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Дарю тебе сердце
Разлученная с первым возлюбленным, дерзким авантюристом Доусоном, прекрасная креолка Кэтлин Борегар вынуждена была пойти под венец с богатым плантатором Хантером.
Не сразу удалось чуткому, нежному супругу исцелить душевные раны красавицы и пробудить в ней любовь - пока еще робкую, неуверенную.
Но теперь, когда Кэтлин получила известие о гибели мужа на полях Гражданской войны, а магически-притягательный Доусон вновь появился в ее жизни, - как ей поступить, на что решиться?..
Не сразу удалось чуткому, нежному супругу исцелить душевные раны красавицы и пробудить в ней любовь - пока еще робкую, неуверенную.
Но теперь, когда Кэтлин получила известие о гибели мужа на полях Гражданской войны, а магически-притягательный Доусон вновь появился в ее жизни, - как ей поступить, на что решиться?..
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1983
10 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Nan Ryan
44 books71 followersNancy Henderson is the middle daughter of a Texas rancher and postmaster. She's been married for many years to Joe Ryan, a television executive. Hisoccupation has taken them from border to border and coast to coast. Fortunately, writing is something that can be done anywhere - and Nan shouldknow. The Ryans have lived in Washington, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and their own home state of Texas. Nan says it was fun to move around the country and honestly believes that it has helped her writing. The library and the Internet offer a great deal of information on any given place, but there is nothing quite likeactually living in a locale where a book is set.
She began her writing career in 1981. She flirted with writing mysteries, but never finished any. Then, as fate would have it, she saw an article in Newsweek magazine entitled "From Bedroom to Boardroom." It was an interesting story on the women who were writing romance novels. Nan was intrigued. She had never read a romance. She bought a couple, read them, and knew she'd found her calling. She sat down at the Smith Corona typewriter and began her own romance. The first one never left her house. It is burieddeep in a trunk and Nan says it will never be shown to anyone. Her second book sold and she's been writing since. Twenty-two romance novels later, shestill enjoys writing and realizes she's been blessed to have found what she loves to do.
The winner of numerous awards, Nan Ryan says one of the nicest things ever written about her was printed in the St. Petersburg Times. Correspondent AnnV. Hull wrote: "Romance novelist Nan Ryan could step right into the pages of one of her paperbacks. Tall and slender, with smokey eyes and pearly skin,Nan Ryan looks like movie star Jessica Lange's older sister. Ryan writes the most imaginative and bold love scenes, some of which would surely shock herformer teachers at Abilene Christian University."
She began her writing career in 1981. She flirted with writing mysteries, but never finished any. Then, as fate would have it, she saw an article in Newsweek magazine entitled "From Bedroom to Boardroom." It was an interesting story on the women who were writing romance novels. Nan was intrigued. She had never read a romance. She bought a couple, read them, and knew she'd found her calling. She sat down at the Smith Corona typewriter and began her own romance. The first one never left her house. It is burieddeep in a trunk and Nan says it will never be shown to anyone. Her second book sold and she's been writing since. Twenty-two romance novels later, shestill enjoys writing and realizes she's been blessed to have found what she loves to do.
The winner of numerous awards, Nan Ryan says one of the nicest things ever written about her was printed in the St. Petersburg Times. Correspondent AnnV. Hull wrote: "Romance novelist Nan Ryan could step right into the pages of one of her paperbacks. Tall and slender, with smokey eyes and pearly skin,Nan Ryan looks like movie star Jessica Lange's older sister. Ryan writes the most imaginative and bold love scenes, some of which would surely shock herformer teachers at Abilene Christian University."
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 28, 2016
This review is based on the print version of the book published back in 1983.
"Kathleen's Surrender" by Nancy Henderson Ryan-known better these days as Nan Ryan-is without question one of the best, most emotional romance novels I've ever read.
