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To Meet Surrender: A medieval, fated mates, paranormal romance
Nothing that flies after dark is a bird…
France, 1429. Alba takes bitter tincture every Friday, and has a dream she'd never dare a winged man whose face she cannot see. Then the English burn her village with creatures in their ranks.
By dawn, she saves her parents with strength that isn’t her own and is saved herself by the monster she sees in her head. But when strange marks appear on her skin, and she discovers her blood could crown a new queen, she must
Stay in hiding or fight to fulfill a prophecy given before her birth.
With the one man she’s most terrified of. The one man she’s most drawn to. The one man who’s searched for her for over a thousand years.
France, 1429. Alba takes bitter tincture every Friday, and has a dream she'd never dare a winged man whose face she cannot see. Then the English burn her village with creatures in their ranks.
By dawn, she saves her parents with strength that isn’t her own and is saved herself by the monster she sees in her head. But when strange marks appear on her skin, and she discovers her blood could crown a new queen, she must
Stay in hiding or fight to fulfill a prophecy given before her birth.
With the one man she’s most terrified of. The one man she’s most drawn to. The one man who’s searched for her for over a thousand years.
167 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 15, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐½ 4.5/5 Stars | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5 Peppers
To Meet Surrender is Book Three in Cindy Gunderson’s Le Sombre series, and it starts bringing together pieces that have been building throughout the series while opening the door to even bigger questions.
Alba was one of my favorite parts. As she learns that what she understood about herself, the Guardians, vampires, good, and evil is far more complicated than she realized, she has to decide what she believes. I loved that gaining answers and power didn’t turn her into an entirely different person. Her compassion remains one of her greatest strengths, even when it makes everything more complicated.
Alba and Theo’s relationship carries a lot of emotional weight because it’s tangled up in history, memories, magic, loss, and present-day choices. I appreciated that Alba still gets to decide what she wants. Their bond is also woven into the magic, danger, and larger conflict, making it an integral part of the story.
The mythology continues to expand, and the lines between “good” and “evil” become less convenient as Alba judges people by their actions instead of accepting what she has been taught. Helena is especially intriguing: she recognizes some of the same problems as Alba but comes to very different conclusions. I also enjoyed the supporting characters, particularly Clémentine, who brings some much-needed humor when everyone else could stand to unclench for five minutes. 😂
My biggest issue was pacing. The opening has a strong sense of danger, but the middle becomes more contained as Alba learns, trains, and deals with politics and relationships. I wanted the outside threat to press in more, and more time with the psychological impact of Alba’s discoveries. The final portion picks up with revelations that change what Alba—and we as readers—understand about her abilities.
What earned this 4.5 stars for me was Alba’s growth. She stops simply reacting to other people’s secrets and expectations and begins deciding what she believes. By the end, I had plenty of questions and am very curious to see what Cindy Gunderson has planned for Book Four. 😂
Notice: I received an ARC directly from the author. Reading and reviewing it was completely voluntary, and all thoughts or opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Review By: SASSY
Queen of the Nookish Chaos
SassyReviews • SassysNook
To Meet Surrender is Book Three in Cindy Gunderson’s Le Sombre series, and it starts bringing together pieces that have been building throughout the series while opening the door to even bigger questions.
Alba was one of my favorite parts. As she learns that what she understood about herself, the Guardians, vampires, good, and evil is far more complicated than she realized, she has to decide what she believes. I loved that gaining answers and power didn’t turn her into an entirely different person. Her compassion remains one of her greatest strengths, even when it makes everything more complicated.
Alba and Theo’s relationship carries a lot of emotional weight because it’s tangled up in history, memories, magic, loss, and present-day choices. I appreciated that Alba still gets to decide what she wants. Their bond is also woven into the magic, danger, and larger conflict, making it an integral part of the story.
The mythology continues to expand, and the lines between “good” and “evil” become less convenient as Alba judges people by their actions instead of accepting what she has been taught. Helena is especially intriguing: she recognizes some of the same problems as Alba but comes to very different conclusions. I also enjoyed the supporting characters, particularly Clémentine, who brings some much-needed humor when everyone else could stand to unclench for five minutes. 😂
My biggest issue was pacing. The opening has a strong sense of danger, but the middle becomes more contained as Alba learns, trains, and deals with politics and relationships. I wanted the outside threat to press in more, and more time with the psychological impact of Alba’s discoveries. The final portion picks up with revelations that change what Alba—and we as readers—understand about her abilities.
What earned this 4.5 stars for me was Alba’s growth. She stops simply reacting to other people’s secrets and expectations and begins deciding what she believes. By the end, I had plenty of questions and am very curious to see what Cindy Gunderson has planned for Book Four. 😂
Notice: I received an ARC directly from the author. Reading and reviewing it was completely voluntary, and all thoughts or opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Review By: SASSY
Queen of the Nookish Chaos
SassyReviews • SassysNook
September 19, 2026
This book is a great bridge between the last book and the next, setting things up for a showdown of epic proportions.
Alba is surrounded by secrets, blood, the thorn, dreams of wings, a man, and a thread that continually tugs her in a way she can’t understand. Why? What is the significance?
Vampires seek her blood but when she’s rescued by Theo, one who walks in the light, her answers are about to be answered.
Soon being led into the midst of the enemy by a small band of vampires will she finally know who she really is?
This book is rich with unique characters and an environment that invites fear and curiosity at the same time. It builds the tension to a breaking point.
Great book.
Alba is surrounded by secrets, blood, the thorn, dreams of wings, a man, and a thread that continually tugs her in a way she can’t understand. Why? What is the significance?
Vampires seek her blood but when she’s rescued by Theo, one who walks in the light, her answers are about to be answered.
Soon being led into the midst of the enemy by a small band of vampires will she finally know who she really is?
This book is rich with unique characters and an environment that invites fear and curiosity at the same time. It builds the tension to a breaking point.
Great book.
October 10, 2026
Serving as a brilliant setup for a massive showdown, this book keeps you hooked from the start! Alba’s journey is shrouded in mystery fraught with cryptic dreams, blood, and a strange thread pulling her toward the unknown. Everything changes when Theo, a vampire walking in the light, saves her and helps uncover her past. As she journeys into the heart of enemy territory, the stakes couldn't be higher. With a wonderfully eerie atmosphere, memorable characters, and tension that builds to a breaking point, this was a fantastic read!
October 22, 2026
This is 3rd book in Le Sombre series and althoigh i gave it 5 stars this one is the "weakest" one.
Although i liked it a lot i think that it was rushed a little bit.
It could have at least 50-100 pages more where plot could be more evolved including reletionship between Alba and Theo. (In my case it is 3-4 hours more since i have listen to audio book which was beautifully narrated by author)
Since it ended again with cliffhanger, i cannot wait for book no. 4 to be released.
Although i liked it a lot i think that it was rushed a little bit.
It could have at least 50-100 pages more where plot could be more evolved including reletionship between Alba and Theo. (In my case it is 3-4 hours more since i have listen to audio book which was beautifully narrated by author)
Since it ended again with cliffhanger, i cannot wait for book no. 4 to be released.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews