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A review by 33p3barpercent
Surrender by Pamela Clare
2.0
I'm so disappointed! This book got RAVE reviews both on here and on Amazon. Plus, I really like Pamela Clare's writing, but this one rubbed me the wrong way from the get-go.
So, we've got a displaced, disgraced Scotsman, Iain, who was forced to be a major to fight for the dreaded Brits against the French in the French-Indian war. As Iain and his brothers, along with their fellow Rangers and their "Och!"s and "bonnie"s, are scouting around upstate New York, fighting war tribes. Annie, our heroine, who is actually a high-born Scottish loyalist fell on some hard times (thanks to her gross uncle) and found herself in indentured servitude on the American frontier with some terrible people as her masters. A war party attacks their cabin while Annie's in the barn, and only Annie survives--but just nearly.
She makes a run for it, with an entire tribe of bloodthirsty Indians behind her. She's about to get raped and scalped and whatever else when Iain, defying orders, saves her.
That's the beginning.
The rest of the book, I found myself going, "Jeez, Iain. She's so much WORK. And, really, is not that cool. If I were you, I'd toss her over like a bad job." I mean, she's got frozen feet from the run barefoot in the snow, so he has to carry her miles to the nearest friendly fort; she almost gives them away to four French ships with her gasp; she won't keep her head down in a firefight; she's got more secrets than she knows what to do with; she keeps sending him away with blue balls; and throughout the course of the book, Iain has to save her (he usually gets called back from a mission. When he leaves, he could be hung up for treason) at least nine thousand times. She just keeps getting into trouble! I kept expecting Clare to have her save herself at LEAST once, but no. All Iain, all the time.
Our Annie's a bit of a constant Damsel in Distress, and I might even go so far as to call her TSTL (it's the not-keeping-your-head-down-in-a-firefight that kills me).
A lot of Iain and Annie's problems in the beginning could be washed away if they'd just talk. You know, the big Misunderstanding. But, thankfully, Clare spared us from the Drama and had the revelation of who Annie really is (an Enemy of Clan McKinnon!) be no big deal to Iain.
Also! The biggest problem I had with this book was the sex scenes. I KNOW! No, listen: I do not find it attractive, nor do I think it's at all okay to lend your H&H's intimate scenes a touch of rape. That's not cool. I don't care if she's "aroused against her will." I don't care if he's just being high-handed. If I get a "rape-like" tone, I get turned off. Iain actually mentions one time that he'd like to have sex with Annie "whether or not she consented". At that point, I pulled back on the reins and went, "WHOA, there. Stop for a second."
AND THEN! the first time they get together, it's after Annie nearly gets attacked! NOT OKAY.
And, can we talk about how sick I am of "dream kisses"? I mean, really. Any time an author uses dreaming as a way to move the relationship along just bugs me. Dream kisses, dream fondling, dream lovin' is all just a cheat. It's a short cut, and people should stop using it.
I didn't like the heroine--she didn't do ANYTHING for me. Also, Iain, for all the reviews saying he's so dreamy and wonderful, I probably would run the other direction from him, and not just because he's six foot a billion. Mostly because he wants to have sex with Annie without her consent.
Also, I felt like their attraction came out of nowhere. Ugh. Yeah. Skipping this one, and most likely skipping the rest of the series. I don't trust those rave reviews anymore.
So, we've got a displaced, disgraced Scotsman, Iain, who was forced to be a major to fight for the dreaded Brits against the French in the French-Indian war. As Iain and his brothers, along with their fellow Rangers and their "Och!"s and "bonnie"s, are scouting around upstate New York, fighting war tribes. Annie, our heroine, who is actually a high-born Scottish loyalist fell on some hard times (thanks to her gross uncle) and found herself in indentured servitude on the American frontier with some terrible people as her masters. A war party attacks their cabin while Annie's in the barn, and only Annie survives--but just nearly.
She makes a run for it, with an entire tribe of bloodthirsty Indians behind her. She's about to get raped and scalped and whatever else when Iain, defying orders, saves her.
That's the beginning.
The rest of the book, I found myself going, "Jeez, Iain. She's so much WORK. And, really, is not that cool. If I were you, I'd toss her over like a bad job." I mean, she's got frozen feet from the run barefoot in the snow, so he has to carry her miles to the nearest friendly fort; she almost gives them away to four French ships with her gasp; she won't keep her head down in a firefight; she's got more secrets than she knows what to do with; she keeps sending him away with blue balls; and throughout the course of the book, Iain has to save her (he usually gets called back from a mission. When he leaves, he could be hung up for treason) at least nine thousand times. She just keeps getting into trouble! I kept expecting Clare to have her save herself at LEAST once, but no. All Iain, all the time.
Our Annie's a bit of a constant Damsel in Distress, and I might even go so far as to call her TSTL (it's the not-keeping-your-head-down-in-a-firefight that kills me).
A lot of Iain and Annie's problems in the beginning could be washed away if they'd just talk. You know, the big Misunderstanding. But, thankfully, Clare spared us from the Drama and had the revelation of who Annie really is (an Enemy of Clan McKinnon!) be no big deal to Iain.
Also! The biggest problem I had with this book was the sex scenes. I KNOW! No, listen: I do not find it attractive, nor do I think it's at all okay to lend your H&H's intimate scenes a touch of rape. That's not cool. I don't care if she's "aroused against her will." I don't care if he's just being high-handed. If I get a "rape-like" tone, I get turned off. Iain actually mentions one time that he'd like to have sex with Annie "whether or not she consented". At that point, I pulled back on the reins and went, "WHOA, there. Stop for a second."
AND THEN! the first time they get together, it's after Annie nearly gets attacked! NOT OKAY.
And, can we talk about how sick I am of "dream kisses"? I mean, really. Any time an author uses dreaming as a way to move the relationship along just bugs me. Dream kisses, dream fondling, dream lovin' is all just a cheat. It's a short cut, and people should stop using it.
I didn't like the heroine--she didn't do ANYTHING for me. Also, Iain, for all the reviews saying he's so dreamy and wonderful, I probably would run the other direction from him, and not just because he's six foot a billion. Mostly because he wants to have sex with Annie without her consent.
Also, I felt like their attraction came out of nowhere. Ugh. Yeah. Skipping this one, and most likely skipping the rest of the series. I don't trust those rave reviews anymore.