Surrender to Me (I Surrender #2) by Monica James

Surrender to Me
I Surrender Trilogy #2
by Monica James
Genre: New Adult, contemporary, romance
Release Date: October 21, 2013

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/Barnes and Noble

SURRENDER TO ME (I Surrender #2) by Monica James

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 21, 2013

Ava Thompson left the love of her life, Jasper White, to unearth her destiny. Even though the decision was the toughest of her life, it was the only way for Ava to grow into the woman she’s always wanted to become.

Sadly, that destiny has led her back to the place that broke her.

Singapore.

And more importantly, it has led her back to the man who broke her.

Harper.

But Ava is no longer the scared, lost girl she once was. Ava is stronger, and she will not allow her past, taint her future.

Six months later, Ava travels back to Los Angeles for an event that embraces the true meaning of love. Sadly for Ava, her meaning of true love has been lost.

And that’s because of one life changing event that has altered her life forever.

Los Angeles is not how Ava left it. Things have changed. People have changed. She has changed. But what has remained untouched is her passionate love for Jasper White.

But does Jasper feel the same?

REVIEW: SURRENDER TO ME is the second storyline in Monica James’s contemporary, new adult romance series focusing on Ava Thompson and Jasper White. This instalment commences approximately four months following the end of I Surrender when Ava returns to the United States to stand up in her best friend’s wedding.

In the intervening four months the storyline changes dramatically. When we last left Ava and Jasper, they had pledged their undying love for one another as Ava departed for a scholarship program at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) in Singapore-the same place where he ex boyfriend Harper still resides. Of course, you can see the problems approaching now that Harper and Ava are going to be in close proximity to one another.

The relationship between Ava and Jasper has fallen apart due in part to a piece of information that the reader is not privy to throughout most of the building story and when Ava returns to America with her ex-boyfriend in tow, things go from bad to worse with every encounter between our leading couple. And to complicate matters, Ava keeps the truth about her relationship with Harper a secret-one that even her BFF Veronica is not aware. Harper and Ava are back together as a couple and the reasons Ava keeps close to her heart.

The reader is pulled into another storyline of emotional ups and downs especially when Jasper is unable to stay angry with Ava for very long. His need and love for Ava has barely survived their separation and is clearly spiraling out of control as the storyline progresses. Jasper and Ava’s connection can be felt to the deepest part of their soul: their love for one another is both heartbreaking and sad because of the elephant in the room-what went wrong and why? The relationship issues needed to be resolved before anyone would get their HEA.

Harper (Ava’s ex) plays a more active role in Surrender to Me-one that will place Jasper and Ava in a difficult situation. He is an enigma and a man with an obvious plan. Although his part was predictable from a reader’s POV, I kept wondering why Ava hadn’t clued in to Jasper’s late night behavior and obvious avoidance of his girlfriend.

The world building and especially the character development continues from I Surrender. Monica delves deeper into Jasper and Harper’s personalities including Harper’s need for Ava and why. The storyline covers a few days in the life before the wedding and concludes with a surprising pronouncement a few weeks later.

SURRENDER TO ME is a passionate storyline about two people so much in love with another but two people who have a difficult time revealing the truth behind the continuous misunderstandings and thoughts of betrayal. It is a story where the heart knows what it wants before the mind has had a chance to see the entire picture.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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I SURRENDER (I Surrender #1)
by Monica James
Release Date: July 2013

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk

Singapore has stolen a piece of Ava Thompson.

It took one life shattering moment, for her to realize, her EX is not the man she believed him to be. Returning home to Los Angeles was never going to be easy for Ava. Her heart has been shattered to smithereens and she’s convinced it’ll never heal. Or, so she thought.

Enter Jasper White.

Unbeknown to Ava, Jasper White will change her life forever.

The attraction is instantaneous which troubles Ava, who has sworn off men indefinitely. But, she is finding resisting Jasper, with his tousled bedroom hair and piercing cerulean eyes, harder than she ever imagined. And that’s because Jasper knows what he wants, and he wants Ava.

But, can Ava surrender to her feelings for the one man who compels her to love again? Because, what happens if love does not triumph all? What happens if love isn’t enough?