The particulars: As the book opens, we meet the Beauregard family of Natchez-on-the-Hill, Mississippi. Patriarch Louis Antoine, Matriarch Abigail Howard Beauregard, and the heroine of the book, their only child, daughter Kathleen Diana Beauregard. At the start, Kathleen is a starry-eyed 15 year old who loves her Southern Belle life. She soon meets a handsome, wealthy man named Dawson Blakely and falls quickly and fully in love with him. They fall in love and want to get married.
However, Louis is vehemently against their relationship, although he and Abigail are nice to Dawson. Louis' objection: Dawson's ancestry isn't as blue-blooded as the Beauregards' is; Dawson's ancestors are rather notorious people. Louis tells Dawson they can't marry, and Dawson loves Kathleen enough to let her go without telling her that her father is the one who's trying to keep them apart. They do have an intimate encounter before they part, which results in Kathleen's pregnancy.
To avoid losing face, Kathleen marries a doctor named Hunter Alexander, to give their child-a son named Scott-a father. Dawson, meanwhile, goes to Europe to drown his sorrows over losing Kathleen in drink and women.
As time goes on-the book encompasses 10 years-Kathleen realizes she's not in love with Hunter and freezes him out-emotionally and sexually. Dawson eventually returns to America and Kathleen realizes that she and Dawson still love each other and they become involved again. Hunter sees them kissing and decides, when the Civil War begins, to join the Confederate Army, ostensibly to die in combat to avoid living with a broken heart, knowing that Kathleen will never love him the way she loves Dawson. Dawson also does his part for the Confederacy, acting as a blockade runner on one of his many ships.
As the war goes on, Kathleen later realizes she does love Hunter and goes to the frontlines of the war in Vicksburg to be with him-they make love. On the way back to Natchez, Kathleen and her servant are set upon by Union soldiers, one of whom tries to rape her. That is prevented by Dawson, who is shot and seriously wounded in the process. Then Kathleen decides she wants to be with Dawson again. She finds out later that Hunter is listed as a casualty of the war and decides to go ahead and marry Dawson. Things don't end there, but I won't reveal all of what happens.
While you might think that Kathleen is a flighty and self-centered five-letter-word-for-female-dog flipping back and forth between her husband and her lover, it's a lot more complicated than that. Ms. Ryan does a tremendous job exploring and describing the emotions Kathleen, Hunter, and Dawson are going through. None of the three are villains, nor are they trying to deliberately hurt each other. They're just three people caught in a love triangle that none of them want but they also can't get out of easily. I felt each of their joys and sorrows, and it is an emotional rollercoaster that touched every one of my emotions.
Sex: there are some sex scenes, and although they are multiple pages long, they are not overly graphic.
Violence: since the latter half of the book takes place in the Civil War, there is some violence. Most is not graphically described, except for the scene in which Dawson shoots and kills Kathleen's attempted rapist. That is graphically described.
One of the most important things that a book-or tv show or movie-has to do to get and keep my attention is to make me care about the people I'm watching/reading about. Ms. Ryan does exactly that. She made me care about Kathleen, Hunter, and Dawson, and it was incredible to read this book. One of my favorite novels ever.
BTW, on Amazon, where I first posted this review, Ms. Ryan wrote to me to tell me that she appreciated my review!
"Kathleen's Surrender" by Nancy Henderson Ryan-known better these days as Nan Ryan-is without question one of the best, most emotional romance novels I've ever read.
The particulars: As the book opens, we meet the Beauregard family of Natchez-on-the-Hill, Mississippi. Patriarch Louis Antoine, Matriarch Abigail Howard Beauregard, and the heroine of the book, their only child, daughter Kathleen Diana Beauregard. At the start, Kathleen is a starry-eyed 15 year old who loves her Southern Belle life. She soon meets a handsome, wealthy man named Dawson Blakely and falls quickly and fully in love with him. They fall in love and want to get married.
However, Louis is vehemently against their relationship, although he and Abigail are nice to Dawson. Louis' objection: Dawson's ancestry isn't as blue-blooded as the Beauregards' is; Dawson's ancestors are rather notorious people. Louis tells Dawson they can't marry, and Dawson loves Kathleen enough to let her go without telling her that her father is the one who's trying to keep them apart. They do have an intimate encounter before they part, which results in Kathleen's pregnancy.
To avoid losing face, Kathleen marries a doctor named Hunter Alexander, to give their child-a son named Scott-a father. Dawson, meanwhile, goes to Europe to drown his sorrows over losing Kathleen in drink and women.
As time goes on-the book encompasses 10 years-Kathleen realizes she's not in love with Hunter and freezes him out-emotionally and sexually. Dawson eventually returns to America and Kathleen realizes that she and Dawson still love each other and they become involved again. Hunter sees them kissing and decides, when the Civil War begins, to join the Confederate Army, ostensibly to die in combat to avoid living with a broken heart, knowing that Kathleen will never love him the way she loves Dawson. Dawson also does his part for the Confederacy, acting as a blockade runner on one of his many ships.
As the war goes on, Kathleen later realizes she does love Hunter and goes to the frontlines of the war in Vicksburg to be with him-they make love. On the way back to Natchez, Kathleen and her servant are set upon by Union soldiers, one of whom tries to rape her. That is prevented by Dawson, who is shot and seriously wounded in the process. Then Kathleen decides she wants to be with Dawson again. She finds out later that Hunter is listed as a casualty of the war and decides to go ahead and marry Dawson. Things don't end there, but I won't reveal all of what happens.
While you might think that Kathleen is a flighty and self-centered five-letter-word-for-female-dog flipping back and forth between her husband and her lover, it's a lot more complicated than that. Ms. Ryan does a tremendous job exploring and describing the emotions Kathleen, Hunter, and Dawson are going through. None of the three are villains, nor are they trying to deliberately hurt each other. They're just three people caught in a love triangle that none of them want but they also can't get out of easily. I felt each of their joys and sorrows, and it is an emotional rollercoaster that touched every one of my emotions.
Sex: there are some sex scenes, and although they are multiple pages long, they are not overly graphic.
Violence: since the latter half of the book takes place in the Civil War, there is some violence. Most is not graphically described, except for the scene in which Dawson shoots and kills Kathleen's attempted rapist. That is graphically described.
One of the most important things that a book-or tv show or movie-has to do to get and keep my attention is to make me care about the people I'm watching/reading about. Ms. Ryan does exactly that. She made me care about Kathleen, Hunter, and Dawson, and it was incredible to read this book. One of my favorite novels ever.
BTW, on Amazon, where I first posted this review, Ms. Ryan wrote to me to tell me that she appreciated my review!
July 5, 2013
All I can say is, I'm SO lucky to have come across this rare treasure that has earned it's place as one of my new favorites aka the keeper shelf! Upon first reading, I thought surely that I was in store for a typical fluffy romance read (which I happen to have a weakness for as well), complete with tried and true trimmings of the basic formula. But I got so involved and swept up into these character's lives I began to really care about them and was pleasantly surprised of where the story took me in it's intricate directions. Spanning over ten years, beginning in 1854 the setting takes precedence in Natchez, Mississippi amid the wondrous plantation mansions overlooking great, blossoming cotton fields provided the backdrop.
