Thoughts: A Night to Surrender

A Night to Surrender

by Tessa Dare
Book 1 of Spindle Cove

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.5 Stars

See Also:  A Night to Surrender First Impression

Welcome to Spindle Cove, where the ladies with delicate constitutions come for the sea air, and men in their prime are... nowhere to be found.  Or are they?

Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the painfully shy, young wives disenchanted with matrimony, and young girls too enchanted with the wrong men; it is a haven for those who live there.

Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn't belong here.  So far as he can tell, there's nothing in this place but spinsters... and sheep.  But he has no choice, he has orders to gather a militia.  It's a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch—a woman who is determined to save her personal utopia from the invasion of Bram's makeshift army.

Susanna has no use for aggravating men; Bram has sworn off interfering women.  The scene is set for an epic battle... but who can be named the winner when both have so much to lose?

This book was absolutely splendid!  While there were a few things that I felt were a bit flawed, they didn't keep me from loving this book.  A Night to Surrender is written very well--it has charm, it has wit, and I have so many passages that I loved, that I just couldn't figure out which ones I wanted to share.

Even as a lighthearted historical romance, A Night to Surrender also had it's more thought-provoking moments, especially when addressing the difficulties had by women during historical times.  I've heard of how women were subjected to horrific medical "treatments" just for little things such as not acting like a proper lady, because apparently having a head strong mind, or being disobedient meant there was something wrong with you and a doctor needs to come and fix it.  "Hysteria" is one of my least favorite words, really.

Spindle Cove is an intriguing setting and I wouldn't mind returning to it regularly to visit with many of the side characters in their own stories.

I've read that Tessa Dare's books tend more towards a modernistic tone, even though it is set during the Regency era.  And to be totally honest, I'm kind of glad for it.  The story and the characters were all wonderfully lovely.  And Susanna was a study in all the most pleasant surprises as she displayed one strong talent after another.  Bram, of course, was a typical brooding hero who just needed an excuse to shoot something or blow something up, but the man grows on you over time.  And so you find yourself loving the two as a couple--they present with lots of chemistry, both sweet and steamy.

Add into the mix a bunch of rowdy and comical side characters, and a pet sheep named Dinner, and you've got a wonderfully entertaining, and extra enjoyable book to pass the time with.

A personal side thought:  I knew the sheep would end up some form of continuous presence when he followed Bram back to his new castle... and then Susanna goes and names the little guy 'Dinner' after pointedly "misunderstanding" Bram's pronouncement, and we've got ourselves a Spindle Cove mascot.  I hope he shows up in later books.

If I had any real complaints about this book, it would be the circumstances surrounding our couple's first sex scene.  The lead-in to it seemed highly out of tune with what was happening at the moment, and then nothing really occurs until all the sex-ing is finished.  They are then conveniently re-integrated into the story line of present, because how nice of the rest of the world to stand still until orgasms have been had by all?

Nonetheless, it doesn't diminish my love for this book, really.  And I am absolutely looking forward to the next book in this series, because Minerva Highwood--aside from some unnecessary violence at certain points in this book--is a woman after my own heart with her nerdy academic inclinations.

***

I will be using this book for Romance Bingo 2017, but haven't quite decided which square to place it in.

Here are the squares it will count for:

• Regency Romance -- Self explanatory; book takes place during Regency Era.
• Eyeshadow and Heaving Bosom -- Not a whole lot of bosom, but it's there nonetheless.
• Virgin & Best First Time -- I've yet to read a Historical Romance where the heroine was not a virgin.  Apparently this book is no different.
• Blown Away -- Susanna and Bram meet for the first time due to an explosion.  Then there are even more explosions involved in the book.
• Historical Romance -- Self explanatory.
• Key to My Heart -- Because Bram monologues at some point that Susanna was made for him.
• Love (Free Space)