Customer Reviews

Caress and Conquer

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

There is nothing good about it. It is degrading in the full sense of the word. The villain is allowed to do despicable things to the heroine and the hero isn't man enough to stop her. It's obvious he isn't in control. He allows himself to be blackmailed into sleeping with the villain when he could have quelled her blackmail. He was weak, hateful when things didn't go his way. He succumbed to the bottle and anger whenever things got rough. There was nothing likeable about him. The heroine deserved better. For me he never exonerated himself. It is well written if you enjoy hard-hateful plots with vicious acts toward others and stupid heroes who are weak wimps.

I wish that I had never read this book. I can't understand why Amanda loved Tony so much when all he did was treat her like dirt. Tony's mistress Letty was no better either. She did everything she could to torture Amanda, and Tony didn't do anything to stop it. Tony and Letty were one of a kind. They were both cruel, selfish, and disgusting. I kept hoping that Amanda would come to her senses and marry Nathan, a man who really loved and appreciated her. There was absolutely no romance whatsoever. Please don't waste your time with this book. It would be more fun to count the tiles on the floor.

this was by far the worst of connie mason's book I have ever read. in this story the heroine is raped by a drunk at 16 then when she is sent to newgate for stealing is again sexually abused by a constable to keep from beihng raped again. then she is made to do sexual favors by her owner for having his son. then a malicious woman gets her captured by indians and again raped. then she is forced to pretend to have sex with a slave by the same women who got her captured by indians. i thought that was horrible, i am truly dissappointed in Ms. mason considering i have read almoast all her books and this one contained what it did. i would have given it no stars but the idea behind the story was good.

Connie Mason did a great job with the characters, yet I think she underdeveloped the main character of Tony. She made Tony to be someone who is gullible towards Letty, who is obsessed with getting Tony to be her husband. Regardless of seeing Letting giving pain to Amanda, an indentured servant whom he fell in love with, he still sees Letty as innocent of giving torture. He makes Letty his mistress off and on. He believed in her lies rather than believing in Amanda. Mason does a great job with making one hate Letty easy. I hated her a lot as soon as I saw a few paragraphs about her! This book is really really harsh, so if you can handle reading it, go for it. I felt touched everytime Amanda faced pain in her life, especially at the end. At the end of the book, when it could have been the end of the story where Amanda and tony were happily married with 2 kids, Letty comes back and the story continues with more pain. Instead of Tony fighting off Letty's blackmail in which Tony has to sleep with Letty for a year and she will burn Amanda's indentured papers. It made me irritated that instead of going somewhere to think about a solution to solve the blackmail he goes and screws Letty after a few minutes of getting the blackmail. It also made me mad that Amanda forgave him to easily after he told her about the affair even though she knew about it.

This is a harsh love that Amanda goes through with Tony since she has to endure him being with Letty and watching and hearing them have sex. She had to endure a lot of torture done to her throughout the book. I think Mason went to far with the blackmail, she should have ended it right before Letty arrived back. Why would she give the book more torture than it needs to? Would I suggest this book? I can only say again, if you can handle harsh treatment done to someone, then you may like this book. I don't think for me I could read this book over again. I would say this is not something worth buying, unless you borrowed from a friend or library.

I'd give this minus five stars if it was an option. Anyone contemplating reading this book must be aware that the heroine is raped, beaten and flogged (the first two by the 'hero' - that's right folks, the 'hero') and cheated on (again by the 'hero') and then raped about four more times by various other men, while the 'hero'...er...what was he doing again? Oh, yes! Having sex with his skanky mistress (who later orchestrates another rape for the heroine to endure). Honestly - a WOMAN wrote this rubbish? What more can I say? Romance it is NOT.

How can you like a book when the first twenty pages a girl is raped. Then has her clothes ripped off and tide to a pole and flogged. That is sick. The torture this poor girl went through, I cant believe anyone whould think this a good book. I love Connie Mason, I have read almost every book she has written, and this is the worst! Sorry Connie but I aint into abuse. I know you have to come up with new material but Rape shouldnt be one of them. I am sure things like this happened back then, but I like to read romance, to have hope and to know that the underdog comes out on top and Cinderella really does get her Prince.

