Surrender

Surrender
3.5 Stars

After witnessing the disastrous relationships of her female relatives, Victoria Huntington has sworn of marriage and become adept at avoiding even the most ardent of fortune hunters. That is until Lucas Colebrook, a former officer and newly minted Earl, sets his sights on the young heiress and woos her with risky midnight rendezvous' and passionate embraces. But can he convince her that he wants her for more than her inheritance?

While Surrender includes all of the necessary components for a successful Amanda Quick novel, something is missing.

Victoria is intelligent, independent and witty, but she is also immature, self-absorbed and petulant. Lucas is strong, courageous and sexy, but his initial desire to marry for show more money and his self-righteous and high-handed tactics are less than appealing.

Despite these character flaws, Victoria and Lucas have excellent chemistry and their battle of wills is engaging. Moreover, Quick thankfully avoids the silly misunderstanding trope and has Victoria confront Lucas about his intentions before any secrets become too angsty.

The minor mystery plot has potential, but could have been merged better with the overall storyline. As it is, the villain is predictable and the motive not all that logical.

In sum, an entertaining enough read but Quick has written better. show less

At four and twenty, Victoria Huntington is on her way to being a spinster. Wary of fortune hunters and men as dastardly as her stepfather, she has spurned any potential suitors. That is, until Lucas Colebrook comes along.

Victoria chafes under the restrictions imposed upon the proper young women of the ton. She wants adventure and excitement and Lucas offers just that. Victoria and Lucas strike a bargain where he agrees to show her the sights of London that no gently bred maid should see...brothels, gaming hells, gentlemen's clubs...Ultimately, their agreement leads to them being found in a compromising position and they must wed.

Rating: 4 Stars

I love lots of Amanda Quick's books, but this is my favorite. The hero is a fortune-hunter, yet she manages to make him sympathetic. Since I'm writing my own fortune-hunter hero right now, I understand just how difficult that is. But she pulls it off. Lucas is just scrumptious.

Hmmm. Both H/H were quite a contridictory, but I still enjoyed their antics. I think if they had been a bit more consistent, I would mark this a 5 star, but there was just something the whole way through the book that caused some disbelief on their individual reactions.

I'm sure I'll read it again though :)

Lady Wombat says:

Well written and historically accurate, but I'm not a big fan of books where the heroine is so obviously dumber than the hero, and we're supposed to find that amusing.

At four and twenty Victoria Huntington thought herself quite adept at fending off fortune hunters...until she came under siege from Lucas Colebrook, the darkly disturbing new Earl of Stonevale. Amidst the brightly plumed birds of the ton, Lucas was a hawk. And when he held out the lure of moonlit rides and wild, reckless midnight escapades, Victoria found herself powerless to resist.

But becoming Stonevale's companion in adventure was a far more dangerous undertaking than Victoria could ever imagine. For the attractive earl would use her every weakness to woo her, to win her, and ultimately to wed her. And soon the amber-eyed lady would find herself ensconced in a crumbling mansion deep in the English countryside...where the real reason show more for her hasty marriage becomes all to apparent...and where the ghosts of her dark-stained past are waiting to rise up in a terrifying plot that will threaten her life, her honor, and the only man she could ever love. show less

This is definitely a re-read. I just never got around to posting a review for this book eons ago. Not much to say except I loved the heroine in this one (Victoria) and hero (Lucas). The two of them being thrown together due to Lucas needing an heiress and Victoria wanting adventure sets them on a fun collision course. Of course based on the time period there are a few times you want Lucas to get kicked hard someplace. He talks about his husbandly rights a freaking lot. And of course back then the husbands decided the wives allowance (if they decided to give them one). The love scenes are typical Quick, usually hero and heroine have their first time prior to marriage, they are fighting, another time in bed, and then there's a mystery to show more solve. This one has a mystery about who is sending Victoria threatening notes alluding to something dark in her past. show less