Dr. Blake Livingstone wanted to move on from her family’s practice but she was still laying the groundwork. First she had to go with friends to the west coast of Mexico where they had just bought themselves a beachside cottage. What Blake wanted to do was move inland to set up a small practice treating the residents of a small village and the surrounding area. With her friend Sloane’s help she started looking for the right place to set up her clinic.
Cam Santiago has lived by the sea for a few years now. When she first arrived she kept to herself but as time passed she started getting involved with the community. The only thing that hasn’t happened was getting back to writing. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn’t. Now she had to deal with her new neighbors who she’d already met and liked but now they brought along their friend Blake who rubbed Cam in the wrong way. They didn’t get along.
The two women, while finding the other very attractive just couldn’t stand each other. But as time passes and both start to open up about their lives they find themselves falling in love. And it takes a while because both are not too good at opening up and sharing with each other.
The angst and troubles each woman has takes a long time with a lot of the book going over the same thing again and again. A few chapters less and this would be a great read. Even though it took me a while to read I still enjoyed this story.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

A beach in Mexico sounds like the perfect place to escape to right about now, but sadly no can do. At least this book takes you there a little.

Cam lives in a small community on a private beach in Mexico. She has been living a bit of a closed-off life, she doesn't really let anyone in. But the few friends she has are her whole life and she would do anything for them. When she is running some errands in town stumbles upon a woman who isn't being very friendly to one of Cam's dear friends. They throw some verbal punches and part ways. When Cam returns home she discovers this woman, Blake, is staying with her neighbours for a couple of weeks. Blake is irritated by Cam and mean demeanor, but she is interested as well. Blake's friends try to push Cam and Blake together, but both are too stubborn to do something about their attraction. When they learn new things about each other you can understand why Blake's friends think they'd make a great couple, but stubbornness is a big theme in the book.

Both characters first come off as a bit of an ice queen, or at least very grumpy people, which is fine by me. I care a bit more for Blake than I do for Cam. Cam, in my opinion, is just a little too dramatic, although Blake has some of these tendencies as well, I don't mind as much. There is a fair bit of repetition in the development of the characters and the story, but it doesn't bother me as much as I would have imagined. I think it comes from being a well-suited storytelling device for the type of story this is, so much push and pull, of course, there is going to be repetition. I love the setting of the book and how it is described, the mains and the supporting characters are pretty good, all in all a good read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see how Cam and Blake were inexplicably drawn to each but unfortunately, their initial meeting left them both with misconceptions about each other (including their professional jobs). And, as much as they try to avoid each other, different circumstances make it impossible for them to ignore each other, and they find themselves spending more time together. As both Cam and Blake navigate their undeniable attraction, they discover that they get along much better than they had initially anticipated. Their time together even manages to spark more creativity for Cam's professional career. Would it be possible for them to maintain a relationship given that they live in two different countries? I couldn't help but root for them!

I haven't read a ton of Ronica Black's books, but so far this one is my favorite. Cam Santiago moved to Mexico from Arizona after a tragic event a few years before. She has her few friends and her Uncle and Aunt who also live in Mexico. You would really say she is a private but giving person. She runs into Blake Livingstone in town and it is really a bad experience. Blake is uptight and stubborn, but she too really is a really giving person. She is in town with plans to open up her on Clinic with the help of her friends. Things become really interested when they figure out that they are neighbors.

I did really like this one. Black does a good job with the push and pull of the mains. They really had a hard time getting along and there was plenty of hurt feelings along the way. What made this work is that the attacks were not really malicious and the only one that was borderline made the other party feel guilty and she eventually apologize. Even though they didn't get along there was for some some chemistry between the mains. I found myself wanting them to get together throughout the entire romance. I also liked the supporting characters. If I had to pick a main that was my favorite it would have been Cam because she was such a really kind and loving person. This one was just a really sweet romance that made you want a really happy ending.

4 stars.

This arc was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

I didn't like the style at first. did not know who was talking or thinking and maybe that's just me! . so I left the book for few days came back and started to skip just few pages. around 30-40% of the book I really started to enjoy and get into the story. and I'm so thankful that I did not give it up.

thank you for the author and her team

“Sometimes, yes. I have friends who come by.”
“Who? Tomas?”
“Yes. And a couple of others.”
“What about women?”

