Scan barcode
kbranfield's review
4.0
Summer of Surrender by Zara Stoneley is a sexually-charged romance between two completely opposite characters who are absolutely perfect for one another.
Looking forward to some much needed alone time, James is not at all pleased when he discovers Kezia will be spending the summer with him. He is also less than thrilled by his intense attraction to the bohemian beauty but their passion for one another is impossible to resist. Just as things are heating up between them, their relationship is threatened by someone from Kezia's past.
James and Kezia are a study in contrasts and that is what makes their pairing so wonderful. Kezia is an only child who adored her parents and fully embraced their wandering lifestyle. She is a delightful breath of fresh air-exuberant, open and confident with just a hint of insecurity stemming from her unconventional upbringing. In the aftermath of a tragic loss, Kezia is finally ready to put down some roots when she meets James.
James's childhood was traditional and as an adult, he followed the predictable path to a successful job and marriage. After his divorce, he walked away from both his career and family and James now keeps tight control of every aspect of his life. He is quite enigmatic and it takes him most of the novel to reveal his secrets.
James and Kezia's attraction to one another is sizzling hot and their sex scenes are quite steamy. With James, Kezia is finally able to explore her fantasies of submitting to a dominant partner. James relishes Kezia's submissiveness but he also learns to relinquish control on occasion.
Zara Stoneley's Summer of Surrender is a lovely, angst-free romance that I greatly enjoyed. James and Kezia are extremely charming and likable and they both learn some valuable lessons from one another. The plot is well-developed and unique and there is quite a bit of substance to the overall storyline. A must read for anyone who enjoys erotic romances.
Looking forward to some much needed alone time, James is not at all pleased when he discovers Kezia will be spending the summer with him. He is also less than thrilled by his intense attraction to the bohemian beauty but their passion for one another is impossible to resist. Just as things are heating up between them, their relationship is threatened by someone from Kezia's past.
James and Kezia are a study in contrasts and that is what makes their pairing so wonderful. Kezia is an only child who adored her parents and fully embraced their wandering lifestyle. She is a delightful breath of fresh air-exuberant, open and confident with just a hint of insecurity stemming from her unconventional upbringing. In the aftermath of a tragic loss, Kezia is finally ready to put down some roots when she meets James.
James's childhood was traditional and as an adult, he followed the predictable path to a successful job and marriage. After his divorce, he walked away from both his career and family and James now keeps tight control of every aspect of his life. He is quite enigmatic and it takes him most of the novel to reveal his secrets.
James and Kezia's attraction to one another is sizzling hot and their sex scenes are quite steamy. With James, Kezia is finally able to explore her fantasies of submitting to a dominant partner. James relishes Kezia's submissiveness but he also learns to relinquish control on occasion.
Zara Stoneley's Summer of Surrender is a lovely, angst-free romance that I greatly enjoyed. James and Kezia are extremely charming and likable and they both learn some valuable lessons from one another. The plot is well-developed and unique and there is quite a bit of substance to the overall storyline. A must read for anyone who enjoys erotic romances.
cowmingo's review
1.0
Received from NetGalley.
Sometimes you read a short story and wish it was a full length book. Sometimes you read a full length book and wish it was a short story. At barely 180 pages, I'm not sure what this was but I think it was a little over the top. I feel like it was mostly sex with some plot thrown in just for filler. If you want to write sex, fine, go ahead, I don't care but don't throw in a flimsy plot just for the heck of it. Not one I think I will be recommending.
Sometimes you read a short story and wish it was a full length book. Sometimes you read a full length book and wish it was a short story. At barely 180 pages, I'm not sure what this was but I think it was a little over the top. I feel like it was mostly sex with some plot thrown in just for filler. If you want to write sex, fine, go ahead, I don't care but don't throw in a flimsy plot just for the heck of it. Not one I think I will be recommending.
seadaz's review
2.0
I normally love love love Zara’s stories..this one fell a bit short for me, maybe as it was a short story, so things happened quickly.
James sounds delish, a bit damaged but smouldering!
Kez was a drifter, I was interested in her backstory which came out to readers out of the blue and bizarrely.. just all of a sudden something about sirens and burning..I thought I’d missed a page or two but I hadn’t.
I didn’t find these two to be a good match, but the sex was on fire!
I still have Zara towards the top of my author list, and as soon as she releases a book I’m snapping them up.
James sounds delish, a bit damaged but smouldering!
Kez was a drifter, I was interested in her backstory which came out to readers out of the blue and bizarrely.. just all of a sudden something about sirens and burning..I thought I’d missed a page or two but I hadn’t.
I didn’t find these two to be a good match, but the sex was on fire!
I still have Zara towards the top of my author list, and as soon as she releases a book I’m snapping them up.
cheryls's review
4.0
James doesn’t want anything to do with Kezia when she shows up. His boss, Maria, hired her but Maria won’t be home for a couple weeks. So they are together at the house, alone. They are attracted to each other but neither want to get attached...
For more on this review and others please visit http://www.welovekink.com/category/reviews/by-reviewer/cheryl/
For more on this review and others please visit http://www.welovekink.com/category/reviews/by-reviewer/cheryl/
jaimearkin's review
4.0
3.5 stars –
Kezia has spent her life never worrying about where she’ll be or what she’ll be doing tomorrow. She’s a free-spirit but when her parents are taken from her, she isn’t sure what to do with herself. A chance meeting with a woman named Maria provides her with an opportunity she can’t help but jump on.
Maria’s offer takes her back to the UK and lands her on the front step of a home surrounded by a locked gate… which she decides isn’t going to keep her out.
James had planned to spend the summer in quiet and peace… when he sees a young, beautiful woman climbing his fence in just a dress he wants nothing more than for her to turn back around and leave. But that isn’t going to happen, and he recognizes immediately that she is going to be nothing but trouble for him.
James and Kezia are complete opposites yet they can’t deny the desire and intrigue they have for each other. But James had his fill of relationships and heartbreak in his other life… The one he left behind. And despite how strong Kezia is, she doubts her decisions and wonders if this place is meant for her.
I enjoyed this quick story… and it really is a quick read – less than 200 pages, but within those pages we get some fairly well-developed characters.
Kezia is strong willed and carefree… on the outside. Underneath all that, all she really is looking for is a place to call home, someplace to feel grounded and her own. Instead from the second she meets James, she’s almost unsure of everything she has done. When Maria convinced her to give them a try, she knew she would be leaving her friend Simon behind, but she also knew that what they had wasn’t permanent. Unfortunately he wasn’t of the same mind.
Can I just say right now, that I was suspicious of him from the get-go – he was creepy stalker dude.
James has been burned in the past… his last relationship took everything out of him and he promised himself he wasn’t going to care about anyone that way anymore. James has some obvious control issues, but I honestly really enjoyed his character, even when he was being kind of a jerk. I don’t know what that says about me, but there you have it. Maybe it was the things that came out of his mouth?
”I can make you come,” He took another step closer. Stroked along her lip with one finger, “without touching you where you want me to most.”
“Slightly bigger deal, but if I get in the zone, think the right things…” Her voice tailed off as he eased his thumb between her teeth.
… he just wanted her. To see her surrender, for him. To him.
“All you have to do is say please.”
But this isn’t just a story about two people fighting for control and falling and love… It’s more about submitting and surrendering to the person you love. But there also ends up being a bit of a mystery to this story, because Kezia’s parents died under mysterious circumstances, which you slowly learn as the characters start to reveal more of themselves to each other.
A couple things I wasn’t quite on board with… Kezia’s questioning of her decisions about 2/3 of the way through the story. I felt it was a bit out of character. To me, she didn’t really come across as someone who would let another manipulate her and her feelings. I felt like she was stronger than that the entire book, so when it happened, I was caught off guard.
Another thing… I wasn’t quite sure what this farm/property was exactly. Sex Therapy was thrown around, and James said he was a therapist, but … at times, the place sounded like it was a bit shady. I think I would have liked a bit more explanation as to what exactly was going on at this place when it was actually in business.
If you’re looking for a quick and entertaining read that has a bit of heartbreak mixed with hope and some definite steam and heat filled moments … complex characters that are well-developed and interesting then this story is for you.
Thank you to Harper Impulse for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Kezia has spent her life never worrying about where she’ll be or what she’ll be doing tomorrow. She’s a free-spirit but when her parents are taken from her, she isn’t sure what to do with herself. A chance meeting with a woman named Maria provides her with an opportunity she can’t help but jump on.
Maria’s offer takes her back to the UK and lands her on the front step of a home surrounded by a locked gate… which she decides isn’t going to keep her out.
James had planned to spend the summer in quiet and peace… when he sees a young, beautiful woman climbing his fence in just a dress he wants nothing more than for her to turn back around and leave. But that isn’t going to happen, and he recognizes immediately that she is going to be nothing but trouble for him.
James and Kezia are complete opposites yet they can’t deny the desire and intrigue they have for each other. But James had his fill of relationships and heartbreak in his other life… The one he left behind. And despite how strong Kezia is, she doubts her decisions and wonders if this place is meant for her.
I enjoyed this quick story… and it really is a quick read – less than 200 pages, but within those pages we get some fairly well-developed characters.
Kezia is strong willed and carefree… on the outside. Underneath all that, all she really is looking for is a place to call home, someplace to feel grounded and her own. Instead from the second she meets James, she’s almost unsure of everything she has done. When Maria convinced her to give them a try, she knew she would be leaving her friend Simon behind, but she also knew that what they had wasn’t permanent. Unfortunately he wasn’t of the same mind.
Can I just say right now, that I was suspicious of him from the get-go – he was creepy stalker dude.
James has been burned in the past… his last relationship took everything out of him and he promised himself he wasn’t going to care about anyone that way anymore. James has some obvious control issues, but I honestly really enjoyed his character, even when he was being kind of a jerk. I don’t know what that says about me, but there you have it. Maybe it was the things that came out of his mouth?
”I can make you come,” He took another step closer. Stroked along her lip with one finger, “without touching you where you want me to most.”
“Slightly bigger deal, but if I get in the zone, think the right things…” Her voice tailed off as he eased his thumb between her teeth.
… he just wanted her. To see her surrender, for him. To him.
“All you have to do is say please.”
But this isn’t just a story about two people fighting for control and falling and love… It’s more about submitting and surrendering to the person you love. But there also ends up being a bit of a mystery to this story, because Kezia’s parents died under mysterious circumstances, which you slowly learn as the characters start to reveal more of themselves to each other.
A couple things I wasn’t quite on board with… Kezia’s questioning of her decisions about 2/3 of the way through the story. I felt it was a bit out of character. To me, she didn’t really come across as someone who would let another manipulate her and her feelings. I felt like she was stronger than that the entire book, so when it happened, I was caught off guard.
Another thing… I wasn’t quite sure what this farm/property was exactly. Sex Therapy was thrown around, and James said he was a therapist, but … at times, the place sounded like it was a bit shady. I think I would have liked a bit more explanation as to what exactly was going on at this place when it was actually in business.
If you’re looking for a quick and entertaining read that has a bit of heartbreak mixed with hope and some definite steam and heat filled moments … complex characters that are well-developed and interesting then this story is for you.
Thank you to Harper Impulse for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
More...