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Disarm #8
Surrender
Bestselling author June Gray’s romances have been praised as “scorching hot”(MsRomantic Reads). Now, in her latest scintillating read, one woman is torn between remembering her past and committing to an unpredictable future...
Julie Keaton had everything—she had a new career in a new city and, more importantly, a bright future with fiance, Jason Sherman. That is, until the day she discovered that he had been killed in Afghanistan. In one moment, her life changed, as everything she’d hoped for died along with him.
Years later and Julie still feels the aftershocks of Jason’s death. She is no longer the same adventurous, open girl; now she wears armor around her heart in order to protect the most important thing in her life—her son.
But when Julie meets the mysterious Neal, she starts to feel the smallest flicker of hope, as what began as a fling quickly becomes something more. Neal is the first man since Jason’s death to break down her armor and make her believe again. But when she discovers the secret he’s been keeping, she has to ask herself: can she surrender to a future with Neal or will Jason’s death forever tie her to the past?
Julie Keaton had everything—she had a new career in a new city and, more importantly, a bright future with fiance, Jason Sherman. That is, until the day she discovered that he had been killed in Afghanistan. In one moment, her life changed, as everything she’d hoped for died along with him.
Years later and Julie still feels the aftershocks of Jason’s death. She is no longer the same adventurous, open girl; now she wears armor around her heart in order to protect the most important thing in her life—her son.
But when Julie meets the mysterious Neal, she starts to feel the smallest flicker of hope, as what began as a fling quickly becomes something more. Neal is the first man since Jason’s death to break down her armor and make her believe again. But when she discovers the secret he’s been keeping, she has to ask herself: can she surrender to a future with Neal or will Jason’s death forever tie her to the past?
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2014
8 people are currently reading
826 people want to read
About the author
June Gray
37 books611 followersI am a writer who likes to titillate and enrage, who revels in breaking the reader's heart and putting it back together again.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 31, 2014
Every once in awhile, I pick up a book and find that it just isn't for me. This was one of those books.
Julie had given up on love. Her parents were awful role models when it came to a healthy relationship and the only man she ever loved was killed. He was deployed to Afghanistan shortly after they got engaged and found out she was pregnant. Five years later, Julie is struggling to raise her son all on her own.
While running on the beach, she meets Neal, a surfer, and they strike up an interesting conversation. It's fun and playful in the beginning but turns serious pretty quick. A little too quickly for my taste. She ends up pushing him away when she finds out he's in the military and again when she discovers he's keeping a big secret.
I really struggled with this book because of the never ending drama and Julie. There was entirely too much going on in this story to make it enjoyable. I wish the author would have focused on building up Julie and Neal's connection rather than just immersing them in one dramatic situation after another. Each time, it was too easily resolved and then we were just immersed in even more drama.
I appreciate the author trying to create a fun and playful relationship between Julie and Neal. I liked that they were silly at times, but eventually the sexual innuendos were just overdone and not funny anymore. It also rubbed me the wrong way that Julie would talk so bad about her dead fiancé one minute, but then later claimed to love him. Which was it? There were too many things about her that I just couldn't look past.
*Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Julie had given up on love. Her parents were awful role models when it came to a healthy relationship and the only man she ever loved was killed. He was deployed to Afghanistan shortly after they got engaged and found out she was pregnant. Five years later, Julie is struggling to raise her son all on her own.
While running on the beach, she meets Neal, a surfer, and they strike up an interesting conversation. It's fun and playful in the beginning but turns serious pretty quick. A little too quickly for my taste. She ends up pushing him away when she finds out he's in the military and again when she discovers he's keeping a big secret.
I really struggled with this book because of the never ending drama and Julie. There was entirely too much going on in this story to make it enjoyable. I wish the author would have focused on building up Julie and Neal's connection rather than just immersing them in one dramatic situation after another. Each time, it was too easily resolved and then we were just immersed in even more drama.
I appreciate the author trying to create a fun and playful relationship between Julie and Neal. I liked that they were silly at times, but eventually the sexual innuendos were just overdone and not funny anymore. It also rubbed me the wrong way that Julie would talk so bad about her dead fiancé one minute, but then later claimed to love him. Which was it? There were too many things about her that I just couldn't look past.
*Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
September 22, 2020
2.5 Still not great stars
I'll give this a half star higher rating than the first two. This was as horrible as the first two, but still just not great. If it wasn't for my vow to finish a lot of old books off my TBR, I would've DNF'd this series 20 pages into the first book. So I looked a little further into this author and apparently she hasn't written anything in the last 5 years. I have no idea how hard it is to be an author, I don't pretend to know, but I think this author really needs more practice and exposure to really good writing.
I'll give this a half star higher rating than the first two. This was as horrible as the first two, but still just not great. If it wasn't for my vow to finish a lot of old books off my TBR, I would've DNF'd this series 20 pages into the first book. So I looked a little further into this author and apparently she hasn't written anything in the last 5 years. I have no idea how hard it is to be an author, I don't pretend to know, but I think this author really needs more practice and exposure to really good writing.
October 11, 2014
I really enjoyed this book! Great story and characters :)
February 26, 2016
Salve amiche, pronte a sentir parlare dell'ultimo capitolo della trilogia Disarm? Sì lo so, come me molte di voi saranno tristi perché la Gray è una di quelle scrittrici che ti riempie il cuore, ed anche in quest'ultimo capitolo è riuscita nel suo intento. Bene, oggi grazie al romanzo donato dalla Newton Compton Editori vi parlo in anteprima di questo romanzo fantastico, "Il ritorno", in uscita il 18 febbraio, e sicuramente molte di voi (me compresa) partirà all'assalto della libreria per avere la sua copia della storia. Nei libri precedenti abbiamo conosciuto Elsie e Henry, una storia che ho amato tanto per il loro amore tormentato, ma qualcosa in quel racconto mi spingeva ed essere sempre più incuriosirmi del fratello di Elsie, Jason Sherman. Che ogni volta che lo elogiavano non si faceva che ricordare che era morto, ma allo stesso tempo era stata una persona magnifica. Se ben ricordate nei libri precedenti si è scoperto che Jason aveva una fidanzata ed ella alla sua morte era in attesa di suo figlio. Ed ora eccoci qui, dopo un po' di attesa ho finalmente soddisfatto la mia curiosità, perché qui, in quest'ultimo romanzo, conosceremo Julie.
Come già avevo immaginato non poteva che essere una donna forte, ha preso in mano le redini della sua vita e crescendo anche suo figlio da sola. Ma per quanto si possa essere forte e coraggiosa infondo al suo cuore c'è uno spazio ancora vuoto: quello lasciato dall'amore. Julie già ha provato a far entrare un uomo nella sua vita. Un uomo onesto, gentile, un ottimo padre per Will, ed è per questo che lo sposa, sa che il suo futuro potrebbe prendere una piega diversa contando su un'altra persona. Ma se questa persona non ci fa battere il cuore e non si sente vicina non si chiama amore, bensì affetto. Quando Julie capisce veramente le sue emozioni decide di divorziare, tornare da sola ad affrontare la vita. Tutto inizia con una corsa all'alba, il desiderio di Julie è quello di essere liberi e volare all'orizzonte, ma quando poco dopo accanto a lei si ferma un uomo affascinate e scherzoso tutta la sua attenzione è su di lui. L'attrazione tra i due è come un fuoco rovente, così tanto che già al loro secondo incontro Julie si lascia invadere da quelle mani esperte pronte a far riaccendere il suo corpo. Tutto inizia così, per un'attrazione e per un destino intrecciati tra loro. Julie capisce che il sentimento tra loro è qualcosa che non sentiva da tempo e Neal è un uomo tranquillo ma allo stesso tempo passionale. Decide così di nascondere di avere un figlio e lasciarsi andare ad una notte di passione con lui, raccontando a stessa che è solo sesso.
<>. <>, sussurrai.
Ma se tutto a un tratto si capisse che Neal si è l'uomo di cui ha bisogno? Riuscirà questa volta a far prendere le redini della sua vita ad un uomo libero, mai fermo nello stesso posto? Ma oltre questo, Neal è un uomo troppo perfetto, quali segreti si nascondono dietro di lui? Una storia emozionante che ho amato in ogni momento, ammetto di aver pianto come una bimba per le tante scene drammatiche. In questo libro non si nasconde solo una storia passionale, un erotic-romance, ma c'è dentro una storia d'amore, di sofferenza, di forza di fronte ad una vita che c'è andata giù pesante. Una storia di un amore che ci fa credere che c'è sempre speranza, che non bisogna mai mollare la presa. Una vita piena di ostacoli, ma che molto spesso ci rivela una forza in noi stessi che non sappiamo di avere. E come dice il protagonista, Neal: "Tutto accade per una ragione. Non
dobbiamo temere per i nostri cari, perché andranno via comunque quando la vita lo deciderà, semplicemente quando sarà la nostra ora." Non mettendoci a rischio e mettendoci a corteggiare la morte, non è così che troveremo una soluzione più facile a questa vita. Questo libro ci insegna che le persone sono preziose, che devono essere vissute ogni giorno, non solo quando sappiamo che qualcosa o qualcuno ce le porta via. Un indimenticabile lieto fine adatto a questa trilogia capace di aprire la mente di tutti. Spero di avervi incuriositi perché è una storia imperdibile e magica di sensazioni. Vi abbraccio tutti e mi auguro che mi direte quanto prima le vostre impressioni, a presto. Mary.
Come già avevo immaginato non poteva che essere una donna forte, ha preso in mano le redini della sua vita e crescendo anche suo figlio da sola. Ma per quanto si possa essere forte e coraggiosa infondo al suo cuore c'è uno spazio ancora vuoto: quello lasciato dall'amore. Julie già ha provato a far entrare un uomo nella sua vita. Un uomo onesto, gentile, un ottimo padre per Will, ed è per questo che lo sposa, sa che il suo futuro potrebbe prendere una piega diversa contando su un'altra persona. Ma se questa persona non ci fa battere il cuore e non si sente vicina non si chiama amore, bensì affetto. Quando Julie capisce veramente le sue emozioni decide di divorziare, tornare da sola ad affrontare la vita. Tutto inizia con una corsa all'alba, il desiderio di Julie è quello di essere liberi e volare all'orizzonte, ma quando poco dopo accanto a lei si ferma un uomo affascinate e scherzoso tutta la sua attenzione è su di lui. L'attrazione tra i due è come un fuoco rovente, così tanto che già al loro secondo incontro Julie si lascia invadere da quelle mani esperte pronte a far riaccendere il suo corpo. Tutto inizia così, per un'attrazione e per un destino intrecciati tra loro. Julie capisce che il sentimento tra loro è qualcosa che non sentiva da tempo e Neal è un uomo tranquillo ma allo stesso tempo passionale. Decide così di nascondere di avere un figlio e lasciarsi andare ad una notte di passione con lui, raccontando a stessa che è solo sesso.
