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Tender Fury
Lovely young Gabrielle LaFarge had resigned herself to the life of a nun in a French convent. But the future that awaits her is far different, for she is informed that she is to marry Philippe St. Cyr, a wealthy plantation owner form the island of Martinique. Gabby resents and fears this handsome, moody man, whose icy surface conceals depths of passion and violence. Though he awakens her to the sensual delights of lovemaking, Gabby’s heart remains untouched – or so she believes. As for Philippe, she is certain that he is incapable of love. Constantly at cross purposes, separated by war and the conniving of Philippe’s jealous mistress, each tries to forget the other, But a bond has been forged between them that will serve at last to unite them in love’s sweet, strange … Tender Fury.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1984
9 people are currently reading
501 people want to read
About the author
Connie Mason
140 books534 followersConnie Mason or Cara Miles is the best-selling author of more than fifty historical romances and novellas. Her tales of passion and adventure are set in exotic as well as American locales. Connie was named Story Teller of the Year in 1990 by Romantic Times and was awarded Career Achievement award in the Western category by Romantic Times in 1994. Connie makes her home in Tarpon Springs, Florida with her husband Jerry.
Prior to her first published work in 1984, Connie was a full time homemaker. Always an avid reader, writing was one of Connie's dreams.
In 1995 Connie was featured on a segment of the CBS news show 48 Hours, a television production that devoted an entire program to the romance novel industry. Connie was also featured in an article published by National Inquirer.
In addition to writing and traveling, Connie enjoys telling anyone who will listen about her three children and nine grandchildren, and sharing memories of her years living abroad in Europe and Asia as the wife of a career serviceman. In her spare time Connie enjoys reading, dancing, playing bridge and freshwater fishing with her husband.
Prior to her first published work in 1984, Connie was a full time homemaker. Always an avid reader, writing was one of Connie's dreams.
In 1995 Connie was featured on a segment of the CBS news show 48 Hours, a television production that devoted an entire program to the romance novel industry. Connie was also featured in an article published by National Inquirer.
In addition to writing and traveling, Connie enjoys telling anyone who will listen about her three children and nine grandchildren, and sharing memories of her years living abroad in Europe and Asia as the wife of a career serviceman. In her spare time Connie enjoys reading, dancing, playing bridge and freshwater fishing with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 20, 2024
Reread: 4/20/24
4 stars
All of a sudden, I was in the mood for a cheating SOB H, and this book certainly provides such a character!
I could give several trigger warnings for this book. The H believes that he owns his wife and her body is his when and wherever he wants it. The H treats Gabby horribly throughout the whole book. He also tends to discard his own guilt and blames the other person. It's his exmistress fault that she seduced him, and his wife caught them and lost her baby.
"With typical male conceit, he had discounted his own callous treatment of Gabby.:.
I don't know why, but I loved this book this time around.. I guess it's because i knew what to expect. I found myself glued to the pages. I didn't want the story to end!
🤪 but I gave the book 4 stars now! If you like CM other books like Stormfire, then you might like this book.
****************** orginal review **********
Read: 7/3/22
3 stars
This book was a little bit of a mess! I love to watch a cold-hearted H melt. But unfortunately, our H never really melts.
First, he treats Amanda horribly bc he wants an obedient, meek wife. Yea, that's not going to backfire! When Amanda is thrown over board and washes up on an island, she does everything she can to keep Tony from finding her. Tony soon realizes he loves her and he can't live without her. When he finds her alive, the two reconcile. Their marriage becomes a happy one.
Oh, no! Everybody happy? That's forbidden in a CM book!
Everything is going well when they arrive on his plantation. Then the pregnant h catches Tony screwing his ex mistress (on their bed..yuck!!). She blindly runs away and ends up losing the baby. Is it his fault? No! According to Tony's crazy mind, she's to blame. Tony always seems to justify his wrongful actions and place blame on others.
So the whole book is basically the H being an arrogant, jealous ahole and the h switching from loving him to wanting to escape him. This annoying pattern is repeated throughout the whole book. It got old fast!!
Surprisingly, the villain was the guy Amanda should have ended up with. In the beginning, he tried to prevent Tony from delivering England's battle plans to Andrew Jackson. The villain is a paid English spy and even kills to prevent the plans from reaching Jackson. Strangely, after all the horrible things he's done, he truly loved Amanda. He was willing to accept his enemy's child, and later, he sacrificed his life to save Amanda. I loved him!
Good parts: I love how the author included the pirate Jean Lafitte. He was instrumental in helping the US defeat the English at the Battle of New Orleans. Lafitte's island is now called Galveston. I was born right next to the island. So, I enjoyed this part of the story immensely. I also enjoyed learning more about the island, Martinique.
TW: rape and slavery
All in all, this was an okay Bodice-ripper, but the author can do so much better.
Sidenote: I have to embarrassingly admit that the 50's song "The Battle of Orleans " popped into my head a couple of times while reading this book. 😳
4 stars
All of a sudden, I was in the mood for a cheating SOB H, and this book certainly provides such a character!
I could give several trigger warnings for this book. The H believes that he owns his wife and her body is his when and wherever he wants it. The H treats Gabby horribly throughout the whole book. He also tends to discard his own guilt and blames the other person. It's his exmistress fault that she seduced him, and his wife caught them and lost her baby.
"With typical male conceit, he had discounted his own callous treatment of Gabby.:.
I don't know why, but I loved this book this time around.. I guess it's because i knew what to expect. I found myself glued to the pages. I didn't want the story to end!
