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Surrender to Destiny #1
Surrender the Heart
On the brink of the War of 1812, Marianne Denton must marry to unlock her inheritance. Without the money, her mother can't receive medical care and her sister will be destitute. But Noah Brenin needs to sail his cargo to England before the war commences in order to prove his worth to his father and make enough money so he won't have to marry at all.
Defying his father's wishes, Noah loathes the idea of marrying a woman he finds plain and pompous. Marianne wants nothing to do with the rogue who taunted her as a child, yet she must convince him otherwise or her mother will die.
But when Noah walks out on their engagement party, Marianne chases him down and ends up on his merchantman out at sea. The situation worsens when Noah's ship encounters a British man-of-war and the couple are impressed into the British navy. While a young lad's prophecy of destiny looms over them both, Marianne and Noah are forced to face their darkest fears as they desperately try to find a way to escape and fulfill their destinies-destinies that could change the course of the war and history forever.
Defying his father's wishes, Noah loathes the idea of marrying a woman he finds plain and pompous. Marianne wants nothing to do with the rogue who taunted her as a child, yet she must convince him otherwise or her mother will die.
But when Noah walks out on their engagement party, Marianne chases him down and ends up on his merchantman out at sea. The situation worsens when Noah's ship encounters a British man-of-war and the couple are impressed into the British navy. While a young lad's prophecy of destiny looms over them both, Marianne and Noah are forced to face their darkest fears as they desperately try to find a way to escape and fulfill their destinies-destinies that could change the course of the war and history forever.
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
192 people are currently reading
4143 people want to read
About the author
MaryLu Tyndall
55 books978 followersA Christy Award finalist and winner of two Inspirational Readers’ Choice awards, MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of tall ships and swashbuckling heroes during her childhood years on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before she penned her first novel. Now, with more than twenty-five books published, she makes her home in California with her husband, six children, four grandchildren and various stray cats. Her hope is that readers will not only be entertained but will be brought closer to the Creator who loves them beyond measure. For more information, visit her website at marylutyndall.com
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February 7, 2024
Update (2/7) Currently free for Kindle on Amazon! Love this book!
Noah: "Who says I'm not angry at you?"
Marianne: "Your eyes."
Noah: "Humph. Then I shall have to speak to them about keeping quiet from now on."
Surrender the Sea (2017, Ransom Press) was previously published as Surrender the Heart (2009, Barbour). This book was one of the first books I put on my to-read shelf when I became a member of GoodReads in 2013. I'm so glad I finally read it, and I can tell you it was well worth it. I was curious about the title change, so I wrote to the author, requesting information and asking whether any editing had taken place.
Ms. Tyndall responded, "my publisher at the time didn't want to name the first book Surrender the Sea because they wanted me to steer away from sea-faring stories, hoping to gain a wider audience.... as soon as I received my rights back I changed [the title]! :-) It is the same exact story only with a new title and a new cover." (I love behind-the scenes stories from the authors I read!)
Surrender the Sea, first in the Surrender to Destiny series by MaryLu Tyndall, is a standalone Christian historical romance set during the War of 1812. It begins in Baltimore, Maryland but for the majority of the story, the main characters are at sea. I was happy to find it available through the Kindle Lending Library because I love this author. (I'm pretty sure she's in my top five.) She had me hooked when I read The Red Siren years ago.
In her e-mail, Tyndall also shared with me the following overview of the series: Each book in the series is about not surrendering territory to the enemy during the War of 1812. The first book was a depiction of the battles at sea, the second book a depiction of battles on land, and the third a depiction of the main battle that lasted through the night at Fort McHenry.
Rating: 5 stars
The heroine: Marianne Denton, 25, "would rather boil in oil than marry Noah Brenin," whom she deems a "churlish clod." Their fathers arranged the marriage before Marianne's father passed away. Marianne feels that she has no choice but to agree to the match in order to provide for her ailing mother.
The hero: Noah Brenin, 26, is a man who seems to live for his father's approval. Although he has agreed to the match, he doesn't want to marry Marianne any more than she wants to marry him! He perceives her as a "spoiled, silly girl." Noah captains his father's only merchant ship, and "his trade with Great Britain had enabled him to keep his father's merchant business afloat."
Christian elements:
*The book opens with Esther 4:14: "And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" It's truly an apt opening.
*When Marianne lies to her mother to spare her feelings, she mentally labels it for what it is: "A truth followed by a lie." Here we have an example of Christian fiction with an imperfect character without giving the impression that the sin is justified. Well done. (A similar example - one character says to another, "Best not to make promises ye cannot keep." One of the lesser known teachings of the Bible is to avoid making promises.)
*One of the characters - a child - has a very close relationship with God, who reveals to the child certain small aspects of the future. The adults respected him.
Is it clean/chaste? Yes! Some kisses and warm feelings, but I did not feel it went over the line at all.
What I liked:
*Actual historical events and figures are incorporated into the book. I love this about historical romances. One character is in favor of the war, and one character is against it. Each perspective was portrayed very well.
*I enjoy Ms. Tyndall's descriptions: "All around the ship spanned an enormous gaping mouth full of salivating azure water."
*I liked Luke as the captain's first mate. I'm hoping that he'll appear in book two or three.
What I didn’t like:
(I did not feel that any of my dislikes below warranted detracting from a full 5 stars. I think they're really a matter of preference.)
*There's no epilogue to tell what happened to Marianne's mother. It's not by any means a cliffhanger, but I was hoping for that detail. (I think I understand why that end was not tied up.) Maybe in book two?
*The ship canted many times. Ms. Tyndall did vary this term occasionally, but mostly it was "canted" which definitely stood out to me.
*Marianne twisted the ring on her finger pretty often.
***********
The bottom line: This book was pure enjoyment. I highly recommend this book to fans of Christian historical romance. The next book I read by Ms. Tyndall might be Surrender the Night , which is available via Kindle Unlimited (and hopefully the Kindle Lending Library as well).
Noah: "Who says I'm not angry at you?"
Marianne: "Your eyes."
Noah: "Humph. Then I shall have to speak to them about keeping quiet from now on."
Surrender the Sea (2017, Ransom Press) was previously published as Surrender the Heart (2009, Barbour). This book was one of the first books I put on my to-read shelf when I became a member of GoodReads in 2013. I'm so glad I finally read it, and I can tell you it was well worth it. I was curious about the title change, so I wrote to the author, requesting information and asking whether any editing had taken place.
Ms. Tyndall responded, "my publisher at the time didn't want to name the first book Surrender the Sea because they wanted me to steer away from sea-faring stories, hoping to gain a wider audience.... as soon as I received my rights back I changed [the title]! :-) It is the same exact story only with a new title and a new cover." (I love behind-the scenes stories from the authors I read!)
Surrender the Sea, first in the Surrender to Destiny series by MaryLu Tyndall, is a standalone Christian historical romance set during the War of 1812. It begins in Baltimore, Maryland but for the majority of the story, the main characters are at sea. I was happy to find it available through the Kindle Lending Library because I love this author. (I'm pretty sure she's in my top five.) She had me hooked when I read The Red Siren years ago.
In her e-mail, Tyndall also shared with me the following overview of the series: Each book in the series is about not surrendering territory to the enemy during the War of 1812. The first book was a depiction of the battles at sea, the second book a depiction of battles on land, and the third a depiction of the main battle that lasted through the night at Fort McHenry.
