Tag Archives: Surrender

Review: Surrender (Careless Whispers #3) by Lisa Renee Jones

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no-brainer

Title: Surrender
Author: Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year: Pocket Star 1/9/17
Length:   320 Pages
Series:  Careless Whispers #3

Overview

Chris and Sara from Inside Out return in the explosive finale to Ella’s story from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones with the third book in the sexy, suspenseful Careless Whispers series.

Passion burns fiercely hot between Ella Ferguson and Kayden Wilkens, the man who held secrets and lies in his hands, and then allowed them to fall into hers. But even though he has become her anchor—helping her recover from amnesia after finding her unconscious in an alley, and allowing her into his secret world—all is not what it seems. Kayden still has secrets, and pieces of Ella’s past are still shrouded in the darkness of her mind, while the powerful man who hunts her will not stop until she is his. In this final, explosive novel in the Careless Whispers series, Ella discovers that while her life with Kayden didn’t begin in that dark alley…it could easily end there.

My Thoughts

I think that we have all been waiting soo soo long to get the finale of this series and i’m so happy that we got to see what the conclusion of Ella’s journey was.  I think that there’s so much that’s exciting going on and so much that’s unexpected that we as the reader have no choice but to get engrossed.

Where we left off at the end of book 2 was that we know that Ella is starting to get her memory back but in bits and pieces – all of which really don’t make a complete story.  She’s starting to wonder who she really is because of the visions that she has of her training and her father, and that means that there has to be so much more to the story than ever.  Kayden has his thoughts and a PI that was hired uncovers a bit more and we start to see things unfold.

There’s a thought that Ella is CIA since that’s what her father seems to be – and some of her flashbacks give that impression.  That in itself proves to be an issue for her given that Kayden is the leader of the Underground and they are not necessarily organizations on the same side.  True to form though of our author – Ms Jones shows us that sometimes you have to put that stuff aside when you know what your heart knows.

Ella still can’t recall where the necklace is stashed, and everyone in the Underground are working to solve that mystery before Neuville and Niccolo do.  Those two, being half brothers or step brothers or whatever – they have their own vendetta which makes the story that much more interesting since no one can trust allies or enemies in this one.  There’s the inclusion of Alessandro in the mix who is the leader of the Jackals, another treasure hunter group who’s on Neuville’s side which of course makes for more drama and another target.

The basis of this final installment is wondering who is truly on whom’s side, and what that means for Ella and Kayden.  We know that Ella seems to think that there is something less than savory going on based on feelings that she gets in her house, although Matteo (their resident Hacker) says otherwise.  We still don’t know if we can trust Gallo (italian police), so Sasha (a hunter) is assigned to him as a distraction and hopefully to get information.  Sasha also has a connection with Neuville that proves to be useful in how everything unfolds.

The twist comes into play when Chris and Sara had hired Walker Security to find Ella and that couple enters into the picture.  They are now becoming a target regardless of how much they try to stay off the radar and it’s just a matter of time in this story when we count down until things go wrong with them.

We spend much of the story really seeing how the trust between Kayden and Ella grows into an amazing relationship.  They are clearly made for one another and regardless of the obstacles in their paths, they are in it for the long haul.  I think that we’re going to see how that turns out hopefully in a happy ending since their backgrounds and lives are incredibly different, yet quite similar.  The way their relationship is written into this story too is intense.  Their connection both in and out of the bedroom is hot.  Ms Jones does a good job in making you really root for them, while also making you feel like you absolutely need a cold shower since it’s hot and steamy and passionate – any time they are in a room together.

So there’s an interesting twist and turn of events when we finally learn Ella’s past and that makes us question everything that we know.  We also see how things get interesting once she remembers where the necklace is.  There are multiple kidnappings (of course) and a lot of folks die, but i think that where we are left in this story gives us a firm bit of closure and also opens us up to the option for spin-offs or novellas based on some of the other characters that we’ve met.  All in all, exactly the kind of ending i would have expected and wanted in this series and i can’t wait to see if we’re going to get more.  Enjoy!

Review: The Gilded Cage (Surrender #2) by Lauren Smith

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No-Brainer

Title:  The Gilded Cage
Author: Lauren Smith
Publisher/Year:  Hachette Book Group 6/9/15
Length:  368 pages
Series:  Surrender #2

Overview

Passion that takes no prisoners, and love that tests the limits of ecstasy . . . Fenn Lockwood comes alive in the shadows. Though he might have physically survived the kidnapping that stole his childhood, the trauma and pain he lived through have marked him forever. Now the only place where Fenn can be himself is within the walls of his private BDSM world-a place of erotic obsession, where desire isn’t just captured . . . it’s bound. Hayden Thorne knows that behind Fenn’s hardened exterior is a man worth fighting for. Yet to save him from the past that still haunts him, Hayden will have to abandon every inhibition she’s ever had and venture into Fenn’s intoxicatingly sensual world. Each tantalizing second she spends in Fenn’s searing embrace is more delicious than the last and soon Hayden begins to think that she may never want to leave such torturous bliss . .

My Thoughts

I really like this series – where we were left after the Gilded Cuff was a place of tension and turmoil, and i think where we’ve continued is an even better place.  Emery and Sophie are in a great place and now it’s up to Hayden to save Fenn if she can and convince him of his true identity before someone kills him.

We’re reunited with this series when Hayden’s at the Rodeo that Fenn’s competing at, in the hopes of winning $50k to save The ranch that he’s been living at since his adopted family has been suffering from financial stress since the father had a heart attack.  Unfortunately though, Fenn’s been getting these weird senses or visions of sorts and one hits him at the wrong time and he’s knocked from the bull he’s riding before he’s able to even quality.  Its at that moment when a woman in a silky red dress tries to distract the charging bull from him and well, it works.  He’s saved, she’s saved and well, their paths have yet to truly cross yet.