🤪 but I gave the book 4 stars now! If you like CM other books like Stormfire, then you might like this book.
****************** orginal review **********
Read: 7/3/22
3 stars
This book was a little bit of a mess! I love to watch a cold-hearted H melt. But unfortunately, our H never really melts.
First, he treats Amanda horribly bc he wants an obedient, meek wife. Yea, that's not going to backfire! When Amanda is thrown over board and washes up on an island, she does everything she can to keep Tony from finding her. Tony soon realizes he loves her and he can't live without her. When he finds her alive, the two reconcile. Their marriage becomes a happy one.
Oh, no! Everybody happy? That's forbidden in a CM book!
Everything is going well when they arrive on his plantation. Then the pregnant h catches Tony screwing his ex mistress (on their bed..yuck!!). She blindly runs away and ends up losing the baby. Is it his fault? No! According to Tony's crazy mind, she's to blame. Tony always seems to justify his wrongful actions and place blame on others.
So the whole book is basically the H being an arrogant, jealous ahole and the h switching from loving him to wanting to escape him. This annoying pattern is repeated throughout the whole book. It got old fast!!
Surprisingly, the villain was the guy Amanda should have ended up with. In the beginning, he tried to prevent Tony from delivering England's battle plans to Andrew Jackson. The villain is a paid English spy and even kills to prevent the plans from reaching Jackson. Strangely, after all the horrible things he's done, he truly loved Amanda. He was willing to accept his enemy's child, and later, he sacrificed his life to save Amanda. I loved him!
Good parts: I love how the author included the pirate Jean Lafitte. He was instrumental in helping the US defeat the English at the Battle of New Orleans. Lafitte's island is now called Galveston. I was born right next to the island. So, I enjoyed this part of the story immensely. I also enjoyed learning more about the island, Martinique.
TW: rape and slavery
All in all, this was an okay Bodice-ripper, but the author can do so much better.
Sidenote: I have to embarrassingly admit that the 50's song "The Battle of Orleans " popped into my head a couple of times while reading this book. 😳
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2013
To give commentary about the ending, that doesn't give away too many details? After all that, Connie -- the ship didn't sink? Did you run out of space on that page after you met your word-count quota?
Phillippe - huge loon-douche. He didn't quite have the finesse and inwardly checked anger most Bodice Ripper heroes did. He mostly acted on every whimsical incident, that gave him a rather petulant air. And blaming it on Mommy Dearest, in the end, didn't quite sit well with me, either. I know Sean Culhane from Stormfire used/abused a lot of women in his means to punish womankind, albeit Phillippe had no qualms with inflicting said punishments on the truly innocent. He was really bipolar and quite paranoid. And every single tragedy that befell the heroine, was a direct result of his(or his slave tart) machinations. He honestly infuriated me, and no matter the amount of groveling, he was truly never sincere, because five minutes later, he would go off the handle and harm her(emotionally or sexually or physically) and Gabby would fall under some strange, mysterious illness AGAIN! He never redeemed himself, and if that last soliloquy holds more than 24 hrs, I'd be surprised. The speech did not reveal anything we were unaware of, really - and his suffering was not entirely complete.
My updates concerning Phillippe:
Phillippe suspects Marcel had something to do with his ex-wife's death, or it could be the state of oblivion and spinelessness he undergoes when he DOESN'T want to acknowledge truths or take responsibility for his own selfish actions! Of course Phillippe would blame ANYONE else but himself, even his dead wife! Here's a tip, Phillippe. Maybe Marcel wouldn't invade your wife cache, if he weren't better at it, than you are. I don't buy that his former wife was holding out on him, either, and encouraged him to run to his slave slutbag. Gabby was quite forthcoming with the goods, and he STILL couldn't keep his shit out of the freebie vendor. >:E Someone buy this shitbag a freakin' clue already.
"My name, Gabby, say it, damn you!" he growled. "Why do you continue to provoke me!"
Say my name, say my name. You're actin' kinda shady, an' callin' me baaaaby. ♬
Gabby - She's the archetype of Bodice Ripper heroine, with the hottest blood I've read up to this day. Even without the stimulant, she still had her fair share of dalliances, regardless if it were in escape of her psycho husband waiting at home. She could literally forgive Phillippe for ANYTHING, as long as he said he loved her. What confused me was that her resistance was so steadfast, refusing to be forced into affection or attraction to a man(which she fought tooth and nail after their marriage), yet Rob & Marcel were both gentle-handed and goodhearted, yet she loved them not. MAKE UP YOUR MIND WENCH! >.<
Updates concerning Gabby:
I always find it hilarious how heroine's are given novels/books to keep them entertained, but they always pause in the middle(with a headache, no less) and ponder over the most trifling of shit. LOL Sweetheart, if you would ever read through the derpyness, it may eventually enlighten you, and you wouldn't be in your predicament. :P
Marcel - Marcel and Rob were practically the same, identical character. I believe Connie just spliced them, as a means of being in two places at once. LOL But truly, Marcel was my pick out of the lovely male lineups this book offered. He genuinely loved Gabby- knew her reputation and honor were in ruin, and was a patient lover. He always put her first, no matter the circumstance, and wanted her regardless of her being his worse enemies' leavings, and so on. There was a bit of confusion where he mentally referred to his affection for her as tantamount to his own sisters'; a bizarre neonatal inclination of his, and his connections to a few past murders, but he was genuine...and I'm generally the BR hero champion - but Phillippe jus' left nothing to be desired. He only ever left Gabby alone, so the cue for an 'escape' side-story could develop. His attempts to wear down her resistance, and rewrite her personal will, was unfathomably pathetic. I guess I enjoy a BR hero who has some pride, where that is concerned. Anyhow, I know Marcel wasn't a perfect character, and some of his acts were definitely questionable, but I thought of him as the proper neutral character, who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty to get what he wanted. Gabby didn't really deserve him, and her inability to love someone who was remotely normal, proves it, to me.
