Iain MacKinnon is falsely accused of murder by a British officer, and he and his two brothers are forced into the British army to form a Rangers unit. This is loosely based on the real Rogers' Rangers who fought in upper-state New York during the French and Indian wars. Meanwhile, Scottish Lady Annie Campbell is sold into an indenture in the Colonies by her evil uncle, the Marquis of Bute. Iain rescues her from Indians and, after a harrowing journey, brings her to Fort William Henry.
The author has done an excellent job of weaving history into the narrative and bringing it to life with accurate details of daily life in that era. It's my favorite kind of historical romance, where I spend considerable time looking up historical notes I didn't know before. Iain and Annie are a wonderful couple, forced together by circumstance but hereditary enemies (Iain is a highlander from the Isle of Skye, and Annie's family fought with the British at Prestonpans and Culloden).
Ms. Clare writes in a style reminiscent of Diana Gabaldon and this book especially has the flavor of the first Outlander books. There are some steamy scenes, but the story itself is enthralling and well-written with strong pacing. It's a historical period I don't know much about, but I very much enjoyed reading about it. I've grabbed the rest of the series and I highly recommend it to lovers of historical romance. ( )

Un grupo de guerreros cuidadosamente seleccionados, con el valor de sus antepasados escoceses combinado con el sigilo y la astucia de los indígenas que vivían en esa tierra salvaje. Luchando contra los franceses en una batalla sin cuartel forjaron un nuevo código de honor, convirtiéndose en una nueva raza de hombres...
Ian MacKinnon se había visto forzado a prestar servicio a la corona británica, pero la compasión hizo que salvara a una preciosa muchacha, que se enfrentaba a la muerte por culpa de los Abenaki.
Ahora, él desafiará sus ordenes, pondrá en peligro a sus hermanos, sus hombres y su misión… y todo por una mujer. Pero cuando tiene entre sus brazos el suave cuerpo de Annie, no siente ninguna clase de remordimientos. A pesar de presentir que ella le esconde algo, ya es demasiado tarde para proteger su corazón. Y, llegados a este punto, tanto en el amor como en la guerra hay una única opción… la RENDICIÓN.

It seems to be that the go-to way to show the hero as capable, and give him opportunities to rescue the damsel, is to have the heroine repeatedly bumble into danger. And that is the least interesting way in my opinion. So we have some of that here, which is a bit tiring, but the heroine does improve some as well, so it's not as bad as it could be. A couple cliches. But overall I was quite entertained, and didn't even think about DNFing it. I'm hoping that the following heroines won't be as 'fish out of water' to start, but I don't think my happiness with the books will entirely depend on it. ( )

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Introduction
Surrender is the first book in the "MacKinnon Ranger"s series. This is a series that I have had on my TBR for the longest of time. And I was convinced to read this when I saw some great reviews and a good friend of mine rave about it. I absolutely had a fun time with this one, and absolutely loved the setting of it dealing with the French War in Canada and Northern Colonies. I really enjoyed the way in which the author developed the romance and honestly I just trust Pamela Clare at this point. Just about every book that I read from her is brilliant. I really was intrigued by the set up of this one, and I was so easily drawn into this one. Even though I had the ebook, I did find the audiobook through Hoopla and decided to listen to this one and I am glad I did, the narrator did such a tremendous job on it.

My Outlook
Surrender was a brilliantly written romance and I really had a blast with it. While it didn't quite make it to 5 stars, it was still such a well done read. I absolutely adored the depth and development of the romance itself. It did have some angst but it was minimal and not overly drawn out or anything. I really enjoyed the whole Highlanders fighting in North America, it was so fascinating especially with them having Native American roots as well. I just found the world building so fascinating. You could tell that the author really did their research on it and it was well done as you can see it within the details. And despite when it was written, I do think readers today could easily read this.

I did find the romance intriging. There was a sense of forbidden in it, and the way that it plays out was so interesting. It definitely will have the reader in their feels and emotions and I enjoyed the manner in which it was developed. There is more conflict outside of the relationship, which is what I really enjoyed. It had such a refreshing feel to it. The sense of brotherhood and family between the brothers was so well done. I just can't wait for their books! If you like adventure feeling romances, then you definitely need to pick these up.

Overall View
I found Surrender to be a superb read that had me so in tune with the story from the beginning and I couldn't put it down! A thrilling historical to captivate instantly!

Rating Evaluation:
Plot: 5
World Building:5
Cover:5
Hero: 4
Heroine: 4
Steam: 4
Heart & Feels:4
Ending:5
Overall View: 4.25 ( )

This was a little different from my usual Scottish Highlander historical romance reads unless you count Outlander which gets into the American Revolution later in the series. This occurs near the Canadian border during The Seven Years’ War aka The French and Indian War.


Iain MacKinnon’s grandfather was the great Iain Of MacKinnon, chieftain of the MacKinnon Clan, who supported Bonnie Prince Charlie and led his clan into battle against the English. For this, his family was exiled to the Americas. Iain and his two brothers were set on a life of farming when Colonel William Wentworth took an interest in them. He set them up to look guilty for a murder they did not commit so he could force them to become soldiers in his war.


Iain put together some of the most skilled warriors and called them the MacKinnon Rangers.


Anne Burness Campbell's family fought for the Crown against the MacKinnons. She lost her father and brother at Prestonpans, a battle before Culloden. She and her mother had to move in with her Uncle Bain who was a depraved cur who killed her mother and said she fell down the stairs.


Anne tried to run away but her uncle branded her as a thief on her thigh without a trial and sent her to America as a indentured servant to serve for fourteen years.


Her new masters are cruel and like to beat her but that all changes in a horrifying instant when a band of Abenaki warriors kill her masters and burn down their home. Anne is rescued by a barbarian MacKinnon.


She realizes she is free from servitude with very few people knowing the truth. If she tells the truth or gives her real surname, she could end up being a slave again.


This was an intensely emotional story that gives us a look at the difficult social, moral and political environment of early America. I always say how glad I am that I did not live back then. The hardships, beliefs and social rankings were just amazingly unfair and outrageous.


Though I am well versed in a lot of history, I am ashamed to say I know very little about the Seven Years’ War. This book made me curious so I will he reading up on it while I go through the series. ( )