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Since the Surrender

(Pennyroyal Green #3)

Julie Anne Long (Goodreads Author)

3.59 · Rating details · 2,760 ratings · 310 reviews

A Man of Action . . .

Fearless. Loyal. Brilliant. Ruthless. Bold words are always used to describe English war hero Captain Chase Eversea, but another word unfortunately plays a role in every Eversea's destiny: trouble. And trouble for Chase arrives in the form of a mysterious message summoning him to a London rendezvous . . . where he encounters the memory of his most wick ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 371 pages

Published July 28th 2009 by Avon

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· 2,760 ratings · 310 reviews

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Start your review of Since the Surrender (Pennyroyal Green, #3)

Feb 05, 2017 Jilly rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

When you boil it all down, this book's summary comes out to this:

Two people who like to get it on in inappropriate settings while trying to find sex traffickers.

Really, that's the plot. Also, the guy is hilariously afraid of puppets. I like that he is in touch with those feelings because anyone NOT freaked out by a puppet needs therapy.

...more

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Mar 04, 2014 Iliada rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, regency-georgian-victorian, military-war

I adore Julie Anne Long. I worship her. She's one of the most talented HR authors I know, if not the most talented, and she certainly deserves more credits. Her writing is beautiful and she gives me butterflies in my stomach every single time and I mean every single time. And yes, I'm going to say this, this is something that even writers such as Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn haven't managed to do.

You know what? This book doesn't deserve my 3 stars. The explosive chemistry is there, the H/h are b I adore Julie Anne Long. I worship her. She's one of the most talented HR authors I know, if not the most talented, and she certainly deserves more credits. Her writing is beautiful and she gives me butterflies in my stomach every single time and I mean every single time. And yes, I'm going to say this, this is something that even writers such as Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn haven't managed to do.

You know what? This book doesn't deserve my 3 stars. The explosive chemistry is there, the H/h are both very likeable and I had those butterflies in my stomach again, which rarely happens to me any more after all those romances I've read.

This rating is my punishment. It's the only way I have to express my frustration. I am so angry right now!! Why, Julie Anne Long? Why did you destroy your own book? The plot was all over the place. I had to read pages of how those two tried to solve the mystery, which I wasn't even all that invested in in the first place, and the result was that the romance suffered greatly!! I could feel their love, the longing that has accummulated after all these years. It was so perfect. Why would you give me an underdeveloped romance, then? Why have only a few scenes between them with meaningful interaction? Maybe they already knew each other very well from the past (and I believe they did), but how will I get to know them if all I get is pages of them not talking to each other and trying to solve a stupid mystery.

Come on! The ending was so beautiful I wanted to cry! Why did you destroy a book that could have been perfect with meaningless and tedious details and an uneven pace? Why, when you have two people with mindblowing chemistry, couldn't you just have them be together and communicate? Why, when they light up the whole place when they're together?

And what was with the sex in random places? Couldn't they just have sex at home, without the fear of discovery, and not in the middle of a freaking spying mission?! And still, I love those love scenes, because that's how great Julie Anne Long is. Aaaaaargh.

I am really sorry! End of rant. It's just that this book had so much wasted potential, which is honestly so much worse than simply reading a bad or mediocre book. But to think of what this could have been... it drives me crazy! Some scenes were truly beautiful. If anybody else had written this, I would have given it more than 3 stars. But, no, Julie Anne Long! For you, this is unacceptable. ...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Ann rated it did not like it

Shelves: romance-regency

This book only gets one star from me. Which is a crying shame, because 85% of the book is fantastic. It's funny, the mystery is good, the action is tense, and the hero says a few things that are surprisingly uncommon, even in romance novels.

(Mild spoilers here)
(view spoiler) This book only gets one star from me. Which is a crying shame, because 85% of the book is fantastic. It's funny, the mystery is good, the action is tense, and the hero says a few things that are surprisingly uncommon, even in romance novels.

(Mild spoilers here)
(view spoiler)
So those are REALLY good things! So why am I only giving it a star? Because the things that are bad are so VERY VERY BAD.

