Sweet Surrender

This just wasn't my kinda book. So many things turned me off and the only reason I finished it was because it was part of a reading challenge.

First of all, the pacing was off. Gray and Faith spent most of the book doubting their feelings for each other and trying to resist their attraction to each other. Then all of a sudden in the last third of the story Faith goes on vacation to a beach cottage courtesy of a man she's met all of one time and it turns into a porn fest, complete with a threesome. Umm...no...not buying it.

The BDSM elements were basically non-existent. I didn't buy Gray as a Dom at all. He was a strong male, but strong doesn't equal Dom. Especially when he spends the last twenty pages of the story groveling for something show more that was a stupid misunderstanding in the first place.

I also didn't like that the author viewpoint seeped into the narrative. Way too much emphasis on how feminine Faith was because she was a submissive and how attractive that was to men. How any man would love a woman like her. I tried to pass it off as something the characters were saying but I just kept getting beat over the head with it. Overkill. She's submissive. Guys dig that. Don't need it repeated in every other chapter.

Surprisingly, even though I totally hated this book I'm going to give the author another chance. Her love scenes were hot and characters were likable if not believable. Maybe there's something in her catalog billed as straight erotica and not masquerading as romance suspense or whatever this was supposed to be. Fans say Damon and Micah get pretty intense stories. Ok. I'm in! show less

This is not a straightforward book - it's a bit like two books in one. I felt the only relatable and involving part came when Faith and Gray were together in the remote holiday house where she'd gone to de-stress and he followed to protect her should the bad guy find her. But that took a long time to get to - two-thirds of the book - and the detective part of the story was quite weak. But as we all agree, Maya Banks is great with steamy sex scenes, and teaching us about exploring sexuality. Faith is not able to articulate her views about sex and what she is looking for, whereas Gray even philosophises? pontificates? about sexuality in a way that is quite teacherly, but appropriate and kinda good. And he's good at reading her so she show more doesn't have to articulate! Perhaps all love affairs are a kind of complementarity, but these two are certainly living it. show less

This book was not something I would normally read, but after failing to get into 50 Shades of Gray, and hearing about all of these other authors who have been around much longer and are supposed to be better, I thought I'd give it a try. I actually didn't mind the mystery part of the story, it was okay, not well developed, but there was at least an attempt. As for the rest of the story and characters, well...

I thought the characters were rather weak. Faith is supposed to want someone to take control, and be the dominant partner in her life, but in the beginning, she is actually the controlling one, writing the scripts in her mind and feeling let down when her partners don't meet her expectations. She knows she wants something, but she show more isn't quite sure what, so she does some research online and visits a club that panders to various appetites and fetishes.

Meanwhile, Gray enters the picture early on at the same time that Faith is trying to discover who she is and what she wants. Gray (I've personally had enough of that name for a while) is a cop who is trying to avenge his partner's death by capturing his murderer. To do that, he has to basically get Faith to trust him so he can get close enough to tap her phones and know when she is in contact with her mom. Later, she'll learn that he was trying to get close to her in the beginning because of the job he was on, and of course, she'll be hurt and offended. Nothing surprising there.

Back to the club. Gray of course is immediately protective of her once he see's how hot she is, and when he finds out she is going to this club, he rushes to rescue her from the possible attention of other men. Except, once he gets there, he ends up fulfilling her fantasies and confusing both of them. Is she part of his job, or is he falling for her? Is she what he has been looking for? Is he what she has been looking for.

The whole middle of the story seems to revolve around each of them questioning themselves over if the other person is the real deal, or not, meanwhile, continuing in the sexual aspect of their relationship regardless.

