Customer Reviews

Surrender

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This book started well enough. The hero is a penniless earl, and he needs to marry an heiress to keep his estate running. He meets Victoria, and decides to court her. She is intelligent, independent, and adventuress. He uses her desire for adventure to get close to her by taking her to gaming hells and the like, and they get caught and he has to marry her.

Well the story goes downhill from here. As soon as they get married, the hero, Lucas turns into a tyrant. He dictates the money that was once hers, puts a stop to her intellectual exploration activities she loves doing, and forbids her to wear the flamboyant clothes that are her own personal style.

I hate stories like this where the hero likes the heroine because she is unconventional, marries her then tries to change her into a typical woman of society and forbids the activities that the heroine loves. In the beginning of the story, Victoria is afraid of marriage because she is afraid of ending up with a fortune hunter, and that is exactly what she gets. I saw no love between these two, only attraction and isn't the whole point of reading a romance novel to read about romance?

I am one of those readers who prefers Amanda Quick's earlier works. When I first discovered historical romances (in my mid-twenties) Quick was one of the authors I devoured. I think SCANDAL (a somewhat untypical Quick) was my first book. Somehow I missed SURRENDER. Recently I came across a copy, and because of all the positive reviews, I decided to try it.

I also have to admit that a fortune-hunting hero is quite unusual for Quick. Usually, her heroes are all very rich, mysterious, and rather intimidating. This hero, Lucas, can be intimidating - because of his status as a war hero. The mystery about him is not so much in in his past (he is a distant relative who has succeeded unexpectedly to the title), but in his financial position at least as far as the ton (society) is concerned.

The story begins with Lucas pursuing a not-so-young (in her mid-twenties) heiress named Victoria, with the aid of his former love Jessica. Unlike previous old flames in other Quick novels, Jessica is not the villain(ess). In fact, she is decidedly a prude, and rather pleased with her status as a martyr to family duty. But I digress...

Victoria is the usual Quick heroine in that she is bright, unconventional and she positively thirsts for adventure. She is unusual in that she is richer than the hero. As in most Quick plots, the heroine's desire for adventure leads her into some compromising situations and also considerable danger. Thanks to one such episode, Lucas and Victoria must get married - which suits Lucas just fine.

Well, Lucas is a fortune-hunter, but he is a bit more than that. He is fortune-hunting because he owes the people on his estates and the land the best that he can manage. [A rather nice reason to chase an heiress, compared to the usual spendthrift feckless gamble who goes fortune-hunting]. And Lucas also respects Victoria's intelligence, her unusual qualities, and even her appetite for rather unorthodox adventures. Although he is not displeased by his forced marriage, he would have preferred a more conventional courtship. Best of all, although it would have been easy for him to engineer the forced marriage, it is clear fairly soon that he was not the one who betrayed the couple.

Victoria and Lucas have their usual tiffs, including a remarkable tiff about money and her spending, in which he manages to alienate Victoria for a while. But he is always good at retrieving the situation, partly by appealing to her sense of adventure. And into this mix is thrown an old family legend about an Amber Knight and his Lady, into which Victoria plays beautifully with her penchant for amber-colored and yellow-colored outfits. The people on the estate are as thrilled by Victoria's wardrobe as her actions, and everything seems to be going nicely.

Or is it? From the outset, it is clear that Victoria is being stalked by someone regarding a Big Secret in her past. And here I have to say that Victoria exhibits remarkable stupidity (as does Lucas at one point). Does she take someone into her confidence early? No. Does she take certain precautions such as hiring a Bow Street Runner or finding out the mole among the staff? No. Do she and Lucas act rashly at a certain point? Yes. Unfortunately, this part of the story was a decided letdown as was the author's lack of knowledge about inheritance law.

For the record, if Victoria's mother had control of her own fortune at her first husband's death and she then remarried without any safeguards, her fortune would go immediately to her new husband. If she and her friends had safeguards built (basically a trust being set up), then her new husband could not inherit her fortune. The point being that the reason for a certain death in the back history of the novel made little sense - almost as little sense as the villain's desire for revenge (this person is supposed to be smart). I cannot say more without giving away secrets, but at the beginning of the book, either Victoria inherits her mother's fortune outright after her mother's death (usually in the form of a trust) or that fortune has passed into another family in the absence of such a trust. [For further enlightenment, I recommend Emily Bronte's WUTHERING HEIGHTS].

If this problem (with the disposition of Victoria's mother's fortune) had not existed, and if the hero and heroine had not acted rashly (and even stupidly at several points), I would have given this book a 5 or something close to it. As it stands, it gets a 3.9 (rounded up to a 4). Why do I penalize it so much? Because Quick makes mystery and revenge key motives in her plots - and it is disappointing when that part comes undone, especially near the end.

