Terms of Surrender by Lorrie Farrelly is an independently published 2010 release. I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Michael Cantrell is reeling from the effects of the Civil War. After losing his young brother and suffering from the massive loss of life witnessed during the war, Michael is empty on the inside. He has vowed to never set himself up to care for anyone else like he had for his brother because he couldn't bear the pain of losing them. Meeting the beautiful Annie Devlin makes sticking to the promise he made to himself very hard to keep.
Annie is alone except for her brother Robbie. The two of them come under attack and Annie is nearly raped. Now she must tend to Micheal's wounds after he comes to her rescue. Once Michael is feeling a bit better he sees Annie's need for some help around her place . He forges a bond with Robbie and before long it seems he is finding it hard to leave.
As Annie and her brother fight against a ruthless rancher for her land she shows Michael that being emotionally involved with people is what makes life worth living. She shows him that he is not hopeless after all. He still has a lot to offer and Annie slowly chisles away at his emotional wounds while Micheal heals from his physical ones.
I loved this Western Historical romance because of it's authenticity, it's wonderful story , the flawed characters, the hope it represents and above all the power of love. There are a few really emotional scenes that will have you reaching for that box of tissues. I loved Annie's character, her willingness to put others before herself, her strength of character and how she wins the hardened and broken Michael in more ways than one.
Michael is a character that has seen too much death in the war, lost his younger brother and has blamed himself. He still managed to command the respect of many and still has friends who will have his back no matter what. Michael found the conflict between the states a very difficult one for him personally as he would like to back one side, but found he couldn't fight against his own people. I'm sure that was a feeling a lot of folks probably had. He is still an honorable man that feels things deeper than he wants to admit. Though wounded in spirit, his still finds it within himself to help Annie and her brother and the payoff will be a life he never could have dreamed for himself.
I don't read a lot of Western Historicals because they seem to be a lot harder to find these days. There are a slew of contemporary novels with cowboys or ranchers in them, but the good old historical western romances are not as common. I really would like to see more like this one. If you like historical romances you should give this one a try. Well written with a female protaganist that doesn't whine or pout, a strong but conflicted hero that is touched by the healing power of love, and awesome HEA!!
This one gets an A ( 4.5 stars) ( )