Rating: 5 stars
The heroine: Marianne Denton, 25, "would rather boil in oil than marry Noah Brenin," whom she deems a "churlish clod." Their fathers arranged the marriage before Marianne's father passed away. Marianne feels that she has no choice but to agree to the match in order to provide for her ailing mother.
The hero: Noah Brenin, 26, is a man who seems to live for his father's approval. Although he has agreed to the match, he doesn't want to marry Marianne any more than she wants to marry him! He perceives her as a "spoiled, silly girl." Noah captains his father's only merchant ship, and "his trade with Great Britain had enabled him to keep his father's merchant business afloat."
Christian elements:
*The book opens with Esther 4:14: "And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" It's truly an apt opening.
*When Marianne lies to her mother to spare her feelings, she mentally labels it for what it is: "A truth followed by a lie." Here we have an example of Christian fiction with an imperfect character without giving the impression that the sin is justified. Well done. (A similar example - one character says to another, "Best not to make promises ye cannot keep." One of the lesser known teachings of the Bible is to avoid making promises.)
*One of the characters - a child - has a very close relationship with God, who reveals to the child certain small aspects of the future. The adults respected him.
Is it clean/chaste? Yes! Some kisses and warm feelings, but I did not feel it went over the line at all.
What I liked:
*Actual historical events and figures are incorporated into the book. I love this about historical romances. One character is in favor of the war, and one character is against it. Each perspective was portrayed very well.
*I enjoy Ms. Tyndall's descriptions: "All around the ship spanned an enormous gaping mouth full of salivating azure water."
*I liked Luke as the captain's first mate. I'm hoping that he'll appear in book two or three.
What I didn’t like:
(I did not feel that any of my dislikes below warranted detracting from a full 5 stars. I think they're really a matter of preference.)
*There's no epilogue to tell what happened to Marianne's mother. It's not by any means a cliffhanger, but I was hoping for that detail. (I think I understand why that end was not tied up.) Maybe in book two?
*The ship canted many times. Ms. Tyndall did vary this term occasionally, but mostly it was "canted" which definitely stood out to me.
*Marianne twisted the ring on her finger pretty often.
***********
The bottom line: This book was pure enjoyment. I highly recommend this book to fans of Christian historical romance. The next book I read by Ms. Tyndall might be Surrender the Night , which is available via Kindle Unlimited (and hopefully the Kindle Lending Library as well).
May 16, 2019
Ever since reading the Escape to Paradise series a few years ago, I'd been meaning to read another series by this author, and I finally dove right into a new one a couple weeks ago.
Despite a few flaws which I'll address in a second, Surrender the Heart was an excellent read in which I was able to escape far, far away. This is a seafaring adventure, complete with storms, enemy ships, harsh brutality, a half-crazed Captain, and of course, a sweet romance in the midst of it all.
The best aspect of this book, by far, rests on its adventure-filled plot and vividly drawn out historical and technical details. This author has done her research, no doubt about that. I learned a lot about ships and the British Navy (despite the obvious American bias throughout the novel), and the descriptions of the sea and the various activities going on and below decks were so well described that I could pretty much feel the salty mist on my face and inhale the smells of tar and sweat and hard life.
The plot was just really good and very suspenseful - I don't want to reveal too much because it ruins the surprises, but it's good. A real page-turner that I couldn't put down, and overall it was an extremely exciting read.
Where the book loses points (and four stars is pretty generous I think, but man, I really liked it anyways!) rests in its characterization and over-the-top Christian preaching.
The characters. I just didn't really like either of the main characters. Marianne was annoying. Noah was stuck-up and spends the first third of the book purposefully being a cad. I like a sparring couple as much as the next romance fan, but their interactions were just very childish at first, going around in circles focusing on things FROM THEIR CHILDHOODS that had literally nothing to do with present issues. Their dislike of each other was understandable, but their interactions could have been much better handled. Although I loved the book, I never really cared for either them, although the latter half of their romance was pretty good. The secondary characters were frankly all more interesting than either of them.
The major drawback of this book though, was the way the Christian message was handled. The message itself was really good, but the execution took up way too much time, and constantly interrupted the main plot in crucial moments. It was a little frustrating and I found myself skipping paragraphs here and there when the same thing about God and God's love and God's children was repeated in five different ways. Not only was it incredibly distracting, but the over-the-top way it was written (characters suddenly "hearing" God talking to them and telling them what to do) made it unbelievable.
I believe in hearing God's voice if you listen as much as the next Christian, but THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO INCORPORATE CHARACTER CONVERSIONS IN CF NOVELS!!! I'm getting really tired of characters that have suffered hardships and don't believe God cares for them, and then bam, right at the end, right when it's convenient, they start believing, JUST LIKE THAT. There was no real faith presented here, despite the constant preachiness. MAKE IT STOP.
Can you tell I'd been wanting to rant about this for a while lol? ;)
I mean, when you're reading a really intense part where a ship is about to be destroyed by another ship or something like that, the last thing you need is a black-and-white spelling out of a "conversation" between God and the main character that goes around in circles repeating:
"Trust Me."
"Trust You, God? Can I really do that?"
"I love you, my child."
"No, impossible. God isn't a loving father."
"Trust Me."
WHO CARES MAN, THERE IS A SHIP ATTACKING, WE'RE AT WAR HERE, THERE ARE PRISONERS TRYING TO ESCAPE AND A LECHEROUS LIEUTENANT ABOUT TO ASSAULT A LADY, CAN WE PLEASE FOCUS THANK YOU.
We'll know by his actions and CHARACTER GROWTH whether or not the main characters' faith have evolved, not a "Right. I think God really is there, he just spoke to me and I think I should trust Him???" moment.
End of rant. This was a good book, despite its few flaws. Just be cautious.
Despite a few flaws which I'll address in a second, Surrender the Heart was an excellent read in which I was able to escape far, far away. This is a seafaring adventure, complete with storms, enemy ships, harsh brutality, a half-crazed Captain, and of course, a sweet romance in the midst of it all.
The best aspect of this book, by far, rests on its adventure-filled plot and vividly drawn out historical and technical details. This author has done her research, no doubt about that. I learned a lot about ships and the British Navy (despite the obvious American bias throughout the novel), and the descriptions of the sea and the various activities going on and below decks were so well described that I could pretty much feel the salty mist on my face and inhale the smells of tar and sweat and hard life.
The plot was just really good and very suspenseful - I don't want to reveal too much because it ruins the surprises, but it's good. A real page-turner that I couldn't put down, and overall it was an extremely exciting read.
Where the book loses points (and four stars is pretty generous I think, but man, I really liked it anyways!) rests in its characterization and over-the-top Christian preaching.
The characters. I just didn't really like either of the main characters. Marianne was annoying. Noah was stuck-up and spends the first third of the book purposefully being a cad. I like a sparring couple as much as the next romance fan, but their interactions were just very childish at first, going around in circles focusing on things FROM THEIR CHILDHOODS that had literally nothing to do with present issues. Their dislike of each other was understandable, but their interactions could have been much better handled. Although I loved the book, I never really cared for either them, although the latter half of their romance was pretty good. The secondary characters were frankly all more interesting than either of them.
The major drawback of this book though, was the way the Christian message was handled. The message itself was really good, but the execution took up way too much time, and constantly interrupted the main plot in crucial moments. It was a little frustrating and I found myself skipping paragraphs here and there when the same thing about God and God's love and God's children was repeated in five different ways. Not only was it incredibly distracting, but the over-the-top way it was written (characters suddenly "hearing" God talking to them and telling them what to do) made it unbelievable.
I believe in hearing God's voice if you listen as much as the next Christian, but THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO INCORPORATE CHARACTER CONVERSIONS IN CF NOVELS!!! I'm getting really tired of characters that have suffered hardships and don't believe God cares for them, and then bam, right at the end, right when it's convenient, they start believing, JUST LIKE THAT. There was no real faith presented here, despite the constant preachiness. MAKE IT STOP.
Can you tell I'd been wanting to rant about this for a while lol? ;)
I mean, when you're reading a really intense part where a ship is about to be destroyed by another ship or something like that, the last thing you need is a black-and-white spelling out of a "conversation" between God and the main character that goes around in circles repeating:
"Trust Me."
"Trust You, God? Can I really do that?"
"I love you, my child."
"No, impossible. God isn't a loving father."
"Trust Me."
WHO CARES MAN, THERE IS A SHIP ATTACKING, WE'RE AT WAR HERE, THERE ARE PRISONERS TRYING TO ESCAPE AND A LECHEROUS LIEUTENANT ABOUT TO ASSAULT A LADY, CAN WE PLEASE FOCUS THANK YOU.
We'll know by his actions and CHARACTER GROWTH whether or not the main characters' faith have evolved, not a "Right. I think God really is there, he just spoke to me and I think I should trust Him???" moment.
End of rant. This was a good book, despite its few flaws. Just be cautious.
March 22, 2012
Don't you just love it when you open a new book and the first sentence grabs your attention?
"I'd rather boil in oil than marry Noah Brenin."
Yep, this book had me at first sentence. :-)
Desperate for her dowry, Marianne accepts a marriage proposal from her childhood enemy, Noah. Her dowry will buy the medicines that can save her mother's life and keep her little sister from poverty. Noah proposed marriage to Marianne to please his father and save the family merchant business, but he doesn't plan on actually marrying her. He plans to make a small fortune in England and the Caribbean islands, therefore making his marriage to Marianne unnecessary and easy to back out of.
Their engagement party is a disaster. Noah leaves early, determined to set sail for England that very evening. Humiliated and angry, Marianne follows to speak with him, and through a series of unfortunate accidents, ends up trapped on Noah's ship and headed to England with him and his crew. When no amount of pleading will convince Noah to take her back to Baltimore, Marianne resorts to sabotage, but her actions cost them all when they cross paths with an English frigate, and Noah's ship is helpless to run.
Toward the middle, I started to lose patience with the story. It's not that the middle sags and there's nothing going on -- they're impressed aboard a British frigate! I was just anxious for them to escape and impatient with the numerous scenes featuring Marianne with the British captain, and Noah up in the yard arms day after day. It was probably my frame of mind while reading it, because it's written well, and balanced with enough action to keep going. There is some interaction between Noah and Marianne on the HMS Undefeatable -- some very romantic scenes, actually. My favorite was when Noah went to Marianne's cabin to comfort her during a fierce storm.
The characters are very life-like. Marianne is plain and plump, and deathly afraid of the ocean due to the way her father committed suicide. She believes that no man can ever love her, and nurses a distrust of everyone, including God. Noah is trying to win his father's approval and atone for his part in his brother's tragic death. Both of them face their deepest fears while impressed upon the British man-of-war, fears they'll need to overcome in order to survive.
My golly gosh, what an ending! Be prepared to stay up until the wee hours of the morning through the last quarter of the book, holding your breath! Tyndall masterfully took the war of 1812 and used it to remind me of the story of Gideon in a very powerful way. Impossible odds. Outnumbered. But God is on their side. Seriously, the ending was amazing. Five stars. I'll definitely be picking up more of Tyndall's books in the future.
My favorite lines from the book: "I believe Mr. Garrick frightened my illness away."
"Perhaps we should employ him as surgeon instead of first lieutenant. Then he could go about scaring everyone into perfect health."
"I'd rather boil in oil than marry Noah Brenin."
Yep, this book had me at first sentence. :-)
Desperate for her dowry, Marianne accepts a marriage proposal from her childhood enemy, Noah. Her dowry will buy the medicines that can save her mother's life and keep her little sister from poverty. Noah proposed marriage to Marianne to please his father and save the family merchant business, but he doesn't plan on actually marrying her. He plans to make a small fortune in England and the Caribbean islands, therefore making his marriage to Marianne unnecessary and easy to back out of.
Their engagement party is a disaster. Noah leaves early, determined to set sail for England that very evening. Humiliated and angry, Marianne follows to speak with him, and through a series of unfortunate accidents, ends up trapped on Noah's ship and headed to England with him and his crew. When no amount of pleading will convince Noah to take her back to Baltimore, Marianne resorts to sabotage, but her actions cost them all when they cross paths with an English frigate, and Noah's ship is helpless to run.
Toward the middle, I started to lose patience with the story. It's not that the middle sags and there's nothing going on -- they're impressed aboard a British frigate! I was just anxious for them to escape and impatient with the numerous scenes featuring Marianne with the British captain, and Noah up in the yard arms day after day. It was probably my frame of mind while reading it, because it's written well, and balanced with enough action to keep going. There is some interaction between Noah and Marianne on the HMS Undefeatable -- some very romantic scenes, actually. My favorite was when Noah went to Marianne's cabin to comfort her during a fierce storm.
The characters are very life-like. Marianne is plain and plump, and deathly afraid of the ocean due to the way her father committed suicide. She believes that no man can ever love her, and nurses a distrust of everyone, including God. Noah is trying to win his father's approval and atone for his part in his brother's tragic death. Both of them face their deepest fears while impressed upon the British man-of-war, fears they'll need to overcome in order to survive.
My golly gosh, what an ending! Be prepared to stay up until the wee hours of the morning through the last quarter of the book, holding your breath! Tyndall masterfully took the war of 1812 and used it to remind me of the story of Gideon in a very powerful way. Impossible odds. Outnumbered. But God is on their side. Seriously, the ending was amazing. Five stars. I'll definitely be picking up more of Tyndall's books in the future.
My favorite lines from the book: "I believe Mr. Garrick frightened my illness away."
"Perhaps we should employ him as surgeon instead of first lieutenant. Then he could go about scaring everyone into perfect health."
February 16, 2018
I liked the message, the dual povs, the clean content, and the historical setting, but the telling of it lacked something. I couldn't connect with either MC and the message was imparted in a rather heavy handed manner. I wish that I liked this more. Maybe I'll give this author another try with one of her more recent works.
March 22, 2012
Reading this author, I know what I will get. The story line comes together really well at the beginning, but most of the writing and dialog is super cheesy.
This one is like that, yet starts out fun. The only major annoyance is in the two main characters. They aren't consistent. The voice the author has given them doesn't match with their actions. They both loathe each other, then wonder why they are being so kind to everyone else. It's just a strange writing choice. Half way in, the story gets boring and cliched. The dialog suffers a lot from that. The heroine of the story isn't appealing at all. She keeps sabotaging the ship and does silly things that don't make a lot of common sense.
The second half of the book was skimmed heavily. I just didn't enjoy the direction the story line went in. Plus the writing got super sappy. It wasn't a believable, being in love progression to me.
This one is like that, yet starts out fun. The only major annoyance is in the two main characters. They aren't consistent. The voice the author has given them doesn't match with their actions. They both loathe each other, then wonder why they are being so kind to everyone else. It's just a strange writing choice. Half way in, the story gets boring and cliched. The dialog suffers a lot from that. The heroine of the story isn't appealing at all. She keeps sabotaging the ship and does silly things that don't make a lot of common sense.
The second half of the book was skimmed heavily. I just didn't enjoy the direction the story line went in. Plus the writing got super sappy. It wasn't a believable, being in love progression to me.
April 4, 2013
Marianne needs to marry in order to receive her inheritance. Money that is so desperately needed for her mother and little sister. After the death of her father they were left with nothing, but an outsider could never tell. They hide it well. Being a little plump and a little plain Marianne doesn't really have a line of young men lining up to court her, so it all comes down to an arranged marriage between the families. She does not want to marry Noah Brenin.
Noah isn't overly trilled about the prospect of marriage to Miss. Marianne Denton, something made obvious to her and everyone else when he walks out of their engagement party to set sail for South Hampton. Hoping that this trip will grant him more money then Miss. Denton's inheritance could provide therefore making marriage to her unnecessary.
Deciding to give him a piece of her mind and get him to come back to the party she follows him down to his ship, but things don't really go as planed when she comes to realize that they have set sail.
Surrender the Heart is a historical fiction set on the high seas we have little mix of adventure and romance. I enjoyed the book but I was a little disappointed at the end because I wanted to know more.
This was my first book by author M.L. Tyndall, looking forward to reading more of her works.
Noah isn't overly trilled about the prospect of marriage to Miss. Marianne Denton, something made obvious to her and everyone else when he walks out of their engagement party to set sail for South Hampton. Hoping that this trip will grant him more money then Miss. Denton's inheritance could provide therefore making marriage to her unnecessary.
Deciding to give him a piece of her mind and get him to come back to the party she follows him down to his ship, but things don't really go as planed when she comes to realize that they have set sail.
Surrender the Heart is a historical fiction set on the high seas we have little mix of adventure and romance. I enjoyed the book but I was a little disappointed at the end because I wanted to know more.
This was my first book by author M.L. Tyndall, looking forward to reading more of her works.
August 14, 2010
What is it about a ship on the high seas, filled with action, drama, and a love story that never fails to send a quiver through my heart and make me sigh, that just so enthralls me?
The answer can only be found in two words: MaryLu Tyndall.
This author never fails to deliver an entertaining story that sweeps me off my feet and transports me to another time and place. The lyrical prose paints a picture until I can see the ocean and taste the salt on my lips. Envision the cannons belching black smoke and fire and best of all, truly know the characters both inside and out. See their amazing growth and transformation until I am confident they can survive without me.
Though known for her sweeping pirate epics, MaryLu has taken her story a few centuries forward in time and given us a story set in the war of 1812. She has proven she is very competent of writing a story without the pirates and still entertain her faithful readers. I for one loved this book and if you are a fan of her Charles Towne Belles series, this book is a must read. I can’t wait for book two in this series!!
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.
The answer can only be found in two words: MaryLu Tyndall.
This author never fails to deliver an entertaining story that sweeps me off my feet and transports me to another time and place. The lyrical prose paints a picture until I can see the ocean and taste the salt on my lips. Envision the cannons belching black smoke and fire and best of all, truly know the characters both inside and out. See their amazing growth and transformation until I am confident they can survive without me.
Though known for her sweeping pirate epics, MaryLu has taken her story a few centuries forward in time and given us a story set in the war of 1812. She has proven she is very competent of writing a story without the pirates and still entertain her faithful readers. I for one loved this book and if you are a fan of her Charles Towne Belles series, this book is a must read. I can’t wait for book two in this series!!
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.
July 5, 2011
4.5/5.0
A surprisingly rich and evocative romance set during the war of 1812. Marianne is a plain, somewhat plump young lady who desperately needs the money from her inheritance to help pay for her gravely ill mother's medicines. The only way to obtain it, however, is through marriage and the man the families have agreed upon is just as determined to avoid her and break off the arrangement as she is to see it through.
The story takes us into the life of the seafaring merchants of the time, those unjustly kidnapped and pressed into the British Navy, the struggles of a young country desperately clinging to it's hard won independence as well as a relationship that must see untold hardship before discovering the true beauty within.
The growth of the H/h and their love was beautifully done, the Christian message tied in well without being obnoxious. Some of the nautical aspects drug a little but it was the heroine's fearful choices then her wailing because of them that kept this from a complete 5 star read.
A surprisingly rich and evocative romance set during the war of 1812. Marianne is a plain, somewhat plump young lady who desperately needs the money from her inheritance to help pay for her gravely ill mother's medicines. The only way to obtain it, however, is through marriage and the man the families have agreed upon is just as determined to avoid her and break off the arrangement as she is to see it through.
The story takes us into the life of the seafaring merchants of the time, those unjustly kidnapped and pressed into the British Navy, the struggles of a young country desperately clinging to it's hard won independence as well as a relationship that must see untold hardship before discovering the true beauty within.
The growth of the H/h and their love was beautifully done, the Christian message tied in well without being obnoxious. Some of the nautical aspects drug a little but it was the heroine's fearful choices then her wailing because of them that kept this from a complete 5 star read.
February 19, 2013
Beyond the first line of the entire book, the first three chapters were not intriguing whatsoever, and I was tempted to "jump ship". I was happy when it picked up in chapter 4. There was a lot of excitement, and I enjoyed the ship setting and the War of 1812 time period. Unfortunately, I did not care for the heroine's childish antics, especially in the beginning.
The woe-is-me, repetitive self-pity and doubt wore on me. I felt the story would have been better told with at least 100 fewer pages. It felt a little preachy at times, and halfway through I just had to start speed-reading and skimming paragraphs/pages.
This book was okay. I cannot help but wonder why so many people have given it 4 or 5 stars. Quite frankly, that shocks me, even though the story itself was sweet enough and ends happily.
The woe-is-me, repetitive self-pity and doubt wore on me. I felt the story would have been better told with at least 100 fewer pages. It felt a little preachy at times, and halfway through I just had to start speed-reading and skimming paragraphs/pages.
This book was okay. I cannot help but wonder why so many people have given it 4 or 5 stars. Quite frankly, that shocks me, even though the story itself was sweet enough and ends happily.
reluctant-dnf
August 30, 2023I have owned this book since July 2011 - anyone think it's time I actually read this?
DNF at 16% (page 62)
I am kind of bored and don't to pick up the book. The romance was fine, I guess, but also a bit of non-entity. I didn't really jive with the lead characters - I probably needed to give it more time but I also wanted to move on. So I decided to give myself the leeway to DNF this. Too much to read and there isn't enough time to read a romance which is not making me happy. Ah well - at least I can remove this from the TBR.
