Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Total Surrender, the new release from Erika Wilde. Make sure to check out my review of this quick and sexy read, and then go pick it up for yourself! (P.S. It’s free in KU!)

Not all fairy tales are sweet. Some fairy tales are dirty, sexy, and completely untamed.

Total Surrender, an all-new steamy standalone from New York Times bestselling author Erika Wilde is available now!

How far would you go to make the man that destroyed your family pay?

Maddux Wilder is a man consumed, a beast in a three-piece suit. Rich and powerful, he built his empire with one thought in mind: revenge.

After years of patience and planning, the wait is finally over. Tonight, Maddux will finally watch Theodore Cole’s kingdom crumble. At a lavish ball in the New York City castle the Wilder siblings call home, the man that killed their parents will atone for his sins.

If only he’d planned for her.

Arabella Cole is Theodore’s only child; his cherished and sheltered daughter. She’s an innocent, captivating beauty that would do anything to save her loving father, including sacrificing herself.

With her freedom gone, she must surrender to a man she hates. A man that makes her want things she shouldn’t. A man that awakens deep, forbidden desires.

But everyone knows that roses don’t bloom in darkness.

Enter Maddux Wilder, a man that doesn’t believe in fairy tales.

Can the beauty tame the beast or will revenge cost them both everything that matters most?

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Excerpt:

Arabella turned toward Maddux with tears glimmering in her beautiful blue eyes.

“Maddux . . . please . . .” she implored, so softly and so kindly even though he’d just announced his intentions to desecrate her dad. “Whatever my father has done to earn your wrath, you can’t do this to him. He’ll never survive. He’s sick . . .” She took a step closer to his desk, brave and resolute despite the flicker of trepidation he saw in her gaze. “Take me instead.”

Shock jarred through Maddux, but as a man who’d spent years perfecting a mask of control, neither his expression or body language betrayed that emotion. This woman was willing to give up her own freedom for her father’s, and it was definitely an interesting turn of events he never saw coming.

“Arabella, no,” her father uttered in horror.

Ignoring her father’s objections, Arabella held Maddux’s gaze steadily. “In exchange for you leaving my father alone, I will do whatever it takes, and whatever you demand, to work off his debt.”

Maddux stared at the beautiful woman offering herself up to him, so sweet and naive in contrast to the dark, ruthless man he’d become. While he originally wanted to crush Theodore, Maddux also realized that taking Arabella in exchange—his only daughter he adored—would be equally devastating to the other man. How could Theodore live with himself knowing Arabella belonged to his greatest enemy solely because of his own weakness?

“And how do you propose you work off your father’s debt, Bella?” he asked, curious to hear her answer, especially when his own mind was already listing all the different ways he’d enjoy having her at his beck and call.

Bare shoulders held back, she swallowed hard, but her gaze remained bold and determined on his. “I will do anything you ask of me. I’m . . . I’m not afraid.” God, the woman was fucking fearless, he thought, and he was drawn to that courage despite himself. Unlike her father, or even Gavin, she was unwavering in her loyalty.

“For Christ’s sake, Arabella,” Gavin shouted angrily, his face contorted with rage. “He’s not going to ask you to cook and clean and wash his laundry for him! He will ruin you for any other man.”

Arabella turned her gaze to Gavin, her expression cool with resolve. “Then so be it. It’s my choice to make.”

Gavin clenched his jaw and shifted his hot, angry gaze to Maddux. “She clearly doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

“I know exactly what I’m saying, and what I’m doing,” she snapped at Gavin as she came to stand in front of him, poking her finger at his chest. “Unlike you, I’m willing to stand up and put my father’s life and welfare before my own. I’ll do whatever it takes to relieve him of this burden.”

When Gavin said nothing else, Arabella whirled around to face Maddux again, the skirt of her voluminous ball gown swirling around her legs. “I promise, you’ll have no trouble from me. I will work off his debt, in any way you demand, in exchange for his freedom. Just . . . let him go. Please.”

