I will preface this review by saying I am a huge Jodi Ellen Malpas fan. I love the way she takes flawed characters and makes us fall in love with those flaws and takes us on a journey of ups and downs in the most craziest of ways. A playboy alpha that likes to play games has met his match in a woman that he has great physical chemistry with. But as soon as they give in to that connection, another secret is revealed and she runs (as she should). Will Jude be able to reel in the woman that has left him insane with desire? The Surrender is book two in the Arlington Hall duet and picks up right where The Invitation, book one, left off.

After finishing The Invitation, I was left feeling all sorts of ways. I felt that book had too many similarities to a previous JEM series and fell a bit flat for me. But with the ending, Malpas still had me hooked and I had to know what was going to happen with Jude and Amelia. Can you not love a book but need the next one? I am living proof of it. Where oh where could our obsessed characters, Amelia and Jude take us next? All I know is that Jude Harrison had some major groveling to do to win back Amelia.

The Surrender picks up right where book 1 left us and Amelia is destroyed after finding out she was just a pawn in Jude and Catherine's games. But Jude is obsessed and will do anything to get her back. I wanted that push and pull with major groveling in order to really come back from book 1. But these two are just over the top, have no communication besides the physical and honestly, Jude needed to grovel so much more than he did. He needed to open up the floodgates of communication if he truly wanted Amelia in his life. And that did not happen. Because, ahem, these two really like sex with each other.

Amelia and Jude are 2 grown adults that needed to grow the heck up and learn how to communicate and make things clear. Not only with each other, but with their families and lovers. With the drama of Amelia's father and her ex and Jude's with his brothers and his ex, these two could've communicated earlier on and not had so many secrets that kept them from progressing in a healthy relationship. Rather we got stupid drama because of lack of communication and sex with more and more sex. Like A LOT of sex. Because that is apparently what pushed their relationship forward.

With all that said, what really made me continue on with this story was the great audio narration from Shakira Shute. Since this book was told completely from Amelia's POV, she really gave us an emotional young woman on the verge of success but made us feel her vulnerabilities that I might not have felt by reading with my eyes. Shute's performance along with Jude finally allowing Amelia to see all his truths in the last quarter of the book almost made me forgive the abundance of sex we got to connect the characters. Despite the crazy ups and downs of their toxic relationship, I liked the ending, no matter how predictable it was.

Overall, this was not a favorite of mine from JEM, but still kept me hooked. Plus, I really did enjoy the audio narration. Too much drama and not enough groveling and true connection between the characters. Getting together and breaking up as often as these two did made me more frustrated than anything. Hiding personal information and not communicating is not healthy in any sort of relationship. BUT...there was a little info drop in book one that came to fruition at the end of this one and I really hope Malpas goes with it and takes us on a ride with 2 characters in a future book.

This is the second and final installment in the Arlington Hall duet. Amelia and Jude’s story picks up right where the first book ended. The story is complex and captivating, filled with secrets, betrayal, angst, suspense, passion, and unexpected twists and turns. Shakira Shute has a beautiful voice. She did an excellent job bringing the characters and their story to life.

This is book 2 in the Arlington Hall series and you must read book 1 first! This picks up right where book 1 left off. Lots of betrayal and hurt but it leaves you with a good HEA at the end. The audiobook is performed in solo narration by Shakira Shute, and she does a great job bringing the story to life. Which is hard to do on a solo narration. However, it has left me wanting more of Judes POV. I would love if the author would give us his POV with more of his. backstory! Cant wait to see what Jodi does next! Thank you Netgalley and Brilliance publishing for the ALC.

I went to post my review and… what the hell?! This is the second book? I had no idea. NONE. And now I’m pissed. How was I supposed to know? Some of the stuff makes so much more sense now, and yet it doesn’t fix the fact that I just got thrown into the middle of everything like a punching bag.
The characters are absolute maniacs, the story spins me around like a blender, and I was completely lost in the best and worst ways. I was yelling at my brain, laughing, groaning, trying to keep up—and now I find out I was missing half the context the whole time.
Honestly, I’m still buzzing from it, but also… annoyed. Mad that I didn’t start at the start, mad that I was dropped into this chaos unprepared, and mad at myself for enjoying it anyway. It’s wild, messy, and now I know I have to go back and fix this by starting from book one.

Listen JEM….i just want to talk…

THE SURRENDER HURT. Hurt so good. It’s been awhile that a book has left me feral screaming in anger at lead characters. In a bad way? No! Jude and Amelia are just so real that every emotion they felt, I felt.

The Surrender picks up where The Invitation so cruelly left us 😭 and while we seemingly receive a resolution quickly.. LIES. JEM hits us over the head with more more more more. And it totally made The Surrender a 5 star read. I was never once bored. I craved the drama of these two and got it. I’m satiated!

Read this duet! Do it do it dooooo it. But also, don’t yell at me when you start feral screaming too

Listening to this story on audiobook was an intense, emotional ride. After Jude’s betrayal in The Invitation, Amelia’s heartbreak felt raw and authentic, and I loved how the narration captured her strength and vulnerability. Jude’s desperate attempts at redemption were frustrating at times, but made his eventual honesty and passion even more powerful. The twists kept me hooked with ex-lovers, betrayals, and shocking revelations I never saw coming. Shakira Shute’s narration brought a great deal of life to the story, particularly with its diverse voices and emotional depth. By the end, I felt completely invested in Jude and Amelia’s messy, passionate love story. A dramatic, addictive ending that left me both swooning and satisfied.

4 Star Review The Surrender (Arlington Hall #2) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

Ebook/Audio
The Surrender is the conclusion to
the Arlington Hall duet and is Amelia Lazenby and Jude Harrison’s continuing story. If you haven’t read The Invitation then STOP as it must be read first.

After what happened in the first book, Jude had a lot to make up for. In fact he grated on my nerves a number of times to be honest in these books.

As more secrets are revealed, and both their ex’s re surface the complications only become worse.

Amelia wasn’t looking for love but Jude’s determination and obsession is hard to ignore. However she also needs to do us on work and this is causing more stress.

There were a number of twists and turns and I was surprised at times. The writing was strong and overall I enjoyed the story.

Dark romance
Billionaire
Second chance

Conclusion to book 1
Audio review

This one gives us answers but not without some additional plot twist that definitely takes the reader by surprise.

Amelia is trying to get past the secret lid revealed in the first book. She has stepped away but Jude is persistent. This Jude is more open and swoony. He definitely used his charm and their chemistry to wear Amelia down. And she falls once again.

Once things started working out the inevitable twist pops up. This was definitely worth waiting for. The angst and excitement continued throughout the conclusion. The supporting characters were again exceptional and added to the story.

After the blows of what happened at the end of book 1, Amelia is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and find who she is again without Jude. After a week without him, he finally succeeds in cornering her and is full of remorse for his behavior, but Amelia is fighting him as much as she can. Their pull toward each other is too strong and after their reconciliation, Amelia has to find a way through the hurt and betrayal so they can have a future together.
Jude is actively putting in the effort to better himself so that he can be worthy of Amelia, but somehow this woman has lost her backbone and can't seem to deal with the people in her life like an adult. Keeping secrets from Jude about her family and her ex so he won't fly off the handle is problematic to say the least. Not being able to trust your partner and know that he can handle the truth is a red flag, but this woman would rather weave a big tangled web than tell everyone that she is in love and in a committed relationship with Jude. Their relationship is so up and down its exhausting to keep up with but I genuinely loved see Jude make the changes to better himself and honestly Amelia doesn't deserve him in the end but they do end up together. The twists and turns were way more than I was expecting and drained me spiritually but we made it through. I am glad I got to finish the duet because of Jude's redemption arc but I am also glad its over.

Oh man. If you want a book that is going to consistently test your patience, I HAVE THE PERFECT BOOK FOR YOU!! Jude Harrison is 100% a Jodi Ellen Malpas hero and the man is infuriatingly lovable in a way that makes it hard to write him off.
The back and forth between him and Amelia would give anyone whiplash, but that makes the make up that much better, right??
I'm very glad Jude finally let his walls down, brick by brick, in order to show Amelia that he's willing to do anything for her, and I am glad Nick finally got truly kicked to the curb because WOW I can't stand him!

