Blog Tour: One Night of Surrender by Evie North (Review + Giveaway)

Love Saves the World welcomes Evie North and her novella, One Night of Surrender, which introduces her new series: The Brothers Mortmain.

Evie will be awarding the entire set of five stories in the first series of Knights of Passion, her self-published short stories, either from Amazon or Smashwords to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Drop by Evie North's other stops by clicking here.

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About the book:


Blurb:

It’s his last night on earth ... and his final wish will be her command.

The Brothers Mortmain, Book 1

Like his two brothers, Sir Gervais Hawley, son of the Earl of Mortmain, is reckless and wild. But now his days are numbered. Given up to the Bow Street Runners for robbing a coach, he has been sent to Newgate to hang.

Every man on death row is granted a final wish -- if he has the money. Gervais has more money than most, and his final wish is for a taste of something sweeter than mere food. He wants Katherine, a woman falsely imprisoned. For one night in her arms, he will pay the debts that will set her free.

From the moment she saw Gervais in the corridors of Newgate, Katherine felt the spark of attraction. In exchange for her freedom, she agrees to his terms: one night in his bed, obey his every command.

Their passionate encounter is more than Katherine ever expected. And as the cock crow draws near, her body and heart crave more. But Gervais is headed for the gallows ... unless fate intervenes.

Excerpt:

And now, in barely the time it had taken for a candle to burn down an inch, Gervais Hawley had shown her what her life could have been like if she’d chosen a different man. A man who cared for her. Who loved her.

“Why did you ask for me?” The question spilled out of her.

He shrugged one shoulder. “I saw you. You are beautiful. Why not?”

Katherine wasn’t satisfied with the answer but she supposed she couldn’t expect anything more. What did she want? A vow of undying love from a man about to be hanged? She was being foolish.

Make the most of this night, a voice whispered in her head. Take what you can. Because who knows what tomorrow will bring for you?

Getting to his feet Gervais stretched his arms as far above his head as possible in the low ceilinged room, having to bow his body outwards to complete the movement. Katherine found herself admiring his lithe, powerful form with new eyes. This man, this body, would take her soon. He would be joined with her, giving her pleasure, and she realised with a sense of amazement at her own daring that she was impatient for it to be so.

Buy at Samhain: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/North--pa-1799.html
Buy at Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/One-Night-Surrender-Brothers-Mortmain-ebook/dp/B00GN98BWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384731882&sr=8-1&keywords=one+night+of+surrender
Buy at Barnes and Noble (Nook): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-night-of-surrender-evie-north/1117398264?ean=9781619220751

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My Review:

Gervais is the youngest son of the Earl of Mortmain who craves adventure. His latest stunt is disguising as a highwayman and robbing traveling coaches. It is this recklessness that landed him in Newgate and one night away from the hangman's noose. His last wish is a night with another inmate at Newgate: Katherine -- who has been jailed for her lover's debts.

A stranger has asked for one night with her and has offered, in exchange, to pay off the debts that have kept her in jail. Katherine is reluctant to agree but it is the man's dying wish -- and it would buy her her freedom.

The premise of this e-novella intrigued me: one night and then the hero is sent to the gallows. It's an inescapable situation because both the hero and the heroine are imprisoned in Newgate. One room, one night. And they've only just met.

It's a setup that, I wish, more authors would write about because there is such a wealth of possibilities in exploring this scenario, the idea of "one last day" and what characters would do in that situation -- and Evie North's story is a great example.

What I liked about One Night of Surrender is how emotional the scenes were between Gervais and Katherine. The sense of urgency is palpable as they only have a few hours with each other -- and it is a night spent loving. I loved Gervais. Considering it was his last night alive, he was incredibly thoughtful and mindful of Katherine's needs and wants. The author intersperses revelations about each character as the night progresses and we discover so much about Katherine and Gervais, which made me to feel a bit sad and a bit wistful for the two of them and made me wish that there was more than that night for them.

The second half of the story follows Katherine after she is released from prison. While this half didn't have the same weight and emotional pull as the first half of the novella, I appreciated being able to see what happens to Katherine after that one night. While reading this part, I kept thinking how the author has a great sense of pacing and "time in fiction" -- considering that she was writing a novella, she was able to move her story forward by months without making the transition seem abrupt or rushed. In the end, we see a sweet love story resolved quite nicely and happily.

Evie North is definitely an author that I will be reading again.

Disclosure: I received this review copy from the tour organiser as part of the blog tour. Yes, this is an honest review.

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About the author:

Evie North is a writer of erotic historical romance. Once Evie goes into her writing zone, she vanishes into a world of medieval knights and regency rakes, and the ladies who tame them. Here happy endings are obligatory and the bedroom door is left firmly open.

One Night of Surrender is her first novella and is the first in a Regency trilogy about the Mortmain Brothers.

Website: www.evienorth.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evie-North/401015099984268?ref=hl
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6907217.Evie_North
Evie’s Smashwords page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/evienorth

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Evie will be awarding the entire set of five stories in the first series of Knights of Passion, her self-published short stories, either from Amazon or Smashwords to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Drop by Evie North's other stops by clicking here.