Surrender To Me by Sophie Jordan
First line: ”After nearly an hour in the Countess of St. Claire’s drawing room, the long-suppressed words finally stumbled past the Duchess of Derring’s lips.”
The first line of Surrender To Me says it all. Sophie Jordan drew me in and it lasted to the final line of her story. Both hero and heroine overcome a mountain of internal and physical conflict. Skillfully woven, interesting twists and consistent traits of both characters throughout. Ms. Jordan spins a harrowing tale of murder, intrigue and terrible weather across the Scottish Highlands. Our heroine, the Duchess, receives an anonymous letter saying her absent husband of ten years is in Scotland about to remarry, having stolen another’s identity. Her sense of duty deems her fate to save another woman from a fate similar to her own. Just before she reaches her final destination, she is held up by Scottish highwaymen and is saved by a hero in the area from America for reasons of his own. In his fight to save her, she ends up saving him. This a story with very interesting twists and strong emotions. The Duchess who has honed emotions comes across a cold, unfeeling English woman who has learn to hide them well. He is determined to break through those emotions to dispel her haunted look he saw when fighting in the San Jacinto war. Through their journey, each learns that what is seen on the surface is not all to be had below.
For: Readers wanting a hero worth believing in. Someone not perfect, but definitely worthy. -Kathy Wheeler
