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Surrender #3

Surrender the Storm

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The International Award-Winning author continues her Civil War Surrender Series with this romance following two defiant hearts clashing over a desperate battle of wills in the glorious age of chivalry.

Stealing Beauty
Rebel Colonel Ryan Rourke, the notorious Gray Ghost, is the scourge of the North, incensing Grant’s army at every turn. After suffering a horrible defeat that left many of his men dead, Colonel Ryan will stop at nothing to win—including kidnapping a group of nuns en route to give medical succor to the Yanks. With one of his men critically injured, he needs the medicine and supplies the nuns carry. He is also informed that the youngest nun is a doctor. But one look into the violet eyes of the stunningly beautiful Yankee nun fills him with sensual thoughts and longing for the forbidden.

Courting Desire
Dr. Grace Barrett can never reveal her true identity. Disguised as one of the Sisters of Charity, she possesses a dangerous secret that threatens her very life. Being held captive by Ryan proves to be the only way Grace can remain safe from those who would see her hanged. But boldly she challenges Ryan’s will—until he takes her into his powerful embrace, awakening an irresistible hunger. But under his penetrating gaze, neither Grace’s body or her heart are safe. And too late, she finds herself ensnared in a seductive trap of pride and passion, loyalty and lies.

As the storm of war rages around them, both will fight the tempest in their souls to clear a path to their hearts.

407 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2021

14 people are currently reading
35 people want to read

About the author

Elizabeth St. Michel

12 books117 followers
Welcome aboard! I enjoy children, cats, dogs, gardening and writing award-winning and bestselling historical romance. The Winds of Fate is a swashbuckling tale of love lost and retribution. I also have a great fondness for the American Civil War period as shown in my Surrender Series. For American Revolution fans there is my International Book Award Winning, The Duke of Rutland Series about a Duke and his four strong-willed offspring. My latest International Hemingway Award-winning novel, On Prevailing Winds is an enthralling WWII love triangle that spans the globe. Half of my year is spent in New York and the other half in the Bahamas where I obtain so much inspiration for my work.

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Rainelle.
2,207 reviews126 followers
August 8, 2021
I found that the plot of the story gives a lot of realism to this story. I like how the writer submitted historical events and information that had me ever more intrigued of this book. I like the whimsical characters. The heroine Grace is my favorite in this book. Her personality has one me over. I think the Colonel is a good match for her.
It was a little hard to connect with certain parts of the verbiage(flamboyant words) that required me to stop reading the book, look up the word to Interpret what the writer was conveying. The entertainment added a lot of excitement to the book. The story has a good pace that makes the ending awesome to read.
365 reviews2 followers
July 17, 2021
A Storm Is Coming

The Civil War brought out the Rebel leader “The Gray Ghost”. One of his missions into North turned his world upside down when he kidnapped a group of nuns. Pride, passion and fighting temptation with one golden hair nun made you laugh, cry and want another chapter.
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,263 reviews101 followers
September 23, 2021
Scarred both inside and out by his experiences of war, Rebel Colonel Ryan Rourke is a formidable force and famed enemy of the north, having earned his legendary title of the Gray Ghost. He’ll do anything to protect his men and with them in dire need of medical supplies and treatment, Ryan doesn’t hesitate to capture a group of nuns who were headed to work in a northern hospital. He needs their help, especially when he learns that the youngest nun is actually a doctor, even if her beauty stirs a longing in him that threatens his sanity.

Grace Barrett isn’t really a nun, but she has a secret that she must protect at all costs lest it threaten her life. She’s not happy to be held against her will but the rebel camp may just be an excellent place to remain safe. She butts heads with Ryan at every turn, challenging his authority and decisions until the fire between them blooms into something more and Grace realizes too late that she’s fallen for Ryan completely even as they are threatened by the brutal war going on around them.

I’m still not really sure how I feel about this book. I had a hard time getting into it and found myself skimming a lot of it as there were large chunks of flowery language that, while lovely, didn’t do much to advance the story. Some of the conversations were rambling and seemed incoherent. The heroine was pompous and off-putting in her know-it-all attitude, especially when she was so incredibly disconnected from reality. When she started blaming Ryan for an entire war, which he in no way caused, I was pretty much done with her. This was way too fixated on politics and bogged down by the nuances of war and that took away from the romance for me. Combine that with Grace and Ryan’s interactions in which she mostly just railed at him, disrespected him, and made it even harder for him to keep everyone safe, and I didn’t understand how these two fell in love. There were so many times Grace provoked and picked at Ryan and then couldn’t figure out why he was annoyed with her that I just lost all faith in her. The narrative also flitted about rather a lot and was hard to follow, especially during the action scenes where it became especially erratic. During those scenes I had a hard time picturing exactly what was going on and the constant cycle of a dangerous action scene, followed by some sort of separation of the main characters, followed by a short-lived but dramatic reunion felt repetitive after a while and made it hard to relax and enjoy the bit of romance that was there. I found this read to be very emotionally draining and very much sadder and more depressing than I typically enjoy in my romance and even in the end I was a bit unconvinced of the love between Grace and Ryan, at least from her side.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Patricia King.
770 reviews15 followers
April 22, 2022
Surrender the Storm
Surrender series, Book 3
Elizabeth St. Michel, author

