and the weather was so wet they could have been tracked easily. Not much getaway time.

[Becky Hanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read several of her books. They have been really good. This one was a disappointment. I am not sure what happened here. It was very repetitive throughout the very short book. The same things were said or thought over and over. If you took out all the duplicates you would read about 20 pages. The whole book seemed rushed and almost like a summary. No details. There was no real “meat” to this story. There could be so much more to this story.