Season for Surrender

by Theresa Romain

• ISBN10: 1306654475
• ISBN13: 9781306654470
• Publish Date: 1 January 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 14 April 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Zebra Books
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Season for Surrender was really cute! And it actually takes place during the holiday season! Lord Xavier is known for his wild house parties, but this year, he's doing things a bit differently. He's just entered a bet with his cousin stating that he must keep Lady Louisa in attendance for the entire two weeks. Xavier knows Louisa won't stay if there's much debauchery, so he throws a more tasteful holiday party. But that doesn't stop the two of them from making special use of his library...

Season for Surrender did have me a bit worried in the beginning because of the bet plotline. Those never turn out well, and I was not looking forward to a huge blow out because Louisa finds out that she was the center of a bet and now has to question Xavier's feelings for her. Well, Louisa knows about the bet from the beginning and wants Xavier to win! She doesn't believe the rumors about him, and believes there's more to him than the ton thinks. Plus, this allows Xavier's jerkoff of a cousin to get what's coming to him!

I quite enjoyed Season for Surrender. I adored Louisa in the first book, and I loved getting to know her more here. She's not the quiet bookworm that everyone assumes she is. Well, she is, but there's more to her than that. I loved how she and Xavier bonded over a mystery that they find in his library! Every romance should start in a library! It was also nice to see the Christmas traditions from this time period because they're very different from what we do today.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[kimbacaffeinate]

When I saw the gorgeous cover I was immediately drawn to Season for Surrender. While not part of a series, this book tells the tale of Louisa Oliver a character from Romain’s first novel a Season of Temptation. I found the cast of character’s attending the Christmas House party of Alexander Edgeware, Lord Xavier to be absolutely delightful. I quickly consumed this and walked away feeling good.

The ton and the wager books at White’s say Alexander Edgeware, Lord Xavier is a rogue and rumors of his escapades are the gossip of the ton. Alex does nothing to dissuade the tons opinion and in fact has a whole list of facial expressions he imposes on them. His cousin Lockwood makes a wager for 10 pounds that Alex cannot get a bluestocking to attend his Christmas House party and remain the full two weeks. He even goes so far as to name the woman, Lady Louisa Oliver. While Alex protests a woman’s reputation is worth more than a wager, he cannot help but accept. After all Lord Xavier never loses a bet. The tale that unfolds is filled with humor, sexual tension, a villain and an unexpected romance.

I must say Romain created characters I came to adore. Alex is a complete rogue (well at least that is what the ton has been led to believe). Getting to know the man behind the facial expressions was delightful. I found him to be completely swoon-worthy. Louisa Oliver is smarty, witty, quiet and looking for an adventure. I immediately connected with this little book lover. I loved that a library could make her swoon. She believes her season for a husband has passed but her feisty Aunt Estella has other ideas. I adored this melding, sharp tongue, opinionated woman. Other guests at the party were entertaining. I really liked Jane and hope she will get her own book. The villain was deliciously evil and created tension.

The pacing of the romance was off. It took too long for things to develop and kept this from achieving five cups of coffee. I loved the setting, and the steamy library scenes. The characters were all delightful and kept me reading, as I truly liked them. It was the getting them from point A to point B, and the constant hot and cold between Alex and Louisa that drove me batty. Just when I thought they had had a moment, they would have a setback. Perhaps it was intentional by the author to create tension, however this part of the plot frustrated me. When things finally began to progress..oh-la-la! I liked Romain’s writing style and her ability to bring her characters to life. I can just picture Alex's array of facial expressions and cannot help but giggle even as I write this. She provided wonderful detail and I developed a beautiful image of the house and its guests. The last quarter of the book was the strongest, and I loved the ending.

Despite issues I really enjoyed Alex and Louisa's story. I recommend Season for Surrender to fans of historical romance, laced with humor and lovable characters.

I want to thank Kensington books for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer