laurenjodi's review
4.0
A Night to Surrender
4 Stars
Battle of the sexes in Regency England - the romance is engaging and the characters likeable but the plot lacks substance.
The small town setting is quaint and the notion of a safe haven for society's wallflowers is charming. However, neither is sufficiently developed and the dynamic between the women is missing the closeness and intimacy that is expected in these circumstances (Kleypas's Wallflowers has this in spades). Similarly, the relationships among the men lack comradeship.
The witty banter and sizzling chemistry between Bram and Susanna make it all worthwhile though. Bram is an injured war hero intent on returning to his regiment but cannot keep his hands of Susanna long enough to fulfill his mission of forming a militia. Susanna is intelligent, independent and fiercely proud of helping the young women who don't fit into society's image of perfection. She is a lovely heroine but does have a tendency to submit to Bram when he becomes overbearing, which is contrary to her characterization. Moreover, Bram can be sexist and tends to dismiss Susanna's concerns and wishes, which it irritating at times.
Overall, an entertaining read despite its shortcomings and the romances developing among the secondary characters have definite potential.
4 Stars
Battle of the sexes in Regency England - the romance is engaging and the characters likeable but the plot lacks substance.
The small town setting is quaint and the notion of a safe haven for society's wallflowers is charming. However, neither is sufficiently developed and the dynamic between the women is missing the closeness and intimacy that is expected in these circumstances (Kleypas's Wallflowers has this in spades). Similarly, the relationships among the men lack comradeship.
The witty banter and sizzling chemistry between Bram and Susanna make it all worthwhile though. Bram is an injured war hero intent on returning to his regiment but cannot keep his hands of Susanna long enough to fulfill his mission of forming a militia. Susanna is intelligent, independent and fiercely proud of helping the young women who don't fit into society's image of perfection. She is a lovely heroine but does have a tendency to submit to Bram when he becomes overbearing, which is contrary to her characterization. Moreover, Bram can be sexist and tends to dismiss Susanna's concerns and wishes, which it irritating at times.
Overall, an entertaining read despite its shortcomings and the romances developing among the secondary characters have definite potential.
geo_ix's review
2.0
I found this such a chore to read. Many times I considered DNFing it, but I just kept hoping it was improve and maybe I just needed it to grow on me more. It did sort of inprove perhaps a fraction but only enough for me to say I didn’t completely hate it, but I definitely cannot say I liked it.
I felt not one thing from or for the characters. They annoyed me and I kept finding myself putting the book down to do something else. Which is sad, I quite like the other Dare books I’ve read so far, but I think this series as a whole might not be for me, not just this one book. Perhaps I’ll never continue this one, I’m not 100% sure right now, but honestly I wasn’t that interested in Colin or Minerva, perhaps Thorne and the woman with the birthmark but I also wouldn’t really care if I never read it lol
I felt not one thing from or for the characters. They annoyed me and I kept finding myself putting the book down to do something else. Which is sad, I quite like the other Dare books I’ve read so far, but I think this series as a whole might not be for me, not just this one book. Perhaps I’ll never continue this one, I’m not 100% sure right now, but honestly I wasn’t that interested in Colin or Minerva, perhaps Thorne and the woman with the birthmark but I also wouldn’t really care if I never read it lol
mollyjeannette's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
emmaskies's review
2.75
AREA MAN DISCOVERS SAFE HAVEN COMMUNITY OF UNMARRIED WOMEN AND DECIDES IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED WITH THE POWER OF TOXIC MASCULINITY.
If I had to read this man’s thoughts about how what this perfectly content and competent woman actually needed in her life was “a real man” for much longer, I was going to commit a crime.
The heroine and everyone in her town is left worse off at the end of the book for the appearance of this man and his buddies. Truly the moral of this story genuinely seems to be that men ruin everything.
Low 3⭐️ because the last hundred pages were good, but not in a way that ever addressed the preceding 300 pages. Possibly 2.75. A rare miss from Tessa Dare for me.
Also worth noting I was super uncomfortable with the multiple instances of consent to sexual contact in this book boiling down to “if you’re not saying no then it’s a yes,” and an entire extended scene where he gets her consent to a situation for which he offers strict boundaries, but then proceeds to push and stretch those boundaries well past what they agreed on.
And bc it’s a romance novel she’s into it and yada yada whatever but that is very much not cool.
I will maybe continue this series bc I’ve heard A Week to be Wicked is really good (curious how that will go bc I fucking hate Colin) and I’m interested in what I’m sure is a Thorne/Kate book later in the series.
If I had to read this man’s thoughts about how what this perfectly content and competent woman actually needed in her life was “a real man” for much longer, I was going to commit a crime.
The heroine and everyone in her town is left worse off at the end of the book for the appearance of this man and his buddies. Truly the moral of this story genuinely seems to be that men ruin everything.
Low 3⭐️ because the last hundred pages were good, but not in a way that ever addressed the preceding 300 pages. Possibly 2.75. A rare miss from Tessa Dare for me.
Also worth noting I was super uncomfortable with the multiple instances of consent to sexual contact in this book boiling down to “if you’re not saying no then it’s a yes,” and an entire extended scene where he gets her consent to a situation for which he offers strict boundaries, but then proceeds to push and stretch those boundaries well past what they agreed on.
And bc it’s a romance novel she’s into it and yada yada whatever but that is very much not cool.
I will maybe continue this series bc I’ve heard A Week to be Wicked is really good (curious how that will go bc I fucking hate Colin) and I’m interested in what I’m sure is a Thorne/Kate book later in the series.
raquel28's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
noisydeadlines's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved the setting: a place by the sea where unmarried women can go to restore and explore their interests, like a summer camp. They go on country walks, they go sea-bathing, they garden, they even shoot firearms! No men allowed until a group of military men reaches Spindle Cove. This was a super fun and lighthearted enemies-to-lovers trope book. I loved the writing style. This is the second romance book I read by this author (I read "Romancing the Duke" years ago) and I forgot how delightfully fun and sexy her writing was. It was the perfect fluffy read with a strong red-haired female lead (Susanna Finch) and an alpha hero who was not cringy (Bram, or the new Earl of Rycliff).
britneyfan19's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
This was a good story. Though it was slow in places. And didn’t really come close to A Week to Be Wicked. However I did like that we see Minerva before she met Colin. I did feel sorry for Susanna with what she went through as a young girl.
rachwebsmith's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
katrinaward's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jesskalak's review
3.0
Cute story and characters, but they weren't very substantive. Found myself bored during this read.