I listened to the audio, narrated by Shakira Shute, and it was a good one! Since this book was single POV, it totally worked to only have one narrator. I never found myself wishing for another voice! Definitely an enjoyable read to say the least.

After the cliffhanger from The Invitation my heart was a little broken right along with Amelia's, and I was so eager to know how Jude was going to redeem himself. The Surrender picked up right where we left off and it was gripping from start to finish. I was so emotionally invested in the push and pull, the go and stay, and the secrets it was clear Jude had. I both loved and hated Jude and was begging for his to do right by Amelia.

The twist and turns will keep you guessing and wondering if these two are going to make it work. Their chemistry and passion are undeniable, and the love is clear between them, but is it enough? Their's was a hard fought HEA, but the journey was well worth it. I absolutely loved the conclusion to this addicting duet.

Shakira Shute was bloody brilliant in her mesmerizing narration. She made me get lost in the story and never want to come out.

Thank you to the author and Valentine PR for the eARC and NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC.

I'm withholding my review since it's below 4 stars. I felt like the story has potential but the second book didnt deliver so well like the first book did.

When The Invitation ended on that cliffhanger, I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast to sign up for an ARC like I did that day! I NEEDED TO KNOW!!⁣
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As I said in my review for The Invitation, Jude isn’t my normal go-to MMC. He has baggage, like, full trunks of baggage, but I was drawn to him. I needed to know what made him so guarded and I wanted to see some serious groveling. I got that and more!⁣
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I don’t want to spoil this story because some of the twists had me 😮🤯🤬😱 and I want everyone to experience that the way I did! Just know that you’re in for a wild ride and it’s worth it in the end!⁣
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Amelia and Jude got the well-deserved HEA that they were destined to have! I could have melted into a puddle in the end. ⁣
⁣
Side note - the audio was fantastic and pulled me into the story even more!

After that soul-shattering cliffhanger in The Invitation, I knew The Surrender would have me in a chokehold. And my goodness… Jodi Ellen Malpas did not disappoint. I picked it up and didn’t put it down until the very last page — devouring every single word.

Jude Harrison absolutely shattered Amelia Lazenby’s heart (and mine) at the end of book one. Going into this sequel, I needed an epic grovel. I needed him to earn his way back. And the beauty of this duet closer is that he truly does. He persists, he pushes, and he proves himself worthy of Amelia’s love — and of my forgiveness too. Watching him grow, open up, and finally lay himself bare was everything.

But what I really adored were Jude’s moments. Those little quirks and lines that made him unforgettable. The way he’d toss out “I f***ing dare you” — part challenge, part obsession, part declaration. The way he’d ask for a hug, sometimes one that led to s**, sometimes one that didn’t. It was vulnerable, it was raw, and it was so Jude. Those details cemented just how unique his character is. He’s obsessive, possessive, and messy, but also deeply broken and desperately in love. And when he finally surrendered his feelings? It was impossible not to fall right along with him.

Amelia, meanwhile, held her ground. She’s fierce, career-driven, and determined not to lose herself to Jude’s chaos. But the connection between them is undeniable. The push and pull, the banter, the sharp-tongued comebacks, the vulnerable moments that sneak up and hit you in the gut — it’s an intoxicating mix. The spice is off the charts, but so is the emotional depth. They’re both messy and flawed, carrying baggage that could drown a weaker couple, yet they find a way to fit together perfectly.

JEM balances the angst with her trademark humour and warmth. I laughed out loud more than once, only to be tearing up the next chapter. There are plot twists you won’t see coming, betrayals that cut deep, and supporting characters that bring such a rich, found-family vibe. Amelia’s support network shines, though I’ll admit her father frustrated me — I wanted him to truly see her. And yes, that one baddie? Still wreaking havoc, still despised.