DNF at 16% (page 62)
I am kind of bored and don't to pick up the book. The romance was fine, I guess, but also a bit of non-entity. I didn't really jive with the lead characters - I probably needed to give it more time but I also wanted to move on. So I decided to give myself the leeway to DNF this. Too much to read and there isn't enough time to read a romance which is not making me happy. Ah well - at least I can remove this from the TBR.
May 6, 2011
A very promising start made me think I'd really like this one. Unfortunately, the story ended up being too drawn-out and preachy for my liking.
August 22, 2011
Marianne Denton is twenty-five and desperate to receive her inheritance, which she can only obtain by marrying. Noah Brenin has the weight of his family on his shoulders and wants only to please his father by paying the family debts. While Marianne has is resigned to the match, Noah feels no such obligation and only wants Marianne to break the engagement so that he may be on his way to earn his fortune on his own and gain his father's approval in the process. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't count on Marianne's persistence, which is enough to send them both on a difficult and harrowing adventure. This is one novel where the reader really has to hang on for dear life as nothing happens as expected.
This is the first novel of the Surrender to Destiny series. If you've been following along and have an awesome memory, you may realize that I've already read and reviewed the second book in the series, Surrender the Night (review can be found here). So I read this series out of order, which is silly because I had both books. Anyways, this is a fantastic read. It is interesting, the characters are loveable and flawed, and the adventure is spectacular. It is truly interesting from the beginning to the end. Many books are a bit predictable. When characters get in trouble, we know they have to get out of the trouble. They are the good guys after all. For some reason, that isn't the norm in this book. When the characters find themselves in trouble, they are definitely in trouble. And amazingly find themselves in even more trouble. I really enjoyed it. I never knew what was going to happen next. No quick solutions here.
So far it seems that each book in the series can stand alone and are connected by similar historical period and a patriotic theme. I recommend this for those who love a bit of adventure and who don't mind the many references to scripture, God, and stories within the Bible.
This is the first novel of the Surrender to Destiny series. If you've been following along and have an awesome memory, you may realize that I've already read and reviewed the second book in the series, Surrender the Night (review can be found here). So I read this series out of order, which is silly because I had both books. Anyways, this is a fantastic read. It is interesting, the characters are loveable and flawed, and the adventure is spectacular. It is truly interesting from the beginning to the end. Many books are a bit predictable. When characters get in trouble, we know they have to get out of the trouble. They are the good guys after all. For some reason, that isn't the norm in this book. When the characters find themselves in trouble, they are definitely in trouble. And amazingly find themselves in even more trouble. I really enjoyed it. I never knew what was going to happen next. No quick solutions here.
So far it seems that each book in the series can stand alone and are connected by similar historical period and a patriotic theme. I recommend this for those who love a bit of adventure and who don't mind the many references to scripture, God, and stories within the Bible.
January 20, 2014
The only three things great about this book are...1.) Details about ships. The author did a great job setting the story on ships 2.) It was a clean romance. 3.) It dealt with Christianity.
But! I did NOT enjoy the following.
1.) The author used the word "Belly" a million times.
2.) There was a 'manifest destiny' or mix of God's favoritism towards Americans...I believe the American Revolution was a miracle and every other war won a blessing, but I don't like it paraded as such in literature.
3.) Destiny is a BIG part of this book.
4.) THE MAIN Heroine (I did not respect her) She bumps her toe - a million times!, Does not defend her true love, and constantly insists she does not trust in God but praying to Him anyway. Agh!
"I am so happy Noah." She laid a hand on his arm. "I, too, have begun to trust God again." She shook her head. "...He used me, a plain, ordinary woman with no special talents..."
Please shoot me now. Please. I read 350+ pages for that!?!
All in all, the author's drawn out details overlaped each other towards the end of the book...The stretch in plot made the book too long, and the main girl's total lack of self-esteem made this book a bowl of overly salted meat soup.
The idea was there... and lost at the same time. I only gave this book three stars due to the clean romance, the original setting, and the fact the author knows a lot about ships. I am REALLY hesitant to read her other three books in fear my life will be sucked away in another bundle of low self esteemed heroines.
But! I did NOT enjoy the following.
1.) The author used the word "Belly" a million times.
2.) There was a 'manifest destiny' or mix of God's favoritism towards Americans...I believe the American Revolution was a miracle and every other war won a blessing, but I don't like it paraded as such in literature.
3.) Destiny is a BIG part of this book.
4.) THE MAIN Heroine (I did not respect her) She bumps her toe - a million times!, Does not defend her true love, and constantly insists she does not trust in God but praying to Him anyway. Agh!
"I am so happy Noah." She laid a hand on his arm. "I, too, have begun to trust God again." She shook her head. "...He used me, a plain, ordinary woman with no special talents..."
Please shoot me now. Please. I read 350+ pages for that!?!
All in all, the author's drawn out details overlaped each other towards the end of the book...The stretch in plot made the book too long, and the main girl's total lack of self-esteem made this book a bowl of overly salted meat soup.
The idea was there... and lost at the same time. I only gave this book three stars due to the clean romance, the original setting, and the fact the author knows a lot about ships. I am REALLY hesitant to read her other three books in fear my life will be sucked away in another bundle of low self esteemed heroines.
February 18, 2020
I have loved everything that I read so far from MaryLu and I'm so excited about this new series, and the covers are to die for! Marianne is such a personality on the page and I really enjoyed reading her story as her emotions went this way and that. Usually in a book it is the heroine that I enjoy most, and although I do love Marianne to death, Noah was the on that captured my heart. Page by page and chapter by chapter MaryLu takes you on an adventure rocked by the waves of the sea.
From the snuggles of Seafoam the cat, to the pressure of the darkness in the cabins to the verbiage and the practical pirates at sea -- I love every bit of it! Each story from MaryLu brings me dying for more!! I'm desperately impatient in awaiting the next novel and more. This is a story to get in your heart. It will entertain you and educate you, cause you to look into yourself and grow spiritually as well as sigh in romantic bliss. It has it all.
I'm quite certain going more into the lives of characters Lieutenant Reed and shipmate Luke Heaton will be more and more bliss on a page.
*Thanks to Shalyn Sattler, Camy Tang and MaryLu Tyndall for sending me a copy for review.*
From the snuggles of Seafoam the cat, to the pressure of the darkness in the cabins to the verbiage and the practical pirates at sea -- I love every bit of it! Each story from MaryLu brings me dying for more!! I'm desperately impatient in awaiting the next novel and more. This is a story to get in your heart. It will entertain you and educate you, cause you to look into yourself and grow spiritually as well as sigh in romantic bliss. It has it all.
I'm quite certain going more into the lives of characters Lieutenant Reed and shipmate Luke Heaton will be more and more bliss on a page.
*Thanks to Shalyn Sattler, Camy Tang and MaryLu Tyndall for sending me a copy for review.*
January 5, 2011
This is one of those books that is so good, I had to stop and wonder, will I ever be able to write like that? The characters are so real, their thoughts, pains, fears, situations, everything about them.
The story is intriguing, entertaining and adventurous. The characters are kept in impossible circumstances that leave you wondering how they will survive. The faith aspect was layered in perfectly, not too much, but just enough that it had me to thinking about my own faith walk. I loved the little boy, Daniel, and his prophetic role.
I can't imagine anyone wanting to put this book down and when it's over, you keep thinking about it, sorry it's over, tempted to reread it again. At least, that was my experience while reading, Surrender the Heart.
