A Night to Surrender [Mass Market Paperback]

Tessa Dare (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 30, 2011

Welcome to Spindle Cove, where ladies with delicate constitutions come for the sea air, and men in their prime are...nowhere to be found.

Or are they?

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?

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (August 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062049836
• ISBN-13: 978-0062049834
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Delightful... Enticing romantic encounters are matched by witty conversations that slowly and seamlessly reveal deep truths about Dare's endearing one-of-a-kind characters." (Starred Review) -Publishers Weekly

"Dare has struck just the right chord with readers. Her light yet fascinating plots, disarming characters, sense of humor and sensuality enthrall." (Top Pick) --RT Book Reviews magazine

"Lively and sexy, this funny, enjoyable battle of the sexes ensnares readers in a delightful adventure." -Library Journal

From the Back Cover

Welcome to Spindle Cove, where the ladieswith delicate constitutions come for the sea air,and men in their prime are . . . nowhere to be found.

Or are they?

Spindle Cove is the destination of choice forcertain 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 togather a militia. It’s a simple mission,made complicated by the spirited, exquisiteSusanna Finch—a woman who is determined tosave her personal utopia from the invasion ofBram’s makeshift army.

Susanna has no use for aggravating men;Bram has sworn off interfering women. The sceneis set for an epic battle…but who can be namedthe winner when both have so much to lose?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (August 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062049836
• ISBN-13: 978-0062049834
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tessa Dare is a part-time librarian, full-time mommy and swing-shift author of historical romance. She makes her home in Southern California, where she shares a cozy, cluttered bungalow with her husband, their two children and a big brown dog.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#97 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#1 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#1 in Books > Romance > Historical

#30 in Books > Romance

#32 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#69 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

#1 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#1 in Books > Romance > Historical

#30 in Books > Romance

#32 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#69 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable August 9, 2011

By book junkie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel- Spindle Cove is a refuge of sorts for ladies who don't quite fit in (they prefer fossil hunting to drinking tea) or else need a break from an awful husband, or to be removed from an inappropriate love interest. Susanna organizes the ladies activities (nature walks, swimming, etc) and is the only child of Sir Finch, a retired millitary man. Bran is a millitary man seeking her father's help in regaining a commission after a war injury.

I enjoyed this novel, but would have enjoyed it a bit more if there had been a bit more detail. I didn't feel like I knew Susanna very well- for example, the book alluded to a disastrous season, and if she disclosed what the disaster was, I don't remember it. Also this was a really steamy romance, which I don't mind, but they got together so soon (and frequently) in the novel that there wasn't much tension or suspense. It was nice, but I won't re-read it.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - could not put it down! August 15, 2011

By cb VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This was a well written book that had strong characters and it was fun to spend time getting to know them. The concept was that Bramwell had been injuried in war and was seeking orders to return to battle and ended up asking a friend of his father's in a little place called Spindle Cove. Spindle Cove was Susanna Flinch home and the home for many women escape society for one reason or another. When Bramwell and friends arrived everything about her little town and her life turned upside down. The romance is very hot and story was great. Could not put it down -- it was a PJ day - Thanks Tessa !

This is the first book of the Spindle Cove series looking forward to book two 'A week to be wicked' due out Spring 2012.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun and enjoyable beginning with good dialogue and sexual tension. August 19, 2011

By Old Latin teacher TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

But somewhere beyond the first third of the book, either it or I lost our way. Heroine Susanna Finch is supposed to be a feminist and has made Spindle Cove, a small seaside village, into a haven for "misfit" women, i.e. those who don't want to exist solely to complement and please a man. They may be unhappily married, spinsters on the shelf, or those at a marriageable age but not willing to compromise their selves for the sake of being a "Mrs.".

The idea sounds really good. Spindle Cove is pretty much a women's town. The men are either very young or safely sexless, it seems to me. (For example, the local pub has been turned into a tea shop named "The Blushing Pansy".) Susanna uses her haven to build up the women's confidence so that they can safely enter society again, while staying true to who they are.

There are several funny bits in the book. One of my favorites is the various uses put to MRS. WORTHINGTON'S WISDOM, a guide to proper comportment for ladies, copies of which are found throughout Spindle Cove.

Enter hero, Victor Bramwell, wounded soldier and newly-minted Earl of Rycliff. He wants to go back to battle but is told his wounds are too serious, but if he can create a militia of men near Spindle Cove and whip them into shape, he can go back to his soldiering. (Susanna's father, Sir Lewis Finch, BTW, has the say over whether or not he will regain his command.) Bram comes with his soldier companions, one of whom is his rakish cousin Colin (and be prepared for his story in future).

Susanna and Bram meet cute and from then on it's plenty of sexual tension between them until they finally do the deed.... The sexual tension is good, the "deed-doing" pretty hot, but I wasn't too happy with Susanna so easily turning into mush because of a man.

There are, along the way, some very funny scenes. When Colin, the rakish cousin, unbeknownst to Bram, decides to take over the tea shop and turn it back into a pub, he also gives the town men pointers on how to seduce women. Some of that is cute and entertaining.

But all the women are a disappointment to me. All the reasons for being in Spindle Cove in the first place seem to fly out the window when confronted with handsome, sexy men. And another problem I had with the book is a particular downer of an incident which concerns an appealing young Spindle Cove boy who becomes a member of the militia. The book would have been better served by keeping up a more lighthearted tone throughout, IMO.

All in all, it's well written, generally entertaining, and the characters are appealing even if inconsistent in behavior at times. Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting plot but light on character depth. August 6, 2011

By iiiiReader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I wish this story had been told in a little more depth. The concept behind the novel seemed very interesting, however, most of the book was spent on the two main characters sex scenes. It occurs fairly early in the book and continues often - literally ending the book, too.

There were characters I would have liked to have known more about. Perhaps the author plans to use those characters in other books in the series but a little more depth in this book would have improved it.

I did find myself liking the heroine - she was told in more depth than the others. You felt as if you knew her by the end. Not so much regarding the hero. He remains a mystery.

I read the book in a day, so it is not a difficult book to read. If you are looking for a quick read and like a lot of sexual encounters in your historical romance, this may be the book for you. I prefer a book with more emphasis on the characters and less on the sex. Not a bad book but not one that I would recommend to a friend unless I knew that it fit their preferences. If this book is indicative of Ms. Dare's work, I most likely will not be reading any more of her works.

On a more important side, a portion of the proceeds of this book are being donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. I applaud the publisher and the author their support of such a worthy cause.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Did I read a different book? October 6, 2011

By Shawna Lanne VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I took a while to review this because frankly it took me a long, very long, time to finish the book. And I'm a very, very fast reader. If I hadn't ordered it through Vine I would not have finished it at all. But, that's the deal so I bit the bullet and made my way through it.

The writing was almost as bland as the heroine, Susanna. I like the premise of a feminist town. Not very realistic but I don't read romances for realism, I read them for escapism.

But it's hard to escape when you don't like the writing and you end up losing respect for your heroine. Not because she gave it up, or gave it up to easily (I mean seriously I like a woman who knows what she wants and takes it) but not when she goes against everything she is - just because the author is lazy.

Anyhow, I gave this two instead of 1 stars because even though it took a while to finish it I did like the concept and enjoyed a decent portion of the book. It's the middle that killed me.