<>. <>, sussurrai.
Ma se tutto a un tratto si capisse che Neal si è l'uomo di cui ha bisogno? Riuscirà questa volta a far prendere le redini della sua vita ad un uomo libero, mai fermo nello stesso posto? Ma oltre questo, Neal è un uomo troppo perfetto, quali segreti si nascondono dietro di lui? Una storia emozionante che ho amato in ogni momento, ammetto di aver pianto come una bimba per le tante scene drammatiche. In questo libro non si nasconde solo una storia passionale, un erotic-romance, ma c'è dentro una storia d'amore, di sofferenza, di forza di fronte ad una vita che c'è andata giù pesante. Una storia di un amore che ci fa credere che c'è sempre speranza, che non bisogna mai mollare la presa. Una vita piena di ostacoli, ma che molto spesso ci rivela una forza in noi stessi che non sappiamo di avere. E come dice il protagonista, Neal: "Tutto accade per una ragione. Non
dobbiamo temere per i nostri cari, perché andranno via comunque quando la vita lo deciderà, semplicemente quando sarà la nostra ora." Non mettendoci a rischio e mettendoci a corteggiare la morte, non è così che troveremo una soluzione più facile a questa vita. Questo libro ci insegna che le persone sono preziose, che devono essere vissute ogni giorno, non solo quando sappiamo che qualcosa o qualcuno ce le porta via. Un indimenticabile lieto fine adatto a questa trilogia capace di aprire la mente di tutti. Spero di avervi incuriositi perché è una storia imperdibile e magica di sensazioni. Vi abbraccio tutti e mi auguro che mi direte quanto prima le vostre impressioni, a presto. Mary.
September 10, 2014
4.25 Stars
Review by Jen Hagen
I read the author’s Disarm series and fell in love with her writing. Ms. Grey can write a beautiful romance story while still putting us through the possibility of heartbreak and the wonderful feeling of angst that I have found is a prerequisite in order for me to really fall in love with a book. I don’t like a cookie cutter romance story and I don’t like weak characters – and I am so grateful that the author does neither of those. I don’t recall her Disarm series being as steamy as this current novel, and although one of these main characters is a by-product of that series, I believe that you could read Surrender without ever having read the Disarm series. Eliza and Henry make brief appearances but are not a focal point.
Julie was in a relationship with Jason (the brother to the female main character in Disarm) and was pregnant with his child when Jason was killed in Afghanistan while serving our country. Julie had always had a difficult time owning up to her admittance that she loved Jason, and this was a constraint in their relationship, but Jason accepted it as being part of Julie and never let it hold him back from telling her how much he loved her. Julie lives with regret every day knowing that Jason died without her being able to tell him how much he really meant to her and that she wanted a life with him.
Julie lives in Dallas and is in California for the wedding of Eliza and Henry when she stumbles upon a gorgeous surfer one chilly early morning while out for a beach run. Their banter immediately sets the tone for what their future conversations will entitle.
“There’s definitely some shrinkage going on.” I burst out laughing, taken aback by his crude kind of charm, the kind I liked best.
Neal lives at extended-stay hotels with really no place to call home. His freelance computer programming allows him to move from city to city, with an occasional stay required. Neal has previously served his country by being a full-time Air Force member, but has now stepped down to the reserves. He loves to serve his country and it is embedded into him to serve wholeheartedly. Neal is a fun guy with a positive attitude – he doesn’t fear death – and this is bothersome to Julie. Neal wants to be there for Julie and her son, Will. Julie just cannot give herself to anybody again. Neal also is hiding a deep secret that will threaten to end their new relationship when it is revealed.
“I love you. But I know longer trust you.”
As Julie works through forgiving Neal, news comes in that Neal is heading out for another tour of duty. Julie doesn’t want to think about what could happen to her heart if another piece of it doesn’t make it home alive. She is ready to use every excuse she can to push Neal far away from her and she can push really hard. One last night before he leaves is a goodbye gift to both of them, and following that is a heartbreaking goodbye.
“Bye Julie. I wish you the best in life.”
Neal is not afraid of death. He will not fear it no matter when or where it calls. He has always been a believer in we all have to die at some point and he knows when time's is up, there’s nothing he can do about it. During his tour he has the opportunity to see death looking through the windows, but does she knock? Does Neal receive Julie’s message in time?
“I’m waiting for you.”
Review by Jen Hagen
I read the author’s Disarm series and fell in love with her writing. Ms. Grey can write a beautiful romance story while still putting us through the possibility of heartbreak and the wonderful feeling of angst that I have found is a prerequisite in order for me to really fall in love with a book. I don’t like a cookie cutter romance story and I don’t like weak characters – and I am so grateful that the author does neither of those. I don’t recall her Disarm series being as steamy as this current novel, and although one of these main characters is a by-product of that series, I believe that you could read Surrender without ever having read the Disarm series. Eliza and Henry make brief appearances but are not a focal point.
Julie was in a relationship with Jason (the brother to the female main character in Disarm) and was pregnant with his child when Jason was killed in Afghanistan while serving our country. Julie had always had a difficult time owning up to her admittance that she loved Jason, and this was a constraint in their relationship, but Jason accepted it as being part of Julie and never let it hold him back from telling her how much he loved her. Julie lives with regret every day knowing that Jason died without her being able to tell him how much he really meant to her and that she wanted a life with him.
Julie lives in Dallas and is in California for the wedding of Eliza and Henry when she stumbles upon a gorgeous surfer one chilly early morning while out for a beach run. Their banter immediately sets the tone for what their future conversations will entitle.
“There’s definitely some shrinkage going on.” I burst out laughing, taken aback by his crude kind of charm, the kind I liked best.
Neal lives at extended-stay hotels with really no place to call home. His freelance computer programming allows him to move from city to city, with an occasional stay required. Neal has previously served his country by being a full-time Air Force member, but has now stepped down to the reserves. He loves to serve his country and it is embedded into him to serve wholeheartedly. Neal is a fun guy with a positive attitude – he doesn’t fear death – and this is bothersome to Julie. Neal wants to be there for Julie and her son, Will. Julie just cannot give herself to anybody again. Neal also is hiding a deep secret that will threaten to end their new relationship when it is revealed.
“I love you. But I know longer trust you.”
As Julie works through forgiving Neal, news comes in that Neal is heading out for another tour of duty. Julie doesn’t want to think about what could happen to her heart if another piece of it doesn’t make it home alive. She is ready to use every excuse she can to push Neal far away from her and she can push really hard. One last night before he leaves is a goodbye gift to both of them, and following that is a heartbreaking goodbye.
“Bye Julie. I wish you the best in life.”
Neal is not afraid of death. He will not fear it no matter when or where it calls. He has always been a believer in we all have to die at some point and he knows when time's is up, there’s nothing he can do about it. During his tour he has the opportunity to see death looking through the windows, but does she knock? Does Neal receive Julie’s message in time?
“I’m waiting for you.”
February 21, 2016
Ed eccoci arrivati al terzo ed ultimo volume della amatissima serie Disarm di June Gray. Questa volta i protagonisti non sono Henry e Elsie, che tanto ci hanno fatto penare nei primi due volumi.
Questo romanzo è infatti uno stand alone tranquillamente leggibile in autonomia, è vero che avevamo incontrato la protagonista Julie nei precedenti, ma erano delle brevi apparizioni del tutto irrilevanti.
Questa storia è molto passionale, oserei dire bollente.
Non amo i personaggi deboli, e di Julie tutto si può dire tranne che lo sia.
La Gray crea una protagonista femminile molto decisa, che affronta con forza e carattere tutti gli ostacoli che la vita le pone davanti, ma attenzione, questo non significa che lei non abbia dei punti deboli o delle fragilità.
Per coloro che non hanno letto i due precedenti libri della serie o che non li ricordi, spendiamo un attimo di tempo per individuarla. Julie è la fidanzata di Jason che è morto in Afghanistan. Jason è il fratello maggiore di Elsie, nonchè amico di Henry, la coppia protagonista dei due libri precedenti.
Julie quando Jason è partito in missione era incinta di Will, loro figlio, purtroppo Jason non conoscerà mai il bambino.
Julie con grande forza di carattere ha cresciuto Will da sola, con tutte le problematiche che l'essere una mamma single comporta. Ora Will ha 5 anni.
La storia inizia con Julie e Will a casa dei nonni paterni per assistere al matrimonio di Elsie e Henry, ed è proprio qui che Julie incontra Neal, e da subito tra i due esplode un incendio, un'attrazione immediata.
Lei non è sicuramente una donna inibita. Vuole una cosa e se la prende senza farsi troppi scrupoli. Naturalmente è anche mamma, quindi il tutto nella sua testa è relegato a una parentesi di qualche giorno senza coinvolgimenti per Will.
Ho apprezzato molto il carattere di Julie, che è di fondo uno spirito libero. Lei pian piano si apre al suo primo e unico amore e dopo la sua morte si dedica esclusivamente al benessere del figlio. Arrivati a questo punto, dopo 5 anni cerca di riappropriarsi della sua parte passionale e della sua identità senza perdere mai di vista l'obbiettivo primario che è la salvaguardia di Will.
Durante la narrazione, sicuramente molto complessa ma portata avanti magistralmente, ci verranno raccontati molti scorci anche della vita di Jason. E' molto interessante come la storia di Jason con Julie ci venga svelata man mano che progredisce anche la vicenda amorosa di Julie con Neal, questo ci fa capire meglio Julie, e ce la fa conoscere in tutte le sue sfaccettature e debolezze.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE CLICCA QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
Questo romanzo è infatti uno stand alone tranquillamente leggibile in autonomia, è vero che avevamo incontrato la protagonista Julie nei precedenti, ma erano delle brevi apparizioni del tutto irrilevanti.
Questa storia è molto passionale, oserei dire bollente.
Non amo i personaggi deboli, e di Julie tutto si può dire tranne che lo sia.
La Gray crea una protagonista femminile molto decisa, che affronta con forza e carattere tutti gli ostacoli che la vita le pone davanti, ma attenzione, questo non significa che lei non abbia dei punti deboli o delle fragilità.
Per coloro che non hanno letto i due precedenti libri della serie o che non li ricordi, spendiamo un attimo di tempo per individuarla. Julie è la fidanzata di Jason che è morto in Afghanistan. Jason è il fratello maggiore di Elsie, nonchè amico di Henry, la coppia protagonista dei due libri precedenti.
Julie quando Jason è partito in missione era incinta di Will, loro figlio, purtroppo Jason non conoscerà mai il bambino.
Julie con grande forza di carattere ha cresciuto Will da sola, con tutte le problematiche che l'essere una mamma single comporta. Ora Will ha 5 anni.
La storia inizia con Julie e Will a casa dei nonni paterni per assistere al matrimonio di Elsie e Henry, ed è proprio qui che Julie incontra Neal, e da subito tra i due esplode un incendio, un'attrazione immediata.
Lei non è sicuramente una donna inibita. Vuole una cosa e se la prende senza farsi troppi scrupoli. Naturalmente è anche mamma, quindi il tutto nella sua testa è relegato a una parentesi di qualche giorno senza coinvolgimenti per Will.
Ho apprezzato molto il carattere di Julie, che è di fondo uno spirito libero. Lei pian piano si apre al suo primo e unico amore e dopo la sua morte si dedica esclusivamente al benessere del figlio. Arrivati a questo punto, dopo 5 anni cerca di riappropriarsi della sua parte passionale e della sua identità senza perdere mai di vista l'obbiettivo primario che è la salvaguardia di Will.
Durante la narrazione, sicuramente molto complessa ma portata avanti magistralmente, ci verranno raccontati molti scorci anche della vita di Jason. E' molto interessante come la storia di Jason con Julie ci venga svelata man mano che progredisce anche la vicenda amorosa di Julie con Neal, questo ci fa capire meglio Julie, e ce la fa conoscere in tutte le sue sfaccettature e debolezze.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE CLICCA QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
November 4, 2014
Complimentary copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved June Gray’s Disarm series. It’s rare that I enjoy military romances, however as a military spouse herself, Ms. Gray certainly knows what she is writing about and easily captures the heartbreak and happiness that is unique to a military couple or family.
Surrender, while not necessarily part of the Disarm series, includes characters introduced in the two novels. It is not necessary to have read them, and this book is a standalone as well with an HEA. I do however suggest reading Disarm and Arrest, not only are they excellent books, but you’ll connect with the characters in this book a little more. This book is the story of Julie; the almost sister in law of Elsie; and Neal, a friend of Elsie’s husband Henry.
Julie is a single mom, living in the Dallas area. She was engaged to Jason, Elsie’s brother whom was killed in action in Afghanistan. It wasn’t until her son was a few years old that she met Jason’s parents and she instantly became a part of the family. It is at the wedding of Elsie and Henry in their hometown of Monterey that she meets Neal on the beach.
Neal is a tall, hot, surfer that is also from out of town. While Julie isn’t necessarily a hook-up kind of girl, the two are immediately attracted to each other. When it turns out that Neal is also a guest at the wedding, the two begin to consider a relationship, however they both have their secrets. What will happen when Neal learns that Julie is a single mom? What is the secret that Neal is keeping that could ruin their relationship and leave Julie resenting him forever?
In addition to the secrets they are both keeping, is the fact that Neal is an Air Force reservist. Julie has sworn to never again date a man in the military out of fear that once again, she’ll be left a war widow. When she gives Neal an ultimatum of her or the military, what will he choose and what will be the consequence of that choice?
Surrender was another emotional well-written book but for some reason, it just lacked that extra something that the Disarm series had. I’m not sure if it was the difference in characters (I had a little harder time relating to Julie than I did to Elsie) but this one didn’t affect me nearly as much as the books that told Elsie and Henry’s story. Part of it may be that Elsie is a much stronger character than Julie; Julie seemed to be a little more dramatic, especially when it came to Neal’s status as a reservist.
That said, I did enjoy Surrender and Ms. Gray has a definite fan in me. This is a strong four star read and if you’re a fan of military romance, especially those that show the real life aspects of it (sorry, it’s not all An Officer and a Gentleman), these books are for you.
I absolutely loved June Gray’s Disarm series. It’s rare that I enjoy military romances, however as a military spouse herself, Ms. Gray certainly knows what she is writing about and easily captures the heartbreak and happiness that is unique to a military couple or family.
Surrender, while not necessarily part of the Disarm series, includes characters introduced in the two novels. It is not necessary to have read them, and this book is a standalone as well with an HEA. I do however suggest reading Disarm and Arrest, not only are they excellent books, but you’ll connect with the characters in this book a little more. This book is the story of Julie; the almost sister in law of Elsie; and Neal, a friend of Elsie’s husband Henry.
Julie is a single mom, living in the Dallas area. She was engaged to Jason, Elsie’s brother whom was killed in action in Afghanistan. It wasn’t until her son was a few years old that she met Jason’s parents and she instantly became a part of the family. It is at the wedding of Elsie and Henry in their hometown of Monterey that she meets Neal on the beach.
Neal is a tall, hot, surfer that is also from out of town. While Julie isn’t necessarily a hook-up kind of girl, the two are immediately attracted to each other. When it turns out that Neal is also a guest at the wedding, the two begin to consider a relationship, however they both have their secrets. What will happen when Neal learns that Julie is a single mom? What is the secret that Neal is keeping that could ruin their relationship and leave Julie resenting him forever?
In addition to the secrets they are both keeping, is the fact that Neal is an Air Force reservist. Julie has sworn to never again date a man in the military out of fear that once again, she’ll be left a war widow. When she gives Neal an ultimatum of her or the military, what will he choose and what will be the consequence of that choice?
Surrender was another emotional well-written book but for some reason, it just lacked that extra something that the Disarm series had. I’m not sure if it was the difference in characters (I had a little harder time relating to Julie than I did to Elsie) but this one didn’t affect me nearly as much as the books that told Elsie and Henry’s story. Part of it may be that Elsie is a much stronger character than Julie; Julie seemed to be a little more dramatic, especially when it came to Neal’s status as a reservist.
That said, I did enjoy Surrender and Ms. Gray has a definite fan in me. This is a strong four star read and if you’re a fan of military romance, especially those that show the real life aspects of it (sorry, it’s not all An Officer and a Gentleman), these books are for you.
November 26, 2016
Recensione di Paola per il blog http://lettriciimpertinenti.blogspot....
Care lettrici impertinenti siamo arrivate all’ultimo capitolo della serie Disarm di June Gray,una serie che personalmente ho davvero adorato, che ci ha fatto battere il cuore, appassionare e commuovere fino alle lacrime e vi assicuro che l’autrice non ci ha risparmiato emozioni fino alla fine!
La protagonista del romanzo è Julie, l’adorabile cognata della nostra Elsie che avevamo avuto già il piacere di conoscere precedentemente e la cui storia mi aveva molto colpito e toccato.
Julie è sempre stata una ragazza indipendente e spensierata, visto il cattivo esempio dei genitori non ha mai creduto né cercato l’amore benché meno una storia seria. E poi un giorno è arrivato lui, Jason, che con la sua dolcezza, la sua passione e la sua determinazione ha capovolto il mondo di Julie. Nonostante dubbi, paure e riserve, per la prima volta Julie aveva sentito di poter amare davvero qualcuno e poter pensare ad un futuro insieme. Ma all’improvviso i suoi sogni si sono infranti: l’uomo che le aveva chiesto di sposarla è morto in guerra e l’ha lasciata sola e incinta di suo figlio.
Sono passati 5 anni ormai da quel terribile giorno: Julie è ora mamma di un bellissimo bambino,Will, è riuscita ad andare avanti, ha messo da parte il dolore che le ha straziato il cuore per il bene di suo figlio, per quella creatura indifesa che le ha regalato la gioia più grande che una donna possa provare. Molti sono stati i momenti difficili, le scelte sbagliate e le volte in cui avrebbe voluto mollare tutto, ma Julie è riuscita a dare a lei e al suo bimbo una vita tranquilla e soddisfacente. E’ riuscita anche ad allacciare i rapporti con i genitori e la sorella di Jason regalando così a Will una famiglia in cui è amato e adorato. Eppure quando scende la sera, Julie si ritrova sola a fare i conti con il suo dolore, sente che nella sua vita manca qualcosa, che quel sentimento che ha provato in passato per un unico uomo seppur spaventandola le aveva riempito la vita.
A volte però il destino ci mette proprio lo zampino e durante le nozze di Elsie, Julie conosce un uomo stupendo, sexy e simpatico che la attrae fin da subito in un modo che non avrebbe mai creduto. Neal, questo ragazzo tutto muscoli e sorrisi abbaglianti, risveglia in lei una passione ormai sopita e le regala una intensa notte d’amore seguita da un’altrettanto eccitante weekend a Las Vegas! Per un breve momento Julie è in grado di provare ancora quel trasporto e quelle sensazioni intense che facevano parte del passato. Ma le sue aspettative vengono spezzate nell’istante in cui scopre che Neil è un soldato e che da un momento all’altro potrebbe essere richiamato in guerra. Julie è terrorizzata, non può di nuovo provare quel dolore tremendo dopo la morte di Jason, non riuscirebbe a sopportare di perdere ancora una persona che in così poco tempo è diventata tanto importante, ora la sua vita ruota tutto intorno a Will e non può permettersi di ricadere nella sofferenza. Ma la strada verso la felicità è ancora lunga per Julie e forse è stato davvero il destino a farle incontrare Neil perché un segreto sbucato dal passato riapre vecchie ferite e metterà a dura prova il loro rapporto. Sarà capace Julie di riuscire a superare le sue più grandi paure e lasciare che un nuovo amore completi finalmente la sua vita?
Davvero perfetto questo finale di stagione!! La serie non poteva concludersi in modo più emozionante! La storia di Julie è la più struggente e tenera e un libro dedicato a lei non poteva mancare! Come si può non provare empatia per questa ragazza?! La sua è una vicenda fatta di sofferenza e speranza, di salite e discese e per lei potevamo solo sperare un happy ending!
