SURRENDER OF A SIREN

Author: Tessa Dare ISBN: 9780345506870 9/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: BALLANTINE
Time Period: Regency

Desperate to escape a loveless marriage and society’s constraints, pampered heiress Sophia Hathaway jilts her groom, packs up her paints and sketchbook, and assumes a new identity, posing as a governess to secure passage on the Aphrodite. She wants a life of her own: unsheltered, unconventional, uninhibited. But it’s one thing to sketch her most wanton fantasies, and quite another to face the dangerously handsome libertine who would steal both her virtue and her gold. To any well-bred lady, Benedict “Gray” Grayson is trouble in snug-fitting boots. A conscienceless scoundrel who sails the seas for pleasure and profit, Gray lives for conquest–until Sophia’s perception and artistry stir his heart. Suddenly he’ll brave sharks, fire, storm, and sea just to keep her at his side. She’s beautiful, refined, and ripe for seduction. Could this counterfeit governess be a rogue’s redemption? Or will the runaway heiress’s secrets destroy their only chance at love?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Tessa Dare's proves her writing talent by taking what came across as a vapid, self-absorbed, not very liked secondary character from a previous book and turning her into a fun, adventurous-spirited, likeable leading lady with a huge, romantic imagination and even bigger heart. That's exactly what happens to Sophia Hathaway's character in SURRENDER OF A SIREN.

On the heels of GODDESS OF THE HUNT, this standalone follow up has plenty of high-seas action, romance, high-jinks, and drama for any lover of swashbuckling, action-filled romance. The two main characters, Sophia and Gray, have an immediate attraction to one another (think of the chemistry between Errol Flynn and Maureen O'Hara (as Prudence 'Spitfire' Stevens) in the movie, Against All Flags). Unfortunately for Gray, he's trying to turn over a new leaf in life, and as proof to his brother Joss of that, he must keep his hands off Sophia. But too soon Gray becomes a man in conflict, pulled in two completely opposite directions—whether to honor the promise he's made to his brother and set his family to rights, or give in to his desires for Sophia. What is the poor man to do?

Sophia has her own issues to deal with, the least of which is her rabid imagination. A runaway heiress who jilted her fiancé at the altar, Sophia is quick to spin a yarn or two in order to escape her parents. Caught up in a web of lies of her own making, as well as her own imagination of what her life on the run will be like, how can she and Gray ever be together if she can never tell him the truth?

Antagonists at the start but lovers by the end (of course), the witty banter and situations Sophia and Gray sometimes find themselves in, surrounded by a cast of, er... unique and entertaining crew members, made this a truly fun and enjoyable read. My only hesitation in awarding it a Top Pick rating was that there were a few times, more toward the beginning of the book, where the story seemed to crawl along just a bit. However, once this story got moving and hit the wide open sea, from then on it was all hands on deck and full speed ahead.

I really had a lot of fun reading SURRENDER OF A SIREN. It's sexy, romantic, witty, and fun, with just the right touches of emotion and the dramatic. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading LADY OF PERSUASION.

Nancy Davis