The heroine Kathleen Diana Beauregard was only at the age of sixteen when the tall, swarthy and handsome Dawson Harpe Blakely (aged twenty-seven) was caught by the vision of the blonde beauty and was determined to make her his despite fair warnings about who her powerful father is. Just like Dawson had openly, if not self-assuredly, predicted to Kathleen that she will in fact fall madly in love with him, she truly did within a matter of weeks although it took Dawson a bit longer, eventually his emotions towards her grew to match hers. Together for a year, he was ready to propose to her and ask her imposing father Louis Beauregard for her hand in marriage. But, Louis was completely disgraced with the idea because as it turns out not only is Dawson from the slums of Natchez Under and earned most of his wealth through gambling, but he is also a descendant of the Harpes who were murdering, massacring thieves! In the huge confrontation, that Kathleen's parents Abigail and Louis plotted; he forcefully told Dawson he would not allow the marriage to happen and that Dawson had one of two choices: either leave Natchez, Mississippi and forget about Kathleen if he truly cares for her and her reputation or duel with Louis who would fight to protect the aristocratic family name. Dawson knew that if he dueled with Mr. Beauregard that he would kill him and henceforth Kathleen would never forgive him for it, so he had no other choice but to leave and had to convince Kathleen he no longer loved her. This misunderstanding sets off the story as other important characters come into play including her mammy Hannah and doctor Hunter Alexander. There are other misunderstandings that take place, even an affair that involved the heroine (which I rather enjoyed for the reason why it happened as well as the fact that it's usually the hero who has the affair.) I absolutely loved Hunter's kindhearted character and his development, even found myself torn between him and Dawson.
Definitely a light read that included historical happenings centered around the war between the North and the South (the Civil War.) Also there is tidbit about this novel I want to mention for those interested in reading it. This is the original book but it's also available on ebook format. But on ebook format it's published under Nan Ryan which would appear to be the same if not the shorter version of this author who first published this book under the full name Nancy Henderson Ryan. Initially I thought she was a one hit wonder when under my nose I had her other books added in my to-read list as Nan Ryan.
The heroine Kathleen Diana Beauregard was only at the age of sixteen when the tall, swarthy and handsome Dawson Harpe Blakely (aged twenty-seven) was caught by the vision of the blonde beauty and was determined to make her his despite fair warnings about who her powerful father is. Just like Dawson had openly, if not self-assuredly, predicted to Kathleen that she will in fact fall madly in love with him, she truly did within a matter of weeks although it took Dawson a bit longer, eventually his emotions towards her grew to match hers. Together for a year, he was ready to propose to her and ask her imposing father Louis Beauregard for her hand in marriage. But, Louis was completely disgraced with the idea because as it turns out not only is Dawson from the slums of Natchez Under and earned most of his wealth through gambling, but he is also a descendant of the Harpes who were murdering, massacring thieves! In the huge confrontation, that Kathleen's parents Abigail and Louis plotted; he forcefully told Dawson he would not allow the marriage to happen and that Dawson had one of two choices: either leave Natchez, Mississippi and forget about Kathleen if he truly cares for her and her reputation or duel with Louis who would fight to protect the aristocratic family name. Dawson knew that if he dueled with Mr. Beauregard that he would kill him and henceforth Kathleen would never forgive him for it, so he had no other choice but to leave and had to convince Kathleen he no longer loved her. This misunderstanding sets off the story as other important characters come into play including her mammy Hannah and doctor Hunter Alexander. There are other misunderstandings that take place, even an affair that involved the heroine (which I rather enjoyed for the reason why it happened as well as the fact that it's usually the hero who has the affair.) I absolutely loved Hunter's kindhearted character and his development, even found myself torn between him and Dawson.
Definitely a light read that included historical happenings centered around the war between the North and the South (the Civil War.) Also there is tidbit about this novel I want to mention for those interested in reading it. This is the original book but it's also available on ebook format. But on ebook format it's published under Nan Ryan which would appear to be the same if not the shorter version of this author who first published this book under the full name Nancy Henderson Ryan. Initially I thought she was a one hit wonder when under my nose I had her other books added in my to-read list as Nan Ryan.
March 23, 2015
The heroine is one the most selfish heroine I ever read.Bi.ch!
May 6, 2021
This certainly was a page turner, once I started I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up until 2am and practically finished it in one day. The romantic tension and heat factor were of the charts, my only quarrel with this book is the ending. Logically, I understand that in that scenario only two people can have a happy ending but my heart was broken. To me, wrong guy got the girl.. Alas, c’est la vie.