Amalie - It's difficult for me to describe this character fairly, because such a deep loathing I felt for this walking vag. But you know what? I believe this crazy bitch was the only one who could have loved Phillippe completely and fully, and embraced his failed logic and critical thinking. Phillippe sided and believed this chick over the heroine far too many times, for that compatibility not to be recognized. Also, Phillippe's ability to seek out this chick's bed, or allow her to seduce him, even when Gabby was givin' up the goods, just proves to me, that of course --he was a douchebag whose wanker never dried, but said to me that the lustful urges held a bit more than just that, and perhaps the social classes(slave & master) were likely the only rules that kept these two from their HEA. LMAO I held to it, that Amalie had something to do with Phillippe's ex-wife's passing.... I mean, why wouldn't she have? She kept poor Gabby on her radar the entire time..and you're telling me his ex-wife was dealt no catty sniping, under the SAME circumstance?
Quotes in reference to Amalie
I feel like the frumpy, out of style, not-been-to-the-gym-in-five-years wife....I don't feel like a milf reading this story. *gorges on cheesecake* And now, I hate everything...
Connie Mason wrote the sexual scenes between the Hero & Amalie more provocative and naughty than the H&h. Even the heroine's escapades were more engaging with random sexual encounters. >.< She encouraged your jealousy and rage with the OOT fuckery! It's like, you get home from a day of work -- sore feet, hair falling from a bun, inkstains and stress lines on your forehead, and you catch your motherfreakin' dead-beat husband romping with the 17 year old babysitter, kind of fury. Well..all I can say there, is that I would have had a lovely, well fertilized garden that year. LOL
Gabby's parents:
Luckily heroine was raised in a convent, and not around her lecherous poppa, and catty sniping, jealous momma...but then again, she wouldn't have gotten to hear their late-night lovin'...and didn't rightly find it too horrifying. Just....WTF CONNIE MASON..
Her dad was seriously an incestial tragedy waiting to happen. Thankfully she wasn't raised in his household, or otherwise we would have had another BR trope added onto Connie's Wall of Wtfery. XD
Wrapping this up, I actually gave this book a 4-star rating, because of the sheer audacity and surprises Connie threw at me. You sickened me, Connie - I was uncomfortable and had a difficult time determining who I wanted to off first. It was a decent read(as far as BRery and off-the-wall randomness is concerned), but extremely provoking. I felt like this entire book cheated on me, and I'm gonna jus' hold that grudge for eternity, tyvm!
Phillippe - huge loon-douche. He didn't quite have the finesse and inwardly checked anger most Bodice Ripper heroes did. He mostly acted on every whimsical incident, that gave him a rather petulant air. And blaming it on Mommy Dearest, in the end, didn't quite sit well with me, either. I know Sean Culhane from Stormfire used/abused a lot of women in his means to punish womankind, albeit Phillippe had no qualms with inflicting said punishments on the truly innocent. He was really bipolar and quite paranoid. And every single tragedy that befell the heroine, was a direct result of his(or his slave tart) machinations. He honestly infuriated me, and no matter the amount of groveling, he was truly never sincere, because five minutes later, he would go off the handle and harm her(emotionally or sexually or physically) and Gabby would fall under some strange, mysterious illness AGAIN! He never redeemed himself, and if that last soliloquy holds more than 24 hrs, I'd be surprised. The speech did not reveal anything we were unaware of, really - and his suffering was not entirely complete.
My updates concerning Phillippe:
Phillippe suspects Marcel had something to do with his ex-wife's death, or it could be the state of oblivion and spinelessness he undergoes when he DOESN'T want to acknowledge truths or take responsibility for his own selfish actions! Of course Phillippe would blame ANYONE else but himself, even his dead wife! Here's a tip, Phillippe. Maybe Marcel wouldn't invade your wife cache, if he weren't better at it, than you are. I don't buy that his former wife was holding out on him, either, and encouraged him to run to his slave slutbag. Gabby was quite forthcoming with the goods, and he STILL couldn't keep his shit out of the freebie vendor. >:E Someone buy this shitbag a freakin' clue already.
"My name, Gabby, say it, damn you!" he growled. "Why do you continue to provoke me!"
Say my name, say my name. You're actin' kinda shady, an' callin' me baaaaby. ♬
Gabby - She's the archetype of Bodice Ripper heroine, with the hottest blood I've read up to this day. Even without the stimulant, she still had her fair share of dalliances, regardless if it were in escape of her psycho husband waiting at home. She could literally forgive Phillippe for ANYTHING, as long as he said he loved her. What confused me was that her resistance was so steadfast, refusing to be forced into affection or attraction to a man(which she fought tooth and nail after their marriage), yet Rob & Marcel were both gentle-handed and goodhearted, yet she loved them not. MAKE UP YOUR MIND WENCH! >.<
Updates concerning Gabby:
I always find it hilarious how heroine's are given novels/books to keep them entertained, but they always pause in the middle(with a headache, no less) and ponder over the most trifling of shit. LOL Sweetheart, if you would ever read through the derpyness, it may eventually enlighten you, and you wouldn't be in your predicament. :P
Marcel - Marcel and Rob were practically the same, identical character. I believe Connie just spliced them, as a means of being in two places at once. LOL But truly, Marcel was my pick out of the lovely male lineups this book offered. He genuinely loved Gabby- knew her reputation and honor were in ruin, and was a patient lover. He always put her first, no matter the circumstance, and wanted her regardless of her being his worse enemies' leavings, and so on. There was a bit of confusion where he mentally referred to his affection for her as tantamount to his own sisters'; a bizarre neonatal inclination of his, and his connections to a few past murders, but he was genuine...and I'm generally the BR hero champion - but Phillippe jus' left nothing to be desired. He only ever left Gabby alone, so the cue for an 'escape' side-story could develop. His attempts to wear down her resistance, and rewrite her personal will, was unfathomably pathetic. I guess I enjoy a BR hero who has some pride, where that is concerned. Anyhow, I know Marcel wasn't a perfect character, and some of his acts were definitely questionable, but I thought of him as the proper neutral character, who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty to get what he wanted. Gabby didn't really deserve him, and her inability to love someone who was remotely normal, proves it, to me.