I SURRENDER is the first storyline in Monica James’s contemporary, new adult romance series focusing on Ava Thompson and rock god/guitarist Jasper White. Ava is broken-her boyfriend of four years announced that he doesn’t love her and wants a clean break. Believing that nothing or no one will ever mend her shredded heart, Ava will meet Jasper White-the man to whom she is drawn both body and soul. What ensues is a roller coaster of betrayal, jealousy, anger and hurtful words that will destroy the fragile repairs to each other’s hearts.

The storyline premise will see Ava and Jasper building a relationship – one of friends to enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to friends and back again. Yes, there it is. The proverbial roller coaster of misunderstanding, painful realizations, heartbreaking accusations and falling in love. As Ava and Jasper dance around each other both continue to ignore the elephant in the room-their exes who still have some sort of hold on their lives.

The reader is pulled into a story about one woman’s inability to move on and one man’s inability to forget about the painful childhood and the parents who cared for nothing but the next drink or getting high. Jasper believes himself unworthy of Ava’s love and Ava continues to prove him right when she is unwilling to admit that she loves the man who has stolen her heart.

The storyline is both emotionally draining and frustrating as we watch Ava destroy the relationship and the man because of her painful past. The couple push and pull at one another’s emotional fragility until there will come a point when hurtful words are daggers to the heart.

There is a colorful cast of secondary characters including Ava’s best friend V and Jasper’s band mate Lucas as well as Jasper’s evil, spiteful ex who continues to make Ava’s life miserable at every opportunity. Ava and Jasper push each other over and over, until finally, both will break under the pressure. This is a story about two people so drawn to one another but the walls that surround their hearts is so thick, it will take a separation to begin the long process of breaking down and giving in.

If you are a fan of angst driven, heartbreaking storylines where an uneasy declaration of love is threatened by yet another perfectly timed separation and threat, then I SURRENDER by Monica James is the read for you. It has all the elements of the new adult storylines: betrayal; secrets; painful past; sorrow; spiteful exes; and misunderstandings. And it also has a HEA for now because Ava has chosen to finish her goal of becoming a gourmet chef and it will bring her face to face with the man who broke her heart and sent her away.

Reviewed by Sandy

Surrender to Me by Monica James

“Do you like me more now?”

At the moment, I am trying to stop myself from liking him too much. But I’m pretty certain I am way too late, as the like ship, set sail a long time ago, and now I am faced with an endless sea of pure wanton need.

“Jasper…” I pause, unsure of what I want to say. “Let me take you home,” I finish off.

Jasper shakes his head, pulling me towards him so we are chest to chest.

“Answer my question first.”

His alcohol laced breath is fanning my cheeks, and for some reason, it is a total turn on. My hormones begin a striptease, hoping I listen to them and give in to my needs.

“Yes,” I reply simply, because it’s the truth.

Jasper leans forward, hovering over my mouth. “How much?”

I hold onto my breath, afraid if I breathe the wrong way, I might do something I know I shouldn’t.

“This much,” I say breathlessly, while stretching my thumb and forefinger as far as they will extend.

Jasper tongues his top lip. “Good. Okay, now let’s go home,” he says while pulling back with a smug look on his face, as he knows he has caused me to go weak at the knees.

Home.

How I wish his home was mine.

Surrender to Me playlist:     https://play.spotify.com/user/1292356879/playlist/2flHnePmWV1C6fxkRqfKzJ

Passengers of Ego links:

https://www.facebook.com/passengersofego

https://twitter.com/PassengersOfEgo

passengersofego.bigcartel.com (where you can purchase the cd and tshirts)

passengers.of.ego@gmail.com

POE’s debut song Set Me Free Lyric Video:

Direct Link: http://youtu.be/MwDFfT-AtxQ

Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson. Listening to the likes of Elvis to Fiona Apple and everything in between has been her inspirational tool to write. Her varied musical and literary tastes have shaped her into the writer she has become. Monica partook in extra Literature and Writing studies in High School. She studied a Bachelor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at La Trobe University Victoria, Australia, majoring in Philosophy and Cinema Studies for three years. When she is not writing she is running her own business, but always finds a balance between the two. Monica enjoys reading honest, heartfelt and turbulent stories that leave an imprint on her. She put pen to paper because she wanted to write a book that she would want to read. She draws inspiration from her surroundings, hopeful others enjoy reading about the world as she sees it.

Grand Prize of a signed copy of Surrender To Me, swag, Passengers of Ego CD and a T-shirt.

3 Amazon Ebook copies of Surrender to Me

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