This book has the most inappropriate sex I have ever read, and I read Forbidden Shores. The characters had great chemistry, but every sex scene was in the utterly wrong place of the book. I'm going to have to get into some more explicit spoilers here, so be warned

(view spoiler)

The other thing that bothered me was a scene with a character with supernatural abilities. I'm not against it. But it's the third book in the series and there's never been a whiff of the occult in the others. The character, the ability and the entire scene were shoved in very awkwardly. I can only assume that it's a setup for a future book in the series, because it doesn't add anything to this one.

...more

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Dec 29, 2020 Addie H rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Two quite unlikable characters, a lot of anger, lust above love, a mystery that dragged out. Not one of JAL's best in my opinion.

1.5 stars ...more

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Mar 23, 2019 Sam (AMNReader) rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, read-in-2019, grumpy-hero, historical, second-chance, library

This was about a 3.5 rounded up for me. Chase and Rosalind are a second chance of sorts, she's charming, he's stoic but not. Julie Anne Long, as usual, captivates with descriptions while her hero observes the heroine before he knows who it is and with a 'tilt of a head and roll of a shoulder' that is painfully familiar to him-and this is why I love her. Chase is military - and it shows in descriptions and Rosalind has fortitude, but is undoubtedly less fleshed out character. Perhaps it is becaus ...more

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Sep 12, 2018 Jacob Proffitt rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: will-probably-regret, romance, steamy

This is third in a series, but you really don't need to have read the others to enjoy this one. Some characters from previous novels are present, but not in any pressing or important way.

This was okay. The broad outline was pretty obvious, I think (I twigged to the outline at about 23%. Yes, my comment turned out to be prescient). Anyway, Chase was a bit dour and his rigidity was hard to warm to. Yeah, I like the strong, capable, protective man and he is that. But he's also abrupt and a bit blin ...more

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Apr 03, 2021 Luana ☆ rated it liked it

This was so much better than book one and two together. The plot was still silly, but I liked the main characters much more.

Although they choose to have their intimacy in the most weird places and times!

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Mar 19, 2009 seton rated it liked it

Shelves: d-n-f

I stopped at Page 185, which is exactly the halfway point. I have been trying to read this on and off for 22 days and I just have to face the fact that this bk is a lost cause.

This novel has been getting mixed reviews all along and it grieves me that I am agreeing with the naysayers, since I was so impressed with the first 2 bks in this series (which were terrific). The first two books were different from each other and JAL tries yet another different story here but it's not as engaging.

The stor ...more

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Mar 21, 2022 Missy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022-series-challenge, 1-overdrive-audio, hero-soldier, 1-overdrive-ebook, mystery, forced-proximity, sexy-time-out-of-bed, estranged-reunited

1.5

Like the first book (Chase’s brother’s book), the mystery took precedence over the romance, so I struggled to get into the book. Since I didn’t skim through this book like I did the first one, I enjoyed reading the intimate scenes. The first one was a little steamy but didn’t (view spoiler). The three sex scenes weren’t that long nor as detailed as other HRs, which was fine with me. I think they were a little more on t ...more

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Jan 03, 2019 Saint Monique rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dukes-earls-viscounts-oh-my

4 'surrender' stars

I was told that this one is not as good as the previous ones and it actually does have the lowest rating in the series. However, I really enjoyed it. It is true that I didn't like it as much as the first two - hence the 4 stars rating instead of 5 - but it still has an interesting story. I like Julie Anne Long's unique style of writing. When I was reading The Perils of Pleasure, I was a little annoyed by it at first. All these unimportant details and countless adjectives. But ...more

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Jun 04, 2018 Jan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: regency, historical

3 to 3.5 stars. I like Captain Chase Eversea. Bold, brave, manly, heroic former soldier and leader of men. Walks with a cane due to a war injury.

I also quite liked Rosalind. Widow of Chase's former commanding officer, an older man whom she loved, but wasn't 'in love' with. Chase and Rosalind had been attracted to each other years before, when Rosalind was still married. They had shared one forbidden kiss, then hardly saw each other again.