April 6, 2025
Had high hopes for this one due to all of the positive reviews. However, this one wasn’t bat-shit crazy enough for me. It started out promising, but three-quarters of the way through it meandered enough for me to start skimming passages. A lot of repetition within the last 75 pages. I’d read Nan Ryan’s previous novel, Stardust, a sudsy Dynasty-type bonkbuster that was leagues better than Kathleen’s Surrender. I was hoping for lightning to strike twice.
maybe
May 19, 2023self note
this is a love triangle.
The h sleeps with both Hs.
She cheats on her hub with her first love. Then sleeps with hub.
People said tearjerker so maybe 1H dies???
this is a love triangle.
The h sleeps with both Hs.
She cheats on her hub with her first love. Then sleeps with hub.
People said tearjerker so maybe 1H dies???
January 26, 2025
Kathleen is a young, naive girl living in the South before the Civil War. Her wealthy family lives in a mansion in Natchaz, Mississippi where her father strives to protect her.
Kathleen becomes acquainted with and falls in love with Dawson Blakely, but her father does not want her to marry him. So, devises a plan in which Dawson will leave and his daughter will never know his part in the scheme. But, her mammy, Hannah overheard the exchange.
Kathleen follows Dawson to his boat where she surrenders to him. But, he still leaves! And, she's heartbroken, refusing to eat or leave her room. Eventually, Kathleen realizes she is pregnant and calls upon Hannah to help her as she feels she can not have this baby. Hannah however refuses to assist in this risky scenario and instead suggests she become acquainted with the new, young doctor in town, Hunter Alexander.
Further reading will reveal the insuring decade and whether or not the paths of Kathleen and Dawson will every intersect again. And, what of their son, Scott. Not to mention, what of the relationship between Kathleen and Hunter. How will the Civil War play into the telling of their story?
Kathleen becomes acquainted with and falls in love with Dawson Blakely, but her father does not want her to marry him. So, devises a plan in which Dawson will leave and his daughter will never know his part in the scheme. But, her mammy, Hannah overheard the exchange.
Kathleen follows Dawson to his boat where she surrenders to him. But, he still leaves! And, she's heartbroken, refusing to eat or leave her room. Eventually, Kathleen realizes she is pregnant and calls upon Hannah to help her as she feels she can not have this baby. Hannah however refuses to assist in this risky scenario and instead suggests she become acquainted with the new, young doctor in town, Hunter Alexander.
Further reading will reveal the insuring decade and whether or not the paths of Kathleen and Dawson will every intersect again. And, what of their son, Scott. Not to mention, what of the relationship between Kathleen and Hunter. How will the Civil War play into the telling of their story?
December 31, 2017
This book was really good it rattled all my emotions the only thing that sucked was the fact that they both couldn’t have their happy ending . I feel like it relates to so many people and it’s really sad but mostly that how life is which sucks. I am very happy I read this book it will stay as one of my favorite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2021
What a wonderful book. So glad I finally read it. Made me cry.
Read
June 4, 2025The heroine of this book has got to be one of the most selfish heroines in romancelandia out there. This book also reads like a novel version of telenovelas. Too many unnecessary dramas and characters that bring no point to the story. And what's the point of introducing the hero early on in the story, make him vanish, and then return only for him to die in the end? The heroine ended up with the wimpy other guy with no thought, whatsoever, about what happened to the hero at all. One moment she was so ready to marry him and then not caring or thinking about him at all the next. Insane!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2018
I normally don't like to read romance novels like this one. I had to give it a 5 stars because it was a page turner and caused so many emotions by the end. I was mad, I was happy and I wanted to cry. First book that has ever done that to me.
May 9, 2021
She made her choice and it was the smart one, impressive.
Poor Hunter she was awful yo him. Happy ending!!
H hunter & h kathleen.
Poor Hunter she was awful yo him. Happy ending!!
H hunter & h kathleen.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews