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surrender baby

Category Romance Review: Surrender, Baby by Suzanne Forster

Surrender, Baby, Suzanne Robinson, Bantam, 1991
Surrender, Baby, Suzanne Robinson, Bantam, 1991, cover artist TBD

Loveswept #604

MILD SPOILERS 😉

5 Stars

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Book

Surrender, Baby was published by Bantam’s Loveswept line and is the last in Suzanne Forster’s Stealth Commandos Trilogy (Loveswept #541 Child Bride & #581 Night of the Panther were the first two installments) about a trio of ex-soldiers turned bounty hunter/mercenaries. Although the plots are similar to each other in that separated lovers come together to reignite their passions, I haven’t yet to read them.

The Set Up

Miranda Witherspoon needs a man. Desperately so.

That is, she needs a soldier of fortune to find her man. Brazilian drug lords have kidnaped her fiancé, and Miranda will do whatever it takes to find him. To do so, she hires Geoff Dias, ex-military, Special Forces.

Miranda is prim and proper, her engagement not a love match but an expected marriage of two supposedly like-minded individuals who value security above romance. While she worries for her fiancé’s life, she’s also worried about losing the position she’s staked out for herself in the business world, having come from adverse circumstances and poverty.

I remember laughing at Miranda’s thoughts when she met Geoff in his musky, all-male gym. He, wearing torn sweats, she, trying to ignore the holes that might or might not reveal his junk while eying the posters in his messy excuse of an office: posters of guns, naked women, and naked women with guns. Subtle this guy wasn’t about his tastes.

Geoff seems eerily familiar to Miranda, and there’s a good reason why.

The Plot

Years ago, Miranda had been stranded at the altar. Drunk and wearing her wedding dress, she roamed the streets of LA in a daze. Geoff, riding by on his motorcycle (a Harley, natch), saw this strange sight and, Good Samaritan that he was, pulled over to check up on her. He offered her a ride home, and Miranda hopped onto his bike. That rolling vibrator was too much for the emotionally vulnerable Miranda, and she let her hands slip and do the talking. Before these two knew what was going on, they were at it like bunnies.

The next day Miranda was gone, and Geoff has been haunted by her ever since. So intense was their time together that Miranda has been in his dreams and fantasies as his muse, and Geoff, also an artist, created poignant and evocative works of art that sought to recreate that lost moment.

Geoff recognizes Miranda on sight, while it takes her some time to remember him. When she does, she’s torn. Miranda has put her past behind her, which includes torrid one-night stands with long-haired, artistic hunks who ride Harleys. But Geoff is the only man she trusts who can help her save her fiancé.

Against his better judgment, Geoff takes the job, and he and Miranda head to Brazil during Carnaval. The hot, sultry atmosphere of Rio de Janeiro makes for pulsing heart rates. Along the way, their chemistry is sizzling. Miranda tries her best to deflect it, yet Geoff is too much of a virile man to be dismissed so easily. Miranda’s boyfriend is eventually freed, but is she happy with her chosen life? Will Geoff’s free spirit and crazy ways melt her cold heart?

Final Analysis of Surrender, Baby

The writing here is intense but also tongue-in-cheek at times. This book is hot and funny. The fact that Geoff’s a badass with a hog, one with a hot-pink heart, and the words “Surrender Baby” emblazoned on it in honor of his woman? A thing of cornball, romantic beauty.

This book was so OTT crazy, it–dare I say it?–made me laugh and cry. That is a hackneyed cliché of a line in a review, but Surrender, Baby by Suzanne Forster is one of those reads I loved because it’s so brainless. You might hate it for the same reason, or might not, but it will definitely draw out emotions as this book was not boring.

(Note: The cover of this book isn’t that great, I know. Just ignore it and focus on the story, and you’ll have a blast reading this.)

Heart of the Falcon

Historical Romance Review: Heart of the Falcon by Suzanne Robinson

historical romance review
Heart of the Falcon Rating: four-stars
Published: 1990
Illustrator: TBD
Published by: Bantam
Genres: Historical Romance, Ancient World Romance
Format: Paperback
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader


Historical Romance Review: Heart of the Falcon by Suzanne Robinson

TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠

The Book

What a rarity in the romance genre was Heart of the Falcon, a historical about lovers in ancient Egypt. Although Suzanne Robinson wrote Egyptian mystery novels under her given name, this is her sole romance set in this era. Most of her other romances took place during the Elizabethan, Medieval, or Victorian time periods.

The Plot

Anqet is an orphan and her evil uncle lusts after her. To get her in his bed, he connives to steal her land. Anqet may be an innocent all alone in the world, but she’s no push-over. This is a woman determined to gain them back. She will go to the Egyptian court and maneuver through a realm of politics and lust. Anqet is stunningly beautiful and perfect and maybe a teensy bit too good to be true.

Thankfully, the hero is far more interesting and complex. Set is a red-haired man of mystery. His heritage is mixed, as his mother’s people come from a place to the north. There was a horrible scandal years ago where Set burned his mother’s corpse rather than have her embalmed and entombed. This is seen as sacrilegious and marks Set as an outsider.

Anqet gets pulled into a world of political intrigue. The villains really steal the show here. There’s a court priest and Set’s former mistress, with the two scheming and lusting over the protagonists. The villainess vamps it up Ancient Egypt style, donning multiple wigs and breast-revealing robes.

Final Analysis of Heart of the Falcon

Unfortunately, there’s this moment just before Heart of the Falcon ends that soured me, forcing me to drop a star rating.

WARNING SPOILER ⚠️ AHEAD

To save the Anqet’s life, Set must sleep with the villainess, his former lover, one more time. He’s able to complete the act by thinking of the heroine. If this had taken place in the middle of the book, I wouldn’t have cared. But with this scene just pages from the end, it put a bitter taste in my mouth about the conclusion. That’s the first thing I think about when recalling this book, besides the setting.

That’s a personal peeve, however. Otherwise, this unique tale of love and drama in the ancient world was a solid read by Suzanne Robinson.

3.5 Stars

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Synopsis

Only one woman could win the…Heart of the Falcon.

All her life, raven-haired Anqet had basked in the tranquility of Nefer…until the day her father died and her uncle descended upon the estate, hungry for her land, hungry for her. Desperate to escape his cruel obsession, she fled. But now, masquerading as a commoner in the magnificent city of Thebes, Anqet faces a new danger.

Mysterious and seductive, Count Seth seems to be a soldier loyal to the pharaoh. Yet soon Anqet will find that he’s drawn her into a web of treachery and desire, where one false move could end her life… and his fiery passion could brand her soul forever.

Set against the glorious opulence of the pharaoh’s court, this is a breathtaking tale, rich with pageantry and aflame with unforgettable romance.

Heart of the Falcon by Suzanne Robinson