Review and Giveaway: True Surrender by Tracey Cramer-Kelly

This review is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions, and the author is giving away a Fallen Soldier T-Shirt (red, size TBD)to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour -- so make sure you leave a comment!

Also if you visit the other stops on her tour and comment, your chances of winning increase. All the stops on her tour are here.

Now... down to business!



True Surrender by Tracey Cramer-Kelly

(a sensual, full length self-published contemporary romance)



When Major Aaron Bricewick is rescued from Afghanistan terrorists, he thinks the worst is over. But his personal journey is just beginning...

The first surprise is the amputation of one of his legs.

The second is the woman he left behind, now a widow with a 4-year-old son - and his new prosthetist (artificial limb maker).

He vows that losing his leg won't derail his career. But maintaining his outward appearance as a got-it-together officer becomes increasingly difficult as he faces one personal demon after another - and sees his career aspirations slipping away. And though he has no intention of expanding his life to include a woman, his heart has other ideas - and he finds himself questioning the very foundation of his personal beliefs.

When violence - and unexpected redemption - touch his life again, Aaron must make a stand. Which will he choose: duty or love?



This story captures the deep emotions of a soldier who had been tortured and maimed by the enemy in Afganistan. His feelings and thoughts are sensitively shown. It was sweetly romantic yet sensual. This is a tender romance which lets the reader see how the war affected his thinking, feeling and acting, in regards to relationships with others.

He suffers from anger, sadness, the loss of a leg, the feeling of helplessness, and frustration along with the sorrow and guilt about the harm that had been done to his companions. The heroine is caring, understanding and very patient with this soldier and shows how important this is to his recovery.

True Surrender follows his recovery -- both mental and physical -- and also shows how he finds the party who was responsible for his capture and torture. How he deals with his feelings of betrayal and how he overcomes his anger was wonderful to read.

I really enjoyed the story which helped me understand what some of our soldiers are dealing with in today's world. The only complaint I have about the story was the conclusion and resolution of the situation which had caused his capture and the death of others. I felt cheated because I didn’t see how it was worked out in real time. Instead I only found a few sentences that dealt with the conclusion.

All in all, however, I enjoyed the story and the people in it. I wouldn't have been unhappy with the ending if I hadn't been so completely invested in the characters, which shows the skill of the author. It is a very timely novel that's well worth reading, and I'd definitely be interested in reading more from Tracey Cramer-Kelly.



FTC Disclaimer: I received this eBook from Goddess Fish Promotions in exchange for my honest review.