Dark Surrender

by Laurel Collins

For 22 years Adrienne Dalton had led a charmed life, until her beloved father's death brought her to the isolated Maine estate of Wyndecliffe. Sheltered and naïve, she never imagined she would become entangled in a blood feud between her benefactor, Matthew Wyndham, and his black-sheep brother, Jason.

Inveterate gambler, consummate lover, Jason seemed the devil incarnate to her fearful imagination. Yet there was an unspoken bond between them, a spellbinding lure to his hard body that made Adrienne long for the ultimate DARK SURRENDER ...

Genres: Historical Romance

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Laurel Collins has always wanted to write books and travel in time. Writing historical fiction allows her to do both.  She is the author of a dozen traditionally-published historical romance titles, including three under her "Catherine Wyatt" pen name, and altogether, over a quarter of a million copies sold. But now age and experience have led her, as they have so many women, from romance to murder (fictional, of course), and she is currently at work on her first historical mystery, set in Gilded Age Chicago.

Reviews

[Sarah Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

These people were childish idiots who did nothing but repeatedly prevent themselves from being content when there was no real roadblock to said contentment. It got extremely annoying by the midpoint. Not only that, but the heroine's devotion to Jason was ridiculous; I lol'd when he gets drunk, accuses her of choosing his brother over him, bruises her jaw, & consequently she falls down a rocky hillside & breaks two ribs. What's the first thing she says amidst the bloody mouth & stabbing pain?

"I love you, Jason."

Puh-lease. :P

It was like a bad Harlequin Presents mated with a tepid gothic romance. The writing wasn't awful, so I'm willing to try this author again (I think this was one of her earliest books), but hopefully she learned to improve story focus & dial down the characters' bitchitude.

...Even so, I award 3 stars for trying. There's a reason so few Gothic Bodice Rippers exist -- it's not easy to blend genres with such different templates.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book in a bulk lot on Ebay. It was published in 1988. I had never heard of this author. I did a little research, and found about ten other novels by this author were available. Historical romances published in the 80's are sometimes hit or miss. I had no earthly idea how this book would turn out.
Adrienne Dalton 's father had gambled away his daughter's inheritance. He died in the home of an old friend, Matthew Wyndham. Matthew sends for Adrienne and gives her a job as governess for his daughter, Susanna.
Set in Maine, post Civil War, the first part of the book had a Gothic feel to it, complete with a willful, perhaps dangerous Child, a cold, spiteful widow, large estate, and terrible family secrets. It even reminded me a little of Victoria Holt 's style. ( nowhere near her excellence, but I think the style was what the author was aiming for)
Adrienne falls for the black sheep brother of Matthew. Jason has a drinking and gambling problem. But, he wants to change so he can marry Adrienne. But, a terrible lie and Jason's drinking leads to a violent confrontation between Jason and Adrienne. To keep from ever hurting her again, Jason leaves. A year later he returns with a wife. Adrienne sees no way she can refuse Matthew's proposal. Once she and Matthew are engaged, Adrienne has several attempts made on her life. Finally, the truth about Adrienne 's father comes out and the circumstances of his death are revealed. Jason also reveals his plan to be with Adrienne forever.
This was not what I was expecting from this book. I was thinking it would be a bodice ripper type since the cover looked sort of like that style. I was pleasantly surprised with the story. It was a little odd at times . If you don't expect too much from it, you might find it interesting. overall a C

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really more of a 1.5 star book. I found this at a thrift store and how could I resist that 80s bodice ripper cheesetastic cover. Let me tell you the cover let me down. I was not expecting a first person gothic romance, but that is what I got. Complete with dark and stormy nights and windswept coasts. I will also tell you first person romance is not my kink. I'm not sure what to say about this book other than it was overly melodramatic and boring.

Warnings for: domestic violence and girl hate.

[Lauren McGuirk]

Someday I’ll get back to this. Paused (DNF) chapter 9