Surrender

The Dragonfly Chronicles #4

by Heather McCollum

To save her father, Kailin must control her magical gift of telekinesis and unearth the cryptic Orb of Life in nineteenth-century Egypt. Only one man can help her, a treasure hunter with an agenda of his own. Besides battling demons, Kailin must also battle her attraction to the handsome American cowboy aiding her search.

Jackson Black desperately wants the Orb, an artifact said to have power over life and death. But to get it he must ignore his conscience and do things he never thought he'd do. Falling for Kailin will only jeopardize his mission.

Only Kailin's complete surrender to Jackson, the one man who can mute her powers, will save her life. But when she discovers his secret, it will take more than magic to save her heart. It will take trust and the ultimate treasure—love.

This is a new release of a previously published edition.

Genres: Supernatural, Romance

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2013

About the author

I am Heather McCollum, writer of 16th and 17th century Scottish romance full of adventure and intrigue, sprinkled with humor, history, and spice. Brawny Highlanders and feisty heroines are my favorite characters!

I am also a mom of three kids, dog-mom of one rescued geriatric golden retriever, and wife of one 6 foot 4 inch Highlander. When I’m not trying to help my kids make it through the day, baking things I see on The Great British Baking Show, or writing, I’m usually educating women on ovarian cancer (I’m a nine-year survivor).

I love kilted heroes, chai lattes, and eating buttered air-popped popcorn for dinner on Friday nights (my dog loves this one too).

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This author also writes under: Eleri Drake

Reviews

[BigComfyChairBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best in a Wonderful Series
This one was my favorite in the series. It felt like a true Victorian-era adventure from the beginning. I loved both Kailin and Jackson. The wild west cowboy American Jackson was sexy, confident, and rugged. A true John Wayne style hero. Kailin was one of my favorite sisters. I loved that she was the most powerful. Her powers are almost limitless. She can shoot lightening out of her hands, chop a head off with a thought… I didn’t like how little control she had. I wish she had just a little more control. The twist at the end with Dr. Pierce was unnecessary and added to an already too long book. I prefer my romances be right around the 250 pages mark and this one was almost 400. It could’ve been edited down. I loved that Jackson knew almost right away that Kailin was for him. Jackson was a little overbearing at times and I wish Kailin was a little stronger at standing up to him and not letting him control every situation. I have read everything published by Heather McCollum and there isn’t a book of hers I didn’t like. I highly recommend her books and especially this series. WARNING: there is sex in this book, it is not erotica, but enough to be a steamy & hot adult romance. Please do not read if you are looking for something PG. Romance-5/5 Steaminess-3/5 Explicitness-3/5

[Anissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to begin! First you must know that this is book 4 out of 5 of the Dragonfly Chronicles. You really must read them in order! I want to start writing in great detail about this book...but I don't want to give too much away. I started reading this book knowing this was Kailin's story and was sort of expecting certain things to take place. The sisters being separated and having to find their mate in order to defeat the evil that threatens the world. But, nothing prepared me for anything in this story. Heather McCollum weaves this story with more history, more feeling and yet still keeps Kailin's story flowing. I couldn't put this book down! Well if you have kids you know you have to! So you learn to go sneak off to bed early when really you are hiding to finish this book. I loved that Kailin is the strongest most powerful of the sisters; however, she is the most vulnerable. You feel her sadness and loneliness at being so powerful that she can NEVER let her guard down or her emotions run wild. When she meet her soul mate Jackson that changes. Kailin just has to touch him and her magick stops! and Drakkina (who you actually start to like a lot) has been searching for this daughter and you feel Drakkina's frustration at the lack of control Kailin has with her magic. Well Kailin never had anyone to teach her. Kailin starts to learn more about her mother Gilla and we (readers) learn more about her father Druce! We also learn a lot more about Drakkina and her love Eogan. That is when you realize you are reading at a pace that you can't breathe! Take a breath and pace yourself. Trust me it will be worth it. Finally, there is a surprise that I don't think anyone will see coming. I want to tell you but won't and you will thank me later...Let's just say if I could speed things up for Book 5 I would...beg, grovel, beg, whine...did I say beg for Book 5 to get released now!!! Heather McCollum has a way to really make you feel the emotions these characters have. Mrs. McCollum brings these girl's story to life!! I cried hard in the beginning (with Gilla and her girls), felt anger with these mates...but feel pure love for this family! You will love these books...This series is a keeper one I just don't buy for the kindle but Novels I would keep in my bookcase!!! A++++

[BigComfyChairBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best in a Wonderful Series
This one was my favorite in the series. It felt like a true Victorian-era adventure from the beginning. I loved both Kailin and Jackson. The wild west cowboy American Jackson was sexy, confident, and rugged. A true John Wayne style hero. Kailin was one of my favorite sisters. I loved that she was the most powerful. Her powers are almost limitless. She can shoot lightening out of her hands, chop a head off with a thought… I didn’t like how little control she had. I wish she had just a little more control. The twist at the end with Dr. Pierce was unnecessary and added to an already too long book. I prefer my romances be right around the 250 pages mark and this one was almost 400. It could’ve been edited down. I loved that Jackson knew almost right away that Kailin was for him. Jackson was a little overbearing at times and I wish Kailin was a little stronger at standing up to him and not letting him control every situation. I have read everything published by Heather McCollum and there isn’t a book of hers I didn’t like. I highly recommend her books and especially this series. WARNING: there is sex in this book, it is not erotica, but enough to be a steamy & hot adult romance. Please do not read if you are looking for something PG. Romance-5/5 Steaminess-3/5 Explicitness-3/5

[Brenda L Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

This book is a little slower getting into because of all the scene setting but once it gets you, it has you page after page!! You never want to put it down.
I recommend this book to anyone that believes magic or miracles still exist but you Must read the books in order!!
Totally absorbing.

[louvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wo

This series's just gets more goosebumps! Fast paced and drama! Like you're there watching it unfold before your eyes! Amazing.

[Anissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kailin is the youngest of the 4 sisters who are sent to different time periods to save their lives. I started reading this book knowing this was Kailin's story and was sort of expecting certain things to take place. The sisters being separated and having to find their mate in order to defeat the evil that threatens the world. But, nothing prepared me for anything in this story. Heather McCollum weaves this story with more history, more feeling and yet still keeps Kailin's story flowing. I couldn't put this book down! Well if you have kids you know you have to! So you learn to go sneak off to bed early when really you are hiding to finish this book. I loved that Kailin is the strongest most powerful of the sisters; however, she is the most vulnerable. You feel her sadness and loneliness at being so powerful that she can NEVER let her guard down or her emotions run wild. When she meet her soul mate Jackson that changes. Kailin just has to touch him and her powers stop and Drakkina (who you actually start to like a lot) has been searching for this daughter and you feel Drakkina's frustration at the lack of control Kailin has with her magic. Well Kailin never had anyone to teach her. Kailin starts to learn more about her mother Gilla and we (readers) learn more about her father Druce! We also learn a lot more about Drakkina and her love Eogan. That is when you realize you are reading at a pace that you can't breathe! Take a breath and pace yourself. Trust me it will be worth it. Finally, there is a surprise that I don't think anyone will see coming. I want to tell you but won't and you will thank me later...Let's just say if I could speed things up for Book 5 I would...beg, grovel, beg, whine...did I say beg for Book 5 to get released now!!! Heather McCollum has a way to really make you feel the emotions these characters have. I have felt so many different emotions with these girl's stories. I've cried (hard) in the beginning (with Gilla and her girls), felt anger with these mates (some of them really need clobbering) ...but feel pure love for this family! You will love these books...This series is a keeper one I just didn't buy for my kindle but I ended up buying the entire series for my bookshelf! I love this series!

[Shauni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surrender, such a simple concept and yet so very hard. In Heather McCollum' s fourth book in her Dragonfly Chronicles, we find the concept of surrender almost impossible to accept. How does one surrender when your world is falling apart around you?

