She's the only one who can see through his golden boy facade to the broken god within...Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer, is on a mission: save Eurus from his death sentence, and prove his troubled brother can be redeemed. But Eurus fights back, triggering vicious summer storms that threaten the mortal realm, dangerously drain Chrys, and earn the ire of the Olympic gods who ordered Eurus dead. Laney Summerlyn refuses to give up her grandfather's horse farm, despite her deteriorating vision. More than ever, she needs the organized routine of her life at Summerlyn Stables, until a ferocious storm brings an impossible--and beautiful--creature crashing down from the heavens. Injured while fighting Eurus, Chrys finds himself at the mercy of a mortal woman whose compassion and acceptance he can't resist. As they surrender to the passion flaring between them, immortal enemies close in, forcing Chrys to choose between his brother and the only woman who's ever loved the real him.
South of Surrender was much better than the previous book, and it has a lot of focus on the plot. In fact, it's a direct continuation, since Eurus is to be punished for all of the stunts that he pulled in West of Want. He's supposed to get the death penalty, but his brother, Chrysander is trying to talk some sense into him in hopes that he can be redeemed. Well, that's not going to happen anytime soon. Eurus and Chrys have a fight, which causes Chrys to lose control of his powers and fall from the sky as his animal form: a winged horse. And he lands, no other than, in a horse stable, where Laney finds him and tends to his wounds.
While the plot does take away from the romance a bit, I do think it made South of Surrender stronger. Chrys is trying to save his brother, but when he realizes he's a lost cause, he has to protect Laney from him. All of the brothers get involved, so this book was also like a nice reunion. There's a surprising amount of action, since there are fight scenes. They're not terribly detailed or violet, but they're there.
But what I liked best about South of Surrender was Laney. She's blind! Romance heroines are usually these perfect, gorgeous creatures with no flaws. Well, Laney only has about 10% visibility in one eye, but she certainly doesn't let that stop her from going about her life. She has a passion for animals, so she boards and rescues horses. She's independent, but doesn't mind asking for help when she needs it. And the best part is, Chrys doesn't treat her like she's less than or in the way when crap is going down. He gives her what she needs to protect herself, and then goes and does his thing! It's great.
South of Surrender is my favorite of the series. I enjoyed the romance the most, and I definitely think it did a great job at continuing and expanding the plot, as well as setting up for a big finish!
