Surrender the Heart

Author: Mary Lu Tyndall
ISBN: 978-1-60260-165-9
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Source: Reader Views

Engaged to be married by way of arrangement, Noah and Marianne have both agreed to the marriage to save their families but are not happy with the arrangement. Though they have grown up together, each of them is vastly different than they used to be. Both have pre-conceived notions about the other, but they are incorrect and based on old would that haven’t healed. On the brink of the war of 1812 these two find themselves facing their worst nightmares. Full of fear and uncertainty they must learn to rely on God and re-trust in him. Their destinies are an outcome with the potential to change the war as well as history, forever. In the end will they find love or walk away as friends united by a common bond?

“Surrender the Heart” is book one of the Surrender to Destiny series. The majority of this book takes place on board sea vessels and is full of action for the reader. The beginning of the book was slow yet steady. It took a couple pages of reading for the book to capture my attention. Once I was captured the novel was hard to put down. The last half of the book was my favorite. I quickly devoured the pages in anticipation. The authors writing style is easy to read and full of action and wit yet gently reminding that God loves us as we are and never leaves us. I enjoyed the writing as well as the action packed story line.

The characters were interesting but never completely captured me. The novel was predictable in terms of romance and mostly held suspense for the action of war and capture of the ships involved. In the end that level of suspense is not high due to the predictability of the romance. I enjoyed reading this novel! I love historical fiction and “Surrender the Heart” captures the brink of the war of 1812 wonderfully. The novel feels realistic to the time period although it is fiction. I could easily imagine most of the events that transpired. I would recommend this book to other readers, particularly those who have an interest in romance, Christian fiction or historical fiction. I look forward to reading the remainder of this series.