Book Review-Surrender to a Scoundrel

Julianne MacLean

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Updated Impressions

Surrender to a Scoundrel is the finale in the “American Heiresses” series, and this was a series that I decided to reread. I hadn’t read all the books in the series; in fact, it was just about half. So I decided, in my effort to re-spark my love for the genre, to reread the whole series, and this was the last book in the series that I needed to do for that. Surrender to a Scoundrel had the similar magic as the previous books had to them but I will say that I think this book might have been the most emotional. And I will be honest in that I wasn’t expecting that. We have a unique setting of sailing and boats and racing, which isn’t super common in historical romances. Our characters have a reconnection. They once had a spark as kids and young adults, but life had them going in different directions. Now the hero is a rogue, but it’s an identity he hides so that he doesn’t have to face deep pains of the past. Then we have our heroine, who has never known love or kindness in a relationship and has been widowed. While she is wealthy, she craves something so deep. It starts out as a casual fling, both just wanting to enjoy the moment together, but soon we see our characters build a much stronger and more vibrant bond together.

She was practically glowing, outshining every other woman in view. All at once, he felt a stirring of emotion from deep inside himself, as if he were looking at a flower that had just opened to the sun.

When we see the hero facing his demons of losing his wife and child, seeing how hiding the pain away doesn’t promote healing was really relatable for me personally. Seeing the moments in which the heroine allows him the freedom to truly open in the way that he deserves. And showcasing the true power of love: while it doesn’t heal past wounds… it can allow the opening to face the demons, learning to grieve, and giving a person the courage to fight for the life they deserve. Both characters have their own kinds of pain and struggles, but seeing how they come together was precious and charming, and being able to reconnect with this series was truly powerful, and it has given me the energy to try more historicals from this era.

“The simple act of hoisting the sails puts me in a wistful mood,” he told her, “and when I feel the wind in my face and I’m focused on the waves and the trim of the sails, my troubles seem to disappear, and sometimes I even forget who I am or where I’ve been.”

Book Evaluation:

Plot: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Hero: 5/5
Heroine: 5/5
Intimacy Level: 3/5
Relationship Building: 4/5
Heart & Feels: 4/5
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 3.5/5
Page Turner Level: 4/5
Ending: 5/5
Overall View: 4/5

He was worthy. He was capable of love, a love deeper than she herself had ever known.

The Main Protagonists

The Hero: Lord Martin Langdon

The Heroine: Evelyn Wheaton

Would she regret what she did not do more than what she did do? Even if the most lasting souvenir of a wild and wicked affair with the hero of her childhood dreams was to be a broken heart?

The Original Review

Lord Martin Langdon has great pride in his scandalous reputation that he has created for himself. Now he is a boat racer, and a competent and talented one at that, and now the race is on for who will win Evelyn Wheaton, a widow, just come out of mourning, and looking for marriage and a family. So Martin pursues the beautiful widow Evelyn, because part of him can’t stand to see his rival winning the hand of her, because on the outside she seems prim, cool and proper, however he is determined to break down that barrier and find a passionate woman with dreams and desires that he plans to unravel, however he never expected to fall in love while he was doing it, or to find that she has found joy and love in his embrace and never wanting to let go, despite the pain that holds Langdon back from racing toward the greatest happiness he would ever find….in Evelyn’s arms.
Surrender To A Scoundrel is the sixth installment in the American Heiress Series that Julianne Maclean has written. I have to say that from the first to last page, I was entranced by this romantic story that takes us back to the late 1800’s in England. Its about a story of two young people who care for each other without fully realizing that they are destined for each other, through a twist of fate. Both the hero and heroine in this story have suffered some version of pain and suffering in their lives, and only when they come to each other and find love. I found the characters of this story to be endearing, the plot to be filled with one adventure after another, and this author has such a talent for writing memorable romantic fiction

but I have come to realize that fear is part of life. To feel apprehensive about certain things is normal, but in doing them, in conquering our fears—that is where the true rewards are. That is when we accomplish great things.

Book Details

Title: Surrender to a Scoundrel

Author: Julianne MacLean

Series: American Heiresses, #6

Publication Date: January 1 2006

Publisher: Avon Books

Genre: Historical Romance

Time Era: Victorian Era, England

Length: 384 Pages

Tropes/Character Types: Rake/Rogue, Tortured Hero, Widowed Heroine, Opposites Attract, Coastal themes, Nautical, Protector, She Falls First

Spice Level:

Warmin’ by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

POV: 3rd POV

Music Song That Is Themed After This Book: A Million Dreams -Greatest Showman

No woman can resist him. . .Lord Martin Langdon takes pride in his scandalous reputation as a scoundrel, and he considers the art of seduction a most rewarding pastime. So when this dashing rakehell learns of a particularly beautiful woman who is “impossible to flirt with,” Martin is determined to prove that not even the prim and proper Evelyn Wheaton can resist his charms.Except one.Evelyn knows all about the reckless rogue’s shocking reputation and she wants nothing to do with him. She may be looking for a husband, but Martin is certainly not a candidate. The smoldering looks he sends her way, however, are a different matter entirely. She suspects there is great passion to be had if she’d throw caution to the wind and surrender to this scoundrel . . . but dare she risk her heart?And will Martin, who hides a most tormented past, find true love at last?