Surrender of Trust

Surrender Series Book 1

Romance - Historical
237 Pages
Reviewed on 05/18/2016
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Author Biography

From the moment she could put pen to paper, Mariel Grey knew she wanted to be a writer. Like all good adventures however, it didn’t happen overnight; it was after several decades of working in litigation that the desire to create dramatic worlds and characters became too great to ignore. Her first foray into historical romance, Surrender of Trust, explored the grime and glamour of regency horse racing, following the determined but impoverished Lucy Goodwin and upright Lord Chalifour. Her second novel, A Gentleman’s Surrender, released in January 2016, introduced the innocent Lady Monique and tortured Mr. Stanton, both struggling to find love in a world filled with deceit.

Though entirely at home in the ballrooms and street alleys of London past, Mariel Grey is currently working on a contemporary story set in Florida, a landscape dear to the author’s heart. When she isn’t conjuring words on her computer screen, Grey can be found on the water fishing, snorkeling, and enjoying the incredible natural beauty of her home.

Mariel has a wonderful husband (the hero of her own romantic story) as well as a two mischievous rescue kittens (who seem happy to play the roles of villain). In addition to being a dutiful wife and animal wrangler, Mariel is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Ancient City Romance Authors chapter.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite

Raised by just her father and brother, Lucy Goodwin grew up to be an independent spirit with little regard for some of the etiquette society expected of a young lady. But nothing in life had prepared her for the responsibilities she was now facing. Barely recovered from the pain of her father's death, Lucy's world is once again ripped apart when her brother suffers a near fatal accident, leaving her no choice but to take charge. With her brother bedridden, she has to manage all their affairs including their family business, putting their reputation and livelihood in her hands. Running the family business would especially be challenging since not many of their business partners would want to deal with a woman. She soon finds herself thrown into the deep end in sensitive and unclear business transactions her now unconscious brother had set in motion; one with the sleazy Lord Perdon and another with the alluring Marquess of Chalifour. Between keeping the secret of her brother's condition and holding things together, she is in way over her head. The more she tries to find solutions, the deeper she digs herself into a hole of deception and chaos. Should she come clean and risk losing everything or should she go through with her plans anyway, integrity be damned?

Surrender of Trust (Surrender Series Book 1) by Mariel Grey is an absolute masterpiece of a story that sets the standards in what is no doubt going to be a winning Historical Romance series. The language, style, and setting give the story an authenticity in the intended era, combining vibrant and engaging characters and accurate yet effortless depictions of the ways and values of the time to carry your mind back to early 18th century England in this thrilling tale of chaos, deception, and romance. The descriptive writing style and character development are simply ingenious. From the very start, I knew I was in for a historical romance treat and Mariel Grey did not disappoint. Surrender of Trust is by far one of the best novels I have read in the genre.

Trudi LoPreto

Surrender of Trust (Surrender Series Book 1) is a romance story set in the Regency period of the early 1800s where woman were the gentle sex and men protected them. Lucy Goodwin is forced to change the standards when her brother Lucien is injured and lying unconscious after a terrible carriage accident. Lucy needs to save both her brother’s reputation and the family’s thoroughbred horse racing business and she will do whatever it takes. Lord Perdan is the evil villain causing all of the problems by blackmailing Lucien for cheating. Lord Chalifour is the hero who falls in love with Lucy and is willing to do whatever it takes to return honor to the Goodwin family, and become a partner in their business. Lucy desperately wants to handle the situation on her own, even if it means signing illegal papers and offering herself to a man she cannot stand, but she quickly realizes it is more than she is capable of and turns to her friends for help. The result is dependent on the outcome of one night and it will change life for everyone.

Surrender of Trust has adventure, excitement, romance and intrigue from page one until the very end of the story. Mariel Grey has created characters that you will quickly learn to love or hate. I found myself staying up late into the night to see what Lucy would do next and was never disappointed. Surrender of Trust is a well told historical book and perfect for fans of the Regency era; as well as those who enjoy a good horse breeding and racing story. I look forward to reading more in this series and would love to see it become a Hallmark TV continuing story as well.

Kayti Nika Raet

In Surrender of Trust, a Regency era romance by Mariel Grey, Lucy Goodwin is an avid horse enthusiast, who perhaps knows more about horse breeding than is proper for a lady of her time. With no interest in marriage, Lucy is content to help her brother, an up and coming jockey, build his thoroughbred business. But when an accident leaves her brother insensible, Lucy must take on the reins of the business. However, their business will be ruined if anyone finds out that she's the one making the decisions. When she discovers that their family owes debts to a foul character, Lucy must do everything she can to save their livelihood.

Her new business partner, Lord Philip Lyton, Marquess of Chalifour, who is dedicated to ending the cheating that has overtaken the sport, is starting to notice something amiss, especially when Lucy appears so out of her depth. But despite her burgeoning feelings for Lord Chalifour, a man so vigorously against fraud, how can Lucy possibly tell him the truth of her situation?

Surrender of Trust by Mariel Grey is an entertaining romance, with an independent and relatable main character, and an honorable hero. There's definitely quite a bit of spice between the two characters in spite of the time period, and I really enjoyed reading the ways in which Lucy attempted to solve the dire situation. Surrender of Trust by Mariel Grey is the first book in the Surrender series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Fans of Regency romance will enjoy this.