A Sinful Surrender

Delilah is so strong and very adventurous. She is trying to conform the way her mother wants her to, but it is very hard. When she hears one of her suitors making some disparaging remarks about her, she just wants some alone time. She is at a very crowded ball and so she ducks into a room. While there she stumbles onto several things that will change her life. She still wanted adventure, well, she got it. Marcus is only trying to clear his father’s name when he comes across a woman standing over a dead man, holding the knife and blood all over her. He knows that she has information that he needs and so he helps her escape without anyone seeing her. What he didn’t expect was to come to care for this courageous woman. He is penniless, will she forsake her cushy life to be with him?

In January 2020 I pre-ordered “A Sinful Surrender” (nook). Wow!!! Three months later and it was worth the wait. I raced right through the story and am quite satisfied. I found humor, love, honor, angst, tension and, a HEA.

Thank you for a marvelous book.

There you have it. It’s what you’ve been waiting for, certainly what I’ve been waiting for. Barely into the story and here it is, another Laura Trentham romantic masterpiece – sweet, poetic, and steamy. Very, very steamy. You’ll quickly become fully immersed in the story and never want to leave.

A Sinful Surrender is the fourth entry in the Spies and Lovers series and begins with a young woman hiding in a library to escape some cruel remarks she has overheard being made about her. Others enter and she hides behind the curtain as an argument and attack take place. When she finally dares to venture out she discovers a dead man, and just when she picks up the murder weapon in an attempt to help the victim a handsome young man barrels through the window and catches her standing there. What a pair. An innocent but adventurous debutante who often underestimates herself but longs for excitement and love and feels that somehow there must be more ahead for her than just settling for Society Life. A disgraced lord with a tarnished name, a dilapidated estate and short of funds but earnest, honest, determined to find out more about his late father and clear his name. And did I mention breathtakingly handsome? They literally stumble upon one another. Delilah doesn’t know if she can trust Marcus or not but he’s her escape from imminent danger, and she doesn’t understand it but finds herself powerless to pull away from him: when near him even her hair felt alive for heaven’s sake! Marcus needs to keep her close to find out if she knows who committed the crime and can be the link to clear his family name. And by the way, Marcus for his part goes all poetic around her, too: “A lady like Delilah should be kissed for the first time under a sun-dappled oak with a spring breeze ruffling her hair” Well, poetic and some other reactions.

It’s not going to be easy for these two. Delilah’s father is a businessman and the only way to get into society is through her hefty dowry. Her mother does not like Marcus and wants Delilah safely married to a “gentleman” of their choosing. The safe route. Her parents are overprotective since her brother died, but don’t really hold her in much esteem. They just want to marry her off, thinking she will be lucky to take whichever man offers marriage (and gets that huge dowry). And then here comes Marcus, through the window, while she is standing next to a corpse. What follows is exciting and dangerous and funny – and did I mention steamy?

Marcus and Delilah take extreme and scandalous measures to get to the bottom of the mystery, the murder, clear the Wyndam family name, and keep each other safe. And all the while their attraction grows stronger and stronger and sweeter and sweeter: “If Mrs. Bancroft hadn’t been eviscerating him to the spine with her gaze, he would have taken Delilah’s hand and laid it over his heart.” How can you not sigh when you read that?

Author Laura Trentham writes one heck of a romance, whether historical or contemporary. The characters are richly drawn and the relationships feel so real and true. And they are funny and brave and foolish and totally lovable (except for the bad guys, of course). You’ll laugh and sigh and worry over their fates. The story is fast moving and you aren’t sure what will happen next and can’t put the book down until you find out.

Thanks to the author for providing an advance copy of A Sinful Surrender in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. I love this series; I love everything Laura Trentham writes and I recommend it all without hesitation.

A debutante, a disgraced lord, and a dead body. Miss Delilah Bancroft has a problem. A sizable and rather bloody one. Namely, a dead man on the library floor. She’d only wished for a moment of solitude out of the glaring eyes of Society. Instead, she’s caught red-handed (unfortunately, literally) by an attractive stranger. Marcus, Lord Wyndam has inherited a decrepit castle and a tainted title. During his desperate search for evidence to silence whispers of treason against his father, he stumbles across a woman holding a deadly stiletto over a body. Is she murderer or pawn? What he knows for sure is that she is his only link to the truth. With enemies beating down the door, he spirits her from the scene before she is discovered with blood on her hands. Delilah proves herself to be a woman of wit and courage as well as beauty, and as the only person who might be able to identify the man behind the plot that ruined his father, Marcus must keep her close.
This is the fourth book in the series & it could easily be read on its own. Fast paced, strong characters & a story that drew me in from the start & held me totally captivated until the end. I love the author’s books, no matter what genre she writes she delivers but it’s her historical books which are my favourite probably because historical romances are my go to genre. I loved both Delilah & Marcus & loved the journey this engrossing read took me on. I just loved it.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

An exciting Regency romance that keeps one in suspense, this novel engaged me at every level from the opening paragraphs. Delilah Bancroft knows that apart from her hefty dowry, she is no catch as the daughter of a cit. However, after overhearing a disparaging conversation about herself, she finds herself taking refuge in a library. Alas, the peace she is looking for evades her when she is discovered with a dead man at her feet. Marcus, the Earl of Wyndam quickly takes the situation in and knowing that Delilah is in danger, persuades her to flee with him. Certainly from then on, the adventure-loving Delilah gets far more excitement than she anticipated. With her feelings growing stronger for Lord Wyndam by the day, she realises that she cannot settle for second best, despite her parents’ wishes for a reputable match. Marcus is desperate to discover the truth about his father’s death and although he knows he is putting Delilah at risk, he cannot afford to let her go in case she is able to identify the man that engineered his father’s disgrace. The plot is well written and thought out, and I love the main characters who despite being somewhat flawed, are determined to get answers that will bring the truth to light. I would have liked to know that Marcus’ father had been cleared of wrong-doing and hopefully the answers will come in a later episode of this series. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.