Julie era stata fortunata nella vita:aveva trovato l’uomo perfetto, l’uomo della sua vita, quello che sognano un po’ tutte le ragazze, un uomo meraviglioso che non ha paura di impegnarsi e che vuole condividere la vita con la donna che ama. E poi un giorno Jason non c’è più, tutta la felicità è svanita in un attimo, e quello che rimane a Julie sono solo i ricordi e un bellissimo bambino, un pezzetto dell’uomo che ha amato. E allora proviamo ancora più pena per la sventura che le è capitata, per quel destino ingiusto che le ha portato via una parte del cuore.Julie è davvero un bel personaggio, una donna imperfetta, afflitta da numerose paure ma semplicemente reale. E’ una mamma che da tutto per suo figlio, che mette da parte la sua vita privata per stargli accanto, ma è anche una donna, bella e ancora giovane che ha bisogno di provare ancora quella passione e quel trasporto per un altro essere umano.E’ uno di quei personaggi che ti entrano nel cuore, determinata e fragile allo stesso tempo e la sua vicenda è reale, attuale e non così scontata come potremmo pensare. Nonostante abbia costantemente riserve a lasciarsi andare e provare di nuovo sentimenti per qualcuno, comprendiamo in pieno le sue paure, non gliene facciamo una colpa. Durante il racconto vi capiterà di giudicare un po’ eccessivi tutti i problemi e i dubbi che si presentano ogni volta che Julie sta per buttarsi in qualcosa di nuovo, ma se proverete anche solo un momento a mettervi nei suoi panni capirete che sofferenza sia stata per lei perdere il suo amore, una sofferenza che l’autrice ha saputo trasmetterci senza però rendere troppo drammatica la storia e lasciandoci la speranza del lieto fine!
Anche il personaggio di Neal mi è piaciuto molto: un uomo dolce e passionale, un po’ fatalista ma di sicuro consapevole di ciò che è importante nella vita. La sua devozione per il paese lo spinge a correre dei pericoli ma il fatto che lotti per ciò in cui crede ce lo fa apprezzare ancora di più. Capisce subito di provare un sentimento forte per Julie, di essersi affezionato a Will e lo vediamo lottare con tutte le sue forze per tenersi stretto le persone che ama, nonostante conservi nel cuore un segreto che potrebbe compromettere la sua relazione con Julie.
In questo romanzo abbiamo poi l’occasione di conoscere un po’ di più anche Jason, un personaggio che è stato praticamente sempre presente in tutta la trilogia, pur rimanendo nell’ombra. Attraverso gli occhi di Julie scopriamo che uomo meraviglioso fosse e sono sicura che capirà anche a voi di pensare perché Julie è stata così sfortunata da perderlo, perché non è la loro storia d’amore che leggiamo, perché la vita è stata così ingiusta con questa coppia!? Ma poi ci rendiamo conto che purtroppo è anche questa la vita, che queste cose accadono sul serio intorno a noi e i personaggi descritti sono molto più reali di quello che possiamo immaginare.
Questo libro ci parla della sofferenza, della perdita di persone care, della paura di restare soli, ma ci racconta anche la rinascita, il risveglio dell’amore e delle emozioni. Ci fa capire che anche un cuore spezzato e ferito dal dolore più grande può essere curato, che la vita per quanto possa essere dura va vissuta fino all’ultimo respiro e le persone che abbiamo amato anche se non ci sono più continuano ad esistere nel nostro cuore.
Lo stile dell’autrice è sempre fluido e lineare, con flashback sapientemente inseriti che ci danno la possibilità di conoscere i personaggi a tutto tondo. La vicenda è coinvolgente, struggente e passionale, cattura il lettore immergendolo nella storia e le scene hot la rendono più piccante ! Se avete divorato i primi due romanzi non potete davvero farvi scappare questo!
Quindi mie care impertinenti, preparate i fazzolettini e una buona dose di cioccolata e lasciatevi emozionare da questo romanzo fatato!!
Care lettrici impertinenti siamo arrivate all’ultimo capitolo della serie Disarm di June Gray,una serie che personalmente ho davvero adorato, che ci ha fatto battere il cuore, appassionare e commuovere fino alle lacrime e vi assicuro che l’autrice non ci ha risparmiato emozioni fino alla fine!
La protagonista del romanzo è Julie, l’adorabile cognata della nostra Elsie che avevamo avuto già il piacere di conoscere precedentemente e la cui storia mi aveva molto colpito e toccato.
Julie è sempre stata una ragazza indipendente e spensierata, visto il cattivo esempio dei genitori non ha mai creduto né cercato l’amore benché meno una storia seria. E poi un giorno è arrivato lui, Jason, che con la sua dolcezza, la sua passione e la sua determinazione ha capovolto il mondo di Julie. Nonostante dubbi, paure e riserve, per la prima volta Julie aveva sentito di poter amare davvero qualcuno e poter pensare ad un futuro insieme. Ma all’improvviso i suoi sogni si sono infranti: l’uomo che le aveva chiesto di sposarla è morto in guerra e l’ha lasciata sola e incinta di suo figlio.
Sono passati 5 anni ormai da quel terribile giorno: Julie è ora mamma di un bellissimo bambino,Will, è riuscita ad andare avanti, ha messo da parte il dolore che le ha straziato il cuore per il bene di suo figlio, per quella creatura indifesa che le ha regalato la gioia più grande che una donna possa provare. Molti sono stati i momenti difficili, le scelte sbagliate e le volte in cui avrebbe voluto mollare tutto, ma Julie è riuscita a dare a lei e al suo bimbo una vita tranquilla e soddisfacente. E’ riuscita anche ad allacciare i rapporti con i genitori e la sorella di Jason regalando così a Will una famiglia in cui è amato e adorato. Eppure quando scende la sera, Julie si ritrova sola a fare i conti con il suo dolore, sente che nella sua vita manca qualcosa, che quel sentimento che ha provato in passato per un unico uomo seppur spaventandola le aveva riempito la vita.
A volte però il destino ci mette proprio lo zampino e durante le nozze di Elsie, Julie conosce un uomo stupendo, sexy e simpatico che la attrae fin da subito in un modo che non avrebbe mai creduto. Neal, questo ragazzo tutto muscoli e sorrisi abbaglianti, risveglia in lei una passione ormai sopita e le regala una intensa notte d’amore seguita da un’altrettanto eccitante weekend a Las Vegas! Per un breve momento Julie è in grado di provare ancora quel trasporto e quelle sensazioni intense che facevano parte del passato. Ma le sue aspettative vengono spezzate nell’istante in cui scopre che Neil è un soldato e che da un momento all’altro potrebbe essere richiamato in guerra. Julie è terrorizzata, non può di nuovo provare quel dolore tremendo dopo la morte di Jason, non riuscirebbe a sopportare di perdere ancora una persona che in così poco tempo è diventata tanto importante, ora la sua vita ruota tutto intorno a Will e non può permettersi di ricadere nella sofferenza. Ma la strada verso la felicità è ancora lunga per Julie e forse è stato davvero il destino a farle incontrare Neil perché un segreto sbucato dal passato riapre vecchie ferite e metterà a dura prova il loro rapporto. Sarà capace Julie di riuscire a superare le sue più grandi paure e lasciare che un nuovo amore completi finalmente la sua vita?
Davvero perfetto questo finale di stagione!! La serie non poteva concludersi in modo più emozionante! La storia di Julie è la più struggente e tenera e un libro dedicato a lei non poteva mancare! Come si può non provare empatia per questa ragazza?! La sua è una vicenda fatta di sofferenza e speranza, di salite e discese e per lei potevamo solo sperare un happy ending!
Julie era stata fortunata nella vita:aveva trovato l’uomo perfetto, l’uomo della sua vita, quello che sognano un po’ tutte le ragazze, un uomo meraviglioso che non ha paura di impegnarsi e che vuole condividere la vita con la donna che ama. E poi un giorno Jason non c’è più, tutta la felicità è svanita in un attimo, e quello che rimane a Julie sono solo i ricordi e un bellissimo bambino, un pezzetto dell’uomo che ha amato. E allora proviamo ancora più pena per la sventura che le è capitata, per quel destino ingiusto che le ha portato via una parte del cuore.Julie è davvero un bel personaggio, una donna imperfetta, afflitta da numerose paure ma semplicemente reale. E’ una mamma che da tutto per suo figlio, che mette da parte la sua vita privata per stargli accanto, ma è anche una donna, bella e ancora giovane che ha bisogno di provare ancora quella passione e quel trasporto per un altro essere umano.E’ uno di quei personaggi che ti entrano nel cuore, determinata e fragile allo stesso tempo e la sua vicenda è reale, attuale e non così scontata come potremmo pensare. Nonostante abbia costantemente riserve a lasciarsi andare e provare di nuovo sentimenti per qualcuno, comprendiamo in pieno le sue paure, non gliene facciamo una colpa. Durante il racconto vi capiterà di giudicare un po’ eccessivi tutti i problemi e i dubbi che si presentano ogni volta che Julie sta per buttarsi in qualcosa di nuovo, ma se proverete anche solo un momento a mettervi nei suoi panni capirete che sofferenza sia stata per lei perdere il suo amore, una sofferenza che l’autrice ha saputo trasmetterci senza però rendere troppo drammatica la storia e lasciandoci la speranza del lieto fine!
Anche il personaggio di Neal mi è piaciuto molto: un uomo dolce e passionale, un po’ fatalista ma di sicuro consapevole di ciò che è importante nella vita. La sua devozione per il paese lo spinge a correre dei pericoli ma il fatto che lotti per ciò in cui crede ce lo fa apprezzare ancora di più. Capisce subito di provare un sentimento forte per Julie, di essersi affezionato a Will e lo vediamo lottare con tutte le sue forze per tenersi stretto le persone che ama, nonostante conservi nel cuore un segreto che potrebbe compromettere la sua relazione con Julie.
In questo romanzo abbiamo poi l’occasione di conoscere un po’ di più anche Jason, un personaggio che è stato praticamente sempre presente in tutta la trilogia, pur rimanendo nell’ombra. Attraverso gli occhi di Julie scopriamo che uomo meraviglioso fosse e sono sicura che capirà anche a voi di pensare perché Julie è stata così sfortunata da perderlo, perché non è la loro storia d’amore che leggiamo, perché la vita è stata così ingiusta con questa coppia!? Ma poi ci rendiamo conto che purtroppo è anche questa la vita, che queste cose accadono sul serio intorno a noi e i personaggi descritti sono molto più reali di quello che possiamo immaginare.
Questo libro ci parla della sofferenza, della perdita di persone care, della paura di restare soli, ma ci racconta anche la rinascita, il risveglio dell’amore e delle emozioni. Ci fa capire che anche un cuore spezzato e ferito dal dolore più grande può essere curato, che la vita per quanto possa essere dura va vissuta fino all’ultimo respiro e le persone che abbiamo amato anche se non ci sono più continuano ad esistere nel nostro cuore.
Lo stile dell’autrice è sempre fluido e lineare, con flashback sapientemente inseriti che ci danno la possibilità di conoscere i personaggi a tutto tondo. La vicenda è coinvolgente, struggente e passionale, cattura il lettore immergendolo nella storia e le scene hot la rendono più piccante ! Se avete divorato i primi due romanzi non potete davvero farvi scappare questo!
Quindi mie care impertinenti, preparate i fazzolettini e una buona dose di cioccolata e lasciatevi emozionare da questo romanzo fatato!!
November 5, 2014
Hmmm. I really like this series and I have to admit that am a bit behind with it. I have yet to read the book before this one, Arrest. That being said, if you have not picked up one single book in the series before this one, you will be ok. I am aware of some of the events in Arrest but I didn't feel spoiled by any means. This is a really good series, so if you haven't read it you can read it all (books 1-6) in DISARM.
I have to admit that I came away from this book not being a big fan of Julie. I just never really connected with her very well. She was kind of hard on Neal and kept pushing him away and I just have a hard time with that kind of character. *Shrugs*
Now, I really did like Neal. He was a really sweet guy and he and Julie connected quite quickly. Neal was open and affectionate and downright HOT when it came to the sexy times. I truly loved how caring and affectionate he was.
Sigh. See? Neal.
// B&N ❃
Arrest:
❃ Goodreads // Amazon // B&N ❃
Disarm:
❃ Goodreads // Amazon // B&N ❃
I have to admit that I came away from this book not being a big fan of Julie. I just never really connected with her very well. She was kind of hard on Neal and kept pushing him away and I just have a hard time with that kind of character. *Shrugs*
Now, I really did like Neal. He was a really sweet guy and he and Julie connected quite quickly. Neal was open and affectionate and downright HOT when it came to the sexy times. I truly loved how caring and affectionate he was.
I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I haven't been held like this in so long," I murmured, then realized belatedly what I 'd said. I was only too glad that the darkness hid the blush that was no doubt coloring my face.
"That's a damn shame," he said, bowing his head to rest his cheek against my temple.
"A woman like you should always be held like this."
Sigh. See? Neal.
Surrender:
// B&N ❃ Arrest:
❃ Goodreads // Amazon
// B&N ❃ Disarm:
❃ Goodreads // Amazon
// B&N ❃
This review was originally posted on Straight Shootin' Book Reviews
October 25, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, if you are looking for a book that talks about finding love again after a loss I would recommend this one. Loved the characters of Julie, Will and Neal. Looking forward to reading another book of hers.
August 10, 2019
Reading the book was a great experience. I can't help but want to read it more and more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2022
DNF - not enough character development for my liking.
August 24, 2023
I read this book in two days while at the beach. Such a great love story.
February 2, 2022
Liked the story itself. Much too racy for my preference!!
December 1, 2014
Surrender wastes no time getting to the good stuff let me tell you. And by good stuff I mean all the talking and getting to know you stuff that make you embarrassed to read this book in public. I’m sorry did I say talking, I meant sex haha. And boy was there a lot of it and just like her previous books in the Disarm series, Surrender still managed to have a good story with lots of hot sex.
For those who read the Disarm series, you will recognize Julie, Jason’s fiance at the time he died in Afghanistan. Jason was Elsie’s big brother and Henry’s friend, the main couple from the other books in the Disarm series. Since Jason passed away, Julie has been raising their son, Will, that Jason never got to meet. She’s had a hard time managing being a single mom and dealing with everything from her past and that includes much more than just Jason’s death. Within the first few pages of the book we get to meet Neal and sparks fly in buckets with these two. What starts off as a fling in San Diego turns into something much more.
I really admired Julie in this book. We met her in the Disarm series and got to know her a little bit but it was nice getting a chance to see her get a story as well. When I first heard this book was going to be about Julie I thought it might be about her and Jason from before he died because I was always curious about what exactly happened between them in the past. But when I read the blurb I realized it took place after Jason had passed away already, which I was a little sad about but since we know how that story ended, it hopefully meant Julie would get her own happy ending. Plus there was a lot of Jason through flashbacks in this book so we still got glimpses of him, which I really loved. He was just such a good guy. But back to Julie. Yeah I really liked her. I felt sad for her a lot of the time with her trying to do right by Will but feeling like she wasn’t doing what she wanted to be doing. She was also really closed off to love and being vulnerable and while understandable, I still wanted to be like “hello there’s a hot guy in front of you who really likes you so just go with it.”
Neal was great. He was hot and was genuinely a good guy. He helped out with Will and wanted more with Julie, so basically a guy all girls would want :). He was great and his interactions with Will were awesome. I swear every time Will said something to him I almost balled my eyes out haha. No not really, but towards the end there it was touch and go.
Besides the two leads though, the story itself was good. There were a few moments I thought were unnecessary or I questioned why they were in the book, but I still enjoyed it as a whole. The thing I really liked about this book and what I like about all of June Gray’s books is that I always feel like the emotions jump off the page. Her books just always make me feel everything and I love that. I always get wrapped up in the story and the characters. I just can’t help but get sucked in, which usually means I’m emotionally drained by the time I’m done because it’s always heart wrenching stuff even with the happy moments. So yes, Surrender was very good. Great addition to the Disarm series. Can’t wait to see what comes next from June Gray.
For those who read the Disarm series, you will recognize Julie, Jason’s fiance at the time he died in Afghanistan. Jason was Elsie’s big brother and Henry’s friend, the main couple from the other books in the Disarm series. Since Jason passed away, Julie has been raising their son, Will, that Jason never got to meet. She’s had a hard time managing being a single mom and dealing with everything from her past and that includes much more than just Jason’s death. Within the first few pages of the book we get to meet Neal and sparks fly in buckets with these two. What starts off as a fling in San Diego turns into something much more.
I really admired Julie in this book. We met her in the Disarm series and got to know her a little bit but it was nice getting a chance to see her get a story as well. When I first heard this book was going to be about Julie I thought it might be about her and Jason from before he died because I was always curious about what exactly happened between them in the past. But when I read the blurb I realized it took place after Jason had passed away already, which I was a little sad about but since we know how that story ended, it hopefully meant Julie would get her own happy ending. Plus there was a lot of Jason through flashbacks in this book so we still got glimpses of him, which I really loved. He was just such a good guy. But back to Julie. Yeah I really liked her. I felt sad for her a lot of the time with her trying to do right by Will but feeling like she wasn’t doing what she wanted to be doing. She was also really closed off to love and being vulnerable and while understandable, I still wanted to be like “hello there’s a hot guy in front of you who really likes you so just go with it.”
Neal was great. He was hot and was genuinely a good guy. He helped out with Will and wanted more with Julie, so basically a guy all girls would want :). He was great and his interactions with Will were awesome. I swear every time Will said something to him I almost balled my eyes out haha. No not really, but towards the end there it was touch and go.
Besides the two leads though, the story itself was good. There were a few moments I thought were unnecessary or I questioned why they were in the book, but I still enjoyed it as a whole. The thing I really liked about this book and what I like about all of June Gray’s books is that I always feel like the emotions jump off the page. Her books just always make me feel everything and I love that. I always get wrapped up in the story and the characters. I just can’t help but get sucked in, which usually means I’m emotionally drained by the time I’m done because it’s always heart wrenching stuff even with the happy moments. So yes, Surrender was very good. Great addition to the Disarm series. Can’t wait to see what comes next from June Gray.
December 14, 2014
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After enjoying the previous two books in June Gray's Disarm series, I was excited to learn it would continue with a chance at a happily ever after for Julie, the woman who was Elodie's brother Jason's fiancé when he was killed in action. Her story broke my heart so I really wanted her to find a second chance at love.
Julie was the type of character I connected with immediately, despite really having nothing in common with her. She was a great mom to Will and she did a fantastic job making up for the absence of his father. The relationship between Julie and her son was sweet and touching. They were quite a team. I hated that Jason wasn't around to be a part of it all. They would've made one hell of a family, but life had different plans in mind. Despite the face she puts on for the world, Julie's still struggling with the loss of Jason. As you would expect. When she meets Neal, there's an undeniable chemistry, but there's also a concern about forgetting Jason and what bringing another man around would do to Will.
Neal was a good guy. The fling he and Julie started happened really quickly and their feelings developed sooner than I might have liked, but somehow it still worked for me. I loved the playfulness between the two of them, and even more importantly, I respected the relationship he developed with Will. He was a role model and a father figure, but never tried to replace Jason. He was in it for the long haul with Julie and Will and I really wanted them to make it work. But, as there generally is in life, secrets threatened to destroy what they had built. Choices had to be made and none of them were easy, but Julie and Neal were both strong and determined characters. Life had to knock them around a little just to make sure they were committed.
I expected Surrender to be an emotional book. The first two books in the series were emotional in their own right, as Elsie and Henry fought for their love and against everything that tried to take it from them. But there was something about this one, whether it was just the time at which I read it or the fact that I connected to Julie more than Elsie, that made it even that much MORE emotional for me. Military stories affect me strongly and when I find myself as wrapped up in the characters as I was with this book, I feel every single feel.
Surrender brought everything back full circle. It was sad, at times, as I expected, but mostly it was hopeful. I'm a sucker for a second chance story and this was one of the more beautiful (and, at times downright frustrating) ones I've read recently. June Gray's books aren't all hearts and flowers, but instead they're a realistic look at the ups and downs of military life and love. They have a way of punching me in the gut and grabbing my heart. As sad as I am to see this series come to an end, I'm ridiculously pleased with how everything came together.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
After enjoying the previous two books in June Gray's Disarm series, I was excited to learn it would continue with a chance at a happily ever after for Julie, the woman who was Elodie's brother Jason's fiancé when he was killed in action. Her story broke my heart so I really wanted her to find a second chance at love.
Julie was the type of character I connected with immediately, despite really having nothing in common with her. She was a great mom to Will and she did a fantastic job making up for the absence of his father. The relationship between Julie and her son was sweet and touching. They were quite a team. I hated that Jason wasn't around to be a part of it all. They would've made one hell of a family, but life had different plans in mind. Despite the face she puts on for the world, Julie's still struggling with the loss of Jason. As you would expect. When she meets Neal, there's an undeniable chemistry, but there's also a concern about forgetting Jason and what bringing another man around would do to Will.
Neal was a good guy. The fling he and Julie started happened really quickly and their feelings developed sooner than I might have liked, but somehow it still worked for me. I loved the playfulness between the two of them, and even more importantly, I respected the relationship he developed with Will. He was a role model and a father figure, but never tried to replace Jason. He was in it for the long haul with Julie and Will and I really wanted them to make it work. But, as there generally is in life, secrets threatened to destroy what they had built. Choices had to be made and none of them were easy, but Julie and Neal were both strong and determined characters. Life had to knock them around a little just to make sure they were committed.