I am an avid fan of Connie Mason. Before this book, I purchased a copy of the "Black Knight"...what a remarkable book. However, I have one question concerning "Caress and Conquer", what was Connie Mason thinking! This book made me what to slap both lead characters. The one character I wanted to slap both ways and tell him to be a man was Tony. The things he did to Amanda; I for one would not want to go through the things she did with this "so-called" man. In this day and age, I do not think any other woman would stand for what he did. If he only learned to keep his pants buttoned-up. Thank you for a hellish reading. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYBODY. However, I will continue to purchase any Connie Mason books since she is one of my favorite authors at my own risk....

Have you ever read a book so bad, it's actually sort of good, if only in a semi-humorous way? Unfortunately, CARESS AND CONQUER is not one of these books. Although it does come somewhat close to being that kind of a read, the "yuck" factor is just too strong. (Love the title, though.)

I don't want to recite the plot, other reviewers have done that. Let it suffice for me to say that the hero is the kind of man who distrusts the heroine from the very beginning and believes her to be a whore who's been with countless other men -a totally incorrect assumption, which he could resolve if only he'd TALK to the heroine, but, of course, he doesn't. He's also one of those heroes who, although he thinks she's a dirty untrustworthy slut, (or maybe *because* he thinks she's a dirty untrustworthy slut?) experiences the sensation of becoming "throbbing" or "engorged" Every. Single. Time. he looks at the heroine. I swear I'm not exaggerating. For example, there's a scene where the hero watches the heroine pulling the drapes open in his drawing room; the hero feels uncontrollable lust rise up (literally), just seeing her do this.

After a few more pages of this, combined with the shallowness of the plot and the gross brutality of certain characters, I was more than ready to give up on this story.

Ok I know people will look at this review and think I am nuts. But I am not, really! I read this book well prepared for all the horrible things that happen to the heroine, so it did not shock me, as it would have with out knowing before hand. But I think because I had known I was able to read this book and enjoy it, which I am surprised I did.
From the first scene I was shocked at how contrived the scenes where, the heroine is well aware of what will happen to her in this room she is locked in, and believes that her captures are nor really malicious toward (her words not mine), but does she explain or scream or say no (while there is someone to listen), not really, she falls asleep. There are so many of these kinds of situations that could have been resolved easily but someone fell asleep, was kissed into being quite and let's not forget the ever original sexed into oblivion and forgetfulness or the tragic occurrences that prohibits the delivery of a very important subject at the moment that almost always have life altering consequences. I guess what I am trying to say is that this book reminded me of a soap opera and I just could not take it seriously because there is no way this could book could be romantic. Both lead characters were kind of yuck! And the love between them was kind of sick. If I taken this book seriously I would have to cringe every time the "hero" calls her my love. But as I said I read it as a soap opera and found it fun. Because like a soap opera when ever the couple was happy something would tear them up. But either which way I can honestly say that Tony was pathetic, weak, and really annoying.

I cannot in good conscious suggest that anyone should buy this book because they would really enjoy it. That all depends on the individual. As for me I read it lightly and enjoyed it as a parody but not a romance. As a serious romance this book is not even one star. The hero is just too cruel and stupid to be allowed to live.

Bottom line, read at your own risk, but definitely read all these reviews before doing so, they really help.

This was one of those books that you could not put down because it was such A train wreck that you did not want to miss it! From the start I knew I was in trouble when I realized that the hero was going to actually own slaves! What kind of hero is that? Certainly not one I found appealing or worthy of the name hero! Oh but that was only the beginning! The man was A complete jerk that allowed his mistress to abuse the heroine and get away with it. Usually I don't mind reading A book where the hero is A bit of A jerk who treats the heroine a little rough if he's supposed to be a scoundrel, but it did not work in this book. I understand that scoundrels are supposed to act this way but this so called hero went above and beyond in his mistreatment of the heroine. Instead of coming off as A hero with some good qualities who you would want to see redeemed, he comes off as A mean and cruel human being that you hated, and it was not cute!

I will admit though that I could not put the book down because I could not believe the things that were happening, and that's why I gave it two stars instead of one, but when I got to page 300, all I wanted was to be done with the book because it was just too much with never A moment of peace. The horrible things that happened to the heroine just went on and on and I just wanted to rest from it all.