And then there’s the audiobook. Shakira Shute is nothing short of phenomenal. A queen. A powerhouse. An absolute goddess. The way she delivered the raw emotion, distinguished every character, and made me forget this was a solo narration — flawless. Her performance elevated the story and pulled me even deeper into Jude and Amelia’s messy, addictive world. Without question, this narration goes straight to my top listens of 2025.

What JEM does best is write beautifully broken characters who worm their way into your soul. Jude and Amelia are chaotic, fiery, passionate, and deeply human. Their story is one of heartbreak, forgiveness, surrender, and ultimately, a love that consumes - one word: EPIC.

If you love billionaire romances with obsessive heroes, feisty heroines, explosive chemistry, emotional rollercoasters, and narration that’ll blow you away — The Arlington Hall Duet is an absolute must-read. Jude Harrison may have just dethroned Jesse Ward for me. Yes, I said it. Long live Jude Harrison.
10/10 highly recommend. Emotional, messy, addictive. Don’t sleep on the audio - this is a must listen.

The Surrender is book 2 in the Arlington Hall Series by the amazing Jodi Ellen Malpas. This duet is written within one timeline and is best to be read in order starting with book 1, The Invitation.

The reasons why I loved this book:
- Jude and his secrets. God, I thought the first one was bad but the secret, secret he kept....BAD JUDE!
- The Spicy scenes were spicing and I think they got even hotter than the last book
- I loved sweet Jude when he was groveling. and when he gets on his knees, that broke me.
- The car chase and that entire part of the book made me cry sooooooo hard. I was so mad at Jodi for writing such heart wrenching scenes.
- I love Jude's Brothers and they need books too!
-The girl squad was there when Amelia needed them but the groveling dinner, I was so mad at one particular person.
- I loved Amelia's brother. He had her back and would protect her from everything that he could.
-This duet had me in a tizzy at the cliffhanger. I am so glad that we got out HEA but poor Emlia had to go through it to get there.

I listened to this on audio performed by the brilliant, Shakira Shute. There are a lot of characters in this story and her performance of those was absolutely amazing. Particularly her portrayal of Jude. By the end of the story, I thought there was another narrator for his part. I never questioned who was who because she was able to distinguish the voices throughout the story. Very well done and I highly recommend listening if you enjoy audiobooks.

3.75 Rating for the drama and the vibes.

At first, I wasn’t entirely hooked — the beginning felt a bit slow, though I’ll admit that might’ve been on me for not being fully focused. But once I hit the 20% mark, things really take off — and I mean fast. Cue the drama, the chaos, and Jude… oh, Jude.

Let’s talk about him: he’s intense, a little over-the-top, and definitely has that “Velcro boyfriend” energy — clingy, a bit controlling, and wildly insecure at times. For a good chunk of the book, I honestly didn’t like him much. He felt emotionally immature, though he does experience some solid growth.

Still, his journey is messy, and that mess spills all over Abby.
Abby, poor thing — she goes through hell at full speed. Her emotional rollercoaster with Jude is relentless, and yet she keeps giving him chance after chance. It’s frustrating, heart-wrenching, and yet you can't look away. The story is packed with drama, tension, and those wild “WTF just happened” moments that keep you turning the pages.

This isn’t a delicate, lyrical romance. It’s not polished or poetic — but it is juicy, dramatic, and ridiculously entertaining. A full-on train wreck in the best possible way. I was fully engaged, even when I was frustrated or eye-rolling at the characters. And when it all comes together in the end, it’s weirdly satisfying.

If you’re in the mood for a high-drama, emotional whirlwind of a romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously, The Surrender is a ride worth taking. Not high literature — but high entertainment. And honestly? That’s exactly what I was in the mood for.