I expected Surrender to be an emotional book. The first two books in the series were emotional in their own right, as Elsie and Henry fought for their love and against everything that tried to take it from them. But there was something about this one, whether it was just the time at which I read it or the fact that I connected to Julie more than Elsie, that made it even that much MORE emotional for me. Military stories affect me strongly and when I find myself as wrapped up in the characters as I was with this book, I feel every single feel.
Surrender brought everything back full circle. It was sad, at times, as I expected, but mostly it was hopeful. I'm a sucker for a second chance story and this was one of the more beautiful (and, at times downright frustrating) ones I've read recently. June Gray's books aren't all hearts and flowers, but instead they're a realistic look at the ups and downs of military life and love. They have a way of punching me in the gut and grabbing my heart. As sad as I am to see this series come to an end, I'm ridiculously pleased with how everything came together.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2014
Surrender is the latest release in the Disarm Series by June Gray. This novel can be read as a stand alone book or in series order. If you have not read the Disarm Series I would highly recommend this series. June Gray writes an adult romance that is emotional, sensual, and realistic. Her characters are dynamic strong people that are making the best of their lives the only way they can. They learn the true meaning of love, what is important in their lives, and grow as individuals. They are very easy to relate to. Each book flows beautifully and keeps the reader engaged to the very last word.
Surrender is a beautiful love story. It is about learning from past mistakes, moving forward in life, and learning to love unconditionally.
Julie and Jason were in a serious relationship. She was pregnant with his child when he was killed in Afghanistan while serving in the military. Julie is having a difficult time with her grief. She has a lot of regrets because she never told Jason how she really felt. She never told him she loved him. Jason accepted her for who she was and never let it hold him back from telling her how much he loved her. Julie regrets that Jason died not knowing how she really felt. When she goes to Dallas for Eliza and Henry’s wedding , she meets a surfer on the beach. These two will stumble into a relationship that will be emotional and a true test of their spirits. Julie will have to learn to let go of her fears, express her true feelings, and trust destiny.
Neal is a carefree spirit. He lives in hotels, does freelance work as a computer programmer, and moves from place to place. He is a former Air Force vet that is still in the reserves. He doesn’t fear death and embraces life with open arms. He’s a firm believer that you have no control over your destiny. Death is part of life.
Julie has problems with Neal’s attitude towards life. She is fearful of losing another person that she loves. When she learns about Neal’s hidden secrets it gives her the perfect excuse to pull herself back and protect her heart. She does everything to push Neal away until she finds out that he has been called for another tour of duty. She is going to have to face her deepest fears. Can she overcome these fears and let Neal know how she really feels? Can she give Neal her heart knowing he may not return? Is love worth it? Can she get a message to Neal in time?
This book was so emotional. Both of the characters had valid reasons for living their lives the way they did. When destiny brought them together, it was for a purpose. Together they could overcome their fears, their shortcomings, and become better people. They learned that what is in the heart is the true meaning of happiness. They learned to live life every single moment with love.
I highly recommend the Disarm series by June Gray. It is superb. Surrender is another fantastic addition to this series.
December 1, 2014
Though not exactly a part of the Disarm series, June Gray's new book, Surrender uses secondary characters from that series as the main characters for this book. Making the characters familiar but not overly explored. Gray has a way with military romance due to her own experience that gives this book an authentic feel, while also putting the author's own spin on it. Readers looking for a hot read, that has some substance behind it will find this one a good next read.
What I liked:
Having read June Gray's Disarm series and falling in love with Elsie and Henry, I was excited about this book coming out. Julie would have been Elsie's sister-in-law, had Jason, Elsie's brother not been killed in Afghanistan. I liked the fact that Julie was someone I felt like I already knew, but didn't know very well. It made her story resonate all the more. A chance meeting on the beach with Neal turns into something more when Julie realizes that Neal is also a guest at Elsie and Henry's wedding. I liked the feel of destiny about their meeting. Like they were meant to meet each other day, fate if you will.
Julie was a single mom who was really only interested in hooking up with Neal for the short term. Given the fact that her parents had a very rocky relationship and that she had lost someone she loved very much, I could sympathize with Julie's issues regarding commitment. To me it was really all a matter of not letting herself be hurt again. If you don't let it to that far it can't come back to bite you. But with Neal it was different. Julie did continue to struggle though, long after I thought she should have been willing to give Neal a chance. She didn't tell him about her son for the longest time and he didn't tell her about the fact that he was in the reserves. It just felt like their relationship was not built on honesty. Eventually they get around to it, but it felt like an afterthought and not what a good romance should be based on.
Julie keeps going over and over her relationship with Jason. There were a lot of flashbacks and I found that very distracting. Yes, some of it was necessary, but I think Gray went a little overboard by letting it consume too much of the story. She was constantly comparing her relationship with Neal to her relationship with Jason and I wasn't really sure why it had to be that way.
There was a lot of hot and steamy parts to the book that were realistic if you look at it from the stand point of a one night stand or a quick fling, but a little disconcerting when you think about building a lasting relationship on that kind of foundation. I liked the chemistry between Neal and Julie and they were honest about what they wanted in bed, if they were not honest about anything else.
Bottom Line:
This one wasn't really my cup of tea. The writing was just as good as any of Gray's previous books, but the connection between the lead characters was just not of the caliber I had come to expect from the author. It was a bit too superficial for me and the heroine had so many issues it was hard to see how a relationship would work with her and anyone.
What I liked:
Having read June Gray's Disarm series and falling in love with Elsie and Henry, I was excited about this book coming out. Julie would have been Elsie's sister-in-law, had Jason, Elsie's brother not been killed in Afghanistan. I liked the fact that Julie was someone I felt like I already knew, but didn't know very well. It made her story resonate all the more. A chance meeting on the beach with Neal turns into something more when Julie realizes that Neal is also a guest at Elsie and Henry's wedding. I liked the feel of destiny about their meeting. Like they were meant to meet each other day, fate if you will.
Julie was a single mom who was really only interested in hooking up with Neal for the short term. Given the fact that her parents had a very rocky relationship and that she had lost someone she loved very much, I could sympathize with Julie's issues regarding commitment. To me it was really all a matter of not letting herself be hurt again. If you don't let it to that far it can't come back to bite you. But with Neal it was different. Julie did continue to struggle though, long after I thought she should have been willing to give Neal a chance. She didn't tell him about her son for the longest time and he didn't tell her about the fact that he was in the reserves. It just felt like their relationship was not built on honesty. Eventually they get around to it, but it felt like an afterthought and not what a good romance should be based on.
Julie keeps going over and over her relationship with Jason. There were a lot of flashbacks and I found that very distracting. Yes, some of it was necessary, but I think Gray went a little overboard by letting it consume too much of the story. She was constantly comparing her relationship with Neal to her relationship with Jason and I wasn't really sure why it had to be that way.
There was a lot of hot and steamy parts to the book that were realistic if you look at it from the stand point of a one night stand or a quick fling, but a little disconcerting when you think about building a lasting relationship on that kind of foundation. I liked the chemistry between Neal and Julie and they were honest about what they wanted in bed, if they were not honest about anything else.
Bottom Line:
This one wasn't really my cup of tea. The writing was just as good as any of Gray's previous books, but the connection between the lead characters was just not of the caliber I had come to expect from the author. It was a bit too superficial for me and the heroine had so many issues it was hard to see how a relationship would work with her and anyone.
March 8, 2016
In realtà 3 stelle e mezzo
Ed eccoci arrivati al terzo ed ultimo volume della amatissima serie Disarm di June Gray. Questa volta i protagonisti non sono Henry e Elsie, che tanto ci hanno fatto penare nei primi due volumi.
Questo romanzo è infatti uno stand alone tranquillamente leggibile in autonomia, è vero che avevamo incontrato la protagonista Julie nei precedenti, ma erano delle brevi apparizioni del tutto irrilevanti.
Questa storia è molto passionale, oserei dire bollente.
Non amo i personaggi deboli, e di Julie tutto si può dire tranne che lo sia.
La Gray crea una protagonista femminile molto decisa, che affronta con forza e carattere tutti gli ostacoli che la vita le pone davanti, ma attenzione, questo non significa che lei non abbia dei punti deboli o delle fragilità.
Per coloro che non hanno letto i due precedenti libri della serie o che non li ricordi, spendiamo un attimo di tempo per individuarla. Julie è la fidanzata di Jason che è morto in Afghanistan. Jason è il fratello maggiore di Elsie, nonchè amico di Henry, la coppia protagonista dei due libri precedenti.
Julie quando Jason è partito in missione era incinta di Will, loro figlio, purtroppo Jason non conoscerà mai il bambino.
Julie con grande forza di carattere ha cresciuto Will da sola, con tutte le problematiche che l'essere una mamma single comporta. Ora Will ha 5 anni.
La storia inizia con Julie e Will a casa dei nonni paterni per assistere al matrimonio di Elsie e Henry, ed è proprio qui che Julie incontra Neal, e da subito tra i due esplode un incendio, un'attrazione immediata.
Lei non è sicuramente una donna inibita. Vuole una cosa e se la prende senza farsi troppi scrupoli. Naturalmente è anche mamma, quindi il tutto nella sua testa è relegato a una parentesi di qualche giorno senza coinvolgimenti per Will.
Ho apprezzato molto il carattere di Julie, che è di fondo uno spirito libero. Lei pian piano si apre al suo primo e unico amore e dopo la sua morte si dedica esclusivamente al benessere del figlio. Arrivati a questo punto, dopo 5 anni cerca di riappropriarsi della sua parte passionale e della sua identità senza perdere mai di vista l'obbiettivo primario che è la salvaguardia di Will.
Durante la narrazione, sicuramente molto complessa ma portata avanti magistralmente, ci verranno raccontati molti scorci anche della vita di Jason. E' molto interessante come la storia di Jason con Julie ci venga svelata man mano che progredisce anche la vicenda amorosa di Julie con Neal, questo ci fa capire meglio Julie, e ce la fa conoscere in tutte le sue sfaccettature e debolezze.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE CLICCA QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
Ed eccoci arrivati al terzo ed ultimo volume della amatissima serie Disarm di June Gray. Questa volta i protagonisti non sono Henry e Elsie, che tanto ci hanno fatto penare nei primi due volumi.
Questo romanzo è infatti uno stand alone tranquillamente leggibile in autonomia, è vero che avevamo incontrato la protagonista Julie nei precedenti, ma erano delle brevi apparizioni del tutto irrilevanti.
Questa storia è molto passionale, oserei dire bollente.
