TEST
When it comes to historical romance, I usually stick to the Regency period. However, after reading Julia Latham’s Sin and Surrender, I feel inspired to delve into the world of medieval romance! The story was great, and Latham really managed to write some interesting personalities. The hero and heroine and the supporting characters are the main reason why I am giving the book such a high grade.
I absolutely loved the heroine – Juliana Gresham. Juliana was adopted by the League of the Blade after her parents’ death. She is portrayed as a very strong character who wants to prove herself to the men in the League. She feels a comfortable camaraderie with the men, and they treat her pretty much as an equal. I liked that she was not all talk; when it came down to her mission she was serious and dedicated. Another thing I really appreciated about Juliana was that she never lost her principles. Even when she finds out about some of the League’s unsavory behavior, she stands strong and defends the people that she considers her family.
Another real bonus: Juliana was not quick to fall for the hero Paul’s charms. Although they had felt drawn to each other years before, Juliana is determined to resist him throughout the story. Every night they must sleep together to create the illusion that Paul is a spoiled prince and Juliana is his mistress. As one can imagine, this leads to many interesting scenes. Every night they go to bed together, and every night I wondered if this was going to be the night that they would consummate their relationship. Latham did an excellent job of building up sexual tension between the characters. They were able to resist (with much difficulty) for quite a while, which made the love scenes much more satisfying.
Paul Hilliard left the League of the Blade after he saw what they did the Juliana’s family. He never really liked the League because they raised him from a young age and never really let him have a childhood. He is drawn back to help with the mission but is not happy about it. However, he feels an immediate need to protect Juliana even though she is assigned as his bodyguard. I loved seeing Juliana successfully defend Paul. His sense of disbelief as Juliana protects him throughout the story was very funny.
The only complaint I really had with this book was that the ending was a bit rushed. When I noticed there were only thirty or so pages left I found myself wondering how Latham was possibly going to tie up all the plot twists into so few pages! The ending was pretty satisfying, but I couldn’t help but wonder why Juliana reacted so calmly when Paul told her the secret about her family at the end. She seemed okay with the shocking news, but I would have liked to read more about what she was thinking and feeling upon hearing about it.
Overall, Sin and Surrender was a great read, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of historical romance! Latham may make a new Medieval convert out of you too.
Grade: B+
Book Type: Medieval Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 29/01/11
Publication Date: 2011/01
Related Reviews
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.