A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove)
by Tessa Dare. Avon. 2011. And sequels. Library copies.
The Plot: 1813, England. Victor Bramwell is a lieutenant colonel in the army, and he's been wounded, and all he cares about is getting back into the army. So he'll do anything to prove that he is fit to return.
The Plot: 1813, England. Victor Bramwell is a lieutenant colonel in the army, and he's been wounded, and all he cares about is getting back into the army. So he'll do anything to prove that he is fit to return to service.
Susanna Finch lives in Spindle Cove, along with her father. Spindle Cove has earned itself the nickname Spinster Cove, because it's so well known as a bit of a dumping ground for ladies who don't fit into society. It's full of spinsters, ha ha ha.
And Susanna wants to keep Spindle Cove that way. She doesn't want people to know the truth about Spindle Cove: it's not a last resort. It's the best resort; a place where women who don't fit into society, or have been excluded, find a home and acceptance.
Bram's mission to start a local militia is going to be tough -- even more difficult because, well, Spindle Cove is full of women. Not military service ready men. Will Susanna be able to get rid of Bram and his soldiers in time to save Spindle Cove?
The Good: Spindle Cove! The shy and the introverted, but also the outspoken. The brainy. They are welcome and embraced and accepted at Spindle Cove -- at least, for now. A Night to Surrender is the first in a series, each about a different woman of Spindle Cove. Each there for a different reason. And, because of these reasons, it means the heroines of the series are each pretty unique, and independent. And it means that the heroes are those who value the unique. Spindle Cove is about women learning to be themselves, to be confident, and finding men who prize that. It's a feminist series, set in a time that isn't very feminist. The combinations are also interesting, because what matters are who the people are not what they are. Examples: a beautiful young woman and the local blacksmith. A Duke and a serving girl from a pub.
Spindle Cove is also very funny. I confess, I didn't see it as much in A Night to Surrender, but the second, A Week to Be Wicked, had me laughing out loud. And after that, I saw a lot to laugh about.
Also: hot and spicy!
While Spindle Cove is about a safe place, it doesn't hide that the world itself can be harsh. There is a reason, after all, why a refuge like Spinster Cove is needed. The backstory in A Lady by Midnight shows what happens to a young woman without resources or family, who has no options, but who still has to live and to provide for her child.
I have really enjoyed this series; so far there are four books and two novellas, with another novella this December and a new book next year. One nice thing about my recent romance reading is finding series like these, in which there are plenty of books in the series so I can power read one right after another.
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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare.
We first met bookish geologist Minerva Highwood and rakeish Lord Payne in the first Spindle Cove novel, A Night to Surrender.
Minerva's a member of the Royal Geological Society and has been published several times in their journal. And, she's just made a discovery that's sure to win a handsome prize at their next conference. A few problems:
1. She has no way to get to Edinburgh to present her findings.
2. The Society doesn't know that M. R. Highwood is a woman.
So, she enlists the help of Lord Payne. If he'll accompany her to Scotland, she'll pay their way and then she'll give him the prize money, which should be enough to keep him entertained in London until he has access to his fortune. He also has to agree NOT to marry her sister.
But Lord Payne has some of his own conditions-- he doesn't ride in an enclosed carriage, he doesn't travel at night, and he doesn't sleep alone.
So, they're off to Scotland, but from the start, nothing goes as planned. Who cares what the Royal Society thinks-- Payne and Minerva may never get there at this rate! Plus, back in Spindle Cove, their friends know that something about this journey doesn't quite add up...
We got a glimpse of Payne and Minerva in A Night to Surrender and so I was extremely happy to find this book was all about them. I love them together, I love how Payne coaxes Minerva out of her shell without making her feel bad about who she is and what her passions are. I love how Minerva has her mind made up about Payne and how every wrong she is. Also, this really is the worst road-trip in history-- the kind that you're so glad you're not on, but are hilarious to read about. The two of them together are so great.
This is my favorite of the Spindle Cove series. (So far, I see there's a new one coming out this spring! Yay!)
Book Provided by... my local library
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A Night to Surrender Tessa Dare.
As frequent readers may have picked up, I've rediscovered my love of Romance. However, it's a bit of a daunting genre to find good reads in, due to sheer number of books. I need some good reader's advisory in this area.
Anyway, I picked up this one because Colleen mentioned it. Romance isn't something she usually talks about, so when she mentioned it, I made sure to pick it up. It took awhile though, because there was a pretty long holds list at the library!
This first book in the Spindle Cove series. Spindle Cove is a seaside holiday resort filled with women who don't quite fit into London's society. Something about them doesn't fit the ton's notions of physical beauty. They're too smart, too outspoken. Spindle Cove offers them a safe haven, with very few men around. Susanna Finch is both the local gentleman's daughter and someone who has been treated horribly by society's expectations of women. She runs and guards the town with passion.
That all changes when Victor Bramwell arrives. 8 months ago, he was shot through the knee and has had a hard time getting reassigned to the front. His father was friends with Susanna's father, and needs his connections to get him back to the Peninsula, where he feels he belongs. Mr. Finch instead has him named the Earl of Rycliff (a long dormant title) and orders him to raise a militia. If he succeeds, he'll be sent where he wants.
The last thing Susanna wants is a militia threatening her safe haven. The last thing Bram wants is a bunch of interfering spinsters threatening his ambition.
A very fun and witty battle of the sexes. I appreciated that Bram found Susanna's brain a plus rather than an "in spite of." While both tend to forget who they are when in each other's presence (and have the tendency to do the most indecent things in rather public places) it is a very fun (and hotttttt) romance. It's also very funny. Bram comes equipped with a Rake of a cousin and some of the ladies have a rather Mrs. Bennett like mother. Then, of course, there is a pet lamb named Dinner.
A very fun book. After reading the first chapter of the next in the series that was included at the end of this book, I'm not sure I can wait until my hold comes in at the library. Luckily, the Kindle prices on the entire series are heavily discounted. ($2.99 for books 1 and 3, $3.79 for book 2.)
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
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