Thank you VPR & Netgalley for the ALC

I originally started this review with the paragraphs below, but what I found through various drafts was that I could not find the best place to work in the narrator, Shakira Shute. I do not think she gets enough credit for what she does. She voiced so many characters, and they do not sound like each other even a little. They are all entirely distinct. She is one of the best in this category, which is so very important to me. I can pick out each one and I never forget who is talking. She is a narration genius, and I hope she is able to narrate every book she wants for the rest of her life. She was fabulous in The Invitation as well, but I wanted to make sure that I pointed her out early on because she brings the story to life in a way I cannot do and without her this audiobook might be an entirely different experience. I can hear their voices as I think through the story for this review. She is that good. If you do not listen for any other reason, listen to check her out.

This story is an emotional rollercoaster the whole way through!! JEM rips our hearts out and puts them back together again so many times in the best possible way. I loved The Invitation, and I love its sequel, The Surrender. Jude and Amelia are perfect together even though they are not your traditional couple. We pick up after The Invitation ends, where Amelia has broken it off with Jude and told him that she never wants to see him again. This of course did not go over well with Jude. He is causing her family and friends a bit of daily drama and blowing up Amelia’s phone all the time, begging for another chance. At this point I think they would like her to get back together with him just so he will stop calling and turning up! But they all want what is best for Amelia, so they tell her about the contact with him, but they do not push her to do anything. It appears that the girls (Abby and Charlie) do not want her back together with him and are protective as always and are there when she needs them. While Jude is driving everyone batty, we are at Clark’s wedding. Clark’s now wife, Rachel, is pregnant, which is a big secret, so their parents do not get upset. Nick the creeper is still, well, being a creeper. The whole family is together, and Jude is across the street waiting, watching, and calling repeatedly in a constant stream of begging. Amelia finally gives in and goes down to meet him.

Amelia gets into Jude’s car, and it seems that they are making up, however, Amelia “pulls a Jude” on him and dares him to contact her again and hops out of the car! It was spectacular seeing our girl stick up for herself in such a bold way. It was short lived though, and soon enough she is back with Jude. She tells him she wants things to go slow and tries to set some boundaries, but she is not very good at this. Jude is surprisingly accommodating though and does almost everything he can to win her back. Some of his bad behavior persists of course, but really, not too much compared to last book.

There is more breaking up and getting back together of course, because after a while it seems like every time Amelia turns around Jude is hiding something else. Throughout the rest of the story Jude tries to prove he is sorry and that he loves her. Which, I am convinced he does. He finally starts to open up and we learn his full tragic backstory, which is in fact tragic and heartbreaking. There are a number of characters telling Amelia how he is so much better when he is with her, like he is lighter. That all has to do with the backstory. After one of the breakups, when Amelia goes to Arlington Hall to return a car, she finds out that her brother punched Jude and gave him quite the black eye. I think I actually yelled when I read this! It was awesome and hysterical all at the same time. Throughout the story, Nick is still a nuisance. We find out a lot more about him in this story and his background as well. It turns out Amelia never knew him at all and he’s the stranger, not Jude. How’s that for a coin flip?

We also encounter this jerk at her office, the one who Jude threatened (I cannot figure out how to spell his name, so we will just call him Mr. Handsy), Mr. Handsy becomes even more crude and a real problem in this story. I did correctly guess the horrible thing he did in the story and the horrible thing he was behind, but he is just another piece of the craziness that Amelia deals with. Then there’s the partners at the firm. One is cheating on her husband and involves Amelia, and the other has suddenly become less of an Amelia fan until Mr. Handsy-the-jerk is less appealing to him because he has been caught in his evil shenanigans.

One of the best parts of the story is all the side characters, including Amelia’s family and Jude’s brothers – oh yes, the bothers finally arrive! They all feel more fleshed out this time around. Their personalities are more developed and they all engage so well. They are funny and they make you smile when they are sweet. They make you laugh when they are ridiculous. I loved having her grandparents in the story more and her mother and father and Clark and Rachel. When they are all at her parents’ house it does seem just like a family gathering, whereas in the last book it was a little stiffer, but I guess that is to be expected as time goes on, right? They were one of my favorite parts for sure and they are still making me smile. Oh, and Amelia and her father get into it too, you do not want to miss that.

