Caress and Conquer

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.

While I agree with all the criticism leveled at this book by other readers, I think it deserves a better rating because it is an epic tale, not the simple romance and not the typical Connie Mason formula. In most of her other books Mason stops just short of rape and real cruelty to her heroines. Of the 30+ books I have read so far, this is by far the most sexually graphic and startling in terms of what she puts her through. Usually no other man "touches" the heroine unless she is widowed or he is dead. This book envisions about the worst horrors that could befall a woman in that era, and she seems to experience all of them. It is somewhat difficult to imagine all of those things happening to the same woman, but the factual circumstances of that era are real, therefore giving plausibility to the storyline. It is hard to either like or respect Tony. He is almost always cruel to her, rarely gentle until well into the book. There are characters, Nathan and Francis, both of whom embody a much finer character than Tony's, and I would have preferred her to chose one of them and leave this harsh selfish man. But, her lot was sealed from the first and as an indentured servant, there was little she could do to escape her fate. But, not liking Tony's behavior does not constitute reason enough to give this book a bad rating. It is well written and the storyline is fast paced and gripping. It is as though watching the horrors unfold, the reader cannot believe that yet something more awful is about to happen. I recommend this book to those who have a strong stomach for a woman's survival in this era, and who enjoy Connie Mason as a good author. Do not expect her usual formulic tales where evil mistresses eventually vanish and deprivation usually means hero and heroines being separated with simple misunderstandings to overcome.

Well I haven't read this book in many years and I was very glad I reread it today. This is one of my favorite books by Connie Mason because I love the heroine in this book. She goes through hell, and I do mean, hell to have happiness. The hero in this story I don't really like. He puts her through most of the hell but in the end love conquers all.This story starts out in London in 1759. the heroine, Amanda, has been sent off to get lace to finish a dress her mother is making for a very rich woman. On the way back she is mistaken as a prostitute and ends up being bedded by our hero, Tony. Tony is leaving for the colonies the next moring so she is his goodbye gift from his friends. He never realizes that she is a virgin. After he leaves the next day things go from bad to worse for Amanda. She now must steal so that her and her dying mother can eat. She is caught and soon finds herself on her way to the colonies as an indentured servant. Tony sees her and buys her and on the way home he can't help himself and takes her. She can't really help herself either because Tony does make her burn with passion. She becomes his housekeeper and he treats her very roughly. Finally they realize they love each other but there are a multitude of horrible things that will try and stop them from marrying. All throughout the book Amanda remains strong and I did like Tony some of the time. He got better. This book has very hot love scenes that could burn paper. You won't want to put this down until you've finished it.

This was the first Connie Mason book I've read. I was so extremely happy to discover Connie Mason, and discover how her books and writing style comes close to another author's work who I've been a fan of for years. "Caress and Conquer" was a truly entertaining love story. The girl finds the guy, loses the guy, and finds the guy again. It's the typical love story that ends with a happy ending, but has trauma and conflict throughout. This book kept me glued! Granted, some of the characters did get on my nerves, and some of the traumas and conflicts weren't for the weak. Authors can't develop characters that are going to be loved or liked by everyone. They develop characters that will work in the story presented. Most readers liked Nathan for example. Nathan annoyed me to pieces. He was, in my opinion so weak and uninteresting that I would have been sadly disappointed in the story, if Amanda did end up with him. Tony on the other hand, was the strong mysterious lead male character that stood by Amanda through all the troubles that occurred. If I ever had to endure any of the troubles that Amanda had to endure, I would have wanted someone just like Tony to stand by me. Letty was the villain of the book. Every book such as this one has to have a villain and I feel Connie developed Letty's character very well. Letty was pure evil, and at times I felt she should have been disposed of long before she was. However if she was, then the book wouldn't have been as good as it was. The length that Letty stayed in the story was perfect. The time where she was out of the story, then reappeared was excellent. It was a perfect example of how Connie creates ways to keep the reader interested and glued to the story. In addition, Connie set the scenes very well. She takes you to different places, gives you complete descriptions so that you can get a mental picture of where the scene is taking place, and what it looks like. I never felt any confusion here, or lack of being able to grasp what was being described. Everything was realistic. The traumas and conflicts taking place in the book, was the work of a great author's imagination. Who wants to read a love story that's a carbon copy of every love story out there? Or, who wants to read a love story that has nothing going on, other than the love story itself. I surely don't. I'd be bored to tears. I need something to grab my attention, something to make me feel for each character, whether it's love or hate. This book has it all!.Yes, there were typos, errors in grammar, caps where lower case should have been used. Yes, these mistakes should have been caught before it went to the printer. However, things like this happen and there's no reason why they should distract anyone. I'm only mentioning them because another reviewer did, and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea and think the book is riddled with mistakes, and use that as a reason not to purchase it. The mistakes are few. Most readers probably won't even n

MY Favorite of Many. I have read and reread this book. Amanda thrown into Newgate prison at a young age is sent to Charles Town SC. as an indentured servant where Tony, a man she had met years before when she is mistaken as someone else by his friends. Tony buys her papers and takes her to his home as a housekeeper where she meets up with Lettie, Tony's mistress, Amanda finds that her life doesn't get any better Thanks to Lettie. I cried and got mad, I hated the characters and thought of things to get even with them, while reading, I felt as if I was there going through all the things that Amanda was. It is excellent and Can't wait for the reprint to come out.