Author: Tessa Dare
Original Title: A Night To Surrender
Release Year: 2011
Literary Genre: Romance
Setting: England (Spindle Cove), regency
Series: 1° of Spindle Cove series
Vote: 7/10
Surely is not the best of the series, which by the way boasts very good “pieces”, see for example the splendid Any duchess will do or Once upon a winter's eve; also the others from Spindle Cove, even if they aren't exactly at the above mentioned level, are quite beautiful.
A night to surrender
unfortunately lacks consistency, firstly isn't particularly
remarkable, then it gets better, quite better actually, but some time
later, again, it falls in a semi-anonymity status, and the story
continues alternating really moving and touching moments to not
exactly noteworthy parts.
It
must be said that is the author's style that cheers up the whole
romance, making the reading more thrilling; if A night to
surrender had been supported by
a more pronounced central thread, this Spindle Cove romance, probably
would have been good as the others. The characters are beautiful, I
enjoyed their personalities, their relationships and their fears,
they aren't unashamedly common.
I read
the others books from the series before this one (my fault), so I
found a bit boring the whole description about what Spindle Cove is,
how and why it grows that famous, its inhabitants and so on, but this
is a problem of mine and exclusively personal: I already knew the
story from the others five books and, given that A night to
surrender is the first one, is
obvious that the backstage and the setting are more pronounced.
Susanna
Finch is the beautiful, high-spirited and strong Spindle Cove “dame”;
the village, located in Sussex, has quickly became the destination
for those girls, who because of their personalities, their behaviours
or because of some health problems, have been excluded from society
or simply they don't feel comfortable in it. Susanna's purpose is to
help them in regain their self-confidence and above all to let them
know they are appreciated and useful.
The
young Miss Finch is the only daughter of the only gentleman in the
place, an inventor who was and still is, fundamental for England's
military successes, especially in the crucial moment of the
napoleonic war. And is exactly the inventor to whom the valiant
Lieutenant Colonel Victor Bramwell (who after a long convalescence
from a war bad leg injury and from which he will never completely
recover) asks for help to go back to the war: Mr Finch is the man
who, given his strong authority, can guarantee he is still fit to
fight and to conduct a regiment.
Finch
accepts but Bramwell has to organise a militia in Spindle Cove and he
also has to present the inventor's last creation when he'll be back
to the continent.
Susanna
is strongly vexed by this “invasion” and by the disorder that it
would bring to the village where women have gained a considerable
position; therefore the strifes with the Lieutenant are the order of
the day. Anyhow Bram doesn't make a mystery out of his intense
attraction for the determined and fiery Miss Finch, but he tries to
hold himself because of the respect toward her father.
For
her part, Susanna, who is a bit of a do-gooder, wants to help the
grumpy and wounded, not only physically, Bram; this, and the
recurring disputes, will only get them closer and closer willy-nilly.
So,
the story isn't bad at all, and I think the same about the characters
(almost all of them have their own story in the series), but is like
there isn't the core, the romance frame; it didn't particularly catch
me and I'm sorry about that because Spindle Cove is a really good
series and the author has a captivating and exciting style; however
she has definitely improved her writing.
Colin (A week to be wicked) is the funniest as always!
Buona lettura!
M.E.G.
Spindle Cove series: 1. A night to surrender (Susanna, Victor)
2. A week to be wicked (Minerva, Colin)
4. Any duchess will do (Pauline, Griffin)
Tessa Dare's bibliography
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