From the get-go the main characters in the book were drawn yet struck with abomination towards each other. Things took an interesting turn when they found themselves neighbours on the same day that they clashed heads. Despite attempts to limit their interactions and nullify the attraction,, they crossed paths time and again and were unable to temper with their interest in the other.

The author did a brilliant job in engaging readers with the characters’ verbal sparring while hyping the sexual tension that threatened to erupt at every corner. Readers who are a glutton for such will find the book a delight.

I just reviewed Passion's Sweet Surrender by Ronica Black. #NetGalley

I’ve never had the pleasure to read any of Ms. Black’s books prior, but if this is a fair representation of her wiring style, I’m sold. The book was incredibly well written, thought out, and eloquent. This was no vapid romance! The plot was incredibly unique, gripping, and intense. The reader experiences every possible range of emotion imaginable. I can’t give this enough stars.

Cam Santiago is holed away in a beach house on a private beach in Mexico. She is still grieving the loss of her wife, Lexie, from an automobile accident that occurred four years earlier. Cam was driving the vehicle and as a result she also experienced survivor's guilt.

Blake Livingstone is a family physician from Phoenix who is visiting friends, McKenna and Sloane, who are next door neighbors of Cam. Blake is in Mexico not only to visit her friends, but to also scout locations to open a clinic. She hopes to treat the less fortunate people of this region.

Blake and Cam meet initially at a fish market in the village and they immediately clash. The two women hope to never see each other again. Little do they know that they will be next door neighbors for the duration of Blake's visit.

Passion's Sweet Surrender is ultimately about love, loss, and letting go in order to start again. The main characters are both fiery and passionate as the book title implies, yet I would definitely characterize this as a slow burn romance with some added heat. I enjoyed seeing the ways that McKenna and Sloane tried to setup dinners and get-togethers so that Cam and Blake could get to know one another. Sometimes meddling friends know what's best!

Overall I really liked this book, the characters, the dogs, and the setting. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This has been one of those romances in which there is little action in relation to the amount of inner struggle that the two protagonists have during the story. They waste so much time not wanting to like each other that when there is a gap through which they could put aside so much hostility they do not know how to do it. And it has been so frustrating at times that it has gotten me tired.

Blake’s friends haven’t helped make the thing more bearable. They seem so focused on tying Blake and Cam that they do so with very little care. And it has not been too clear to me why Blake is spending a few days in the area and what happens to her with her family, Cam's past, although drop by drop, has finally been explained a bit .

As for the landscape, I think it could have played a more important role in the whole, in the end it doesn't matter where it has been set because it adds almost nothing to the story.

I was hoping that once they let go, the story would gain in interest, but they have done so too late and the intimate scenes have been bland and quite repetitive. As it has been in general throughout history.

It’s a shock when Ronica writes a truly bad book because it doesn’t happen often. And I’m glad to say that it didn’t happen this time. This book started off with the two M.C.’s hating each other, actually I think that they despised each other, and at first it was a lot of hate really early in the book. But then it turned and I felt felt Santi’s pain at losing her spouse and her reticence to live, because it will only lead to hurt, but what I really liked was that their evolution from enemies to friends felt real and believable. I loved the book.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. The two characters have a bad interaction and have an instant dislike to each other as well as an unwelcome attraction. Throughout the book they keep running into each other with not so pleasant interactions. Once their let their attraction take over- insta love took place. This is why my rating is a three, this was a really good romance novel that is very easy to get engaged in, I just wasn't a fan of how their romance played out.

Love on the Beach
Cam lives on a private beach in Mexico. She has been haunted since her wife died. Only seeing family and close friends, she is now an even more of a recluse. Until she meets a rude woman at the market… Blake is a Dr who wants to open a practice in an underserved community in Mexico. She is staying with her best friends and financial backers while she investigates properties. She is pretty closed off but has a heart of gold… Unfortunately that’s not how her next door neighbour sees her and with good reason…. Not that she should care but she does, too much.

