In Secrets of Surrender, Madeline Hunter takes common romance tropes and turns them on their head. Instead of an rake in need of reformation, the hero, Kyle, is actually a business man. Born to be a coalminer, Kyle received a patronage from the father of our villain and used it to the best advantage. Though not a gentleman by birth, he is one of the few true gentlemen in Surrender.

Furthermore, our heroine is not one most romance readers are used to. Rose is a woman surrounded by scandal. Her brother escaped to the continent, leaving Rose and her younger sister nearly destitute, and left to shoulder the burdens of scandal and protecting her sister, Rose falls under the influence of our resident villain. Thinking herself in love, Rose loses more than just her brother and place in society.

I enjoyed the first half of Surrender, the scandal and the beginning of their marriage of convenience, but the second half was a little too tedious for my liking. The book tread and retread a lot of emotional ground and I found myself not caring when Rose and Kyle finally realized their true love. Luckily, the premise was interesting enough to make this a solid three.