THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart: Review & Excerpt

The Promise of Surrender by Liliana Hart
Series: The MacKenzie Family #13.5, 1001 Dark Nights
Publication Date: December 15th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 120
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

Mia Russo spent ten years working undercover, entrenched in the dregs of society before handing in her shield. Opening her own pawn shop is a piece of cake in comparison. All she needs is the bad attitude she developed on the streets and the shotgun under her counter to keep law and order. Until the day Zeke McBride walks into her shop. 

Zeke knows Mia has every right not to trust him. He was the one who chose the next op instead of her. And all he can hope is that somewhere under the snarl and cynicism is a woman who can forgive. Because whether she trusts him or not, they’re going to have to work together to bring down the gang that’s decided Mia is their next target.

 

Review

I love the MacKenzie family and all the books about them, so reading The Promise of Surrender was a no-brainer. And I loved it especially because the pace was steady from the beginning to the end.

Seven years ago Mia Russo left her job as an undercover police detective when an operation went south and several officers were killed and opened her pawn shop on the outskirts of the town of Surrender but the instincts that served her so well on the job are still alive. And she knows that trouble has come to town when Zeke McBride walks into her shop.

Zeke chose the job over Mia seven years ago and has regretted it every day since then. He’s finally ready to retire and fight for a future with Mia, but he has one last op to complete and Mia is right in the middle of it. 

Mia is my favorite character in this book. She’s really street savvy, independent and strong. She does not pull her punches and she’s not going to make it easy for Zeke to pick up from where they left off, not after the tears and pain she’s gone through, not when she can’t trust that he’ll really walk away after this op.

I like that even though Mia left him, Zeke kept her on his radar and slowly worked his way back to her and was willing to do anything to show her that he was completely in. The chemistry between them was so intense and the ease with which they fell back into the familiar patterns of their relationship show just how good things had been between them.  I wish that they hadn’t let pride stand in their way for so long.

I loved that Cooper and Riley MacKenzie made appearances here, but this book only stoked my hunger for more books in this series and I cannot wait for Shane’s story in February. You know I’m going to go on a re-read binge of the series to tide me over until then. I have one complaint though: it was too short and I finished it within a couple of hours. 

 

 

 

Excerpt

The drive into Surrender was quick and easy. The town was locked up tight for the most part. All the shops downtown were dark except for the gaslights that flickered along the walkways. There were lights coming from some of the apartments above the shops, including hers, but it looked like most of the action was happening down at Duffey’s Pub at the far end of Main Street.

She rolled her window down and could hear the beat of the music from the live band. Cars littered the parking lot and every light imaginable was on, inside and out. Duffey’s wasn’t her scene, but still she was tempted to take a detour and head that direction. Drink a couple of beers, dance with a couple of ranch hands, and keep her mind off Zeke.

But instead, she pulled into her parking space behind the building and climbed the stairs to the second floor. If she could get a cold beer and a shower then all would be right with the world. The only issue was the man sitting in her rocking chair.

“I didn’t figure you’d want me going inside without you,” he said, his smile easy. As if nothing more than a simple conversation had passed between them earlier. It was one of the things that had always driven her crazy about him. When he was over something, he was over it, and he moved on. Her emotions weren’t quite as settled. 

“You figured right,” she said. “I would’ve shot first and asked questions later.”

“I thought that temper of yours would’ve settled over the years.”

“Nope, I’m mean as a snake.”

“That’s not what the ladies at the bakery downstairs said. Those are amazing cinnamon rolls, by the way.”

“I know. Why are you here again? I figure if I keep asking you’ll eventually tell me.”

“Don’t you want to know what the ladies had to say about you?”

If she stood there looking at him too much longer she’d end up straddling his lap and throwing caution to the wind. He sent her body into overdrive—it didn’t matter that it had been seven years. Hell, when they’d been together it hadn’t mattered if he’d just taken her and she was still lying limp and sweaty beneath him. He always made her want him.

He lounged back in the chair like a big jungle cat, and his eyes were predatory. If she let him inside she knew where they’d end up. Even from where she stood she could feel the arcs of electricity between them.

 

 

 

 

 

Related Posts