The story is intriguing, entertaining and adventurous. The characters are kept in impossible circumstances that leave you wondering how they will survive. The faith aspect was layered in perfectly, not too much, but just enough that it had me to thinking about my own faith walk. I loved the little boy, Daniel, and his prophetic role.
I can't imagine anyone wanting to put this book down and when it's over, you keep thinking about it, sorry it's over, tempted to reread it again. At least, that was my experience while reading, Surrender the Heart.
April 2, 2021
So...
Yeah. 1 star.
Truth be told, I stopped reading this book at the last 20 pages. I would have stopped it earlier on, but the curiosity of what would become of the two MCs kept me on reading. So, I decided it to drop it when I realized their ending didn't interest me anymore.
I don't think it would be wise to write what I liked and what I didn't like because what I didn't like would make one huge list and it would be an overreaction, I think.
Anyways, I will only refer to some points.
So, my main problems with this book were two.
1. The characters
How many times did the heroine say she was an "ordinary girl that will live an ordinary life, who is destined for nothing of importance"? And how many times did the hero say he was "a disappointment for his father and brother"?
The MCs were boxed, their whole personality was based on certain attributes. The heroine was not pretty enough, but the way she expresses that problem of hers is not the way to reach out to the readers that have the same problem. She takes that problem and from the amount of times she speaks of it, she makes even the ones that sympathized with her in the beginning to get irritated and ignore her whining. She lessens the cruciality of that theme. What also troubles her is the inability to trust, because . Her problems didn't feel real to me, especially towards the end, where having overcome one of her problems she returns to it as if she hadn't changed her mind about it some pages back. I do not like it when the characters in books go back and forth. They have a problem. ok. They reach a point where they reconsider their situation. Perfect. Stay at that. Don't start doubting your new conclusions UNLESS something disastrous happens. In this case, nothing disastrous happened. Really.
You get the idea.
The hero on the other side, is a man that wants to make his father accept him, alright. One that doesn't really care for his country. Ok. One that doesn't really know what he is looking for in a woman. He keeps on belittling the heroine in his mind even after seeing that he was wrong, just for the drama of it. We get it, she is pretending all the time. You don't have to say it in every chapter.
At some point, by the way, the hero suddenly becomes a patriot and makes those long speeches about how great his country is. Um... I skipped many of those speeches, because, there were many of those speeches.
2.The plot
This book promises adventure, with battles and storms and all the other things that can happen while sailing. So, despite the dull beginning, I was ready to read about storms and battles. Especially storms. My excitement died soon when the first storm makes its appearance and it passes as if nothing had happened. Disappointment. Ugh!
The next hit to my expectations came when the first battle came into view. Dull. I skipped over many lines.
The final hit to my patience came with those brilliant plans the heroine was constructing. They all felt boring and nothing really made me say "Oh that was clever". She actually keeps on slowing everyone else down. She comes up with plans that wouldn't even need to be constructed if she hadn't sent them all in those dire circumstances.
That's how her plans were
In general nothing really felt real. Even the way they were talking felt forced, as if to match the period.
ANYWAYS, I have many things to complain about, but I think it might be just me.
I had high expectations and was in the mood for some sword fighting and some sneaky plans, so the disappointment was something to be expected.
I don't say you shouldn't read this (many might like this kind of action), but I cannot really recommend it to you.
Yeah. 1 star.
Truth be told, I stopped reading this book at the last 20 pages. I would have stopped it earlier on, but the curiosity of what would become of the two MCs kept me on reading. So, I decided it to drop it when I realized their ending didn't interest me anymore.
I don't think it would be wise to write what I liked and what I didn't like because what I didn't like would make one huge list and it would be an overreaction, I think.
Anyways, I will only refer to some points.
So, my main problems with this book were two.
1. The characters
How many times did the heroine say she was an "ordinary girl that will live an ordinary life, who is destined for nothing of importance"? And how many times did the hero say he was "a disappointment for his father and brother"?
The MCs were boxed, their whole personality was based on certain attributes. The heroine was not pretty enough, but the way she expresses that problem of hers is not the way to reach out to the readers that have the same problem. She takes that problem and from the amount of times she speaks of it, she makes even the ones that sympathized with her in the beginning to get irritated and ignore her whining. She lessens the cruciality of that theme. What also troubles her is the inability to trust, because . Her problems didn't feel real to me, especially towards the end, where having overcome one of her problems she returns to it as if she hadn't changed her mind about it some pages back. I do not like it when the characters in books go back and forth. They have a problem. ok. They reach a point where they reconsider their situation. Perfect. Stay at that. Don't start doubting your new conclusions UNLESS something disastrous happens. In this case, nothing disastrous happened. Really.
You get the idea.
The hero on the other side, is a man that wants to make his father accept him, alright. One that doesn't really care for his country. Ok. One that doesn't really know what he is looking for in a woman. He keeps on belittling the heroine in his mind even after seeing that he was wrong, just for the drama of it. We get it, she is pretending all the time. You don't have to say it in every chapter.
At some point, by the way, the hero suddenly becomes a patriot and makes those long speeches about how great his country is. Um... I skipped many of those speeches, because, there were many of those speeches.
2.The plot
This book promises adventure, with battles and storms and all the other things that can happen while sailing. So, despite the dull beginning, I was ready to read about storms and battles. Especially storms. My excitement died soon when the first storm makes its appearance and it passes as if nothing had happened. Disappointment. Ugh!
The next hit to my expectations came when the first battle came into view. Dull. I skipped over many lines.
The final hit to my patience came with those brilliant plans the heroine was constructing. They all felt boring and nothing really made me say "Oh that was clever". She actually keeps on slowing everyone else down. She comes up with plans that wouldn't even need to be constructed if she hadn't sent them all in those dire circumstances.
That's how her plans were
In general nothing really felt real. Even the way they were talking felt forced, as if to match the period.
ANYWAYS, I have many things to complain about, but I think it might be just me.
I had high expectations and was in the mood for some sword fighting and some sneaky plans, so the disappointment was something to be expected.
I don't say you shouldn't read this (many might like this kind of action), but I cannot really recommend it to you.
September 9, 2010
ML Tyndall is one of my FAVORITE authors--and Surrender the Heart proves why. Amazing characterization, a fabulous love story, spunky heroines and quirky moments. I fell in love with her secondary characters as well--here's hoping for a book for Luke Heaton (*swoon*). And the amazing Mr. Blackthorn and his son, Daniel.
Amazing. It's rare for me to love characters as much as I love Tyndall's. An excellent read, as always.
Amazing. It's rare for me to love characters as much as I love Tyndall's. An excellent read, as always.
July 28, 2011
This was a fun read. Loved the romance and the history in the book. It was kept very clean and will appeal to Historical romance readers who like to keep it PG. Fan's of McClure, Hatch, Kurland, and Whitson will like this book. It is a series so don't freak if the end does not wrap up everything. Also don't read the prologue or the info at the first of the book read it after you read the book it will make more sense. This book is free write know through amazon kindle for your computer.
April 27, 2017
I liked this, but didn’t love it. I felt overwhelmed with all the churchy stuff. It just felt way over the top and I found myself skipping rather large sections just to get back to the story. I did like the story, plot and characters, but was turned off by all the preaching. I liked Marianne and Noah quite a bit; the best parts of the book were when the two were together. I really enjoyed their story and romance. It was a fun adventure and for the most part I enjoyed it.
