Terms of Surrender by Leslie Kelly

A book of highs and lows
3 stars

Navy pilot, Danny Wilkes, only has one mission in life and that’s to join the American space programme. But as soon as he sets eyes on fiery Marissa Marshall he has another mission in mind and it involves both of them delightfully naked.

Mari and Danny strike sparks off each other and the sex is terrific but growing up an army brat, Mari is against a relationship with anyone in the military. So Danny has a choice – his lifelong career dreams or the woman that he’s fallen hard and fast for.


I am a huge fan of Leslie Kelly’s and am always excited when she brings out a new book. Unfortunately, this one didn’t really float my boat.

I think, for me, the main problem was with Mari. There was something ballsy and brash about her that meant I just couldn’t like her much or root for her. I’m not against strong females in a romance but she seemed a strange mix of mouthy forcefulness and needy uncertainty that seemed at odds with one another.

Danny was a better character but again, I wouldn’t call him a perfect leading male character. The chemistry between Mari and Danny was fairly hot but not scorching and there were plenty of sexy scenes between the pair.

The story ran along smoothly although I did find myself being interested in the beginning while Danny and Mari weren’t together. Then, when they got together it got quite boring. And again, they weren’t together and it started getting interesting again. It was strange that it was unable to hold my attention from beginning to end. The ending itself was what you would expect but it certainly didn’t make me sigh or even really make me remember it after I’d put the book down.

Perhaps I’m being overly harsh with this book because I have adored some of Kelly’s previous books and so probably set quite a high standard for this one. Having said that, this book was still fairly enjoyable and is an easy read for a quiet afternoon. 3 stars.