A Night to Surrender

Starred review from July 4, 2011
Dare (Three Nights with a Scoundrel) pairs up an educated spinster and a wounded hero in this delightful Regency, the first in the Spindle Cove series. Lt. Col. Victor "Bram" Bramwell is traveling with fellow soldiers when a flock of sheep stalls them. They set explosives to scatter the sheep, but Susanna Finch, a woman living nearby, gets too close. Fortunately, Bram knocks her out of harm's way just in time. The instant attraction between Susanna and Bram is complicated by Bram's having just inherited a title, a crumbling castle, and the right to summon a militia. The last will be nearly impossible in the peaceful woman-dominated community of Spindle Cove, where few are thrilled by the military newcomers. Enticing romantic encounters are matched by witty conversations that slowly and seamlessly reveal deep truths about Dare's endearing one-of-a-kind characters.

August 1, 2011

Furious that a militia is being recruited in her beloved Spindle Cove, a tiny seaside town that she has turned into a haven for young women, Susanna Finch takes on the arrogant commander, Victor Bramwell, a protege of her inventor father and the new Earl of Rycliff. But the earl is not quite what she expected, and while her goal to keep her women's retreat safe from outside influences remains the same, her opinions of Bram do not. VERDICT Lively and sexy, this funny, enjoyable battle of the sexes ensnares readers in a delightful adventure that is another charmer in Dare's growing list and the first in a new trilogy. Dare (Three Nights with a Scoundrel) lives in Southern California.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel Victor Bramwell doesn't want a blasted title and a castle; he wants his commission in the army back. Unfortunately, he must first prove that he has recovered from his battlefield injuries by raising a militia for the defense of his estate. The only problem is that Victor's new holding of Spindle Cove, or, as it is more popularly known, Spinster Cove, is a community of intelligent, independently minded women led by the irrepressible Susanna Finch. Finding a suitable number of able-bodied men in SpindleCove will not be easy, especially since Susanna seems to take Victor's testosterone-heavy arrival not only as a personal affront, but also as a call to battle. Dare, who garnered a RITA nomination earlier this year, soars to new heights of literary excellence with the first entry in a new Regency-set trilogy. Graced with a cast of wonderfully quirky secondary characters, gifted with a wildly creative plot, and sparked with equal measures of insouciant wit and sexy romance, A Night to Surrender is an absolute treasure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)