Review

The ladies of Spindle Cove are destined to leave their mark on any man they encounter.

Victor Bramwell only wants one thing—re-instatement of his command position with the military. All he has to do is form and make ready a militia. A nasty leg injury he’s still recovering from won’t stop him, and the only thing that stands in his way is a town full of women and sheep. 

Susanna Finch only wants one thing—her town of Spindle Cove to remain a safe haven for girls of the ton that are considered ill fit for marriage. She’s cultivated this town for years creating the perfect environment to nurture these lost souls, and reform them through unconventional means. The only thing that stands in her way is the arrival of Victor, his lofty goals of forming a militia, and her father’s sudden announcement that he is the new Earl of Rycliff. 

Tessa Dare’s latest is absolutely endearing. She brings to life the classic war hero, with battle wounds and scars. Yet, Bram is of course more deep-seated then that. He’s military personified, and who doesn’t love a man in uniform? Susanna Finch is no simpering miss either. She’s tough, tall, and headstrong. Both are forces to be reckoned with and I fell in love with the both characters for their witty banter, and stubborn natures; which make for very entertaining situations. The one thing I absolutely love is that Bram, for all his proud, ‘I don’t need a woman’ beliefs can’t help but admire and long for Susanna. Like in this one scene where Bram has just jumped from a cliff into the ocean; Susanna is seabathing with her girls and he carries her off for a private moment of conversation?

“What do you think you’re doing?”

He glanced up at the bluff. “Giving us some privacy. We need to talk.”

“Here? Now? We couldn’t converse in some normal time and place?”

“That’s the problem.” He pushed a hand through his dark, wet hair. “I can’t stop thinking about you. All the time. Everyplace. I have work to do up there. Men to drill. A watch to organize. A castle to defend. But I can’t even concentrate, for thinking of you.”

She stared at him. This? This was the conversation he wished to have. Well, she could see why he wouldn’t come calling at the house to bring it up over tea.

“You tell me why that is, Susanna. Keep in mind, you’re talking to a man who’ll march a hundred miles out of his way, just to avoid a romantic attachment.”

“Attachment?” She forced a casual laugh. An unconvincing string of ha-ha-has. “A barrel of warm pitch couldn’t attach me to you.”

He shook his head, looking perplexed. “I even like it when you snipe at me.”

“You’ve seen me with a gun. If I were to snipe at you, I promise you’d feel it. And you wouldn’t like it one bit.” She had to extricate herself from this situation, and his big, brawny arms. She wrestled in his grip, but he only embraced her more tightly.

“You’re not getting away. Not yet.” His deep voice sent ripples through the water. “We’re going to have this out, you and me. Right here. Right Now.”

Let’s just say it gets even better from there.  Another shining point for Bram is his absolute honesty, even if it’s not the appropriate thing to say he speaks his mind, especially to Susanna. Now the stories other merits include a wonderful round of secondary characters from the blacksmith that likes to make jewelry to Victor’s rakish cousin. The hilarious cast that Dare amasses only adds to the fun and entertainment, with hijinks galore and a lamb named Dinner.

One of my caveat’s was that I found many certain parts of the story a little drawn out; many of them extended interactions between hero and heroine that, for me, weren’t needed. I personally would have also enjoyed seeing more interactions with the people of the town and little more detail on some of the characters. I also found Susanna’s continuous stubborn streak against Bram’s affection a little annoying after a period of time. She constantly struggles against him, even when it’s obvious Bram cares more for her than he’s ever cared for a woman; drove me a little bit batty after it continued past ¾ of the story.

Overall, A Night To Surrender is entertaining and offers a slightly different hero compared to rakes and titled members of the ton. The characters of Spindle Cove are delightful and keep the story going, and as this is the first book of a series there is more where they came from.

Reviewed by Landra