Secrets of Surrender

Written by Madeline Hunter
Review by Audrey Braver

Having just surrendered her virginity to Lord Norbury whom she thought intended marriage, Lady Roselyn Longworth was devastated to learn he thought of her as a whore. If that wasn’t bad enough, imagine her shock when in trying to end the relationship, he puts her up for auction at a dinner party. Norbury’s architect, Kyle Bradwell, a man of common birth from the mining areas in northern England, obtains Roselyn with an astounding bid. Between her larcenous brother’s escape to the Continent to avoid hanging and being sold at a house party that rivaled the Hellfire Club in debauchery, Roselyn couldn’t escape scandal no matter how innocent her involvement. The only solution her wealthy and titled relatives could see was marriage to the commoner who had bought her. Of course, Roselyn had other plans altogether.

Madeline Hunter excels in historical romances with unexpected plot twists, strong heroines, wonderful heroes, and Secrets of Surrender has all of that. However, the energy of this post-Napoleonic narrative lags a bit.