In Total Surrender [Mass Market Paperback]

So often in romances, the story is essentially about the woman surrendering to the man. He's the one who chases, seduces, gets her to succumb to his wiles, and in the end, she pushes to get what she wants as well: a declaration of love and his singular devotion. IN TOTAL SURRENDER was interesting because here that standard equation is reversed. There is no need for Phoebe to ask for Andreas's devotion or adoration, because she already has it, yet he resists surrendering to her. He wants to - oh, how he wants to! - but he fears that such a surrender would reveal secrets and horrors that would make Phoebe turn away from him forever.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
In Phoebe, we're given a heroine who is both "innocent," but also in pretty dogged pursuit of the hero. She is sweet and likable - smart, caring, and trusting - but she's also burdened by her responsibilities to her family. She has only herself to rely on and while she's clever, most people see her as a little silly or foolish. Phoebe is intrigued by Andreas (can you blame her?!) and is very persistent in trying to reach him, to get under his skin and have him open up to her. It never reads as overly aggressive - far from it actually, she's rather ... timidly aggressive.

Andreas is a terrific hero - definitely one of my favorites. He is the epitome of the lonely, mysterious, rough, tortured, bad boy hero. Honestly, if that's the kind of hero you love, look no further - Andreas has got it all in spades. There are only two people in the entire world whom Andreas truly trusts and cares about. He holds everyone he meets at a distance and never laughs or smiles. He's prickly, rude, avoids interacting with people, and doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. He clearly and repeatedly tries to resist Phoebe and the literal and figurative temptation she presents. We get to enjoy this resistance much more than Phoebe does, because while he's outwardly trying to push her away, we get to see the absolutely delicious thoughts and feelings he's struggling with internally.

CRITICISMS:
One of my biggest complaints is that for the first third of the book we are only given Andreas's POV. Andreas is fantastic and I loved having that access to him: due to the fact that he is so undemonstrative, reserved, and completely unreadable to others, this allowed us to really get to know him. Nonetheless, not hearing anything from one of two main characters for 1/3 of the book - and at the beginning of the story, no less? It didn't work for me. Phoebe appeared odd and annoying; we don't know her motivations, so she seems either incomprehensible or naïvely stupid. My opinion changed completely once I started to hear her voice and get insight into who she was. I loved that she's uncertain, feels vulnerable and exposed to him, yet doesn't back down and refuses to let him push her away.

Aside from the POV problem, my other main issue was with the subplot. This is the third Anne Mallory book I've read so far and I know her propensity to keep plot details murky. Usually, both main characters have secrets that neither the other nor the reader knows. When done well, this can be utterly fantastic, like in Seven Secrets of Seduction, the first in the series. There's a fine line to walk so that things are not too mysterious though, and that's where she failed here. I felt so lost. Going in, I thought this would be one of those cases where reading the previous book, One Night Is Never Enough, was recommended, since the stories seemed to be closely tied together (the hero of that one is Andreas' brother). Turns out, it doesn't matter either way, because I read it three months ago and was still clueless. As with her others, the subplot ended up being an interesting one, but the reader is left in the dark far too long.

The ending was not fully satisfying, feeling rushed and anticlimactic. Also, the sex scenes left something to be desired. While Mallory's books have never been very heavy or explicit in that aspect, they were unbelievably light here. Nonetheless, she is a talented writer and one of her greatest strengths is how she is able to imbue every interaction between her heroes and heroines with unbelievable sexual tension. IN TOTAL SURRENDER is no exception, so it basically had great foreplay, but not-so-great climaxes. ;-)

BOTTOM LINE:
What makes this book worth reading is the relationship between Phoebe and Andreas. There were so many quote-worthy passages and lots of little things that add up to make the portrayal so utterly fantastic (ex: I love how they continue to "Miss Pace" and "Mr. Merrick" one another, but add such an irreverent tone). While Phoebe plays "light" to Andreas's "dark," they each have enough of both to make them interesting and compelling, as opposed to cliché. They are strong, complex, and engaging characters; the connection between them undeniable. Anne Mallory excels in carefully constructed dialogue and capturing the intensity of hero and heroine's relationship. In that regard, IN TOTAL SURRENDER is excellent.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
If you like this book, you might also like ...
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt (expected release: Oct 2011)
McAlistair's Fortune by Alissa Johnson
Books 1 and 2 in the Secrets Series (links in the review above)
If You Deceive by Kresley Cole
Lord of Ice by Gaelen Foley
Lady of Desire by Gaelen Foley
After the Kiss by Suzanne Enoch

* This review is of a galley provided by HarperCollins through NetGalley. Reviewed on Fiction Vixen.

I am typically a pretty big Anne Mallory fan. I loved "The Bride Price," "Three Nights of Sin," "Seven Secrets," and "One Night is Never Enough." But this book just doesn't cut it.

It seems as if Anne Mallory has been gradually departing from the lush sex-scene-writing, replacing it with metaphorical allusions that at times do naught but annoy. If you are a fan, you can trace it back to "Seven Secrets." Her latest offering, "In Total Surrender," has pretty much no sex scenes, and is the first Mallory novel that I have read completely lacking sexual attraction. It is rather a G rated novel, and not only in the sizzle, or lack-there-of, department. The entire book is "cute -ishly comic."

Andreas, our hero, is supposed to be the king of London's dark underworld. He is dangerous; a man to be feared. Throughout the novel he is consistently involved in these (thankfully) not too gorily descriptive murder attempts on his life by his nemesis. Yet, that is the only "dangerous" part of him. He is more gruff, rude, and ill-mannered toward everyone than dangerous.

Phoebe, on the other hand, is supposed to possess great business acumen and is involved in these complicated machinations to save her father's company. However, her attempts at repaying the company's debts to Andreas (albeit forgiven debts) are nothing but childish - baking cookies, cleaning the alley, and other such innocuous acts. How does this represent the shrewdness Mallory attributed to Phoebe? It does not!!! Phoebe's actions are consistent ONLY with her bubbly, personality.

All this criticism doesn't mean that the novel does not have redeeming qualities. It is a light read that has some very subtle, witty humor, which makes the reader laugh. Andreas conquers his internal struggle, becoming a person who is not solely driven by revenge. Phoebe doesn't grow much as a character in this novel; however, she was a very nice, likeable character to begin with (she is very accepting of others, not judgmental at all).

So, if you are looking for something light, something that touches on serious issues, but never fully develops them, something that will put a complacent smile on your face, then this is the book for you.

I preface my review with this bit about myself: I'm a total sucker for the dark, tortured hero archetype. Completely so! I'm also swept away by intelligent, strong, and brave heroines. This book had layered, exciting, and engaging portrayals of both. From the first chapter this book had me hooked, line, and sinker! The plot was utterly unique and intriguing, the characters and world were all well developed, giving life and dimension to the story, and the storytelling itself was utterly captivating. This is the first time I've ever read anything by Anne Mallory and I have to say that I was completely blown away! How did I not hear of her books before this??

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I think there's a part in all of us women who want to be a Phoebe to her very own Andreas...the one woman who can get away with things others can't and is the only one who can heal a dark, tortured soul. *smiles This book is the reason why I love romances; it allows me to vicariously live out my secret fantasies through characters like Phoebe Pace. Love, love, love this book!