This is an interesting book. I loved the characters in this story. Cam and Blake have such amazing chemistry but fight it at every turn. Blake’s friends are pushy but well meaning, cute and sweet. The other characters are good too, Thomas is so forgiving and helpful, never far away if you need him. I liked the medical drama that happened, it was exciting and was a great way for things to change for Cam and Blake. The sexy scenes are so darn hot and intense and so much fun to read. The ending was sweet and made me smile for a while after the book was done. If you like Ms Black’s work, you will love this one too!

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and this is an honest review.

The title of this book definitely doesn't give us clue of what is in the inside. Passion's Sweet Surrender is a well written book that brings together two mature women that find love after starting on the wrong foot,
Cam and Blake live in their own worlds where, for different reasons, there seems to be no room for love, either due to work or the mourning of the loss of a partner. The initial attraction is something evident, but the book takes its time to get to the point where the romance really happens. If you have the patience to go through all the times they don't communicate because they are headstrong or closed in their shells and pains you are going to see that Ronica Black brings a passion worth reading.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Cam who is successful who has great group of family and friends and isn’t looking for anything more then that especially when she still mourning the lost of partner. Blake is ready to take over her family practice even though her dream is to open up her own clinic in Mexico.

Cam and Blake accidentally meet and get off on the wrong foot as they both get thrown together a spark of attraction is form. What I like about this read is the author took its time to let the attraction grow as both deal with their issues and when the characters did get together the sex scenes were hot! I did like kept rolling my eyes with them continue being in their own way.

Overall good read.

I have to say I really enjoyed Passion’s Sweet Surrender by Ronica Black. This is a contemporary romance between two women who definitely weren’t looking for love when they accidentally met. In fact, the way they met gave both Cam and Blake, the two main characters, a very low opinion of each other. This is why I marked this as an enemies-to-lovers romance. Even with that low opinion, though, the chemistry between the two is there from the first meeting, and it only grows as the two continue to be thrown together in the story. The attraction finally explodes into some very erotic scenes once these two finally come together and admit their feelings.

The characters are well developed, though I did often want to shake both of them and tell them to stop being so stubborn and pig-headed. The secondary characters are also quite believable and fit the story line well. There is a sense of loss and sadness that runs through this tale, mainly because of Cam’s past. She tragically lost her partner several years before the book begins, and this has a major effect on the tone of the novel.
The setting actually made me quite envious, since the beach is one of my favorite places in the world. Ms. Black did a wonderful job with her descriptions. I could feel the grains of sand on my skin, smell and taste the salty ocean spray from the way she described it. All five senses were used, and that made the place real to me.
I’m very glad I was able to read and appreciate this lovely novel. If you like enemies-to-lovers romances with beautiful settings and lots of chemistry, then try Passion’s Sweet Surrender.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Passion’s Sweet Surrender is amazing. Cam and Blake reflect so many aspects of our lives, hopes, loss, transitions, patience and ultimately over coming fear. The story is well written with great supporting characters. I cried, laughed and was genuinely moved. I don’t want to give spoilers, so I will say the love story, character development and plot are well paced and well written. A beautiful story. I highly recommend this book.

If the title to this book doesn’t tip you off what’s inside, then you’re in for a real treat when you open it and dive right in to this sizzler. The measure of good erotica is not by the quantity of naughty bits, but by the conception of that spark of attraction and progressing it to all encompassing visceral tension. This book has that in spades, especially with the two of them facing off as verbal enemies for the first couple of chapters. I give the author credit that Blake and Cam’s attraction was given a respectable and believable amount of time and patience to develop from that initial spark of attraction. Maybe even a little too much time, because you just know from the insane tension that when they finally do let go it will be nothing less than spectacular. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having just read another book from this author right before this one and having said that she is the queen of building sexual tension, I'm sorry to say I was disappointed by this book. If I hadn't known it's the same author I wouldn't have realised it. I struggled to feel the chemistry between the two leads - I kept being told it was there but I couldn't see it myself. The lead characters felt one-dimensional, with important aspects of their lives not even being mentioned until halfway through the book and not being explored much. The hostility they started out with felt unwarranted. The supporting characters felt more like intervening, pushy individuals rather than well-meaning friends. This isn't my favourite book from this author, but only because I know she's capable of delivering so much more.