This story was a heck of a lot more graphic (sexually) than 50 Shades. Let me tell you, I am half way through book 2 of 50 Shades and can barely take more than a page or two at a time, it is that boring. This book at least had me interested in it enough that I kept reading to the end. Although some scenes are more raunchy that I personally care for, and I won't go into details here because I've seen that other reviewers have already done so, I'll just say that it is definitely erotic fiction. That's one reason why it seemed odd when words like "woo woo" were used. For a minute I thought I was back in 50 Shades. Also, I think the word "pop" was used a couple or few times. Not very sensual if you ask me. It also felt strange that it was a turn on for Gray to watch her with someone else, someone that he "gave" her to, and yet he is so protective and worried about her being with Damon, the club owner, or someone else. I understand it's a possession ownership, I am man, hear me roar, this is my woman, yo type deal, but still. It felt contradictory to freak out over her being friends with Damon, yet inviting Micah to come and play with them.

Personally, I think I prefer the romances where the relationship unfolds, the woman is courted, there is some romance, and less emphasis on body fluids. I know this is a popular author and a lot of people like these books, so don't let my opinion sway you if you think you will enjoy this. It's just not my cup of tea. show less

I am glad I won this book in a contest. Had I paid a trade paperback price for this, I would have been out of my mind with disappointment.

Gray Montgomery is a Dallas cop working undercover, and off the record, to avenge his partner's death on the job. Faith Malone is the office manager at Gray's new job at a Houston security firm, and her mother is the suspected killer's accomplice. Gray takes this job to get close to Faith to see if she's in cahoots with her mother.

While tapping her phones and invading her privacy illegally (how romantic) the two begin a flirtation. You see, Faith is looking for a dominant man to call all the shots in and out of bed and Gray is looking to do some shot calling. Slam dunk, right? Of course not. Naturally show more he has to fight his attraction. Why? I don't know. We're never really given a reason. So Faith goes after him. Wicked submissive of her, amirite?

To be fair, Gray does call Faith on her topping from the bottom, but the book gets no less silly. The mysteriously rich sex club owner Damon, on a short, professional acquaintance, offers his Galveston beach house for her solo use for a week (and sends her there via chauffeured Bentley) so she can think about her Gray dilemma. Uh-huh. Sure.

Right after she leaves, Gray's partner's father shows up in Houston all lathered up about the suspected killer being nearby. Gray and the people her works with, aka the Cast of Future Heroes, hatch a plan to set a trap to catch the bad guy, who's after Faith to try to kidnap and ransom her. Gray is then sent to Galveston to "protect" Faith with the command from her father to not tell her about all this trouble (foreshadowing should be subtle, this screams INCOMING BIG MISUNDERSTANDING, no?)

What follows is some light D/s play, some backdoor action, a borderline creepy threesome with her friend Micah and enough showering to drain the Great Lakes. Banks' falls into the trap of telling rather than showing when she writes sex. There's a lot of play-by-play where she tells us what cocks are doing to body parts and a major lack of emotion and reaction. Gems include, "He continued to thrust against her until finally he stopped....Then he eased out of her body with a gentle pop." So. Not. Hot.

The conclusion to the suspense has more gaping holes than a porn actress after a gang bang. What the hell was Mick on about by leading the bad guy to Galveston? Why was he so mean to Faith? Did the bad guy actually kill Gray's partner? Why was Gray unarmed? Why did the bad guy leave Faith where she could escape? Why would Faith believe an armed madman's word over Gray's and who the hell asks questions of an armed madman? Surely her relationship drama could've waited.

All told, this book was a chore to read. The secondary characters were woefully underdeveloped, the D/s rather vanilla, the sex tepid and the prose dry. It was a disappointment, as I enjoyed the Samhain books of hers that I read. I doubt I'll read book two, unless I win a copy of that as well. show less

**Courtesy of CK2S Kwips & Kritiques**

Barely recovered from his own injury and still reeling from the murder of his partner, police detective Gray Montgomery will do almost anything to bring the killers to justice. But his department in Dallas isn’t getting anywhere with the investigation. Worse, they’ve cut him out of it. Frustrated and determined, Gray teams with his partner’s father, a retired cop, to follow the trail to Houston and the doorstep of one Ms. Faith Malone.