Amalie - It's difficult for me to describe this character fairly, because such a deep loathing I felt for this walking vag. But you know what? I believe this crazy bitch was the only one who could have loved Phillippe completely and fully, and embraced his failed logic and critical thinking. Phillippe sided and believed this chick over the heroine far too many times, for that compatibility not to be recognized. Also, Phillippe's ability to seek out this chick's bed, or allow her to seduce him, even when Gabby was givin' up the goods, just proves to me, that of course --he was a douchebag whose wanker never dried, but said to me that the lustful urges held a bit more than just that, and perhaps the social classes(slave & master) were likely the only rules that kept these two from their HEA. LMAO I held to it, that Amalie had something to do with Phillippe's ex-wife's passing.... I mean, why wouldn't she have? She kept poor Gabby on her radar the entire time..and you're telling me his ex-wife was dealt no catty sniping, under the SAME circumstance?
Quotes in reference to Amalie
I feel like the frumpy, out of style, not-been-to-the-gym-in-five-years wife....I don't feel like a milf reading this story. *gorges on cheesecake* And now, I hate everything...
Connie Mason wrote the sexual scenes between the Hero & Amalie more provocative and naughty than the H&h. Even the heroine's escapades were more engaging with random sexual encounters. >.< She encouraged your jealousy and rage with the OOT fuckery! It's like, you get home from a day of work -- sore feet, hair falling from a bun, inkstains and stress lines on your forehead, and you catch your motherfreakin' dead-beat husband romping with the 17 year old babysitter, kind of fury. Well..all I can say there, is that I would have had a lovely, well fertilized garden that year. LOL
Gabby's parents:
Luckily heroine was raised in a convent, and not around her lecherous poppa, and catty sniping, jealous momma...but then again, she wouldn't have gotten to hear their late-night lovin'...and didn't rightly find it too horrifying. Just....WTF CONNIE MASON..
Her dad was seriously an incestial tragedy waiting to happen. Thankfully she wasn't raised in his household, or otherwise we would have had another BR trope added onto Connie's Wall of Wtfery. XD
Wrapping this up, I actually gave this book a 4-star rating, because of the sheer audacity and surprises Connie threw at me. You sickened me, Connie - I was uncomfortable and had a difficult time determining who I wanted to off first. It was a decent read(as far as BRery and off-the-wall randomness is concerned), but extremely provoking. I felt like this entire book cheated on me, and I'm gonna jus' hold that grudge for eternity, tyvm!
June 26, 2013
The worst book ever! The hero was nasty unfaithful and selfish. The heroine was weak and so fickle I detested her almost as much as him. Seriously why does Connie Mason always have cheating or nearly cheating hero's in her books it's always explained because they are men or they have not had a woman for awhile completely forgetting that they love the heroines. I just get frustrated that they seem like man sluts who have no real concept of love!
March 24, 2010
This is Connie Mason's first novel and it's an unPC tale of a convent-raised French girl sold into marriage to a plantation owner.
After an acrimonious start to their marriage, the H/h fall in love rather quickly but I have a hard time believing in their HEA by the end of the bk. Partly because BOTH the H/h have trouble keeping their junk zipped up (so to speak) whenever someone comes on to them. Since neither has any control over their sex drive, what's to prevent them from breaking their vows again and again in the future? This is one of the rare novels where the woman breaks her vows FIRST so it was interesting for that aspect.
Another reason why the HEA is unbelievable is that the hero has trust issues because of his first wife and only gets back together with the heroine by the end because he believed the word of the VILLAIN. The next Big Mis is just around the corner, as far as I'm concerned.
Content warnings: forced sex, voodoo ceremony where the heroine almost gets bitten/raped by a snake, a sordid incident in which the hero has sex with the madam of a brothel while the heroine is drugged and raped in the next room, adultery on both sides, and the hero is a slave owner who think nothing of nailing his 16 year old mulatto slave.
After an acrimonious start to their marriage, the H/h fall in love rather quickly but I have a hard time believing in their HEA by the end of the bk. Partly because BOTH the H/h have trouble keeping their junk zipped up (so to speak) whenever someone comes on to them. Since neither has any control over their sex drive, what's to prevent them from breaking their vows again and again in the future? This is one of the rare novels where the woman breaks her vows FIRST so it was interesting for that aspect.
Another reason why the HEA is unbelievable is that the hero has trust issues because of his first wife and only gets back together with the heroine by the end because he believed the word of the VILLAIN. The next Big Mis is just around the corner, as far as I'm concerned.
Content warnings: forced sex, voodoo ceremony where the heroine almost gets bitten/raped by a snake, a sordid incident in which the hero has sex with the madam of a brothel while the heroine is drugged and raped in the next room, adultery on both sides, and the hero is a slave owner who think nothing of nailing his 16 year old mulatto slave.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2012
I read this knowing it was the trainwreck that it was. If I went in unknowningly, I would have had to kill someone. This guy is the epitome of the narcissistic asshole. What he does to the heroine in the book is unforgivable. Every chance she has to find happiness is tragically ripped away. The end is left making you feel that things are business as usual and as soon as they disembark from the ship, she'll have to face more of the same with a new face. I'm sure this thick dick won't do the right thing. Why should he when he hasn't all the way through the book.
December 30, 2009
For much of this book I pretty much wanted Gabrielle to grab the nearest pistol and shoot Phillipe in the nuts. I guess that sums up my frustration and exasperation for this so-called romantic relationship.
August 15, 2022
God I hate the hero in this book! He's completely irredeemable. I love this book though!
avoid
April 21, 2011OMG!!!!He has sex with a 16 old slave...!!
I need my medication.
I need my medication.
September 10, 2018
What do we have here? Another bodice ripper packed to the brim with wartime action and political subterfuge spanning multiple continents, pirates and long sea voyages?
Connie Mason's Tender Fury starts off predictably enough for a bodice ripper promising nonstop adventure. Gabrielle La Farge has just about resigned herself to her fate as a nun before her parents sell her to a man she has never met before, a plantation owner hailing from Martinique by the name of Philippe St. Cyr. It's very Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea how Mason portrays St. Cyr, a brooding control freak with a first wife that met a mysterious demise, and how much he doesn't want to understand Gabby but break her into a "docile, obedient druge he wanted, producing his heirs until she became worn and old beyond her years." Unbeknownst to her, Philippe is on a mission on behalf of the United States of America warring with England, and they sail straight from St. Cecilia, the French convent Gabby was recently residing in, and end up in New Orleans. After a separation that introduces a pirate interlude and a new lover for Gabby, Philippe and Gabby reunite and make their return journey homebound to Martinique.
Distracting typos, hard to read font and a tendency to tell rather than show made the first half of the book not as entertaining as it could have been, but stay with this story. Things go off the rails and was it ever good!
Exhibit a:
Exhibit b:
Exhibit c:
Well worth the read for those cracktastic lines and moments alone! Yet Tender Fury did make this reader glad when it comes to one thing about modern romances: they may lack the Shock Factor that makes bodice rippers the ultimate forbidden fruit of trashy reads, but there is no chance in hell that the hero would ever be a plantation owner. Yikes.
Connie Mason's Tender Fury starts off predictably enough for a bodice ripper promising nonstop adventure. Gabrielle La Farge has just about resigned herself to her fate as a nun before her parents sell her to a man she has never met before, a plantation owner hailing from Martinique by the name of Philippe St. Cyr. It's very Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea how Mason portrays St. Cyr, a brooding control freak with a first wife that met a mysterious demise, and how much he doesn't want to understand Gabby but break her into a "docile, obedient druge he wanted, producing his heirs until she became worn and old beyond her years." Unbeknownst to her, Philippe is on a mission on behalf of the United States of America warring with England, and they sail straight from St. Cecilia, the French convent Gabby was recently residing in, and end up in New Orleans. After a separation that introduces a pirate interlude and a new lover for Gabby, Philippe and Gabby reunite and make their return journey homebound to Martinique.
Distracting typos, hard to read font and a tendency to tell rather than show made the first half of the book not as entertaining as it could have been, but stay with this story. Things go off the rails and was it ever good!
Exhibit a:
Exhibit b:
Exhibit c:
Well worth the read for those cracktastic lines and moments alone! Yet Tender Fury did make this reader glad when it comes to one thing about modern romances: they may lack the Shock Factor that makes bodice rippers the ultimate forbidden fruit of trashy reads, but there is no chance in hell that the hero would ever be a plantation owner. Yikes.
January 13, 2012
The only reason I picked up this old book was for research. I am currently working on a book set on the island of Martinique, which is also the setting for this book. I remember this book from the old days of 'bodice rippers', and only picked it up because I knew it contained cultural facts that I could use to expand my research.
the hero and heroine in this book are idiots. She can't stop having fainting spells at the least provocation or getting herself into dangerous situations because she's such a flipping idiot. He treats her like crap, and can't keep his prick in his pants if he's away from her for more than a few hours! At the end of this book I'm supposed to believe that these two love each other?
Don't even get me started on the racial slurs and stereotypes! The only reason I give this book 2 stars is because I was able to gain some valuable information for my research. If not, it would land at a solid zero!
the hero and heroine in this book are idiots. She can't stop having fainting spells at the least provocation or getting herself into dangerous situations because she's such a flipping idiot. He treats her like crap, and can't keep his prick in his pants if he's away from her for more than a few hours! At the end of this book I'm supposed to believe that these two love each other?
Don't even get me started on the racial slurs and stereotypes! The only reason I give this book 2 stars is because I was able to gain some valuable information for my research. If not, it would land at a solid zero!
October 18, 2011
Here's another story where I couldn't figure out why the heroine ever loved the hero.
April 1, 2021
this.......... is one of the worst books i've ever read. it is legitimately shocking to me how terrible it is, and i've read some bad romances in my time. i've also read good ones from connie mason, which makes the lack of quality in this book even more betraying to the reader.
between the poor editing, the numerous typos, gabby's inability to stay conscious for an entire chapter, phillippe's mental issues that scar everyone around him--including himself--the miraculous survival of characters from impossible situations (akin to old western shows that end an episode with indigenous people pushing cowboys off cliffsides only to begin the next episode with everyone fine and a pithy "having escaped from the natives..."), i think the only thing keeping me going to the end was morbid curiosity over how the author thought she would realistically end this with the main characters living happily ever after.
spoiler: they don't. at least not by any sane and healthy standards. please save your time and energy and throw this into a fire.
between the poor editing, the numerous typos, gabby's inability to stay conscious for an entire chapter, phillippe's mental issues that scar everyone around him--including himself--the miraculous survival of characters from impossible situations (akin to old western shows that end an episode with indigenous people pushing cowboys off cliffsides only to begin the next episode with everyone fine and a pithy "having escaped from the natives..."), i think the only thing keeping me going to the end was morbid curiosity over how the author thought she would realistically end this with the main characters living happily ever after.
spoiler: they don't. at least not by any sane and healthy standards. please save your time and energy and throw this into a fire.
March 19, 2016
I am usually rather forgiving when it comes to these old bodice ripper books. I know it was a different time and generation. This was hot then and somehow not unrealistic. So when I say I did not like this book, it is not because the book was politically incorrect, or how the heroin suffered or what a jerk the hero was. I read somewhere that this was Mason's first book. I have to say, Johanna Lindsey's first book, Captive Bride, was also politically incorrect, but it was better than this book.
This book suffers from the same problem as Lindsey's Captive Bride: it just is not written very well. The chemistry is all off, the characters act unreasonably, and THERE IS NO PLOT except for SUPPOSEDLY great sex.
The story started out alright, a convent raised girl was sold to a plantation owner for her father's debts. Her husband cannot have enough sex with her. She resisted but then gave in to the pleasures. Then she was so beautiful every man who sees her wants to sleep with her. So she did with a gentle man who said he loved her, when she was separated from her husband in an accident. Then the guy had to go away and she hid with another guy while refusing to go back to her husband all the time, only to be found by her husband later. Her cruel husband who she left behind and cheated on, turned into a loving angel proclaiming care and devotion when he found her again. Her husband begged her to come back knowing that she had taken a lover and was waiting for him to return.
And this is as far as I got with this train wreck of a book. It is not the cheating that bothers me. I know some readers hate it but I have to say such is life and people suffer. Cheating is not something great but sometimes it happens out of desparation. But what I can't understand is how the hero turned into a loving bear after she cheated? I mean come on! I get that you have to turn lust into love in a romance story. It's a must. But do it with some tact please. It has to be believable. You have to convince me as a reader that yeah they somehow managed to let down their guards.
I think it's enough to say that this book's worst part is being written very poorly. The plots and circumstances don't bother me. The political incorrectness doesn't bother me. A book's biggest crime is being a poorly written book. And Tender Fury is a capital offense.
This book suffers from the same problem as Lindsey's Captive Bride: it just is not written very well. The chemistry is all off, the characters act unreasonably, and THERE IS NO PLOT except for SUPPOSEDLY great sex.
The story started out alright, a convent raised girl was sold to a plantation owner for her father's debts. Her husband cannot have enough sex with her. She resisted but then gave in to the pleasures. Then she was so beautiful every man who sees her wants to sleep with her. So she did with a gentle man who said he loved her, when she was separated from her husband in an accident. Then the guy had to go away and she hid with another guy while refusing to go back to her husband all the time, only to be found by her husband later. Her cruel husband who she left behind and cheated on, turned into a loving angel proclaiming care and devotion when he found her again. Her husband begged her to come back knowing that she had taken a lover and was waiting for him to return.
And this is as far as I got with this train wreck of a book. It is not the cheating that bothers me. I know some readers hate it but I have to say such is life and people suffer. Cheating is not something great but sometimes it happens out of desparation. But what I can't understand is how the hero turned into a loving bear after she cheated? I mean come on! I get that you have to turn lust into love in a romance story. It's a must. But do it with some tact please. It has to be believable. You have to convince me as a reader that yeah they somehow managed to let down their guards.
I think it's enough to say that this book's worst part is being written very poorly. The plots and circumstances don't bother me. The political incorrectness doesn't bother me. A book's biggest crime is being a poorly written book. And Tender Fury is a capital offense.
February 10, 2017
The story about a 17 year old woman who was prepared to spend her days as a nun (the most beautiful nun as the book describes) but her parents show up after 10 years and no word or sight from them. They announced that they sold her to a cold, arrogant and indifferent young rich man who seemed to not care about how her parents treat her and not care about how he will be treating her so long as he gets her pregnant. He ultimately rapes her on their honeymoon, he continues to all through their sail to his home on an island where his plantation is at. He is brutally possessive of her, keeps her in his sight and doesn't let anyone think they have access of her and he even shows no shame in literally parading his bride about their sex life.
They get separated multiple times, all of them are her escape attempts but all times they find each other and reconcile for a moment.
She becomes tempted by two men, one is a young American soldier who makes sweet and gentle love to her and she feels loved for the first time. A second time again being loved, cherished and appreciated but it never lasts.
What I love about Connie Mason is how she never holds back on how her anti-heroes are and their heroines, the sex scenes are always hot, burning, passionate and longing. I
I personally wish she'd write and story taking place in Roman times maybe between a gladiator and a slave where the gladiator becomes rich, he is free and he and his free slave live happily ever after like all her books.
Thanks Connie.
They get separated multiple times, all of them are her escape attempts but all times they find each other and reconcile for a moment.
She becomes tempted by two men, one is a young American soldier who makes sweet and gentle love to her and she feels loved for the first time. A second time again being loved, cherished and appreciated but it never lasts.
What I love about Connie Mason is how she never holds back on how her anti-heroes are and their heroines, the sex scenes are always hot, burning, passionate and longing. I
I personally wish she'd write and story taking place in Roman times maybe between a gladiator and a slave where the gladiator becomes rich, he is free and he and his free slave live happily ever after like all her books.
Thanks Connie.
August 25, 2014
Sometimes you have to read a good bodice ripper. I was slightly appalled with this one. Usually if the heroine is going to get smacked around by her father in front of the hero he'll step up and defend her. Not the case with this guy. He doesn't mind if she gets smacked around whether by him or someone else. The poor girl just took everything he gave her and didn't have a spine to stand up for herself. A pretty poor read but an A+ example of what an actual bodice ripper is.
September 20, 2013
Although the book had an extremely large amount of typing errors (very distracting for a perfectionist) this book was very enjoyable. Not the typical romance I am use to which made it very entertaining and it was definitely a page turner, I read it in one day/night
December 15, 2016
Good book, but too many typos.
Wow, what Gabby's character went through in such a brief time , keeps the reader engaged. Phillips character and Marcels are a love and hate. Great flowing read, except for the constant typos.
Wow, what Gabby's character went through in such a brief time , keeps the reader engaged. Phillips character and Marcels are a love and hate. Great flowing read, except for the constant typos.
May 26, 2020
THIS WAS ME AFTER FINISHING THIS VERY, TEDIOUSLY LONG STORY :
4 STARS FOR THE STORY. 2 BOO HOO STARS FOR THE MAIN HERO.
BE WARNED. TRIGGERS ALERT! TENDER FURY IS THE MORE INTENSE STORY CONNIE MASON HAS EVER WRITTEN FEATURING RAPE, ABUSE & CHEATING.
PHILLIPE is the shittiest historical hero I have read in awhile, and he is an example of the worse heroes Connie Mason has ever written. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan but, not all her stories feature main leads like Phillipe. Phillipe was a total cowardly ass. There are so many reasons to dislike him and here's why :
STRIKE 1 - He is a CHEATER & A LECHER. Phillipe just can't keep it in his pants and he jeopardised his entire marriage in PART 2 by cheating on his wife with his ex-mistress because he just COULDN'T RESIST. And his wife happens to be pregnant. While thinking of Gabby, he gets aroused during his bath in the tub and surprise! His mistress makes an entrance and seduces him. At first, he pushes her away. The more she comes onto him, the weakling caved and fucked his mistress in his marriage bed. WTF. I was beyond pissed when this happen. Not only that, during their separation in marriage, he took countless women into his bed just to forget his wife whom he wouldn't let go.
STRIKE 2 - He is ARROGANTLY NAUSEATING I must have been a bit fuzzy when Gabby walked in on Phillipe fucking his mistress in their bed. THE HORROR! Gabby flees while pregnant on a horse and falls, and yes she miscarriages. The ARROGANT fucker had the balls to BLAME Gabby for killing their son. Mind you, before he cheated he already knew he was going to feel guilty but pushed it away. Alas, I THOUGHT he knew Gabby knew he cheated, but he didn't...so i was confused when he had the AUDACITY to finger point Gabby for their loss child.
STRIKE 3 - He is a PRIDEFUL FOOL. Quick to judge, only Phillipe can be the adulterer in the marriage but NOT his wife. Phillipe is quick to jump to conclusions when his wife is with another man, thinking she cheated on him and he'll go raving mad like a bull, hurting them both with accusations and harmful words. The idiot even sent his wife away to live with another man after so much hurt, betrayal and ugliness happened between himself and Gabby. The part I hated the most is that he had the AUDACITY to deny his own cheating in his mind, blame it all on his wife and abandon their marriage.
Sorry, I don't see any redeeming qualities in the hero at all. In fact, scratch that he's not even a hero, he's a pathetic excuse of a son of bitch, AND when I read about guys like him, I'm glad I was born in the 21st century because if this is a prime example of the male population mentality in the 1800s....WOW, I'm thankful that women back then fought for a voice and gender equality. I'll even teleport a femi-nazi back in the 1800s for the sake of winning that cause.
GABBY is terribly gullible and naive and so damned young when her parents sold her to Phillipe to become a broodmare. Gabby's not consenting of course, and the man who owns her wanting an obedient wife will find none in her arms. Gabby's relationship with Phillipe is bordering on abusive at best. There's no love...and even if there was....their love was different than what you know of love. It's tumultuous, tempestuous, fickle but passionate and also scorching that it overwhelms them both...destructive and even TOXIC. Call me a masochist but I enjoyed every single scene of the cheating, that led to the angst. Mind you, Gabby will also sleep with different men apart from Phillipe - some voluntarily, one by rape. Personally, I guess it's fair if Phillipe was sleeping around, so Gabby could see the difference in a man's lovemaking. Gabby's practically a victim in my eyes. First she had to endure a crazy, brutish Phillipe in PART 1 who admitted to killing his first wife. When he calmed down and begged her forgiveness, starting their marriage anew, we have PART 2 where the Ex-Mistress comes into play with all her jealousy and voodoo shit. NOT GONNA LIE. It felt so gratifying to see Phillipe hit Amalie several times when he found out what she had done to break his marriage apart. Yes, I know men are not supposed to hit women, but I'll gladly hit Amalie anytime of the day...maybe even throw her under a bus. Seriously. The woman was annoying. She kept rubbing up on him like a bitch in heat. I'm only too supportive of Gabby who made up her mind often to leave a husband who didn't treat her right or deserve her.
