MaryLu Tyndall's Surrender the Heart ~ Reviewed

Surrender the Heart
By MaryLu Tyndall
Book 1: Surrender to Destiny series
Barbour Publishing, 2010
ISBN 978-1-60260-165-9


Review by Michelle Griep


On the brink of the War of 1812, Marianne Denton must marry to unlock her inheritance. Without the money, her mother can’t receive medical care and her sister will be destitute. But Noah Brenin needs to sail his cargo to England before the war commences in order to prove his worth to his father and make enough money so he won’t have to marry at all.

When Noah walks out on their engagement party, Marianne chases him down and ends up on his merchantman out at sea. The situation worsens when Noah’s ship encounters a British man-of-war and the couple is impressed into the British navy.

While a young lad’s prophecy of destiny looms over them both, Marianne and Noah are forced to face their darkest fears as they desperately try to escape and fulfill their destinies—destinies that could change the course of the war and history forever.

With vivid detail and a flair for blending fact with fiction, author MaryLu Tyndall takes the reader on a memorable historical voyage. From the dizzying heights of a ratline, down to breathing in the acrid leftover smoke of canon-fire, you’ll become as impressed aboard the British man-of-war as hero Noah and heroine Marianne.

Noah is everything a hero should be—handsome and strong—but not so pristine that he doesn’t have a fault or two. He’s a man on a mission to prove himself to his father. Marianne is headstrong and determined, and therein lies the tension. Noah and Marianne have quite the love/hate relationship going on. At the beginning of the story, it’s more hate than anything, making the reader wonder if these two will ever get their acts together. Never fear, though, for by the end, the pendulum swings completely into the love zone.

And speaking of the end, whewie! There’s a whole lot of action to keep you turning page after page. Just when you think you’ve reached the climax, something ever more devastating happens. Tyndall manages to wrap up every loose plot line by the finish, though.

Surrender the Heart is an intriguing beginning to the ‘Destiny’ trilogy, one which will have you eagerly awaiting the next installment.