From the moment he lays eyes on Faith, Gray’s gut tells him she is innocent, even if she does have ties to the murderer. Sweet, delectable Faith brings out every protective instinct he’s got, and stirs some very dominant tendencies as well. But Gray has never show more found a woman who can handle his dominant side, and he is sure that innocent little Faith can’t, no matter how much he wishes otherwise.

Faith has never found satisfaction in her relationships, either in or out of bed. She needs something more than the men she knows have been able to give. She wants someone to take control – not only for a night, not just in bed, but in all aspects of the relationship. When she meets Gray, she recognizes a man who can fulfill her every fantasy, if only she can figure out a way to prove she is the woman he needs…

With Maya Banks’ second New York print release, I realize I just may need another bookcase in the next year with a few shelves reserved for her work! This author’s accomplishments in the writing arena grow with every new release, and this reviewer never ceases to be impressed with Ms. Banks’ imagination and skill.

Sweet Surrender is a story ripe with potential for sequels, with a solid cast of supporting characters as intriguing as the hero and heroine. Yet for all the interest she stirs in the secondary characters, Banks easily manages to prevent them from overshadowing the main characters. Do we want to see more of hunks Connor, Nathan, Micah, and Damon? Heck, yes! But this book very definitely belongs to Gray and Faith.

Gray is your typical tortured hero – only he never feels typical. Not one little bit. Not only is Gray fighting to capture his late friend’s killer, but his own internal demons. He struggles with guilt over a necessary deception, concern that he wants more from Faith than she can give, and fear that he might lose her forever. For a man as in control as Gray is, that internal struggle is perhaps more worrisome than the murder investigation he is conducting. But once he sees Faith for who she truly is and decides what he really wants, the doubt falls away and the man we’ve caught glimpses of throughout the story shines through.

Faith is absolutely beautiful. She is warm and giving, qualities that are bound to make a submissive desirable to any man, but which beckon to Gray as sweetly as any Siren’s song. In the beginning, she is simultaneously unsure of what she really needs from a relationship, and afraid to admit what she suspects it is. As she begins to explore her submissive side, she learns more about herself than she ever expected. And she soon discovers that what she needs can only be found in the arms of one man.

Through it all, Banks tells an intriguing tale of suspense, with an action packed climax guaranteed to keep you biting your nails!

I absolutely adored Sweet Surrender!! This story ran my heart through the wringer more than once, ultimately leaving me with a more than satisfying ending – the kind of ending that makes me believe in real-life romance. I will be crossing my fingers for many sequels to this fantastic story of love and suspense! show less

Wow! First off, I love Maya Banks, there is not one book she has written that I have read that I haven't loved. First off, I love that Maya Bank's characters are real people, they cover the important safe sex issues everyone has to face including STDs and birth control. I love that.

Continuing with the characters I think the progressions the characters make from mutual like, to lust, to love is leisurely and more real that most erotica that I have ever read. On that topic, this book is erotica but the plot and the romance of the story is just as good as the sensuality. Something not easily found in erotica.

I really can't think of anything else to say. I love these books!

I stayed up last night to finish this book. I actually only had a few chapters left to read and I had to know how things worked themselves out. While this story didn’t have the impact of Sweet Persuasion it is a very good book and a great introduction to the series. I loved all the characters, Pop, Connor, Micah, Nathan, Gray, Faith, and Damon. I loved how protective all the men were of Faith. I loved how Faith began to take charge of her life and stand up to her Mother, as well as finding what she really long for in a mate. I do wish there had been a little more sexual interaction between Gray and Faith. They burned up the pages when they were together. Ms. Banks can write some really steaming hot sex scenes. These stories are more show more than their sexual component though there is a lot of emotional interaction between the main characters and the secondary characters. You can feel that these people function as a family as well as friends.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a new author or a book to read. Ms Banks is a wonderful author with a great imagination. This book shows that in every page. show less