REVIEW: Surrender to You by Shawntelle Madison

Surrender to You by Shawntelle Madison, takes two passionate people who are pros at being friends with benefits and makes them crave more than what is currently being offered.

Carlie Jason and Tomas Goodfellow have been doing the no-strings-attached thing since they were teenagers. Tomas wants more from Carlie, but she’s a runner. Every time they get too close, she runs, until the next time she needs a release only Tomas can provide. During this time, Tomas gets a chance to watch Carlie submit and Carlie gets to give up control, if only for a little bit of time.

“I wanted him to do as he pleased and take everything I had to offer. For one night, I was willing to do that.”

When Carlie uses up all her money trying to track down her birth parents, she takes a job as a concierge for one of Tomas’s properties. There is literally no getting away from Tomas now, and these two explore their relationship a bit more.

I wanted to love this story, but it just didn’t happen. Carlie has celiac disease and she mentions gluten quite a bit. For a minute I thought I was reading a health book on gluten instead of a romance novel. She hides this information from Tomas, as well, but Tomas finds out and tries to get her to admit it to him, even going so far as to fill her place up with foods that have gluten in it, to make her confess. This whole gluten thing got a little weird for me, by making it such a big deal. I also didn’t like Carlie’s attitude for most of the book. Tomas is offering her a life with him and is always there for Carlie for whatever she needs, and she rebuffs him any chance she gets. I liked Tomas, but not with Carlie.

Overall, I liked the writing and but the chemistry between the characters wasn’t there for me. I also didn’t like the heroine, but I urge you to make your own decisions on this story. I did really love the cover, though. For readers who enjoy the friends with benefits trope, this could be your new favorite.

Book Info:

July 12th 2016 | Loveswept | At Your Service #2

Late-night booty calls are the most romantic gesture that Carlie Jason expects from business magnate Tomas Goodfellow. Ever since they were teenagers, they’ve provided each other the kind of no-strings pleasures that don’t involve regrets. Now Carlie finds it easier to kiss and run rather than face the fact that she wants so much more. But when she takes a job as a concierge at one of Tomas’s properties, a hotel where the rich and famous get their kink on, Carlie’s tempted to reconsider the rules of surrender.

As the head of an international empire, Tomas knows how to bring out the best in his employees. Putting Carlie in charge of managing the desires of his wealthiest clients was a stroke of genius—only now that she’s close enough to touch, he finds he doesn’t want to let her go. Their long, dark history has built up intimacy in ways he’s only just beginning to understand, but Tomas isn’t ready to trust her just yet. He knows his feelings are more than skin-deep. But first he needs to convince Carlie of one thing: the ties that bind go straight to the heart.