Kailen Whittacker was sent through time as a toddler. Discovered deep beneath the Egyptian sands, by the man who would become her father. Only her amazing powers were able to save them. From that moment on Kailen refused to go underground. But that never kept her from becoming a well known archeologist. She just studied the stones in Scotland. It took years to create a stable life but just when things start getting comfortable, a strange man appears on her balcony. A man that seems immune to her powers. And he has the worst news... her beloved father has been kidnapped and only she can save him.

F2fJackson Black has an ulterior motive. While he is willing to work with those who covet the orb... he plans on keeping it for himself. Overcrowding Kailen and those he works for. Only he never plans on falling for the "Ice Queen" never plans on seeing the woman beneath the shell and finding the warmth. And certainly never plans on discovering that there is more to life than he could ever imagine.

I am going to start by saying.. do not read this out of order! I read book 1 and now book 4. While the basic story was easy enough to follow, it's easy to loose your place in the overall story arc. That being said, Surrender was a wonderful book.

Both Kailen and Jackson are willing to sacrifice everything for those they love. Willing to move mountains and fight demons (in Kailen' s case, literally). But in the end both have to be willing to surrender to love.

In so many ways the villains in this story define just who Kailen and Jackson are. Friend is foe and foe? Well who knows? A wonderful book, I am hoping to read the middle two books and looking forward to the conclusion of this exciting story.

Shauni



This review is based on the ARC of Surrender, provided by netgalley

[SirenBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surrender: The Dragonfly Chronicles is the fourth in the series. I have read only the 3rd and 4th books of this series. Surrender follows the fourth sister who has the bulk of their mother's magical powers. She is so powerful that she cannot ever let down her guard for fear of injuring those that she loves. Because of this, she has constructed mental walls to stay behind and never integrates with the general populace. She resides in late Victorian England during the boom of the Egyptian tomb raiding period. Kailin has been adopted and trained by an archeologist who found her in and Egyptian tomb as a child and is aware of her magic. The story is rather Indiana Jones-ish and I enjoyed the scenery employed.

The interplay between Kailin and Jackson Black is amusing. Jackson is keeping secrets from her and has the role of American tomb raiding bad boy. Kailin must trust him for them to become the destined mates of prophecy. But how can one surrender to someone they cannot truly trust when they have spent their life living behind mental walls of safety? Can Kailin trust the one man who completely disarms her of her magical powers and yet continues to lie to her? I know I couldn't! This is a great read with a completely different feel than the previous novel. Read it, you'll love it.

[L.A. Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an Egyptian tomb, Anthony Whitaker finds a child possessed of magical powers and a dragonfly birthmark. The girl, Kailin, becomes an archeologist in her own right, studying stone circles of Scotland, but is drawn back to Egypt when her adopted father is kidnapped. She meets Jackson Black, treasure hunter; their fates seemingly intertwined with a mysterious orb and thirteen bound demons.

The story is an enjoyable mixture of Egyptian lore with demonology. Kailin’s claustrophobia and struggle to control her mysterious gift sets her apart from people and adds interest to the character. Jackson’s affect on her power is a nice touch. I also rather liked Drakkina, a witch-spirit who instructs Kailin in magic. She comes across as kind of a pushy mystical yenta. The book also contains several good creepy descriptions of tombs. I hadn’t read the earlier novels and had concerns leaping into Book IV, but the plot is complete, easy to follow, and works as a stand alone story. At the end, a few plot points tied up too neatly. One character’s secret was obvious from the start and would surely have been discovered much sooner. Several new entanglements were added in the epilog and then left hanging, but I assume they will be addressed in a subsequent book.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It is probably my favorite of the 4. But I liked all 4 to one degree or another - I think the 3rd book was my least liked. If you like paranormal and romance this could work. All 4 books are historical and I have read very little historical fiction and am not good with history so I don't feel I can speak to that aspect.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will there be a 5th book?

This was my least favorite of the series. I'm not sure why. With out spoiling the story for other readers, it maybe that I didn't connect with the last daughter of Gilla. I won't say any more. Happy reading!

[C.C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good story. Could've been written a lot better. It was not an attention keeper. Got it free on Amazon. I wouldn't have paid for this book. If I did I would be very pissed.

[Lisa Brittingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting ending, wonderful Series. Can't wait for finale

Very exciting series. Couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the final book! Will good triumph over evil?