''A Night to Surrender'' is a

Regency romance Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811–1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency r ...

written by

Tessa Dare Tessa Dare is a ''New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' bestselling American historical romance novelist. She has authored fifteen novels and novellas and created five different series. In 2012, she won the Romance Writers of America RITA award for ...

and published in 2011. It won a

RITA Award The RITA Award, presented by the Romance Writers of America (RWA) from 1990 to 2019, was the most prominent award for English-language romance fiction. It was named for the RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada. After not being awarded in 202 ...

for Best Regency Historical Romance and the 2011 ''

Romantic Times ''Romantic Times'' was an American magazine, genre magazine specializing in romance novels. It was founded as a newsletter in 1981 by Kathryn Falk. The initial publication took nine months to create and was distributed to 3,000 subscribers. In ...

'' award for Historical Love and Laughter.

Background

''A Night to Surrender'' is the first novel in

's Spindle Cove series. It is a

and was published on August 30, 2011, by Avon. Avon selected the book to participate in its "K.I.S.S. and Teal" program, donating 25 cents to the

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on ovarian cancer research, advocacy and patient support. The organization was formed in January 2016 when the former not-for-profit organization Ovarian Cancer Re ...

for each copy the novel sold.

Plot summary

The novel is set during the

Regency era The Regency era of British history is commonly understood as the years between and 1837, although the official regency for which it is named only spanned the years 1811 to 1820. King George III first suffered debilitating illness in the lat ...

, in the remote seaside community of Spindle Cove. Local woman Susanna Finch has turned the village into a retreat for young ladies who do not quite fit into society. Men are, for the most part, not welcome, so that the ladies can be free to be themselves. Their quiet haven is disrupted with the arrival of the novel's hero, Lieutenant Colonel Victor "Bram" Bramwell. As the new Earl of Rycliff, Bram has inherited a rundown castle on the edge of the village. As rumors fly that Napoleon might invade England, Bram has been assigned to journey to Spindle Cove and organize the local men into a militia. The assignment is important to Bram; he had been injured in battle and wants to prove that he is capable of returning to his command. Susanna is adamantly opposed to changes in how the town operates, leading to a battle of wits between the protagonists.

Reception

The novel received a starred review from ''Publishers Weekly'', which noted the novel's "endearing one-of-a-kind characters" who indulged in "witty conversations that slowly and seamlessly reveal deep truths". In ''The Washington Post'',

Sarah MacLean Sarah MacLean (born December 23, 1978) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling American author of young adult novels and romance novels. Her first adult romance novel, ''Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake'' debuted on the New York Times Best ...

recommended the book as one of her all-time favorite beach reads, highlighting that the book "is as charming as it is sexy". ''

'' named ''A Night to Surrender'' its 2011 Historical Love and Laughter winner. The novel also won the 2012

for Best Regency Historical.

References

RITA Award–winning works American romance novels English-language novels 2011 American novels Regency romance novels Avon (publisher) books {{2010s-romance-novel-stub