A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare

I love Tessa Dare! I've enjoyed her 2 previous trilogies and I was very excited when this book was announced.

It took me a while to finish it -- not because it was difficult to read -- but because it was an utter pleasure to read.

Tessa Dare has a way with words -- and she's added a bit of humor into this new love story. (There is a lamb named Dinner so, every time someone asks what the lamb is, the answer is: "That's Dinner.")

Bram is traveling to Spindle Cove in a last-ditch effort to regain his commission in the army. He has with him his cousin, Colin and his friend, Thorne.

His plan changes when he receives a title (and a castle) and the task of training a militia to protect Spindle Cove.

Susanna is very protective of Spindle Cove, which has become a haven (for her) and for other young women who don't fit society's mold. At Spindle Cove, they are allowed to explore their talents and enjoy their uniqueness.

It is a battle of the sexes as Bram and Susanna seem to want very different things for Spindle Cove --

One of my favorite exchanges is when Bram first visits the tea shop:
"I see. So this place isn't a tavern any longer. It's a tea shop. Instead of real, hearty food we have this assortment of pastel absurdity. You've reduced a hardworking, decent man to piping rosettes to earn his keep."

...

"You'd prefer we offer you a great, bloody slab of meat. Something you can pierce with your fork. Stab with your knife. Conquer, in brutish fashion. A man looks on his food as conquest. But to a woman, it's rebellion. We are all ladies here, and Spindle Cove is our place to taste freedom in small, sweet bites."

But the two cannot deny the attraction they feel for each other -- but they realize that giving in to the other would mean giving up their personal dreams.

It is interesting to see the battles between Bram and Susanna, both external and internal --

The supporting cast are just as lovable and I cannot wait to read their stories next.