Season for Surrender (Holiday Pleasures, #2) in Fans of Eloisa James & Julia Quinn

Oct 04, 2012 Annie rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, genre-historical-romance, review-requests, read-in-2012, holidays, author-theresa-romain

Posted on Under the Covers

Alexander Edgeware, Lord Xavier doesn’t like to turn down a bet, so when his cousin Lord Longwood wagers that he cannot get the prim and proper Lady Louisa Oliver to attend his famously naughty Christmas part and stay for the whole two weeks, Xavier makes it his next goal to prove that he can. As a man notorious for his wicked ways, Xavier uses his charm to get a rise out of Lady Louisa. So the question stands, does the bookish Lady Louisa stand a chance against the wic ...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Manda Collins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: regency-historical

Charming Christmas house party romance with a hero and heroine who are neither what they seem. Loved that Alex and Louisa fell in love over poetry and books:)

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Jul 17, 2012 Vanessa Kelly rated it it was amazing

Theresa Romain writes gorgeous historical romance. This book has lovely prose and a very appealing hero, who is struggling to become more than society expects of him. It's really a wonderful Christmas romance, with lots of great dialogue between two very witty but deeply emotional people. ...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Janga rated it it was amazing

I was one of the fans who hoped for Louisa’s story after reading Season for Temptation. I found her an interesting, endearing character in that book, and she’s even more engaging in this one. I loved watching her discover how much more she is than she has ever realized and how she pushes Xavier to reexamine the assumptions upon which he has built his public life. I like appearance versus reality as a theme, and Romain handles it skillfully in this story. Lady Irving is as delightful as she was ...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Caz rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, 4-stars, favourites, romance-regency, kindle, romance-1800-1850

This is the first book by Theresa Romain that I have read, and will definitely look for more on the strength of it.

Alex Xavier has spent most of his life being and doing what everyone expects of him. Like many titled young men of the ton, he has done his share of drinking, gambling and womanising –although not as much as his reputation would seem to suggest. Orphaned at a very young age, he has had to find his place in the world without the help of parents or relatives (actually, it’s never made This is the first book by Theresa Romain that I have read, and will definitely look for more on the strength of it.

Alex Xavier has spent most of his life being and doing what everyone expects of him. Like many titled young men of the ton, he has done his share of drinking, gambling and womanising –although not as much as his reputation would seem to suggest. Orphaned at a very young age, he has had to find his place in the world without the help of parents or relatives (actually, it’s never made clear exactly who brought him up) and has, as a result, a desire to be noticed and needed – even if it is as a source of gossip and scandal.

When he meets Louisa Oliver however, he begins to acknowledge to himself that this is not who he really is, as she is immediately able to see through the façade to the less cynical and world-weary soul underneath. I liked the way that Romain drew the distinction between the two sides of him, calling the side shown to the world by his title and the more genuine side he shows to Louisa by his first name.
Louisa also suffers under the weight of a reputation that precedes her, although in her case, she has been an object of pity, having been jilted by her fiancé in favour of her sister, and is thought of as a wallflower – she describes herself as “invisible” on several occasions – and a bluestocking.

I thought that the way Louisa and Alex gradually get under each other’s skin was very well handled indeed. Alex tries to maintain his cool exterior in her presence, it soon becomes almost impossible for him to hide from her. Louisa is more successful in guarding her response to him – to the point of making him believe she is using him in order to add to her meagre life-experience. Yet there is a real warmth and affection between them that really leaps from the page. In my opinion, it’s essential to any good romance story for the reader to be able to see the development of the relationship between the hero and heroine, and for it not to be rushed – and here, everything progressed at a gentle pace; not too fast and not too slow. Louisa possesses a very keen sense of humour, and the exchanges between her and Alex really sparkle.

As he comes to know Louisa, Alex realises that he wants to shed his rakish persona and become the man she thinks he has the potential to be… but he doesn’t know how. In order to do this, he has to face the truth about himself and learn to care less about what society will say of his volte face.

There are, of course, a few bumps along the road to happiness, in this novel caused by a relation of Alex’s who he discovers to have been harbouring a grudge for years; when Louisa’s reputation is threatened, Alex does that pig-headed alpha-male thing and sends her away having done his best to convince her that he doesn’t care for her. Fortunately for him, however, Louisa is cleverer than that and with the support of her splendidly eccentric aunt returns to him.

This was a really satisfying romance – the principal characters were well-rounded and it was nice to read about a heroine who is a bluestocking without being a shrinking violet or socially inept.

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Dec 21, 2013 Melissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads, holiday-romance

Another sweet holiday romance from Theresa Romain. This story centers around Louisa, Julia's sister who found herself unfortunately engaged to the man who really belonged with Julia, and Lord Xavier, the man who supposedly spread a story that created a huge scandal involving Julia and James. After weathering the storm of scandal that came about with her broken engagement and her fiance's subsequent marriage to her sister, Louisa decides she is in the mood for a change, and the perfect opportunit Another sweet holiday romance from Theresa Romain. This story centers around Louisa, Julia's sister who found herself unfortunately engaged to the man who really belonged with Julia, and Lord Xavier, the man who supposedly spread a story that created a huge scandal involving Julia and James. After weathering the storm of scandal that came about with her broken engagement and her fiance's subsequent marriage to her sister, Louisa decides she is in the mood for a change, and the perfect opportunity arises when she receives an invitation to attend Lord Xavier's famously depraved holiday house party ... an invitation only issued because of a bet Xavier made to keep her there for the entire two weeks. The house party begins and Louisa finds that Xavier is not quite the rogue he leads others to believe him to be, and Xavier finds that Louisa is not the quiet, reserved bluestocking society has labeled. In fact they find that they have a lot in common. Lord Xavier, or Alex, finds that he no longer has the desire to win his bet as he does all that he can to protect Louisa, even at the expense of his own reputation.

What follows is a story that is a perfect read for a cold winter day. I liked the characters of Louisa and Alex. I do think that perhaps there might not have been enough explanation to show exactly why the super quiet and reserved girl of the first book in this series suddenly becomes so bold and daring. Sure, she says that she needs a change, but this change seemed to be almost too easy for her. It is hard to believe that I am reading the same character. Maybe that is the whole point. I don't know. It is only a small issue, but it is something that concerned me a bit as I read.

I LOVED that these two bonded over classic literature. I loved that theirs was a love that blossomed because of a true meeting of the minds. I also enjoyed how observant Louisa was, and how that ultimately helps Alex to accept who he truly is. This does seem like the sort of relationship that could have a solid fictional future in store. The ending was a bit rushed. I would have loved to have it a bit more drawn out, but still it was satisfying and enjoyable. I was pleased with the ultimate Happily Ever After. I do recommend this for fans of historical romances who want a quick and sweet holiday themed read. Four stars! ...more

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Nov 16, 2013 Suzanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-favs

An original and charming Christmas country house party romance. Even within the parameters of this well used plot, the dialogue is fresh and the characters are endearing.

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Jan 28, 2012 Shh I'm reading! rated it liked it

Definitely an improvement over the 1st book. I've got mixed emotions about the characters, because they're relationship was so difficult to read. Sometimes chemistry, sometimes friendly, sometimes hurtful...It left me shrugging my shoulders as if to say sure, okay. I liked the hero though. I love a male lead who's a closeted reader and romance novels love a reformed rake. The ending left a lot to be desired though. ...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Brittany rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-reads, 2012-romance-challenge, must-buy

Great second book in a series!! Loved Louisa's story an Xavier is the perfect man for her spirit! Love the interactions of the two an I enjoyed Xavier's character development! Definitely pick this up! ...more

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