Master of Surrender
4 Stars

The year is 1066 and William the Conqueror has invaded England with his legions of knights and mercenaries. Rohan du Luc, a Norman knight and leader of the Blood Swords, William’s elite guard, takes possession of Rossmoor, a Saxon stronghold, and its spirited lady, Isabel Alethorpe. As the conflict between the Saxons and the Normans rages outside the walls of the keep, so does the battle of wills between a woman who would retain her virtue at all costs and a man determined to claim her body, heart and soul.

Although written in 2008, this book shares many similarities with the bodice rippers of the 1980s. Rohan du Luc is a typical medieval hero - autocratic, arrogant and domineering. He sincerely believes that the heroine is his to do with as he wishes and is not shy of expressing his desires quite forcefully.

The heroine, however, is cut from a different cloth. Isabel is feisty and fearless with an exceedingly sharp tongue and more than her share of backbone. Her clashes with Rohan, in and outside the bedchamber, constitute the lions share of the plot and are the best aspect of the book. Although they are hardly equals, Isabel holds her own against the overbearing Rohan and even manages to get the upper hand on occasion. Their romance is intense and steamy, and Tabke certainly knows how to turn on the sexual tension.

The subplot involving Rohan’s diabolical half-brother and his nefarious plans is much weaker with a stereotypical villain and a rather anti-climactic ending. Moreover, there are several unexplained elements that detract from the whole. For instance, how exactly did Rohan and the other Blood Swords escape from the dungeons in Jubb? Moreover, who was Eleanor and why was Henri so furious at Rohan’s perceived betrayal?

The secondary cast is mainly comprised of Rohan’s brothers-in-arms. Each is unique in his own way and they are interesting as a group despite their paucity of page time.

All in all, Master of Surrender is not for readers who prefer their romance civilized and politically correct. The story it true to the time period and as such reflects the violence, brutality and misogynism of 11th century England. Nevertheless, the writing is good, the romance is hot and the action exciting. So give it a try and you might be pleasantly surprised as I was. ( )

3.5 Stars. This was a quick read. It was not a happy romance - but I don't think there were many of those going on during the time that William conquered England. The premise of the blood sword knights is interesting - even though reading about their torture made me squeamish. Overall, I think this will be an action-packed series full of battles, pillaging and romances that cross the battle lines. I hope there is more background on A'isha in the rest of the books... I would like to know why she made the choices she did, how she was disfigured, etc. ( )

tabke allows a gritty, dark glimpse of the "winner take all" culture during the middle ages. Some of the melodramatic scenes can be overlooked as they seem to occur when she is moving the romance component along. Very steamy in some parts, but nothing over the top. ( )

Master of Surrender is very good. I especially enjoyed the back-story of how the hero and his fellow knights began their journey together. It's dark and sinister and very interesting. The heroine was a bit annoying at times...but didn't take away from the overall story....will read from Tabke again. ( )