From them on, we see that Hayden (the girl in the red dress) and Fenn are intertwined, their journey taking them hopefully back to Fenn’s past but hopefully to what seems like a steamy future.  It takes a bit of convincing, a few fights between Fenn and Wes (Hayden’s brother) but Fenn begins to believe what they are saying.

The question though is whether they can outsmart the assassin, and get back to Emery and take him down?  then at the same time, figure out who hired them to begin with 25 years ago and what was the motivation.  To be honest, it took me a short bit to sort it out but it was an obvious reason for it all.

Throughout this story, we get a lot of death and destruction – a lot of people getting hurt in the cross fire and a few people getting emotionally wounded.  You have to wonder who’s death is final and who’s going to make it through.  Broken hearts and all.

True to what we saw in the first installment, the scening is hot.  The passion that these 2 have is really nice to witness – they can’t stay away from one another and while Fenn may not be a true Dom in the sense of a BDSM club (at least i don’t think he is), he’s able to keep Hayden from ‘topping from the bottom’, and that’s something that few have been able to do.

The best bits though are what we get in the epilogue.  I think that where we see Wes going, and the emotional reactions from those involved makes you really interested to see what’s going to happen in book 3.  Can’t wait for it.  On that note – HAPPY NYE all and i’ll see you in 2016 for real this time!

ARC Review: Surrender by Tawny Taylor

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Title: Surrender
Author:Tawny Taylor
Publisher/Year: Kensington Publishing 5/27/14
Length:  336 Pages

Overview

Abby is ready to agree to anything to stop her brother from going to prison, but Kameron Maldondo, the owner of MalTech Corporation, is asking for the unexpected. Enthralled by his commanding brilliance, she agrees to be his assistant, at his beck and call for whatever he needs–whenever and however he wants. What that means is for him to decide and for her to submit to. Frightened yet fascinated by what he promises, Abby becomes a willing captive to his caress, undone by his peerless touch, a quivering submission to an aching need for complete carnal surrender. . .

My Thoughts

When i took a peek on Goodreads, i saw that most people weren’t overly thrilled with this book, and that made me a bit weary.  the good thing is that i don’t usually care much about what other people think of a book, and decided to read this one anyway.  I think that i was pleasantly surprised with depth of the story that we got.

The summary gives you a sense that she would really just be Kam’s assistant/sex slave and sub, but that’s not really where things even get going to.  While that’s how their relationship begins, mind you Abby really would do anything to protect her brother, that’s not where things evolve to because we learn that Kam really is much more human than the first few chapters lead us to believe.

This story takes us on a journey of these 2 trying to figure out what they mean to each other, all the while – Abby is trying to find out who really stole the ‘things’ that Kam and MalTech think that her brother took.  While her brother claims innocence, and Abby believes him, his past is too tainted for anyone else to believe it, and if he didn’t do it, there was a really good set up.

The other great thing is that this story takes a nice dark twist about 2/3 of the way through – what you don’t expect to happen does, and that means that there’s going to be someone on the run, and the folks that get called on things aren’t the ones that were initially set up in the story.

I don’t think that i’ve read anything by this author before, although there’s plenty that i’ve discovered that i can now, and i have to say that we get a nice mix of bondage play and romance to make a story good.  Without the fact that we know Kam is very into tying people up, he’s still really sensual and knows how to make a scene steamy.  I’m happy to say that i don’t agree with most of the reviews that i read saying that this story wasn’t good.  maybe a bit predictable, but still good nonetheless.

*click the cover above to pre-order

Review: Surrender (The Dining Club #8) by Marina Anderson

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Title:  Surrender
Author:  Marina Anderson
Publisher/Year:  Grand Central Publishing. 10/8/13
Length:  35 Pages
Series: The Dining Club #8

Overview

If you pass the challenges we set, a world of pleasure awaits you.

He is everything she never wanted: brooding, secretive, rich – and far-removed from her care-free artistic lifestyle. Yet David has a power over Grace that she cannot resist, a power that comes from his darker, passionate side.

And now he is ready to truly reveal himself. Inviting Grace to a weekend at the Dining Club, David offers her the opportunity to discover his deepest desires and to find pleasures far beyond her wildest imagination – but only if she if willing to play a series of sensual games.

Grace faces a choice: give in to her doubts and retreat to her quiet life, or truly embrace happiness with David and win over her mesmerising lover forever.

My Thoughts

I think that i knew the path that this installment was going to take, and i wasn’t at all surprised.  Although the one loop hole there is that i didn’t have any expectation on what the final challenge would be for the 5th table, so that was interesting.  What we get in this final installment (or is it) is Grace being forced to make the decision if she wants to take on Table 5, Amber’s Table which would ultimately mean taking Amber’s role in the club.  David finally opens up a bit more to Grace about his feelings, and what his role in all this has been (not shocking to readers i’m sure), and then we are on Grace’s journey.

What i liked about this story more so than others was 2 things.

1) we see that Grace isn’t perfect – especially in her friendships.  Because she’s choosing to go on the journey with David, it means that her own professional life is hitting a snag, and her friendship with Fran isn’t on the up and up

2) I also really enjoyed where the story seems to be going, with the bit of a tease at the end.  Between you and me, i have a feeling what the ‘smirk’ and final conversation was about and what’s going to happen, but i guess we’ll have to wait and see if there will be more to come.

This 8th story didn’t let us down in the sense of erotic sceneing and passion, although it was a bit awkward at time.  too much of a competition and less heat and romance.  but….we are seeing everyone grow a bit and that’s what you expect at the closure of a series.