Now both of them are free, and their attraction flares ba ...more

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Aug 09, 2009 KarenH rated it really liked it

Shelves: definitely-worth-your-while

The queen of metaphorical expression has, once again, penned a winner. Although I was pretty sure going in that Since the Surrender would not be as good as Like No Other Lover (one of my 5 all-time favorites), JAL does not disappoint her fans with this one. The sexual tension building up in the first 2/3 of the book is so palpable that by the time they actually get together you are on your last nerve! And then wham! they go at it every way but the "standard" way! I really feel that Long has fina ...more

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Sep 16, 2020 T. Rosado rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: military, romance, second-chance, 2020, mystery-suspense, fave-hero, buddy-read-book-club, audio-narrators-to-avoid

4 Stars!

I know that I'm a bit of an outlier, but I loved this one. If not for the a couple of awkward or ill-placed sensual scenes, it probably would have been closer to five stars. I loved both Chase and Rosalind, as well as scrappy little Liam. There were some poignant moments with Chase, separately and with Rosalind, but the story also had a lot of fun humor and mystery. I'm still smiling as I consider different scenes and I'm excited for more of the Eversea family. ...more

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May 14, 2021 Niki (mustreadalltheromance) rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned-paperback, steamy, second-chance, widow-widower, soldiers, stepbacks

3.5 stars rounded up.

Captain Chase Eversea has made a name for himself as a bold, brilliant military officer and war hero, but it hasn’t left him unscarred. Trouble always seems to find him and that is certainly the case when he’s summoned to an obscure London museum by a mysterious woman who of course turns out to be the very woman who nearly destroyed his military career with their attraction. She’s also the one woman he’s never quite been able to forget.

Rosalind March isn’t the same young off 3.5 stars rounded up.

Captain Chase Eversea has made a name for himself as a bold, brilliant military officer and war hero, but it hasn’t left him unscarred. Trouble always seems to find him and that is certainly the case when he’s summoned to an obscure London museum by a mysterious woman who of course turns out to be the very woman who nearly destroyed his military career with their attraction. She’s also the one woman he’s never quite been able to forget.

Rosalind March isn’t the same young officer’s wife who craved attention and flirtation five year ago. Now she’s a cool and calmly capable widow but has reached the limits of her ability to find her missing sister and Chase is the only one she can think of who might be able to help her. Chase is reluctant but his honor wins out as he agrees to help, against his better judgment. Their search takes them to seedy areas of London and the time spent together makes it clear that the passionate attraction between them is still very much intact if they’re willing to give it a chance to grow into something more.

It took a bit for me to really get drawn into this story, but I think a lot of that was because I was listening on audio and was not the biggest fan of the narrator. I liked Chase as a hero, mainly for his sheer competence, and I especially loved his scenes with Colin. Chase showed excellent character development and I loved that he wound up being unafraid of his feelings for Rosalind and willing to put them out there. In fact, it was Rosalind who was afraid to risk her heart, but she showed excellent self-awareness in realizing this and it was so satisfying to me that these two truly chose each other. In this way, their bond seemed especially solid and strong. The romance did take a backseat to the mystery aspect here though and while Chase and Rosalind did spend a good deal of time together, their more intimate scenes mostly felt like random afterthoughts and didn’t fit the flow of the story. I was glad that, although this is a second chance story, there wasn’t an undue amount of focus placed on their past indiscretion and the mystery here is largely what helped move the plot away from that, so it mostly worked. The mutual pining and sexual tension aspects were very well developed, I just wanted a bit more devotion to the actual romance to make this more special. I liked that Chase was strong and protective of Rosalind but also very respectful of her and her right to make her own decisions. Overall, this one wasn’t my favorite, but I still loved the writing style and enjoyed the story.

Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo... ...more

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Jul 31, 2009 Kim H rated it it was amazing

Shelves: keeper

Since The Surrender is book 3 in Julie Anne Long's Pennyroyal Green series, and IMO, the best of the lot. Recuperating from war wounds and banished from the family home by concerned family members who think he could use a change of scenery, Captain Charles (Chase) Eversea is in London to call on a distant cousin & determine his suitability as the new vicar of Pennyroyal Green. A celebrated war hero, Chase feels adrift & superfluous, and thus makes plans to join the East India Company and set sai Since The Surrender is book 3 in Julie Anne Long's Pennyroyal Green series, and IMO, the best of the lot. Recuperating from war wounds and banished from the family home by concerned family members who think he could use a change of scenery, Captain Charles (Chase) Eversea is in London to call on a distant cousin & determine his suitability as the new vicar of Pennyroyal Green. A celebrated war hero, Chase feels adrift & superfluous, and thus makes plans to join the East India Company and set sail for India within the month. On his way to pay his obligatory visit to his cousin the vicar, a street urchin passes him a mysterious, rose-scented note, asking him to meet the anonymous sender (obviously a woman) at the Montmorency, a former residence turned London museum.
Upon arriving at the Montmorency, Chase quickly discovers that the mystery lady in question is a former acquaintance (and obsession), Rosalind March, the widow of Chase's former commanding officer, Colonel Mathew March. Chase and Rosalind shared a single scorching kiss - and so much more - five years ago, and he has carried the memory, along with the guilt for betraying his former commander and friend, with him ever since.
Rosalind is widowed and alone, and desperately searching for her sister Lucy, missing from Newgate prison, following her arrest for alleged theft. Rosalind has sought out Chase, in the hopes that he can help her find Lucy, and possibly open a few doors that have been - to her mind - suspiciously closed to her in the course of her attempts to locate Lucy. Chase at first dismisses Rosalind's concerns as baseless, and refuses to help, but what's clearly at the heart of his reluctance is the depth of hidden feelings he still has for Rosalind. Deciding to make a few discreet inquiries into Lucy's disappearance, Chase soon begins to realize that something strange does appear to be going on, and all of it is somehow tied to the Montmorency and an odd (and truly tacky) Italian painting.
Chase discovers Rosalind eavesdropping on a mutual acquaintance & former British officer, who she suspects knows what happened to Lucy, and there follows a very brief (and decidedly steamy) tussle behind the bookshelves. When he confronts Rosalind later about her behavior, she shows him some mildly threatening notes she has been receiving from an anonymous sender. He suggests, at first, that they marry so that he can protect her, but when Rosalind refuses, claiming that she alone wants to be responsible for her future choices in life, he reluctantly agrees to help her find her sister.
What follows is surely one of the steamiest & most hysterically funny romps through brothels, the streets of London, and even the home of a bohemian painter of naughty artwork, that could possibly exist in fiction. I was alternately adjusting the air conditioning and mopping away tears of laughter throughout the entire book, and I simply could NOT put it down.

Chase and Rosalind are a positively scorching, if highly unlikely, couple. He is the acknowledged "warrior" of the Eversea clan, eternally stoic, always in command, but a man of infinite, if carefully hidden, emotional depth. Rosalind is a kind-natured, but independent and self-sufficient woman, and her role within her own rather dysfunctional family has typically been one of caregiver & reluctant custodian to two flighty sisters. Chase has always made her feel gauche and unsure of herself, and while she doesn't regret their attraction and brief moment of weakness five years prior, she's never quite sure that he hasn't judged her and found her somehow lacking because of it. As different as they are, I loved Chase and Rosalind as a couple, and found their mutual attraction and virtually unarticulated feelings for each other to be nearly tangible & emotionally wrenching. Amid the laughs and the sweating, my heart ached for both of them.
Since The Surrender is not however, flawless. Almost sloppy editing is prevalent throughout the book, and these are sometimes silly oversights & omissions (missing words, a typo here & there, etc.) that even the least observant editor should have been able to catch on a simple proofread. Editing flaws, in the face of such amazing writing however, I can definitely live with. The humor might come across to some as being somewhat middle school-worthy; use of naughty pseudonyms (who can forget 8th grade classics like E. Jack Ulate, Mike Rotch, and Dick Gozenya?) is liberal and highly inventive. To her credit, Long actually manages to come up with several I'd never heard of before:P
And the steam... this book positively sizzles, and let's face it, chemistry like that is nine-tenths of what we read romances for in the first place. Heat, depth, humor, and vivid, delightfully quirky characters (Chase has a childhood-born fear of marionettes:P); this book, in my very humble opinion, has it all.
I gave it a VERY solid A. It's a must read:)
Sensuality Rating: R ...more

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Mar 22, 2015 [Aengell] rated it liked it

3.5 stars

Julie Anne Long has a terrific writing style because it consists of a deep-going way of characterisation, a love for the small but significant details and an vivid and authentic imagery.

