Surrender by Pamela Clare

Surrender by Pamela ClareNarrated by Kaleo Griffith

When I read Surrender upon its release in 2006, I not only graded it an A+, I added hero Iain Mackinnon to the top of my favorite heroes list and I mean the very top. When I started wishing for Pamela Clare in audio format back in 2009 during my first year of writing Speaking of Audiobooks, Surrender was at the very top of my Clare wish list. Oh, I have enjoyed her romantic suspense I-Team series (released in audio 2012-13) but discovering that her historical Mackinnon’s Rangers series was to be released in audio, gave me one of those perfectly ecstatic audio moments. I had a feeling it would be narrated by Kaleo Griffith, the narrator of the I-Team series, and it is.

Surrender is set during the French and Indian War, a period seldom seen in romance. To get a picture in your head, envision Daniel Day Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans (a movie I have watched at least a dozen times over the years). Pamela Clare writes historical romance with great detail and historical accuracy. Besides a captivating romance, you’ll find riveting action enriched by the era’s political environment. No wallpaper historical here.

Iain Mackinnon is definitely what one would call an alpha hero with an edge but that statement carries no negative connotation. He’s a character written true to his time when men tended to dominate the decision making process and needed to protect the women in their lives. Yes, he’s a dauntless hero talented in leading men and defending others and he doesn’t hesitate to do so. Fortunately Kaleo Griffith understands his character and I heard the Iain I remembered from the print version with each spoken line.

I have tired of historical romance the past few years as one seems much like the next with 21st century sensibilities. Surrender doesn’t fall into that category. Pamela and I discussed what I refer to as “politically correct historicals” in her recent AudioGals interview. You’ll want to take a look at the entire interview but here are a few of her comments on this particular subject:

I made a conscious choice with my historicals, and especially from Ride the Fire (Kenleigh-Blakewell Family Saga #3) and onward with the MacKinnon’s Rangers books to write characters that were unapologetically authentic for their time. My heroines, apart from Cassie in Sweet Release (Kenleigh-Blakewell Family Saga #1), are not proto-feminists, and the heroes are not sensitive metrosexuals concerned with the heroine’s desire for self-realization. They are men of their time, which means they have ideas about gender roles that might seem boorish at times.

But my heroes are not domineering louts. My one rule for heroes is that they cannot ever deliberately harm the heroine physically or emotionally. But, beyond that, anything that fits the time period goes. The men in my stories are bigger-than-life heroes, men who risk their lives doing things that most men could not do in order to protect frontier families. They would give their last drop of blood for the woman they love.

All I can say to that is a hearty “Yes, yes, and yes again!”

Iain is a Ranger fighting for the British army along with his brothers, Morgan (Untamed) and Conner (Defiant)  (both books are scheduled for audio release in August). His service to the British crown is an unwilling one and the man who forced Iain into not only serving in the Rangers, but forming the unit as well, is British commander, Lord William – a complex antihero. His involvement in the lives of the Mackinnons runs throughout the series making him a key player.

Heroine Annie Campbell is an indentured servant, wrongly serving the time after refusing to live with her uncle after learning of his evil deeds, which includes the murder of her mother. She hides her indenture from Iain as well as the fact that she is a Campbell – his clan’s sworn enemy.

Iain rescues Annie from an Abanaki Indian massacre in which her masters are killed. He knows in rescuing her that he will face severe punishment as the Rangers’ mission is not to save lives but to defeat the enemy. And his punishment is extreme – I could barely listen. However, I’m a total wimp when it comes to torture scenes of any type and Surrender contains two scenes that made me shrink from the page in print. Mercifully, I know their placement in the book well and fast-forwarded when listening. For me to ignore such scenes and still rate this book as an all-time favorite is testimony to how well Surrender worked for me.

Kaleo Griffith’s narration doesn’t disappoint. Just as with the I-Team series, he takes the time to flesh out each character, a task that is especially onerous as he is recording the entire series and establishing future heroes as well as Iain. Voices are clearly differentiated and accented as well. I’m not one who pays attention to accents. I appreciate their presence as they further distinguish a character but I’m not one to say if one is performed correctly – I usually don’t care. To this untrained ear, the accents worked and provided depth to the narration.

Kaleo’s portrayal of Iain reflects his attitude, his extreme maleness, his consideration, and his fearlessness. If only more heroes sounded like Iain! His performance of Annie is effective as well. No high pitched female voice here but differentiated effectively all the same. As a reader, I cared for Annie and as a listener, I found myself caring even more as I heard her struggles and her joy.

Pamela Clare writes multi-layered characters and I see that even more in her historical tales. Kaleo Griffith recognizes the need for listeners to hear those layers and a character’s intent is heard as well as spoken. The sensual scenes are extra hot and let’s just say, ahem, they are delivered with all the passion one could hope for without being over-performed.

Overall, Surrender is expertly delivered in audio. A combination of a powerful story and an outstanding narration spells complete success. I only hoped to hear Surrender delivered in such a manner back in 2009. Now I have it in my hands and am absolutely delighted with the finished product. As I shed tears as it drew to a close, I knew it would be one I would revisit – more than once.

Note: We found a number of quality issues with the original Surrender audio [in 2013]. The issues have nothing to do with the narration but rather editing – a missing sentence, a repeated sentence, etc. Tantor is correcting the errors. Personally I noticed only one error but those with a more exacting ear did pick up on more. 

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Lea Hensley


AUDIOBOOK INFORMATION

TITLE: Surrender

AUTHOR: Pamela Clare

NARRATED BY: Kaleo Griffith

GENRE: Historical Romance

STEAM FACTOR: For your burning ears only

REVIEWER: Lea Hensley [button type=’link’ link=’http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DC31RZY/?tag=audiogalsnet-20′ size=’btn-lg’ variation=’btn-default’ target=’blank’]Buy Surrender by Pamela Clare on Amazon[/button]

10 thoughts on “Surrender by Pamela Clare

  1. Fantastic review. The MacKinnon bros are such hearty, sweet men. I’ve yet to hear one of PC’s audiobooks and you made me want to get to them right away!

  2. Great review :) Although this is something I might not normally pick up, you’ve made me think I should probably check this one out!

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