SILENT SURRENDER

Author: Katherine O'Neal ISBN:0553581244 6/2003 HISTORICAL Publisher: Bantam Books
Setting: 1920s

He broke her heart...Now a struggling actress must put on the performance of a lifetime… Orphaned at the age of thirteen, actress Liana Wycliffe was no stranger to life’s cruelties. But nothing had prepared her for the despair she felt when the man she loved betrayed her. Known as Ace, he was a devastatingly handsome fighter pilot stationed in Paris--and he was everything Liana wanted. But after one night of blazing passion he disappeared, leaving her with a brusque note--and a broken heart. Liana swears she will never again allow a man to violate her trust. But when the man who never stopped haunting her dreams returns, can she keep her vow? “Ace” has become Spencer Sloane, renowned director of the silent screen--and he wants talented Liana as the star of his next film. He has never forgotten the ingénue who came closest to piercing his disillusioned soul, and he will stop at nothing to ensure that she fulfills his vision. This time Liana is determined to have him only on her terms. In the face of such powerful desire, who will be the first to surrender?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I finished this a day ago and I'm still trying to sort out my reaction to it. SILENT SURRENDER was much darker than I was expecting. The hero, Ace (aka Spencer Sloane), is an alpha male, bordering on cruel, but Liana is just the strong woman to take him down a notch or two. One of my favorite parts of the book is where Liana takes her revenge on Ace upon meeting him again. The story is very sensual and the sex scenes border on violent at times. Some harsh language is used during their love play, and that might bother some readers.

I was drawn to this book because it's set during one of my favorite time periods -- the 1920s. The descriptions of Hollywood in the silent film era as well as the lush, tropical isle of Tahiti drew me into the story.

The weakest part of the story was the suspense subplot. The romance is sorted out between Liana and Ace with about 100 pages to go and then the story gets silly and loses some points for me.

Kendra Patterson