Non amo i personaggi deboli, e di Julie tutto si può dire tranne che lo sia.
La Gray crea una protagonista femminile molto decisa, che affronta con forza e carattere tutti gli ostacoli che la vita le pone davanti, ma attenzione, questo non significa che lei non abbia dei punti deboli o delle fragilità.
Per coloro che non hanno letto i due precedenti libri della serie o che non li ricordi, spendiamo un attimo di tempo per individuarla. Julie è la fidanzata di Jason che è morto in Afghanistan. Jason è il fratello maggiore di Elsie, nonchè amico di Henry, la coppia protagonista dei due libri precedenti.
Julie quando Jason è partito in missione era incinta di Will, loro figlio, purtroppo Jason non conoscerà mai il bambino.
Julie con grande forza di carattere ha cresciuto Will da sola, con tutte le problematiche che l'essere una mamma single comporta. Ora Will ha 5 anni.
La storia inizia con Julie e Will a casa dei nonni paterni per assistere al matrimonio di Elsie e Henry, ed è proprio qui che Julie incontra Neal, e da subito tra i due esplode un incendio, un'attrazione immediata.
Lei non è sicuramente una donna inibita. Vuole una cosa e se la prende senza farsi troppi scrupoli. Naturalmente è anche mamma, quindi il tutto nella sua testa è relegato a una parentesi di qualche giorno senza coinvolgimenti per Will.
Ho apprezzato molto il carattere di Julie, che è di fondo uno spirito libero. Lei pian piano si apre al suo primo e unico amore e dopo la sua morte si dedica esclusivamente al benessere del figlio. Arrivati a questo punto, dopo 5 anni cerca di riappropriarsi della sua parte passionale e della sua identità senza perdere mai di vista l'obbiettivo primario che è la salvaguardia di Will.
Durante la narrazione, sicuramente molto complessa ma portata avanti magistralmente, ci verranno raccontati molti scorci anche della vita di Jason. E' molto interessante come la storia di Jason con Julie ci venga svelata man mano che progredisce anche la vicenda amorosa di Julie con Neal, questo ci fa capire meglio Julie, e ce la fa conoscere in tutte le sue sfaccettature e debolezze.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE CLICCA QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
December 24, 2014
3 I'm NOT surrendering Stars!
Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Berkley Trade/Penguin
Genre: Adult Contemporary
My Surrender Review ...
I was such a big fan of Disarm the serial novels to start with, even though my love for it started to wane with Arrest as it was basically Disarm v2.0. However, I've been dying to find out a bit more about the elusive Julie and how she plays into the mix. In Disarm and Arrest she is a very secondary character but yet an essential character. Here we get to see whom Jason fell in love with to start with and how her role plays into this story.
As I was reading it I started to get confused with the dichotomy of Julie character. One one hand she was a dirty talking sex kitten and on the other hand a stubborn emotionally void scaredy-cat. The two halves didn't make a complete whole for me. I understand her reservations with her past but I got really tired of it in the end. I just wanted to go in and rip her head out of her ass for most of the book.
"It's just the nature of love. It will set your heart racing right before it rips it right out of your chest."
"I no longer want any part of that." Elsie let out a soft chuckle. "That's the thing, though. You have absolutely no choice in the matter."
But the shining star was Neal. *Sigh*. Right from the start you knew he was something special. He went balls in with wanting a relationship and wasn't scared to admit it. You knew he had a secret but weren't sure what it was going to be. Once revealed I was a bit disappointed with it. I thought it was going to be something much larger with the build up. The secret was still emotionally devastating for Julie but didn't warrant the reaction I would have expected.
I like how these novels are set up. Which are divided into different parts which helps with the growth of the characters but I'm sad to say this, even though it's well written I hope this is the end of the series as I think it has ran it's course.
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dnf-set-aside-for-later
May 25, 2016I was so excited to get this last installment of the Disarm series with Julie's story. She has been there as a secondary character all along supporting Henry and Elsie and raising her son after Jason died. I ended up packing it in at the 100pp mark.
I don't know why it is, but after liking her in the first two books, I had no patience for Julie in her own book which is ironic because Henry and Elsie's story really put me through the wringer. She's got some serious issues from her parents marriage, losing Jason and marrying the wrong guy only to divorce him. She determined early on that she wouldn't open herself for love and just went for one night stands and casual hook-ups. Even with Jason, she held herself back. Now this thing with Neal takes off like a rocket. Neal opens himself to wherever things are leading, but Julie is the opposite. She wants to continue with her casual ways and gets prickly or runs for the hills every time it starts to get real. Neal is honest with her, but she lies by omission to him.
Other than Julie, I was also put off with how fast stuff went. I wasn't ready for that. 'Hey my name is...' barely preceded an orgasm and, by one more brief meet up, they're in a hotel room for some hot and heavy and then off to Vegas for a few days for some more no holds barred sexy times. My head was spinning. Guess I was expecting some development.
I might have adjusted to the wham bam stuff in time if it hadn't been liberally doused with Julie's issues. I really wanted off the tilt-a-whirl when it came to her. If she had wanted to slow stuff down because hello she jumped the bones of a perfect stranger and even went off to Vegas with him after one night, that I would have understood and applauded. That's not the case. She's gung ho and owns a voracious sexual appetite, but its when stuff gets real that she freaks and does a runner or flips out and does the pout stomp. Poor Neil had no idea what triggered all this and deserved none of it. Just let's pack up the cray cray and send it home, 'kay?
At that point, I decided to call it a day. A hundred pages in and I was exhausted with her and didn't like her much at this point any way. Maybe I'll come back and finish when I've more patience for someone who has big issues and no plans to claim them and fix them.
For those who are interested, this one might be okay out of order, but it does give spoilerage for the books before it so I'd recommend reading in order. And for those who are eager for this one, you might have more patience or be in the right mood so go for it with my blessing. It's hot and these two were honest about what they wanted in the bedroom. That has some appeal in its own right.
My thanks to Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
I don't know why it is, but after liking her in the first two books, I had no patience for Julie in her own book which is ironic because Henry and Elsie's story really put me through the wringer. She's got some serious issues from her parents marriage, losing Jason and marrying the wrong guy only to divorce him. She determined early on that she wouldn't open herself for love and just went for one night stands and casual hook-ups. Even with Jason, she held herself back. Now this thing with Neal takes off like a rocket. Neal opens himself to wherever things are leading, but Julie is the opposite. She wants to continue with her casual ways and gets prickly or runs for the hills every time it starts to get real. Neal is honest with her, but she lies by omission to him.
Other than Julie, I was also put off with how fast stuff went. I wasn't ready for that. 'Hey my name is...' barely preceded an orgasm and, by one more brief meet up, they're in a hotel room for some hot and heavy and then off to Vegas for a few days for some more no holds barred sexy times. My head was spinning. Guess I was expecting some development.
I might have adjusted to the wham bam stuff in time if it hadn't been liberally doused with Julie's issues. I really wanted off the tilt-a-whirl when it came to her. If she had wanted to slow stuff down because hello she jumped the bones of a perfect stranger and even went off to Vegas with him after one night, that I would have understood and applauded. That's not the case. She's gung ho and owns a voracious sexual appetite, but its when stuff gets real that she freaks and does a runner or flips out and does the pout stomp. Poor Neil had no idea what triggered all this and deserved none of it. Just let's pack up the cray cray and send it home, 'kay?
At that point, I decided to call it a day. A hundred pages in and I was exhausted with her and didn't like her much at this point any way. Maybe I'll come back and finish when I've more patience for someone who has big issues and no plans to claim them and fix them.
For those who are interested, this one might be okay out of order, but it does give spoilerage for the books before it so I'd recommend reading in order. And for those who are eager for this one, you might have more patience or be in the right mood so go for it with my blessing. It's hot and these two were honest about what they wanted in the bedroom. That has some appeal in its own right.
My thanks to Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 2, 2016
Alla fine della cerimonia, una volta sistemato Will coi nonni, Julie lo segue nel suo albergo e i due passano una rovente notte di passione. Che il giorno seguente si trasforma in un rovente weekend di passione, che termina però bruscamente quando Julie viene a sapere che Neal è un militare riservista. Non vuole assolutamente di nuovo un militare nella sua vita, è troppo spaventata all’idea di dover rivivere le sofferenze patite con Jason. Ma il destino ha in serbo qualcosa di diverso per i nostri due amanti: li ha fatti incontrare con un disegno preciso, e Julie capirà presto che contro il destino le sue paure e la tenacia con le quali cerca di tenerle a bada servono davvero a poco.
Ho amato molto i precedenti due libri di questa serie, la dolorosa storia di Henry e Elsie mi era piaciuta davvero tantissimo, ed ero curiosa di conoscere le vicende di Julie; alla fine ho ritrovato con piacere lo stile particolare di questa autrice e ammetto di essere contenta di aver letto questo bel libro, anche se non è arrivato ai livelli dei due precedenti.
Infatti inizialmente la storia di Julie e Neal mi ha lasciato perplessa e bisogna arrivare al climax a metà libro per capire il perché di tante cose e cominciare ad avere un quadro più preciso e apprezzare completamente la trama. Forse la difficoltà sta nei continui salti temporali della storia quando a raccontare le sue vicende è Julie, che alterna flash back della sua vita con Jason a momenti del presente, ma anche la rivelazione tardiva di alcuni particolari, che una volta scoperti apriranno scenari del tutto nuovi.
Quindi se trovate il libro inizialmente lento e un po’ faticoso, non spaventatevi, costringetevi ad arrivare fino a metà circa, perché da li in avanti tutto sarà più chiaro e coinvolgente esattamente come nei precedenti due capitoli.
Mi è piaciuto davvero tanto il personaggio di Neal, sensuale e romantico, protettivo e determinato, a suo modo fatalista ma mai rassegnato al destino e soprattutto mai disposto a rinunciare a quello in cui crede. Al contrario Julie, per quanto ne abbia compreso le ragioni, mi è apparsa troppo incatenata dalle sue paure, troppo rigida e soprattutto troppo severa nei giudizi. Si è riscattata ai miei occhi solo nel finale, bello e struggente, che farà versare alle più romantiche di voi qualche lacrima, mentre per le bellissime scene di sesso vi servirà di sicuro un bel ventaglio.
Continua a leggere la recensione su: CrazyForRomance
Ho amato molto i precedenti due libri di questa serie, la dolorosa storia di Henry e Elsie mi era piaciuta davvero tantissimo, ed ero curiosa di conoscere le vicende di Julie; alla fine ho ritrovato con piacere lo stile particolare di questa autrice e ammetto di essere contenta di aver letto questo bel libro, anche se non è arrivato ai livelli dei due precedenti.