This is a story about two people who have been attracted to each other and felt a strong connection for many years, but the heroine was married and one impropriety a handful years back led to a distanced relationship.
The relationship between these two, Rosalind and Chace, is one of those the reader can ...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Susan (susayq ~) rated it really liked it

Shelves: nbrc-team-tower, ebooks, 2013books, historical-romance

Captain Chase Eversea can heat up the pages by doing nothing more than kissing a woman. The evidence is in this book ;) I didn't find this as funny as the last book in the series, but I did cackle quit a few times...like when Chase gave his name as Hugh G Wrexion. I mean, come on. You can't help but laugh out loud at that like you're a 15 year old boy :)

What I think I liked best about this one was that Chase and Rosalind knew each other before the book started and had shared a brief, but passio ...more

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Aug 16, 2021 Saby Westcliff Bedwyn rated it liked it

Meh. Not terrible, but not memorable either. If you're reading the Pennyroyal series in order, feel free to skip this one and move on. If you've never read Julie Anne, skip this one altogether. ...more

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May 31, 2011 Abby rated it it was ok

Shelves: romance

I knew I was going to be in for the long haul when I realized this book is based on my second LEAST favorite romance plot: adulterers meet again and this time are free to fall in love.

Sigh.

I really hate this plot line.

In brief: Chase (Charles) Eversea is in London to check out the new vicar for Pennyroyal Green when he is summoned by Rosalind March. Ros's sister has gone missing and she needs Chase's connection to help find her.

Of course, Ros and Chase had an illicit kiss way back in the day ...more

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Jun 28, 2013 Mimi Smith rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

2.5 stars

Not really my favorite book of the series. Possibly because I'm not fond of reunion stories. Possibly because Chase and Rosalind just didn't work for me. Could be the mystery aspect of it. Or maybe the puppets. I'll never be able to think of puppets in the same way again. Still, I love the way JAL writes, her characters are just so distinctive. This series is still awesome.

It's not that I hate it. I'm just ambivalent and a bit distant to it. Which is why I'm now running out of review-wr ...more

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May 04, 2009 Manda Collins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: regency-historical

Another multi-layered, funny, sweet, sexy Regency historical from Julie Anne Long. I loved Colin Eversea in Perils of Pleasure. And Miles Redmond, of Like No Other Lover, was the sexiest scholarly hero I've read in a while. But Captain Charles Eversea? His particular brand of soldierly directness combined with unexpected humor is pretty darn potent. I loved the way Long slowly unraveled the backstory between Chase and Rosalind giving details a little at a time until the whole was revealed. Their ...more

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Sep 26, 2018 HR-ML rated it liked it

Shelves: military-past-or-present, widow-or-widower

England 1820, with some flashbacks to just before and
during the Battle of Waterloo.

Featured Chase, a former Army Captain, who spoke to
everyone as if he were still in command & widowed
Rosalind. Rosa's late, considerably older husband,
Colonel March, served as Chase's commanding officer.
Before Waterloo, Chase and Rosa had a friendship of
sorts.

Rosa told Chase her sister Lucy disappeared and she
needed his assist. He invalidated her concern. But
soon these 2 joined forces to find Lucy. The myst ...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Gail rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, e-book

I read it, I liked it-but not quite as much as the first two in the series. Not sure why. Maybe because the sex/sexual tension wasn't quite as emotional as in the previous books. Or maybe it's because there was humor that didn't seem to fit the places it turned up. But I still liked it. And I'll be reading the rest of the Pennyroyal Green books.

This is the one with the secret doorways and disappearing young women, and the military hero and the heroine who's the widow of his commanding officer. H ...more

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Feb 02, 2018 Elaine rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf, 1-star, historical-romance

DNF at 60%
This is the second Julie Anne Long book that I couldn't get into and left unfinished. Nothing particular that bothered me about it, it just didn't hold my attention and I was so bored while reading it. So I guess it's safe to say Ms. Long's writing style does not suit me and I'll stay away from her books (at least for a while). ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is deeply weird and will not work for most readers, including myself. Though I appreciate humor, even in books with dark subject matter, the blending of humor with the plot of Since the Surrender is jarring in the extreme.

The plot of Since the Surrender consists of Rosalind enlisting Charles Eversea to help her solve the mysterious disappearance of her sister, who was arrested for theft but then vanished from prison with no record of where she was sent. Ultimately, Rosalind and Charles This book is deeply weird and will not work for most readers, including myself. Though I appreciate humor, even in books with dark subject matter, the blending of humor with the plot of Since the Surrender is jarring in the extreme.

The plot of Since the Surrender consists of Rosalind enlisting Charles Eversea to help her solve the mysterious disappearance of her sister, who was arrested for theft but then vanished from prison with no record of where she was sent. Ultimately, Rosalind and Charles uncover a ring of wealthy men who have established a brothel where they can live out their sexual fantasies that they staff by secreting away pretty women who have committed petty crimes.

While this plot maybe could work, playing it for comedy super does not work in and of itself. What's happening is clearly horrible, but the text treats it somewhat comedically. For example, the pretty petty criminals are given a couple of choices: they can reject working in the brothel and face England's justice OR if they agree to work, they can either play a role in a weird fantasy (like a mermaid or a leprechaun??? I'm not joking here) or they can work off their "debt" faster on their backs. The concept of what the women have to do in this brothel is hilarious, as are all of the examples they walk through and the teen boy prank names the club members choose (think McCaucus-Bigg, Welland-Dowd, Hugh G. Wrexion), and the fact that the women aren't REQUIRED to prostitute themselves make it seem less nefarious. Also, lbr who the fuck would set up a brothel and kidnap women but draw the line at "forcing" them when the whole point is to force them? Bullshit.

Honestly, the comedic elements are some of the stronger aspects of the book. Long has a real gift for writing humor, but the jolly tone of the book is consistently baffling against the backdrop women being kidnapped and forced into prostitution. Sure, the ongoing gag of the badass Captain Eversea being scared to shit of puppets is funny, but does it fit with this plot? No, no it does not.

On top of this, the central romance really doesn't work either, at least for me. YMMV. It's a second chance romance, always hit or miss for me, and it commits the cardinal sin that makes that trope not work for me: there's little explanation of why their past relationship and they're already in love at the start. I am very honestly not sure what happened between them in the past; I know they hooked up when she was married to his superior officer, but I'm not sure whether it was one kiss or a regular fling. Setting aside the infidelity aspect, I don't know who these people are to each other when they meet in the museum at the beginning of the book, and I don't know how to feel about any of it.

Ultimately, the relationship seems to rely on their past affections and sexual chemistry. I can't begin to tell you why these two are in love and make a good couple. Their entire bond so far as I can see is that they really want to bang each other. While there's nothing wrong with that, the point of a romance novel to my mind is the emotions, and those were missing. Their dynamic consistently felt off. Oh, and the entire time, until the last page, he's planning to move to India the following week.

Also, speaking of wanting to bang each other, the sex scenes are almost entirely WEIRD. Their first hookup happens while they're spying on a group of men in a library. The first penetration happens when they break into the Montmorency museum at night, as does their second. They broke into the museum because they think some dudes might be running a brothel out of there but they stop searching to have sex? Really? I'm supposed to believe she's really concerned about her sister??? Also, the second time, they have sex on a museum bed that is SUPER DUSTY. Y'all, that's gross. You have homes with clean beds WHAT ARE YOU DOING. I get that some people enjoy risky sex where they might get caught, and I've liked books with that kink before, but 1) they're investigating and it could actually be dangerous and 2) she knows it's a possibility her sister has been forced into prostitution.

Honestly, what is this book? I'm so so so puzzled this book made it through edits in this state, because it feels like two deeply disparate concepts got smushed into one confused-as-hell novel. ...more

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Jun 04, 2013 MRB rated it it was ok

I...surrender. :)

This was my third JAL book, and I've sadly concluded that there won't be a fourth. I wanted so much to love this series, and I can easily see why many DO love this series. There's humor, some amusing banter, and a little adventure/suspense beyond just moving from one fancy ballroom to another :) These are all generally things that I love and look for in my romance novels, but I finally had to concede that these books just aren't for me.

This book illustrates most of my major pro I...surrender. :)

This was my third JAL book, and I've sadly concluded that there won't be a fourth. I wanted so much to love this series, and I can easily see why many DO love this series. There's humor, some amusing banter, and a little adventure/suspense beyond just moving from one fancy ballroom to another :) These are all generally things that I love and look for in my romance novels, but I finally had to concede that these books just aren't for me.

This book illustrates most of my major problems with the overall series. Even when I like both the H and h well enough (as I did in this one), the characters somehow just never emerge as layered, vivid and memorable people for me. They're just moderately likable...but very forgettable.

An even more fatal flaw? I've never come *close* to feeling a true, deep, 'happily ever after' connection between this author's H and h. And I've truly tried! I just always feel like her couples are, at best, "in lust" rather than in the Happily Ever After sort love that many other romance novels manage to sell me on.
I don't need or even want a lot of excessively sappy sweetness, and I actually prefer 'lighter' series like these over the overwrought ones, but there's just something about the way JAL writes romance that doesn't connect with me. About the best thing I can say about the H and h's connection in this one is that at least neither of them spent a full 90% of the novel sincerely believing they were deeply in love with another person (and acting accordingly), which ruined another one of her books for me!

And while in theory I really love that the series revolves around two powerful yet amusingly colorful families, in reality I always end up feeling like both the quantity and quality of family interactions is lacking. I just don't get a very strong sense of their dynamics, closeness etc. And most of the Everseas and Redmonds seem to have the exact same personalities :)

I guess what it comes down to is that for me this is a series with a lot of potential that falls disappointingly flat. Parts of her books amuse and entertain me, but the uneven plotting, shallow characterization and 'all lust, very little love' depiction of romance disappoints and frustrates me more often than not. (And I read and like Tessa Dare and other similar authors, so it's not like I'm not used to a lot of sex between the H and h! It's just that in JAL's books sex feels like a substitute for a more emotional connection to me rather than an expression of it.) I can readily see why others love this series (and life would be dull if we all had identical taste!), but I can't see myself visiting Pennyroyal Green again. ...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: library, historical

This was a strange one. The romance is so confusing that I have to start with the secondary plot - a mystery that belonged more in an Anne Stuart. Long tried to make it lighter and amusing with certain details like the sets and the descriptions/antics of the characters, but I was too horrified to just go with it and find it amusing. I mean...(view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Ash rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2-and-a-half-stars

2.5 stars
I'm a big fan of Julie Anne Long but this book just didn't cut it for me.
Although written in a humorous manner that is characteristic of Julie Anne Long; the writing failed to make up for what I felt was a completely lackluster romance. The focal point of the relationship between the H and h seemed to be unfulfilled desire, and while many swoon worthy romances start out that way, this particular relationship never evolved into something more substantial.
despite these flaws I was init ...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Dina rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, ebook, to-review, series-pennyroyal-green

3 1/2 stars (rounded down to 3 stars, because no matter how enticing Ms. Long's writing was, the story failed to keep me engaged) ...more

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Dec 16, 2021 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I’m pretty sure this is my favorite romance novel so far and so I’m rating it accordingly, that is, to my own metrics for enjoyment.
Sometimes romance novel plots are just, silly? Like major suspension of disbelief is often required. This one, though, had a plot that was maybe the most compelling I’ve read. Again, in the context of a romance novel, and you’ll figure things out long before the characters do because you are very clever, but still. The romantic plot isn’t NOT compelling either… I w ...more

