Customer Reviews

Love Me with Fury

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an oldie but goodie from Ms. Mason. Written back in 1991, the age doesn't show as most books do from other authors in that same time period. A brutish hero and somewhat dim heroine. These two were very strong and very much worthy of a novel.
The hero was strong yet vulnerable and lovable. He made the reader wish he were real and we rooted for him constantly. He never took advantage of the heroine nor was selfish or mean, he was just plain perfect...in the sense that a hero can be 'perfect' without being a softy, boring moron, lol.
Ms. Mason really hit the mark here. As with all her heroes, she always manages to turn them into these gods that we the reader wish we could reach into the pages and bring them out. Jess Wilder, former US Marshall and now Texas Bounty Hunter is that man.
He's got his demons, but he never takes his eye off the ball and turns into a ...excuse me, but, jerk.
The heroine was far worthy of Jess. She was good and kind and never whiny nor flighty. Ariel Leland impressed me with her wit and courage and showed the kind of determination I imagine a lot of women of her day did on the ranches in Southwest Texas.
Their love was very real to the reader. In all, I liked this book a lot. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because I felt the villains were so interesting, Ms. Mason should've fleshed them out just a bit more and given them more parts in the story. They were very impressive and intriguing. I was left needing to know more about them.

Ariel Leland's stagecoach is attacked by bandits and she is found by bounty hunter, Jess Wilder. He mistakes her for one of the two bank robbers and killers back in San Antonio, Ms. Tilly Cowles. Apparently, Ariel looks identical to her and was even traveling with the two, but now, no one is there except her and she is shackled to the sheriff, who is dead now.
What's more frightening is the fact that Jess is attracted to the murdering witch who claims to be another. This wont work, he has to get her to the Marshall and find her lover.
Things get hairy when everything seems to go awry for Jess and it turns out, his hunt for the elusive Tilly and Dillon for the past 2 years is in vain, this woman isn't Tilly. Now what? He made a solemn promise to his dying brother to hunt them down. But this woman named Ariel seems like she may need him.
Loyalties torn and determination to see justice, Jess must decide. Can their love survive?

Tracy Talley~@

Hard Headed Jess, thought he had the answers to everything, mistaking Ariel as another women wanted for murder and bank robberies. She soon doesn't take long to get under his skin and the tavles are turned on him as he finds hes isn't always right. Very funny. Will read again!

I thought that Jess and Ariel were perfect for each other. They could not stand each other at first and they could not get enough of each other at the end. I like the way Jess was so possessive when Ariel was concerned. It was really hilarious reading about how they fought. It was my favorite Connie Mason book and what started me reading her books.

Mason always writes very steamy love scenes, which I certainly can appreciate. The only thing that is a bit "too much" about them is the fact that often the sex can override the emotional connection between her characters. The scenes always have the couple "making love again. And again. And yet again..." throughout each night they spend together. After a while you start to roll your eyes. This annoyance is present in "Love Me With Fury" (which is the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5), but fortunately Mason tempered it with true and deep love between the couple. About half- way into the book, they accept and profess their love for one another. From that point, other than one brief interruption in their relationship, they stand by one another against all adversity. I find that so much more appealing than the books where the hero and heroine fight their emotions and lie to everyone about what they are feeling. This story was genuine ROMANCE.


Ariel Leland has inherited her father's Texas ranch. Despite her mother's insistence that she sell the ranch and marry a prominent man in St. Louis, Ariel runs away to claim the property. While traveling to Texas, her coach is in an accident. She wakes to find bounty hunter, Jess Wilder, calling her by another woman's name. He is convinced that she is really an outlaw by the name of Tilly Cowles, who helped rob a bank and kill his brother. He is determined to take her in to the marshall's office. What he doesn't expect are the feelings this female outlaw stirs in his heart and body.

Once Ariel proves her identity, Jess decides there is no reason to deny their attraction any longer. They spend one night together before Ariel moves on to claim her ranch, and Jess goes his own way to continue his search for his brother's murders.

Ariel is instantly in love with her new home. There are people who hope to take the ranch from her. She'll fight tooth and nail to keep it. When Jess shows up unexpectedly, she tries to remind herself that he is a drifter who will move on again. It would be best to guard her heart. Jess wants nothing more than to stay and build a life with Ariel, but feels beholden to his promise to get revenge in his brother's name. He makes the choice that tears them apart, causing both Ariel and Judd to realize that their love is what really matters most.

Jess is frantic to return to Ariel after he dreams that she has disappeared. He now knows that leaving her was the biggest mistake of his life. When he reaches the ranch, his learns that his nightmare has come true. With his heart and soul at stake, he will do whatever it takes to rescue her. If he can get her back safely, nothing will stand in the way of Jess marrying Ariel. The outlaws may have destroyed his past, but Ariel is his future.

I LOVED this book. The hero and heroine are both such strong interesting characters and the clear precise writing style is such a pleasure to approach. The action starts from the beginning and takes you on a wild adventure, full of romance and steamy love scenes. I am a Connie Mason fan for life and can't wait to read more of her books! What a great movie this would make!

Favorite scene with Ariel-
Pretending to be a boy when she came face to face with the outlaws. She was one smart cookie. And brave.

Favorite scene with Jess-
Pretending to be the whoremaster to save Ariel.

Together-
Making Jess choose between her and the outlaws.

What did you like about Ariel-
She wouldn't let any hardships keep her from her ranch. And Jess. She was a tough cookie.

What didn't you like about Ariel-
I didn't like when she gave Jess an ultimatum. Her or the outlaws. Jess loved his brother. His death deeply hurt Jess. He shouldn't have been forced to choose. She wouldn't listen to Rosalie regarding neighbor dude.

What did you like about Jess-
His strength. His sense of humor. How he put the fear of God into people. His love for Ariel. Although he wanted to kill the bad guys, he put Ariel first.

What didn't you like about Jess-
There wasn't anything I didn't like about Jess.

Casting Jess, I'd cast Julian McMahon.
Casting Ariel, I'd cast Renee Zellweger.