Infatti inizialmente la storia di Julie e Neal mi ha lasciato perplessa e bisogna arrivare al climax a metà libro per capire il perché di tante cose e cominciare ad avere un quadro più preciso e apprezzare completamente la trama. Forse la difficoltà sta nei continui salti temporali della storia quando a raccontare le sue vicende è Julie, che alterna flash back della sua vita con Jason a momenti del presente, ma anche la rivelazione tardiva di alcuni particolari, che una volta scoperti apriranno scenari del tutto nuovi.
Quindi se trovate il libro inizialmente lento e un po’ faticoso, non spaventatevi, costringetevi ad arrivare fino a metà circa, perché da li in avanti tutto sarà più chiaro e coinvolgente esattamente come nei precedenti due capitoli.
Mi è piaciuto davvero tanto il personaggio di Neal, sensuale e romantico, protettivo e determinato, a suo modo fatalista ma mai rassegnato al destino e soprattutto mai disposto a rinunciare a quello in cui crede. Al contrario Julie, per quanto ne abbia compreso le ragioni, mi è apparsa troppo incatenata dalle sue paure, troppo rigida e soprattutto troppo severa nei giudizi. Si è riscattata ai miei occhi solo nel finale, bello e struggente, che farà versare alle più romantiche di voi qualche lacrima, mentre per le bellissime scene di sesso vi servirà di sicuro un bel ventaglio.
Continua a leggere la recensione su: CrazyForRomance
November 9, 2014
Julie Keaton has lost one love and she is not willing to have any more losses in her life. Her fianceé Jason Sherman was killed in Afghanistan but he left behind a son that he never met. Julie has done the best she can as a single parent. The last thing she wanted was to complicate her life with love. When she meets Neal on a beach she knows she should stay away from him but the more they are thrown together the harder it is to leave him.
Neal knows that Julie is what he has been looking for. He has no need to play games with her. He just needs to convince Julie that she can love again despite what he does for a living. He however, is hiding a huge secret from her. A secret which could destroy them.
This book starts with a good plot and I was interested in it from the beginning. I could understand how Julie could be scared to love again. How she wanted to protect her kid until she knew the guy was worth it. I also understood why Neal wanted to fight for her. What I didn't like was the insta-love scenario. I wished the author would have avoided them falling in love so soon.
Cliffhanger : No
3/5 Fangs
ML
A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
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Neal knows that Julie is what he has been looking for. He has no need to play games with her. He just needs to convince Julie that she can love again despite what he does for a living. He however, is hiding a huge secret from her. A secret which could destroy them.
This book starts with a good plot and I was interested in it from the beginning. I could understand how Julie could be scared to love again. How she wanted to protect her kid until she knew the guy was worth it. I also understood why Neal wanted to fight for her. What I didn't like was the insta-love scenario. I wished the author would have avoided them falling in love so soon.
Cliffhanger : No
3/5 Fangs
ML
A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
September 23, 2014
Julie has been heartbroken from losing her fiancé during war. She thought she has her life together with just her and her son. She never thought that meeting a stranger would completely changer her life. The question is would she be able to open her heart again to someone else in the military or will she close herself off again
Neal is not used to having roots. Ever since he could remember he traveled from place to place not staying for long. He felt that he would settle down when he was he felt the need to settle or to have someone to settle down for. He just hoped that he would find someone who will love him for everything he does.
When we first meet our couple they are at a beach and never thought that they would go past a fun one night stand or a few days together. Then of course fate gets involved and throws our couple together.
Julie and Neal fell in love but when Neal tells her his secret she is crushed and decides that she can no longer be with him despite how she loves him.
When Neal gets hurt when he is deployed Julie realizes hat she doesn't care what he does as long as she has him in her life.
I loved this book. It is they type of book that anyone can relate to who has lost someone and is scared for moving on and getting hurt again. I highly recommend this book. I cannot wait until I read any other books done by this author.
Neal is not used to having roots. Ever since he could remember he traveled from place to place not staying for long. He felt that he would settle down when he was he felt the need to settle or to have someone to settle down for. He just hoped that he would find someone who will love him for everything he does.
When we first meet our couple they are at a beach and never thought that they would go past a fun one night stand or a few days together. Then of course fate gets involved and throws our couple together.
Julie and Neal fell in love but when Neal tells her his secret she is crushed and decides that she can no longer be with him despite how she loves him.
When Neal gets hurt when he is deployed Julie realizes hat she doesn't care what he does as long as she has him in her life.
I loved this book. It is they type of book that anyone can relate to who has lost someone and is scared for moving on and getting hurt again. I highly recommend this book. I cannot wait until I read any other books done by this author.
November 17, 2014
This book was meh.
It was cute the fact that the MC of this book had a cute little boy named Will, and that she is over protective with him. But sometimes you have to live. I mean yes, it's difficult to do so with a 4 year old over your shoulders and your fiancé dying, but seriously, if you like or even love a guy, go for it. Your friends are telling you to go for it that they'll take care of your child for you for a couple of hours to live life, go for it. Your son isn't going anywhere!!!
So, she finally let's Neal in. But then complications come in where, her son has a problem with his appendix, during her trip with Neal to Las Vegas. What a coincidence!
Then there's the fact that Neal kept a letter from her dead fiancé for 5 years, and she breaks off their relationship before they get too attached.
Then there's another fact that Neal is in the military as well, and his station has been bombed, giving Julie a mini heart/panic attack.
This book was sure he'll of a ride that's for sure!!! And these amount of things that happen in this book isn't even humanly possible. But whatever, Julie got through it and that's all that matters. She has a happily ever after with Neal :)
Yaaaay!!!!!
It was cute the fact that the MC of this book had a cute little boy named Will, and that she is over protective with him. But sometimes you have to live. I mean yes, it's difficult to do so with a 4 year old over your shoulders and your fiancé dying, but seriously, if you like or even love a guy, go for it. Your friends are telling you to go for it that they'll take care of your child for you for a couple of hours to live life, go for it. Your son isn't going anywhere!!!
So, she finally let's Neal in. But then complications come in where, her son has a problem with his appendix, during her trip with Neal to Las Vegas. What a coincidence!
Then there's the fact that Neal kept a letter from her dead fiancé for 5 years, and she breaks off their relationship before they get too attached.
Then there's another fact that Neal is in the military as well, and his station has been bombed, giving Julie a mini heart/panic attack.
This book was sure he'll of a ride that's for sure!!! And these amount of things that happen in this book isn't even humanly possible. But whatever, Julie got through it and that's all that matters. She has a happily ever after with Neal :)
Yaaaay!!!!!
September 5, 2016
Ho avuto il tempo di leggere questo terzo capitolo della serie solo pochi giorni fa... ero curiosissima di sentire anche la storia di Julie, dopo quella emozionante di Elsie e Henry. Loro mi erano piaciuti da impazzire, e tanto, e quindi questo terzo volume non avrebbe mai retto il confronto. Difatti è andata proprio così, mi aspettavo sinceramente qualcosa di più, visto come l'autrice ci aveva abituati. Ma comunque è stata una storia altrettanto bella e drammatica, e a un certo punto le lacrime non finivano più. E' un romanzo sulle seconde possibilità, sull'amore che vince il dolore, sulla rinascita e sulle nuove opportunità.
Intensa storia d'amore con alti e bassi ma con un epilogo un po' traballante. Comunque consigliato!
Intensa storia d'amore con alti e bassi ma con un epilogo un po' traballante. Comunque consigliato!
November 5, 2014
Shadow‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
4 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
Julie Keaton has been single since the death of her fiance, Jason, in Afghanistan. She is terrified that his son will also grow up to join the military and be killed in war. She has no plans to have a man in her life-and then she meets Neal. What starts as a weekend fling quickly becomes more, and she still hasn’t told Neal about Will. But Neal has his own secrets and Julie suddenly sees history repeating itself.
I liked Julie. Once a free spirit devoted to dance, she did whatever it took to raise her son. Neal is also likeable, but I didn’t like that he took so long to tell Julie his secrets, especially once he knew her history. But otherwise, he is honorable, loving and his rapport with Will is extraordinary.
This is a great light summer read for anyone who loves a good romance.
4 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
Julie Keaton has been single since the death of her fiance, Jason, in Afghanistan. She is terrified that his son will also grow up to join the military and be killed in war. She has no plans to have a man in her life-and then she meets Neal. What starts as a weekend fling quickly becomes more, and she still hasn’t told Neal about Will. But Neal has his own secrets and Julie suddenly sees history repeating itself.
I liked Julie. Once a free spirit devoted to dance, she did whatever it took to raise her son. Neal is also likeable, but I didn’t like that he took so long to tell Julie his secrets, especially once he knew her history. But otherwise, he is honorable, loving and his rapport with Will is extraordinary.
This is a great light summer read for anyone who loves a good romance.
April 3, 2015
I received a digital and print copy from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought Surrender was a great story, I liked the kind of healing and redeeming theme in the story but it was a little too heavy in the angst for my liking. I still finished the read and I still found much of it relatable but as its a sensitive issue I did like that for Julie there was still a possibility of achieving a happy life after the loss of a loved one. So there was that but in the end it was just too much negative emotional weight that kept the story from being one of my favorites.
I thought Surrender was a great story, I liked the kind of healing and redeeming theme in the story but it was a little too heavy in the angst for my liking. I still finished the read and I still found much of it relatable but as its a sensitive issue I did like that for Julie there was still a possibility of achieving a happy life after the loss of a loved one. So there was that but in the end it was just too much negative emotional weight that kept the story from being one of my favorites.
February 2, 2015
I was looking for something new to read about a year ago and found the book Disarm by June Gray... I was a military wife for 23 years so yeah I can relate to the characters in this series and was was hooked from the first page....couldn't wait for Arrest the next book in the series...needless to say I pre-ordered Surrender in June or July of last year. Surrender kept me on my toes from the beginning until the end. The story was sexy, sweet, and heart breaking at times where I found myself shedding a few tears but it was all worth it. Hey if your looking for a great read pick this one up.
October 21, 2014
SURRENDER wasn't as engrossing as the previous two novels but its just as intense and real as Henry and Elise's love story. It's as engaging and stirring, I'm just not sure if it aroused the intended emotions as far as I'm concerned but it's affecting just the same. Trust on JGray to deliver yet another romance that runs deep with powerful undercurrents. Ignore my critiques because maybe I'm just being a pill subconsciously, and get SURRENDER, you can get away reading it as stand-alone so win-win right?
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