Review - - Surrender My Heart

Surrender My Heart
By LG O'Connor
Caught Up in Love - Book 3
Publisher: Collins-Young Publishing
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

Kitty and John have spent a lifetime loving one another...but not together. High school sweethearts, they were certain of what the future held but life, critical decisions, and secrets sent them in different directions. The past thirty-five years have brought significant changes to both of their lives. A police detective, John has been divorced for many years while Kitty, a CPA, is married with an adult daughter. Each time they see one another, it's apparent that their feelings still run deep but John is too honorable to act upon them and Kitty, unknown to those around her, is holding herself together by a thread. Allowing herself to lean on John, the man she has always known was her kryptonite, would likely shatter the tight control onto which she is barely holding. When Kitty's marriage implodes due to her husband's unexpected actions, it leaves her mired in self-doubt and depression, a state from which her daughter, Jenny (book 2 - Shelter My Heart) and her younger sister, Jillian (book 1 - Caught Up in Raine) are determined to free her. The adult Kitty they both know is vastly different from the person she was as a young woman. That person, nicknamed Kat by John, was vibrant, bold, and sure of her place in life and in John's arms. But that person ceased to exist when decisions were made that could not be undone. The Kitty of today is an overweight, less confident, paler version of Kat, a woman suffering beneath the guilt of too many secrets.

Readers have come to know both Kitty and John through the first two books in this series but there is much more to these two individuals and their journey than the author has let us see up to this point. In Surrender My Heart, we finally uncover their past and discover the events that have led them to this point in their lives. Writing in first person with chapters in alternating points of view, and transitioning chapters from present to past, O'Connor offers readers a poignant, deeply emotional, and sometimes heartbreaking story of the joy of young love, the devastation of loss, and the suffocating guilt that can result from, as Kitty says, making "the best of the worst choices for all of us." Once again, this author has woven a complex and compelling story that kept me up half the night. With a deep sigh, and a few tears, I turned the final page at 3:00 am this morning after savoring every word. 

I've been in John's corner since first meeting these characters in Caught Up in Raine. His care and concern for Jillian, Raine, and Jenny won my heart and his obvious yearning for "his Kat" made me ache for him. As Kitty's story unfolds, we come to see a woman who has been deeply affected by secrets and actions over the years, both her own and those of people around her. I cheered for her as she slowly begins to take control of her life, her health, and her happiness. As their shared past is slowly revealed from each of their perspectives, my heart ached for both Kitty and John and the anguish caused by secrets and pride. What happened to them was not due to one decision, or one person. It's only through the acknowledgement of their own roles in the events that have brought them to this point, and forgiveness, of themselves and one another, that they have any hope of moving forward and creating a happy future...together.

If you're looking for a contemporary romance/women's fiction hybrid featuring mature characters, a compelling story, a poignant second chance, and affirmation that a man and woman in their fifties can still create sizzle, look no further than Surrender My Heart. I highly recommend it. 



Do you enjoy romances with more mature characters?

Have you read any of the books in this series yet?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, March 15 will receive a digital copy of Surrender My Heart. 

Purchase Links

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L.G. O’Connor’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, March 5th: Reading Reality

Wednesday, March 7th: From the TBR Pile

Monday, March 12th: What is That Book About – author Q&A

Tuesday, March 13th: The Romance Dish

Wednesday, March 14th: Written Love Reviews author Q&A

Thursday, March 15th: Sultry Sirens Book Blog

Monday, March 19th: Books & Bindings

Tuesday, March 20th: Mama Reads Blog and @mamareadsblog

Wednesday, March 21st: Written Love Reviews

Thursday, March 22nd: @girlandherbooks 

Monday, March 26th: @book_hangover88

Tuesday, March 27th: The Sketchy Reader

Wednesday, March 28th: Run Wright

Friday, March 30th: Moonlight Rendezvous