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A Scoundrel's Surrender (2011)

by Jenna Petersen(Favorite Author)

3.48 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

006193500X (ISBN13: 9780061935008)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Avon

series

Billingham Bastards

review 1: I've liked other books by Petersen quite a lot, so I'm disappointed to say that this one didn't work for me. There were some strong emotional moments, but the story really lacked a cohesive, emotionally riveting plot arc. Caleb learned a couple years ago that he was not the son of the man who raised him. In his anguish, he turned to Marah, and as she comforted him, their passions took over and they made love. Soon after, he ran off, unable to deal with what he'd learned, and leaving Marah to cope with what felt like a very personal rejection.Abandoned, she went home to stay with the grandmother who raised her, and when the grandmother dies, she's invited back to London by her best friend, whose husband happens to be Caleb's brother. Caleb, too, has returned to the nest, as... more the man he knew as his father is dying. Caleb still wants her. Marah resists, for reasonable, if passionless reasons. Her anger at his abandonment only lasts a few pages. After that, it's all about how she needs stability; her own father abandoned her, and she wants a man who won't hurt her--therefore she chooses a man she can't love. There's way too much navel-gazing in this book, and not nearly enough strong emotion. The characters feel things but they seem to reason everything out to the point where any emotion is blunted. I give this one shrug, and hope the next one will be more up to Petersen's usually high standards. Oh, and I agree with other comments about the cover. The man has a baby face--maybe not a bad thing since Caleb seems a bit immature, but something about the cover model seems more modern than historical. The gal is gorgeous, but looks like a fourteen-year-old made up to look older, and the clothing and hairstyles are 2011, not 1815. If I'd been just looking at covers, I'd have assumed this was contemporary.
review 2: The third book in the Billingham Bastards series by Jenna Petersen didn't really go out with a bang; instead, it tugged at the heart. Two years ago, Caleb Talbot ran from the news that he was yet another bastard son of the late Duke Billingham. Consequently, he also left Marah Farnsworth, with whom he'd shared an intense, but brief affair. When he gets the news that the man who raised him is dying, Caleb returns, ready to face his demons. He's not quite prepared to face Marah again, but every interaction makes him realize just how much she had meant to him after all.Marah Farnsworth grew up with her own inner demons, and when Caleb left, she fled back to her grandmother's village to live a simple life. Her dear friend, Victoria, Caleb's sister-in-law, begs her to come back since her husband's father is very sick. Always one to put others before herself, Marah agrees. Except, when she sees Caleb again, the feelings come rushing back. But so do her fears. Afraid he'll abandon her like before, Marah agrees to marry someone steadier, someone she doesn't love in the least. Now it's Caleb's job to be the man he's always wanted to be. He must choose to fight for Marah as the scoundrel he's always been or demonstrate the selflessness he admires so much in her. This story was tame in the physical aspects compared to Jenna's other works, but for me, Caleb and Marah's story was the most touching of the series. Their battles with personal struggles were poignant. Both of them had to evolve into stronger people over the course of their story, and I found the resolution very satisfying. I did feel that the stakes could have been higher, the obstacles even tougher to overcome. Even in a romance novel, it's nice to have that little worry in the back of your mind that the two of them might NOT actually end up together. That wasn't the case here. But, Jenna's fans won't be disappointed. I highly recommend this and the entire series for the Regency romance readers out there. less

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