A deeply moving account of the trials and tribulations of the men and women who served in the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Desperate to find a doctor to aid the wounded and ill men of his troop, Colonel Rourke kidnapps Grace and three others, thinking they were all Sisters of Mercy. Only he finds himself drawn to Grace, unknowingly of the secrets she keeps. As the story evolves, so does a slow burn love story between Rebel Colonel Ryan Rourke and Dr. Grace Barrett a northerner.

Pulling from factual events of the time, Ms. St. Michel weaves a masterpiece through her storytelling. I highly recommend this novel to all. I was gifted a book from the author in exchange for a honest review.
609 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2021
Very Good Third Book in A Series

This book tells the story of the third Rouke brother and a doctor from the Union side of the Civil War. I found it hard to put down any of the three stories and read until late at night to finish them. All were well written.
217 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2021
A really great story for Ryan. I've read all of Elizabeth St Michel's books and feel like they're fabulous. This one really takes you back in time to the Civil War. You can feel the atmosphere of every battle as well as weather. This series has been hard to put down.
17 reviews
April 9, 2022
I can do laundry tomorrow.

The latest Rutland historical romance novel is full of intriguing people, historically correct civil war battles and well developed characters. It is refreshing to have more than a few supporting characters so well fleshed out that they come alive on the page. One can hear, smell and taste the well described scenes. Thanks Elizabeth for an excellent read.
Profile Image for Lynne Denena.
43 reviews
May 23, 2022
This is a sigh worthy story told by an outstanding story teller. You know, there are people who write books but telling a great story in book form is a gift not every author has.
Always well researched, the author weaves us through a Lot of America’s history. Beautiful characters, horrendous war and the aftermath of it and some characters that really needed to die sometimes caused me to hold my breath!
Don’t skip this. It’s a keeper!
Profile Image for EvilAntie Jan.
1,592 reviews13 followers
July 22, 2022
A sweeping conclusion

I didn't want this series to end but more importantly I didn't want this story to end. Intertwined in war comes a great love story of the Grey Ghost and the Nun.
356 reviews1 follower
October 18, 2021
A Great Great Series

Hated to see this series end. Wish 6she would write another one about the Civil War with a family supporting each side. Makes for a great read.
Profile Image for The Duchess of Hollywood.
217 reviews
February 24, 2023
4⭐️
I love Elizabeth St Michel so much! I periodically check her website to see if there’s anything new by her coming soon since I’ve read almost all her work!
I’m disappointed this was the final book of the series because I LOVED this series, but wasn’t in love with this last one sadly.
I love how each of her books is like a history lesson that I’m not dreading hearing about😂 I was a terrible history student in school.
There definitely was a lot going on in this one to love though!
Colonel Ryan Rouke kidnaps Sister Grace and her other Sisters in hopes they could tend to his wounded Confederate soldiers. On the run from her horrible mother, stepfather and stepbrothers, Dr Grace Barrett, a northerner, is posing as a nun to hide her identity from a horrible secret she has kept. Ryan is unexpectedly drawn to Grace but knowing full well she is a nun, has made her off limits. But as they get closer, their love flourishes when she reveals her true identity and secrets to him. Having to choose between his duty to the Confederacy and his new found love, Ryan must decide which is the side he’s willing to fight for more.
I really did like this one, it had all the drama and the steam, but there was such overuse of unnecessary details. Of course, I love details of a story, but some thing’s just felt like wasted the time if that makes sense.
But PLEASE ELIZABETH, WHERE ARE YOU I MISS YOUR WRITING😩❤️ I need more!!
3 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2024
Another book in this series that’s just a little too pro-confederacy for my liking.
Profile Image for Judy Esposito.
970 reviews14 followers
April 29, 2022
)4 Surrender the Storm: Surrender Series Book 3

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this 3rd book in the Surrender Series. It's one of those books you can't wait to see how it ends, but then again you don't want it end. I love how the author, Elizabeth St. Michel, writes her books. Each book is beautifully written to pull me in from the beginning and the pages flow on by. Love the entertaining characters and I love the storyline based around the Civil War! Sexual content. Recommend. JudyE
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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