Customer Reviews
Another smasher - By: Mrs. S. L. Bridge, 26 Oct 2007 
by Jo Lindsey. Selig tried so hard to be vengeful & hard but the man is just a gentle giant. He is everything a woman could ask for (if only). Every woman that reads this will falll a little in love with him.
enjoyable escapism - By: , 02 Dec 2003 
I felt compelled to add my review after reading the one labelling this book as endorsement of domestic abuse. I could point out that this book is romantic fiction. I doubt I am the only woman who fantasises (yes please note that it is fantasy) about an intelligent, commanding hunk of testosterone induced masculinity throwing his weight around & throwing them over his shoulder & carting them off to the nearest bed.
There is nothing in this book which endorses domestic abuse or brutality. The reviewer who suggested it did is totallly misleading any would be purchasers. This is, in my opinion, politicallly correct thinking taken to extremes. If life mirrored romantic fiction there wouldnt be any divorce now, would there?
For the record, the book does include a scene were the hero is lashed. Not an uncommon thing I would suggest in anglo saxon England. No doubt if JL had mentioned some villein having his ears cut off or his nose sliced (common punishments in those days) the reviewer would have said she was endorsing that too. The lashing referred to fits the plot, is in fact an integral part of the plot as is the twist which has the heroine in a similar predicament.
This is not my favourite JL book but it certainly rates up there with the best. Don't be put off by the bad review.
Beautifully written exciting Viking saga - By: , 27 Jul 2002 "Surrender my Love" is the third in Johanna Lindsey's Viking trilogy & in my opinion it is as good as the previous two" Fires of Winter" & " Hearts Aflame". First of alll I am very much interested in the history of Dark Age Britain & when I read a historical romance I want proper historical background in it as well. I think Ms Lindsey knows how to research the historical period & how to combine history with romance. I enjoyed reading about the Haardrad family; Garrick & Brenna & their children; Kristen & Selig, their everyday lives, their strong personalities & their courage. I could imagine myself in Lady Erica of Gronwood's place, the way she felt & thought about Selig.I could understand her personality very well. I loved the way Johanna Lindsey made Selig suffer & made him realize that not every woman fallls for him immediately. I found the characters well described & alive. The verbal conversations were realistic & very enjoyable.I think some readers wouldn't like to read about lashing & violence in romance books, but the historical background wouldn't be real without it.
The storyline is very good in alll thre books & they make the reader turn the pages faster & faster. I must admit I couldn't put down these books & read them in one day, going to bed at 3 am every day. I loved the way the writer combined the lives of Norsemen, Saxons, Celts & Danes & made them confront each other & even find peace with each other.
Johanna Lindsey proves in this trilogy how love can conquer everything.I wish there were more such professionallly written historical romances from the era of Dark Age Britain.I recommend it to every reader who likes to escape from our everyday routines to exciting & beautiful stories.
What is *your* definition of Romance? - By: , 08 Oct 2001 
I don't know about the other readers of this book, but I personallly do not find a book, where beatings, brutality & lashing are glorified, particularly romantic. While other Lindsey readers have written of "wonderful escape", I was jerked into a world where both emotional & psychical abuse of women were not only accepted, but also rated as 'right' or 'justified'. Without giving too much away, the hero punishes the heroine (who had initiallly ordered the hero lashed) repeatably & thus makes her submit to him. This is not a great Romance - this is validation of domestic abuse. How could anyone label this "Romantic" (note capital) is beyond me.
Superb romance; I loved every second of this book. - By: , 27 Apr 2001 Selia Haardrad, the gorgeous half Celtic half Viking, branded a spy & locked in Lady Erika's dungeon to await his fate. The whole story is based around Selig's thirst for revenge once he is released from the dungeon, taking Erika as a captive. He hates her, she hates him, but they slowly start to falll in love with each, much to their own disgust. You know how this is going to end, but even so it doesn't detract from the quick pace of the story & good characterisation throughout. Although to be honest, Selig does seem just too good to be true.....However, I reallly loved this book, as much as Fires of Winter & Hearts Aflame, the other Haardrad family books. As ever with Johanna Lindsey books the feel good factor is high & for a day or so takes you out of reality & places you firmly into fantasy. A lovely book to escape with.