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About Julie Anne Long

Julie Anne Long

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Well, where should I start? I've lived in San Francisco for more than a decade, usually with at least one cat. I won the school spelling bee when I was in 7th grade; the word that clinched it was 'ukulele.' I originally set out to be a rock star when I grew up (I had a Bono fixation, but who didn't?), and I have the guitars and the questionable wardrobe stuffed in the back of my closet to prove it Well, where should I start? I've lived in San Francisco for more than a decade, usually with at least one cat. I won the school spelling bee when I was in 7th grade; the word that clinched it was 'ukulele.' I originally set out to be a rock star when I grew up (I had a Bono fixation, but who didn't?), and I have the guitars and the questionable wardrobe stuffed in the back of my closet to prove it.

But writing was always my first love.

I was editor of my elementary school paper (believe it or not, Mrs. Little's fifth grade class at Glenmoor Elementary did have one); my high school paper (along with my best high school bud, Cindy Jorgenson); and my college paper, where our long-suffering typesetter finally forced me to learn how to typeset because my articles were usually late (and thus I probably have him to thank for all the desktop publishing jobs that ensued over the years).

Won a couple of random awards along the way: the Bank of America English Award in High School (which basically just amounted to a fancy plaque saying that I was really, really good at English); and an award for best Sports Feature article in a College Newspaper (and anyone who knows me well understands how deeply ironic that is). I began my academic career as a Journalism major; I switched to Creative Writing, which was a more comfortable fit for my freewheeling imagination and overdeveloped sense of whimsy. I dreamed of being a novelist.

But most of us, I think, tend to take for granted the things that come easily to us. I loved writing and all indications were that I was pretty good at it, but I, thank you very much, wanted to be a rock star. Which turned out to be ever-so-slightly harder to do than writing. A lot more equipment was involved, that's for sure. Heavy things, with knobs. It also involved late nights, fetid, graffiti-sprayed practice rooms, gorgeous flakey boys, bizarre gigs, in-fighting—what's not to love?

But my dream of being a published writer never faded. When the charm (ahem) of playing to four people in a tiny club at midnight on a Wednesday finally wore thin, however, I realized I could incorporate all the best things about being in a band — namely, drama, passion, and men with unruly hair — into novels, while at the same time indulging my love of history and research.

So I wrote The Runaway Duke, sent it to a literary agent (see the story here), who sold it to Warner Books a few months after that...which made 2003 one of the most extraordinary, head-spinning years I've ever had.

Why romance? Well, like most people, I read across many genres, but I've been an avid romance reader since I got in trouble for sneaking a Rosemary Rogers novel out of my mom's nightstand drawer (I think it was Sweet Savage Love). Rosemary Rogers, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Laurie McBain...I cut my romance teeth on those ladies. And in general, I take a visceral sort of pleasure in creating a hero and a heroine, putting them through their emotional paces, and watching their relationship develop on the page. And of course, there's much to be said for the happy ending. :)

And why Regency Historicals? Well, for starters, I think we can blame Jane Austen. Her inimitable wit, compassion and vision brought the Regency vividly to life for generations of readers. If Jane Austen had written romances about Incas, for instance, I think, we'd have racks and racks of Inca romances in bookstores all over the country, and Warner Forever would be the Inca Romance line.

But I'm a history FREAK, in general. I read more history, to be perfectly honest, than fiction (when I have time to read!) these days. When we were little, my sister and I used to play "Littl ...more

Other books in the series

Pennyroyal Green (1 - 10 of 11 books)

Books by Julie Anne Long

What I Did for a Duke (Pennyroyal Green, #5)

How the Marquess Was Won (Pennyroyal Green, #6)

The Perils of Pleasure (Pennyroyal Green, #1)

Like No Other Lover (Pennyroyal Green, #2)

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Quotes from Since the Surrender

“Mister..."

"Wrexion." Chase supplied with great dignity. "Mr.Hugh G. Wrexion.” — 8 likes

“Do you think Kinkade is Welland-Dowd?" she wondered
Chase burst into laughter so booming that every head on the street rotated, startled.
Oh,God. She'd just understood when she'd said it aloud.
Welland-Dowd.
Well-endowed.” — 6 likes

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