Maddux could have denied her request and forged full steam ahead with the original plan, but everything about Arabella intrigued and tempted him. He wanted her, desired her . . . plus there was the added bonus of Theodore thinking the worst was happening while his only daughter was under his care. The things the man would conjure in his mind would rip any decent father apart inside.

Determined to keep the upper hand, Maddux strolled around his desk until he was standing in front of Arabella and she tipped her head back to meet his gaze, hers with bold resolve. She’d clearly meant what she said when she’d told him she wasn’t afraid, and her tenacity made his dick twitch with the thought of taming that fiery attitude in the bedroom.

Not giving a shit that both Theodore and Gavin watched, he reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers across Arabella’s smooth, silken cheek, immensely pleased to see a heated awareness flicker in her gaze, proof that persuading her into his bed wasn’t going to be all that difficult. She might hate him for what he held over her father, but she wasn’t immune to the attraction between them.

“I’ll accept your offer, Bella,” he murmured, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, wanting this beautiful creature to look into his eyes and know exactly what he expected of her. Wanted to make sure there was no mistaking what she was about to trade. “Your father’s freedom, for your total surrender. That is the deal.”

Meet Erika Wilde Erika Wilde is a New York Times Bestselling author. She is best known for her super sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series, and has also co-written the Dirty Sexy Series and the Book Boyfriend Series with Carly Phillips, her best friend and writing buddy for the past twenty years. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit her website at www.erikawilde.com and sign up for her mailing list for updates and news!

Connect with Erika: Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OLvHe9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikawilde1 BookBub: http://bit.ly/2Ply3lh GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2MsZBqj Friend Erika on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2PkVyKZ Visit her author page: http://bit.ly/2vVITpY Join her reader group: http://bit.ly/2OLuIut Stay up to date with Erika by joining her mailing list:http://bit.ly/2OJIsWE https://www.erikawilde.com

The “Beauty and the Beast” trope is one that gets lots of action, especially in romance novels. Who doesn’t love a story where the bookish, nerdy gal tames the beastly, hunky guy, amiright? The problem is that it is SO popular, it becomes difficult to find a new way to use the trope.

Erika Wilde does an excellent job in Total Surrender, the first in her “Dirty Sexy Fairy Tales” series.

No plot spoilers here, but Arabella attends an annual charity ball put on by Maddux and his siblings. She’s excited to do something new; little does she know that her father was only invited so Maddux can settle an old score between him and Arabella’s father (and his sidekick Gavin, who is an awesome up-to-date version of Gaston).

I liked how the author continued the set-up between Arabella and Maddux, and how it wasn’t an instantaneous thing. The build of the story was well-paced. The struggle Maddux had with himself seemed real, and I loved Arabella’s attitude toward the whole situation. (Her conversations with the cameras had me giggling along with her).

I did think that the whole story wrapped up rather quickly, and I would have been happy to keep reading more about how Arabella charmed Maddux. And I really would have liked to have seen more repercussions for her father and Gavin (especially him, because he was slime). On the other hand, I appreciated that the author didn’t draw things out unnecessarily, and got right to the point.

A scene between Hunter (brother of Maddux) and Arabella reminded me a lot of the scene in “Pretty Woman” when the lawyer confronts Vivian about Edward’s attention. But it worked for the story here as well. I can’t wait for his story next, and I am really looking forward to Tempest’s story – mainly because I can’t quite figure out which fairy tale that one is going to be yet.

Oh, and the sexy times are super-sexy!

I definitely recommend this new series. It’s a quick read with interesting characters and a unique twist on a familiar theme. Looking forward to the rest of the series

Total Surrender (Dirty Sexy Fairy Tales Book 1)

Total Surrender by Erika Wilde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the best “beauty and the beast” novels I have read in a long time. The characters were realistic, the set-up was plausible, and the action moved right along. I was drawn in especially by Arabella’s nature – even though she was the bookish “Bella,” she was still a strong female who knew herself. It was refreshing to see her go toe to toe with the beast (Maddux). I also enjoyed how the author set up the siblings’ stories and can’t wait to read Hunter’s, which looks to be “Cinderella” based. It was a quick read, but it kept me engaged the entire time. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. This review was based on a complimentary pre-release digital ARC of the book.

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