July 26, 2016
I didn't feel the connection between Marianne and Noah. The story got a little boring in the middle. Picked back up towards the end.
dnf
August 12, 2018A friend asked me to read and review this book. DNF at exactly page 18, due to this sentence:
Noah chuckled, amazed at his friend's constant infatuation with the weaker gender.
I'm sorry, what? I didn't just spend the previous hour gushing over a very strong heroine on a different book in a wonderful series only to be regarded in this book as women being weak. I know plain romance and YA Fantasy are worlds apart, and I know this is historical fiction that allows society to degrade women and I know I may have judged this book and its characters too early, if not too harshly but I am not willing to spend the next hour making excuses for this particular character, and maybe he would change his views in women and maybe it will be romantic but I've read too many powerful women and I am empowered to not let my time be wasted. My life is too short to dwell on books not cut for me.
Noah chuckled, amazed at his friend's constant infatuation with the weaker gender.
I'm sorry, what? I didn't just spend the previous hour gushing over a very strong heroine on a different book in a wonderful series only to be regarded in this book as women being weak. I know plain romance and YA Fantasy are worlds apart, and I know this is historical fiction that allows society to degrade women and I know I may have judged this book and its characters too early, if not too harshly but I am not willing to spend the next hour making excuses for this particular character, and maybe he would change his views in women and maybe it will be romantic but I've read too many powerful women and I am empowered to not let my time be wasted. My life is too short to dwell on books not cut for me.
May 14, 2022
High speed adventure just prior to the American Revolution when Marianne chases her newly engaged fiance onto his merchant ship after a horrible engagement party when he wouldn't acknowledge her; and before she know it, Marianne is headed across the Atlantic to England when she needs to be back home taking care of her sick mother and younger sister.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Escape to Paradise series by MaryLu Tyndall, and Surrender to Destiny starts out with just as much adventure, wonderful characters, a touch of romance, and a wonderful Christian faith thread. Look forward to reading book 2 and 3.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Escape to Paradise series by MaryLu Tyndall, and Surrender to Destiny starts out with just as much adventure, wonderful characters, a touch of romance, and a wonderful Christian faith thread. Look forward to reading book 2 and 3.
September 21, 2020
This was a really good book. It was a great storyline with realistic characters. I loved the spunkiness of Marianne and the adventure that she brought to the story due to her determination to have her way. Then Noah seemed to be a hard man until they were kidnapped and you see through his tough charade. The second half of the book was great, I couldn’t put it down!
April 20, 2019
So so good! Action accompanied with a little laughter and romance woven through out. It was a great read with a hook from the beginning! ;)
June 28, 2025
I was in the mood for a seafaring adventure. This satisfied even though I think it was a bit long-winded.
April 16, 2011
If you've ever struggled with understanding what your destiny is in life than you'll thoroughly enjoy this book! Marianne is a young woman who finds herself engaged to the man that as a child drove her insane with his taunting of her. She is suffering to marry him because she needs her inheritance money to help take care of her sick mom and younger sister. She doesn't feel as though this is her destiny because she knows the marriage will not be based on love and she can barely stand the sight of him.
Noah is also not thrilled with the engagement to his snobby childhood friend Marianne. He has no desire to marry her but he is trying his best to please his father by taking her as his wife and investing her dowry in to his family business. He feels he has no destiny and that he is never able to please his father since the death of his older brother Jacob.
When Noah embarrasses Marianne at their engagement party she follows him on to his boat and while saving a cat she gets knocked out cold. When she wakes up she finds out they've taken to the seas. The struggles are just beginning as Noah and Marianne learn to find their destiny on the brink of the War of 1812.
I really enjoyed this book! I got sucked in to the characters stories and lives right from the start, my heart just ached to help them. MaryLu Tyndall has proven to be an amazing author with Surrender the Heart; the way she intertwines faith, inspirational romance, with adventure and history is delightful. This is a stirring historical romance with a lot spiritual threads throughout the story.
I felt there was quite a bit of topics about faith, God and destiny, sometimes it was the right amount at the right time but other times I felt it took too much out of the story. That is my only complaint, it didn't take away from the whole rest of the story though and I thought the inspirational message was great; I'm excited to read the next book in the Surrender to Destiny series.
Noah is also not thrilled with the engagement to his snobby childhood friend Marianne. He has no desire to marry her but he is trying his best to please his father by taking her as his wife and investing her dowry in to his family business. He feels he has no destiny and that he is never able to please his father since the death of his older brother Jacob.
When Noah embarrasses Marianne at their engagement party she follows him on to his boat and while saving a cat she gets knocked out cold. When she wakes up she finds out they've taken to the seas. The struggles are just beginning as Noah and Marianne learn to find their destiny on the brink of the War of 1812.
I really enjoyed this book! I got sucked in to the characters stories and lives right from the start, my heart just ached to help them. MaryLu Tyndall has proven to be an amazing author with Surrender the Heart; the way she intertwines faith, inspirational romance, with adventure and history is delightful. This is a stirring historical romance with a lot spiritual threads throughout the story.
I felt there was quite a bit of topics about faith, God and destiny, sometimes it was the right amount at the right time but other times I felt it took too much out of the story. That is my only complaint, it didn't take away from the whole rest of the story though and I thought the inspirational message was great; I'm excited to read the next book in the Surrender to Destiny series.
May 4, 2012
Marianne is a young woman who finds herself engaged to be married to a man she does not love in order to claim her inheritance so that her mom can buy her medicine. She has known Noah since he was a child but only has bad memories of him. Marianne also sees herself as plain and figures no one will ever love her because of it.
Noah is not happy about the engagement himself but follows along with his fathers wishes. He soon embarrasses Marianne at their engagement party. She is so upset with him that she follows him to his ship where she accidently ends up a unwilling passenger. Will these two find love on the dangerous seas or will the impending war of 1812 pull them apart?
I was not sure if I was going to like this book. I tend to read book era's from the mid-1800's and up but I am so glad I read it because I really enjoyed it. The author is a wonderful writer. I found myself pulled in and loving the characters right away. The other thing I loved about this book was the history lesson it provided. She takes the history of the 1812 war and gives it life. I learned a lot about how the war came to be from this book and adding a romance story to it make it so much fun in the process!
The only down side to this book for me was I felt the middle was just a little slow. It was interesting but seemed to drag on until the last 3rd of the book picked back up with the intensity and excitement once again. I also enjoyed the way she wrote God into this story. Sometimes it can feel thrown into the story like it does not really fit but she intertwines it so well in this book it fits perfectly.
By the end of the book I was cheering the American Navy on and feeling proud to have such a wonderful nation and marveling at what my country went through all those years ago to get its freedom. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Noah is not happy about the engagement himself but follows along with his fathers wishes. He soon embarrasses Marianne at their engagement party. She is so upset with him that she follows him to his ship where she accidently ends up a unwilling passenger. Will these two find love on the dangerous seas or will the impending war of 1812 pull them apart?
I was not sure if I was going to like this book. I tend to read book era's from the mid-1800's and up but I am so glad I read it because I really enjoyed it. The author is a wonderful writer. I found myself pulled in and loving the characters right away. The other thing I loved about this book was the history lesson it provided. She takes the history of the 1812 war and gives it life. I learned a lot about how the war came to be from this book and adding a romance story to it make it so much fun in the process!
