But when Noah walks out on their engagement party, Marianne chases him down and ends up on his merchantman out at sea. The situation worsens when Noah’s ship encounters a British man-of-war and the couple is impressed into the British navy.
While a young lad’s prophecy of destiny looms over them both, Marianne and Noah are forced to face their darkest fears as they desperately try to find a way to escape and fulfill their destinies—destinies that could change the course of the war and history forever.
Main Characters
Marianne Denton
Brief Description: Marianne Denton is plain. At least that’s how people describe her. At five and twenty with mousy brown hair, lackluster brown eyes, and a figure on the plump side, she rarely turns heads in her hometown of Baltimore. Possessing no particular skills and with nothing remarkable about her appearance, she has resigned herself to a life caring for her ailing mother and younger sister. After all, she can hardly compete for a husband when there are dozens of other young ladies much more beautiful and talented than her. She has no time for courting anyway. After her father died, leaving the family destitute, she spends her time trying to support her family and purchase her mother’s essential medicines. But the money is running out. The inheritance her father left her can only be touched upon her marriage. And there are not exactly suitors lining at her door, vying for her hand. Despite her waning faith in God, Marianne is a caring, loving person who is extremely loyal to those she loves.
Strengths: Kind, Patriotic, Charitable, Loyal, Intelligent, Persevering
Weaknesses: Untrusting, Stubborn, Insecure, Pessimist
Quirks: Marianne wears a ruby ring that her father gave her once. A distant, unloving father, he rarely had a kind word for Marianne, nor did he often give her gifts. Therefore, this ring means a great deal to Marianne. It represents the father she wishes she had—one who made her feel valued and loved. When she’s nervous or agitated, she twists the ring around her finger.
Inspiration: To me, Marianne represents the average woman. There is nothing remarkable about her appearance or her abilities that would make anyone stop and take a second look. She’s the woman in the crowd that nobody sees, the girl that never gets asked out, the student whose grades are always average, the face everyone forgets, and the girl who knows her place in the food chain of popularity. I’ve been wanting to write a story about such a woman for a long time because I believe there are many women out there who can relate to her. Let’s face it, not many of us are top models or intellectual giants. Most of us just meander through life, doing ordinary things and really not expecting great adventures to come our way. But that’s not true. God loves the underdog, and He has great adventures and romance for everyone who turns to Him and surrenders to His will.
Noah Brenin
Brief Description: Noah is a driven man. At age six and twenty, with brown hair streaked by the sun, tan skin, deep blue eyes, and the muscular physique of a seaman, he presents quite a dashing figure around Baltimore. But marriage is the last thing on his mind. He has more important matters to attend to, such as keeping the Brenin merchant business afloat. Recent embargos and his own failures have cost the business dearly and caused his overbearing father to demand more and more from him. Bearing the guilt of an accident in his youth, Noah pushes himself to the limit, hoping to make up for the incident to his father and mother. He has no time for God, nor does he believe in destiny. Nothing matters except making enough wealth to pay for the past—not the upcoming war, not his country, and certainly not marrying Marianne Denton.
Strengths: Natural leader, brave, confident, hard working, honorable
Weaknesses: Selfish, unpatriotic, shallow, loyal only to self and family
Quirks: When Noah gets nervous or angry, he rubs the back of his neck.
Inspiration: I took my inspiration for Noah from people I’ve met who have been burdened down with guilt. Guilt can do horrible things to people. It can cause them to do things they would normally never do. The guilty person is like someone carrying a huge burden. He’s always trying to unload it, by either shifting it to someone else, or pursuing a course he thinks will somehow pay the fee to have it removed. A guilty person is obsessed with self because guilt feeds on selfishness. In Noah’s case, his desire to appease his guilt has overtaken his life and caused him to not care for anyone, not even God or his country.
Background for the story
On the brink of the War of 1812, Marianne Denton must marry to unlock her inheritance. Without the money, her mother can’t receive medical care and her sister will be destitute. But Noah Brenin needs to sail his cargo to England before the war commences in order to prove his worth to his father and make enough money so he won’t have to marry at all.
Defying his father’s wishes, Noah loathes the idea of marrying a woman he finds plain and pompous. Marianne wants nothing to do with the rogue who taunted her as a child, yet she must convince him otherwise or her mother will die.
But when Noah walks out on their engagement party, Marianne chases him down and ends up on his merchantman out at sea. The situation worsens when Noah’s ship encounters a British man-of-war and the couple are impressed into the British navy. While a young lad’s prophecy of destiny looms over them both, Marianne and Noah are forced to face their darkest fears as they desperately try to find a way to escape and fulfill their destinies—destinies that could change the course of the war and history forever.
Tyndall brings new life to the old story of finding romance during war. Her characters are courageous, smart and believe in what they are fighting for. (Patsy Glans RT Book Reviews)
For the best in historical romance, commit to memory the name MaryLu Tyndall. SURRENDER THE HEART is just one of the many novels this wonderful author has written. (Suzie Housley, Romance Junkies)
I love historical fiction and "Surrender the Heart" captures the brink of the war of 1812 wonderfully. The novel feels realistic to the time period although it is fiction. I could easily imagine most of the events that transpired. I would recommend this book to other readers, particularly those who have an interest in romance, Christian fiction or historical fiction. I look forward to reading the remainder of this series.
(Tiffany Schlarman Reader Views )
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I had no desire to put it down. Ms. Tyndall has the ability to make you feel as though you were actually there in the thick of things by her spellbinding imagery. I look forward to reading more of her works, and highly recommend it to those who love historical fiction.
(Amanda Stephan The Eclectic Blogger ) 
