Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Review + Giveaway: A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare

From the Back Cover:

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?


My Thoughts:

This may be my favorite historical romance of the year! Spindle Cove is a labor of love for Susanna Finch, who grew up on the neighboring estate. Susanna knows what it's like to be a misfit, and she's turned Spindle Cove into a seaside refuge for other women seeking freedom from illness, scandal, unwanted matrimony, and overbearing mothers. It's a place where unusual women are free to be themselves, and where they are relatively free of men. But the ladies' peaceful life of spinsterly solitude is turned upside down by the arrival of Lt. Colonel Victor Bramwell and his orders to recruit a militia to protect their coastline in the event of a French invasion.

The women of Spindle Cove, led by a feisty and determined Susanna, are prepared to fight for the peace and tranquility of their little haven. Susanna is prepared to do whatever it takes to remove this threat to her paradise, but she's about to meet her match. After a devastating battlefield injury, Bram needs this militia. His commission is on the line and he needs to prove to his superiors that he is capable and ready to return to command in the Napoleonic War. But he's about to find out that his biggest challenge is not building a fighting troop of men from the village's ragtag offering, but rather allowing himself to consider a future far different than what he thought he'd always wanted, and finding the courage to take it. And Susanna's about to discover exactly what kind of benefits there are to having a strong and handsome man in the village, in her arms, and in her heart.

This was my first time reading Tessa Dare, but it will not be my last! It's been a long time since I found a romance so genuinely humorous. I grinned my way through the entire first half of this charming novel. I loved everything about it. (Well, almost. My only little quibble is that I thought the sex scenes were a tad overdone.) The premise is refreshingly original and I loved Spindle Cove and all of its residents. The characters are great--no cliched, cardboard supporting characters here--and Bram is a fantastic hero, very authentic and convincing. The women of the village and the men of the militia go toe-to-toe with cutting wit, sparkling dialogue, and one outrageous scene after another. And though we all know how a romance is going to end, this one had a couple of surprises on the way there. The seeds have been planted for the next two books in the series and I can't wait to read them. This is just an all-around fun, charming, superbly-written little gem, and if you love historical romance, you need to add this one to your list!

My Rating:  4.5 Stars out of 5


I thought A Night to Surrender was so great,
I want to share it with one of you!

Enter to win your own copy by leaving a comment with your email address. Double your chance at winning if you also Tweet this and leave me the link! This giveaway is open internationally and ends at 11:59pm Wednesday, October 12th. Thanks, and good luck!








*Please Note: This review references a review copy received through the Amazon Vine program. Though I received this book from the publisher, these are my honest and unbiased thoughts, and I was not compensated in any other way for reviewing this book.

28 comments:

  1. Glad to read that your loved it. I don't read many historical romance novels, but I did love Shana Galen's The Making of a Gentleman.

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  2. I like the fact that it has humour as that is so often missing from romances.

    Thanks for opening the giveaway to worldwide entries.

    Carol T

    buddytho {at} gmail DOT com

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  3. I'm a fan of Tessa Dare's books so I bought this as soon as it was available. Moving it up the TBR list after reading your review. Can't wait!

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  4. Like you I got the book from Amazon Vine. I think it is a must read if you love Historical Romance. The humor was great. There were times I could not read I was laughing so hard.

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  5. I'm new to historical romance but I'm looking forward to reading Tessa Dare's books:)

    Janhvi
    justjanhvi at gmail dot com

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  6. Sounds like a good one so count me in thanks!

    Margaret
    singitm@hotmail.com

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  7. Tessa Dare is one of my new favorites. She doesn't disappoint.

    Retweeted it @TweetheticalObs. https://twitter.com/#!/TweetheticalObs
    alexabexis at gmail dot com

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  8. http://twitter.com/#!/Kissablysweet1

    I tweeted!! LOL!
    Macladie25 at yahoo dot com

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  9. I can't wait to read this one. I love your books Tessa. Always something to occupy and enjoy on a weekend. Thanks for sharing your time.

    Macladie25 at yahoo dot com.

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  10. This sounds like a really good book. I would love to read this and Ms. Dare is a new to me author too. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.

    Tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/JuneAnnM/status/121763673353097216

    June M.
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. https://twitter.com/jenny_q_reads/status/121735046309752832

    I retweeted thanks for the review and giveaway I love Tessa's books
    kuuipo228 at gmail dot com

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  13. I love her books! Please count me in, I've been dying to read this one.

    Tweeted: https://twitter.com/marieimy/status/121779195448795136

    marieimy (at) gmail (dot) com

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. This looks really good! Definitely looking forward to this.


    email: azziegirl (at) gmail (dot) com

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  16. I really like Tessa Dare's book & am thrilled she has a new one out. Can't wait to read this & thanks for the review. It's good to know that this is another winner!

    thumbelinda03@yahoo.com

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  17. Please enter me in this contest!!

    rainie72@gmail.com

    https://twitter.com/#!/lolaraine09/status/121796285601816576

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  18. I first discovered Tessa when I read "Surrender of a Siren" and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to this one. Thank you for the chance.

    Cambonified (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  19. Thanks for the great review, sounds like a fun read :-D

    Eva
    evitap67(at)gmail(dot)com

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  20. I want to to win this one :D I have only read one book by her but I really liked that one, so much that I got 2 more from her first series

    blodeuedd1 at gmail dot com

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  21. i can't believe i haven't read anything from tessa dare yet. your thoughts makes me so excited to read this!
    lostinbooks40(at)gmail(dot)com

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  22. Tessa Dare never disappoints. I would just love to read A NIGHT TO SURRENDER.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  23. after reading your thoughts on the book i am excited to read it as well. love it that there is humour in this one. i love humour in stories.

    my tweet:
    https://twitter.com/#!/Yto77/status/123102858399850497

    witchvela at web dot de

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  24. I'd like to win. ruthjoec at aoldotcom I'm afraid I don't tweet

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  25. Thanks for the giveaway. Would love to read this book.

    summergal05(at)gmail(dot)com

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  26. I would love to win this book. I have heard such wonderful things about it. Since I love historical romances, I am sure I would also adore it.

    MichelleKCanada @AnotherLookBook
    another_look_book_reviews at hotmail dot ca

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  27. My sister loves romances and I like historical mysteries. We will both enjoy the book!

    harvee44 at yahoo.com

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  28. I don't usually read historical romances, but this actually sounds really good!

    project(dot)tbr(at)gmail(dot)com

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