That's all that I can think of when _Surrender_ comes to mind. A lot of previous reviewers are complaining that Lucas is too harsh of a hero and that no love is involved in his relationship with Victoria. I would like to strongly disagree. First of all, yes he did go after Victoria for her money... but that was before he met her and got to know her. Isn't that how most relationships start? Someone thinks something of their partner, but as they meet them and get to know them, their opinions change. At least, that has been my experience. Lucas was a very complex character. He was calus at first, but as you peel away his layers, the true man is shown, and it is a very caring, very loving man. I loved him because he was a change from the normal Quick hero. They are usually immediatly loving and let the heroine do whatever they want. Don't get me wrong, that works for a book, but Ms. Quick went out on a limb to have Lucas for her hero. He is more true to the times this book was written in. He doesn't let Victoria do whatever she wants, but he does let her be herself and he doesn't marry her for her money. Victoria was a lovely heroine... I found myself wishing I were her many times (even when Lucas was acting like the big bad wolf). She was spunky but down to earth at the same time. The added element of the paranormal was great spice added to the book, and I enjoyed hearing older beliefs about it. Mystery is Quick's strongest suit, and it is applied perfectly to _Surrender_. You are kept guessing at who the bad apple is while watching the relationship between Lucas and Victoria blossom. All in all, _Surrender_ is a wonderful book. It is a nice change from the normal romance.

Surrender has all the elements of a great story. It is a fast paced story and the characters are colorful and unique. If you love Amanda Quick, then you must read this book.

Victoria Huntingdon is an heiress who is committed to remaining single. She loves adventure but is limited in her exploits by the restrictions of society. Victoria has dealt with many men who thought they could marry her for her money until she meets Lucas Colebrook.

Lucas Colebrook, the Earl of Stonevale, is in desperate need of funds. He encourages a friend to find him an heiress to woo. Lucas sets his sights on Victoria.

Victoria has no interest in marriage but is open to participating in Lucas' nightly excursions into the life of the ton. Lucas takes Victoria to gaming hells and brothels to satisfy her craving for adventure.

Through a series of adventures, Victoria marries Lucas and realizes he is a fortune hunter. The couple strive to stay one step ahead of a mysterious threat to their happiness throughout the story.

Victoria Huntington and Lucas Colebrook, Earl of Stonevale, find themselves in the most unpreditable situations after agreeing to rendevous after midnight for a night on the town. Victoria Huntington considers herself 'an heiress at risk' with a deadly past to keep hidden. She refuses to consider marriage for any reason, believing that marital love within the 'ton' is impossible and refuses to submit physically, emotionally and definitely financially to any man!

Lucas Colebrook, an impoverished Earl, needs an heiress's fortune to refurbish his crumbling estate. So Lucas sets out to win Victoria's hand by agreeing to escort this 'wild child spinster' to the most undesirable after hour establishments (at Victoria's request) in London. But Victoria's thirst for adventure soon leads to a mysterious stalking and possibly haunting, murder attempts, and of course, the usual Quick wit, humor and comedy.

If you haven't read Amanda Quick before, you'll love Surrender.

Happy Reading!

This book (and most other writen by Amanda Quick) was by far one of the most romantic stories in the market today. Beatifuly written it captures you and holds your attention on the first page. I simply could not put it down. I highly reccommend this Historical romance for anyone hoping to close the book with a smile.

I knew from the first "scene" with Vicky and Lucas that they were in love with each other. Lucas DIDN'T marry her just for her money! I loved the midnight meetings, and the places they went and how Victoria veiwed them were hysterical. She is a gem, and Lucas is the perfect match for her. I agree with a previous reveiwer, they were in love from the second they met. This is a great work of Quick's, and you won't be disapointed if you read it.

I really like this book alot, Victoria is a women ahead of the times, and Lucas was a man not easily shocked but kept Victoria grounded. The book was a wonderful love story. I definitely would recommend reading this funny and loving story.

The "hero" Lucas is autocratic, manipulative, hypocritical, unkind, dominating, calculating, tyrranical, and entirely concentrating on his own wants and desires - looking at everything as a zero sum game in which he had to win, and Victoria had to lose.

He knows of every fear she has of being married to a lying scheming fortune hunter who will strip her of every shred of her independence and self-control, and that she is willing to accept society's scorn by becoming an old maid rather than risk such a fate. So he does what? Lies, schemes, hunts her fortune, strips her of every shred of independence and self-control. And the whole time justifies it to himself, as if somehow his problems (big estate, no money) give him the right to destroy her life, and expects that she should just take all of his injustices against her "graciously". What a piece of crap. I really do hate this hero, quite completely.

Which is too bad because I actually quite like Victoria. She is cute and appealing, without being cloyingly sweet like most book heroines. Poor girl, she should push him down stairs like she did by accident with her mother's abusive fortune hunter husband.

There is little about the leading man, Lucas, that is likable. Victoria, the leading lady, is forced into marriage or be ruined in scandal, a typical plot device but she becomes weaker and more pathetic one is able to slog through the book. The romance is almost non-existant. There is too much fighting and battling to make the suggested romance believable.

Possible spoilers ahead:

Lucas goes looking for an heiress and lucks into snagging one. He drags her to the country, blocks her from using her money, and basically crushes Victoria's spirit. She tries and fails to continue to be a person, but continues to fail and, like the title implies, she surrenders. Victoria continues to make excuses for his behavior and he cotinues to manipulate and dominate her.

There is a "mystery" buried under the fighting that could have been truly interesting and made for a much better book had there been much less fighting. The couple doesn't make enough of a team and the "foe" attacking them and leaving clues gets completely lost.

The tale of the ghosts is a nice touch but not strong enough to combat the flaws of the main characters.