The only down side to this book for me was I felt the middle was just a little slow. It was interesting but seemed to drag on until the last 3rd of the book picked back up with the intensity and excitement once again. I also enjoyed the way she wrote God into this story. Sometimes it can feel thrown into the story like it does not really fit but she intertwines it so well in this book it fits perfectly.
By the end of the book I was cheering the American Navy on and feeling proud to have such a wonderful nation and marveling at what my country went through all those years ago to get its freedom. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
February 13, 2013
This book took me a little while longer to finish than most books have been taking me. I really enjoyed it, I just didn't get hooked as fast as I normally do.
I really liked how the main characters did not get along in the begging. When I was reading it I was like, "I know something you guys don't know! Oh, the Irony! The two childhood enemies become the love struck adults!" I got to read about them gaining respect for each other and eventually that building into a relationship. Therefore, once the fighting and arguing about their differences was over, the romance came into play. Noah realized the plain childhood snob he once knew was no more, and in her place was a beautiful, grown angel. Marianne realized the annoying childhood rebel she once knew was now a handsome, mature man.
I also loved how they both started believing in Christ again. Brenin had to give up past regrets and move on knowing God had a reason for them. Marianne had to forget about past hurts in her life and start trusting again- mainly in God. Through the voyage that turned into a nightmare for the both of them, they learn these lessons from the struggles they are put in and the people they meet.
The only disappointments I have are you never find out what happened to Marianne's mother or sister. Of course I infer that they are okay and that she sees them again, but I wish the book would have said. Also, I feel like the little boy Daniel was too smart. He spoke to maturely for his age, not only in the subjects he talked about, but also in the grammar/words he used. That part just wasn't realistic for me. Over all good book though!
I have just started a blog. To check it out go to: http://kissedbooks.blogspot.com
I really liked how the main characters did not get along in the begging. When I was reading it I was like, "I know something you guys don't know! Oh, the Irony! The two childhood enemies become the love struck adults!" I got to read about them gaining respect for each other and eventually that building into a relationship. Therefore, once the fighting and arguing about their differences was over, the romance came into play. Noah realized the plain childhood snob he once knew was no more, and in her place was a beautiful, grown angel. Marianne realized the annoying childhood rebel she once knew was now a handsome, mature man.
I also loved how they both started believing in Christ again. Brenin had to give up past regrets and move on knowing God had a reason for them. Marianne had to forget about past hurts in her life and start trusting again- mainly in God. Through the voyage that turned into a nightmare for the both of them, they learn these lessons from the struggles they are put in and the people they meet.
The only disappointments I have are you never find out what happened to Marianne's mother or sister. Of course I infer that they are okay and that she sees them again, but I wish the book would have said. Also, I feel like the little boy Daniel was too smart. He spoke to maturely for his age, not only in the subjects he talked about, but also in the grammar/words he used. That part just wasn't realistic for me. Over all good book though!
I have just started a blog. To check it out go to: http://kissedbooks.blogspot.com
November 9, 2011
Being English, I grew up with stories of naval battles, Hornblower, Bolitho and co. Being a girl, I mourned the lack of female role models in such tales of valor. And being an avid reader I just borrowed my brother’s books.
MaryLu Tyndall creates a fun heroine in her historical naval romance, Surrender the Heart, though there were times when I could wish the reluctantly betrothed Marianne were a little less headstrong. For someone afraid of water she’s dangerously careless on board ship, but she has her reasons. Perhaps a lifetime of feeling devalued makes her unable to see how much harm, or good, she can do.
The changing relationship between childhood foes, rich Marianne and Noah the merchant’s son, is nicely done. Both face secret hardship and haunted memories. Their world of ship and shore comes to vivid life, and the danger of war at sea is scarily real. The British are bad guys of course, since this is an American novel, but only a few play the part of irredeemable blackguards. The Americans are good, but not perfect. Meanwhile love and trust win through. Marianne, who can trust no-one, learns to identify herself with the Biblical Esther. Noah, who trusts only himself, learns of friendship and heaven. And a still small voice speaks subtly over the storm.
This is a Christian, American, historical novel, well-researched, intriguing, written with convincing characters and appropriate faith, and a really good romantic read.
Disclosure: I met the author on gather and was delighted at the chance to read and review a free ecopy of this novel.
MaryLu Tyndall creates a fun heroine in her historical naval romance, Surrender the Heart, though there were times when I could wish the reluctantly betrothed Marianne were a little less headstrong. For someone afraid of water she’s dangerously careless on board ship, but she has her reasons. Perhaps a lifetime of feeling devalued makes her unable to see how much harm, or good, she can do.
The changing relationship between childhood foes, rich Marianne and Noah the merchant’s son, is nicely done. Both face secret hardship and haunted memories. Their world of ship and shore comes to vivid life, and the danger of war at sea is scarily real. The British are bad guys of course, since this is an American novel, but only a few play the part of irredeemable blackguards. The Americans are good, but not perfect. Meanwhile love and trust win through. Marianne, who can trust no-one, learns to identify herself with the Biblical Esther. Noah, who trusts only himself, learns of friendship and heaven. And a still small voice speaks subtly over the storm.
This is a Christian, American, historical novel, well-researched, intriguing, written with convincing characters and appropriate faith, and a really good romantic read.
Disclosure: I met the author on gather and was delighted at the chance to read and review a free ecopy of this novel.
September 27, 2010
With vivid detail and a flair for blending fact with fiction, author MaryLu Tyndall takes the reader on a memorable historical voyage. From the dizzying heights of a ratline, down to breathing in the acrid leftover smoke of canon-fire, you’ll become as impressed aboard the British man-of-war as hero Noah and heroine Marianne.
Noah is everything a hero should be—handsome and strong—but not so pristine that he doesn’t have a fault or two. He’s a man on a mission to prove himself to his father. Marianne is headstrong and determined, and therein lies the tension. Noah and Marianne have quite the love/hate relationship going on. At the beginning of the story, it’s more hate than anything, making the reader wonder if these two will ever get their acts together. Never fear, though, for by the end, the pendulum swings completely into the love zone.
And speaking of the end, whewie! There’s a whole lot of action to keep you turning page after page. Just when you think you’ve reached the climax, something ever more devastating happens. Tyndall manages to wrap up every loose plot line by the finish, though.
Surrender the Heart is an intriguing beginning to the ‘Destiny’ trilogy, one which will have you eagerly awaiting the next installment.
Noah is everything a hero should be—handsome and strong—but not so pristine that he doesn’t have a fault or two. He’s a man on a mission to prove himself to his father. Marianne is headstrong and determined, and therein lies the tension. Noah and Marianne have quite the love/hate relationship going on. At the beginning of the story, it’s more hate than anything, making the reader wonder if these two will ever get their acts together. Never fear, though, for by the end, the pendulum swings completely into the love zone.
And speaking of the end, whewie! There’s a whole lot of action to keep you turning page after page. Just when you think you’ve reached the climax, something ever more devastating happens. Tyndall manages to wrap up every loose plot line by the finish, though.
Surrender the Heart is an intriguing beginning to the ‘Destiny’ trilogy, one which will have you eagerly awaiting the next installment.
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