Other things that really made this book standout: The addition of more time at Arlington Hall; more backstory; more story altering revelations; Jude finally growing a pair when it comes to a certain someone; more of the family and the friends interacting; finally figuring out why Nick gives you the ick but you can’t put your finger on what it is besides his pathetic attempts to win Amelia back; the work drama; there’s even an inanimate object that sort of has its own storyline as it becomes the cause of quite a few things. We even get more time with some of the staff members at Arlington Hall. The whole story is beautifully arranged and executed to perfection.

I enjoyed seeing something I had guessed at since early in book one finally be confirmed. I also thought it was a nice touch that the things Amelia swore she did not want were not really things she did not want. She finally has it out with Nick and thank goodness because a good chunk of the surface drama with him is finding the right time to tell him – there is no such thing and she should have known that. He deserved what he got. He deserves worse since it turns out he’s been a gold-digging scumbag the whole time. Hmm. I will put that part in spoiler tags where possible. I needed to get that off my chest though! Since I haven’t mentioned it elsewhere, yes, the spice is very spicy in this story.

The atmosphere is a little different too. We see more of Arlington behind the scenes, and we visit more of the surrounding area. It just creates a much fuller picture which is a joy to read and much appreciated.

If you loved or even mildly liked The Invitation, you will love The Surrender. It is everything I hoped it would be and so much more. Bravo JEM!
I’d like to thank Brilliance Audio over and over again for blessing me with an advanced listener copy of this audiobook after also giving me a shot with The Invitation earlier this year. Thank you.

I received an advanced listener copy of this audiobook from Brilliance Media via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and as usual if I don’t like a book, you will certainly know it.

The Surrender is the second book in the Arlington Hall series. It follows Amelia and Jude.

Book one ended on quite a cliffhanger so I was looking forward to seeing how the characters handled it. I was also curious to see how they would redeem themselves from book one. I will say I liked this book better than the first one but it was still really problematic.

The Surrender starts about a week after book one ends. I wish there wouldn't have been a time jump even if it is small just because I feel like it flows better to have the second one start literally right off book one. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions and not in a good way.

Amelia constantly sweeps her messes under the rug and hides away instead of being a woman and facing them. She also doesn’t have a backbone and desperately needs one to tell her dad or her ex Nick to F off. Throughout the story Amelia wants Jude to not keep any secrets from her but she constantly kept stuff from him the entire time!! She did change throughout this book and did a bit of a 180 from book one toward the end.

Jude at least acknowledges that he is f*cked up and actively tries to do better. I will say Jude grew on me a lot in this book and my heart physically ached for him. His backstory made me understand the man he is now and why he is the way he is. Is he seriously f*cked up and toxic, yes but, he truly just wants to love Amelia in the best way he knows how.

Their relationship started based on lies and ones that should have been explained while they were falling in love not through a scorned ex. That really made my blood boil because they were still keeping BIG secrets from each other instead of communicating like adults. Which in turn made them not trust one another. It was just really wild how much they still kept from each other until almost the very end.

All it took was one turn of events to suddenly change everything. The end was all sunshine and rainbows completely steamrolling over their past toxic relationship. I was really happy they got a HEA because I was kind of scared they wouldn’t have one with what happened near the end. I am curious now about two characters in particular and if/when we might get a book from them?

The narrator Shakira Shute did a fantastic job at portraying Amelia and Jude. She was able to evoke so much emotion into both characters and truly bring them to life. Her voice was so soothing and it really made me want to continue to listen, which was how I listened to this book in almost a single day.

Thank you so much, Jodi Ellen Malpas, and Brilliance Publishing for the gifted copy!

This was a great conclusion to Jude & Amelias story.

Immediatly picking up where book 2 left us, Jude & Amelia threw us straight back in with a rollercoaster. It was hot, then cold. Was Jude a bit OOT? But do we love him anyway... OF COURSE.

Their chemistry and love is obvious, and it wouldnt be fun if it was straight forward, however Jodi did a incredible job.

Although I did enjoy this book, I found the main characters to be emotionally immature and ended up being irritated by them. The chemistry between them was unmistakable but the banter was a bit juvenile for my tastes

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.