OVERALL why you ask if I hated Phillipe with such an intensity I still gave this story a 4 stars? Ya know it's like those movies where in the ending, couples don't get to be together because someone died? Or basically a bad ending in general but IMBD and the world still gives it a 5 star rating? Yeah, this is the kind of book that will give you something like that. I guess it's not solely on the characters but the emotions that the story brings out in the reader and what it makes ME feel and I tend to enjoy dark reads and angsty stories so I guess I only got what I'm asking for and I don't regret it.
4 STARS FOR THE STORY. 2 BOO HOO STARS FOR THE MAIN HERO.
BE WARNED. TRIGGERS ALERT! TENDER FURY IS THE MORE INTENSE STORY CONNIE MASON HAS EVER WRITTEN FEATURING RAPE, ABUSE & CHEATING.
PHILLIPE is the shittiest historical hero I have read in awhile, and he is an example of the worse heroes Connie Mason has ever written. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan but, not all her stories feature main leads like Phillipe. Phillipe was a total cowardly ass. There are so many reasons to dislike him and here's why :
STRIKE 1 - He is a CHEATER & A LECHER. Phillipe just can't keep it in his pants and he jeopardised his entire marriage in PART 2 by cheating on his wife with his ex-mistress because he just COULDN'T RESIST. And his wife happens to be pregnant. While thinking of Gabby, he gets aroused during his bath in the tub and surprise! His mistress makes an entrance and seduces him. At first, he pushes her away. The more she comes onto him, the weakling caved and fucked his mistress in his marriage bed. WTF. I was beyond pissed when this happen. Not only that, during their separation in marriage, he took countless women into his bed just to forget his wife whom he wouldn't let go.
STRIKE 2 - He is ARROGANTLY NAUSEATING I must have been a bit fuzzy when Gabby walked in on Phillipe fucking his mistress in their bed. THE HORROR! Gabby flees while pregnant on a horse and falls, and yes she miscarriages. The ARROGANT fucker had the balls to BLAME Gabby for killing their son. Mind you, before he cheated he already knew he was going to feel guilty but pushed it away. Alas, I THOUGHT he knew Gabby knew he cheated, but he didn't...so i was confused when he had the AUDACITY to finger point Gabby for their loss child.
STRIKE 3 - He is a PRIDEFUL FOOL. Quick to judge, only Phillipe can be the adulterer in the marriage but NOT his wife. Phillipe is quick to jump to conclusions when his wife is with another man, thinking she cheated on him and he'll go raving mad like a bull, hurting them both with accusations and harmful words. The idiot even sent his wife away to live with another man after so much hurt, betrayal and ugliness happened between himself and Gabby. The part I hated the most is that he had the AUDACITY to deny his own cheating in his mind, blame it all on his wife and abandon their marriage.
Sorry, I don't see any redeeming qualities in the hero at all. In fact, scratch that he's not even a hero, he's a pathetic excuse of a son of bitch, AND when I read about guys like him, I'm glad I was born in the 21st century because if this is a prime example of the male population mentality in the 1800s....WOW, I'm thankful that women back then fought for a voice and gender equality. I'll even teleport a femi-nazi back in the 1800s for the sake of winning that cause.
GABBY is terribly gullible and naive and so damned young when her parents sold her to Phillipe to become a broodmare. Gabby's not consenting of course, and the man who owns her wanting an obedient wife will find none in her arms. Gabby's relationship with Phillipe is bordering on abusive at best. There's no love...and even if there was....their love was different than what you know of love. It's tumultuous, tempestuous, fickle but passionate and also scorching that it overwhelms them both...destructive and even TOXIC. Call me a masochist but I enjoyed every single scene of the cheating, that led to the angst. Mind you, Gabby will also sleep with different men apart from Phillipe - some voluntarily, one by rape. Personally, I guess it's fair if Phillipe was sleeping around, so Gabby could see the difference in a man's lovemaking. Gabby's practically a victim in my eyes. First she had to endure a crazy, brutish Phillipe in PART 1 who admitted to killing his first wife. When he calmed down and begged her forgiveness, starting their marriage anew, we have PART 2 where the Ex-Mistress comes into play with all her jealousy and voodoo shit. NOT GONNA LIE. It felt so gratifying to see Phillipe hit Amalie several times when he found out what she had done to break his marriage apart. Yes, I know men are not supposed to hit women, but I'll gladly hit Amalie anytime of the day...maybe even throw her under a bus. Seriously. The woman was annoying. She kept rubbing up on him like a bitch in heat. I'm only too supportive of Gabby who made up her mind often to leave a husband who didn't treat her right or deserve her.
OVERALL why you ask if I hated Phillipe with such an intensity I still gave this story a 4 stars? Ya know it's like those movies where in the ending, couples don't get to be together because someone died? Or basically a bad ending in general but IMBD and the world still gives it a 5 star rating? Yeah, this is the kind of book that will give you something like that. I guess it's not solely on the characters but the emotions that the story brings out in the reader and what it makes ME feel and I tend to enjoy dark reads and angsty stories so I guess I only got what I'm asking for and I don't regret it.
February 15, 2014
I loved this book . very well written, connie mason is one of my favorite authors. but this wasn't my favorite book written by her, butstill a good book
May 22, 2017
Една от малкото книги на Кони които не харесвам. Главната все преспиваше с други мъже да им благодари за нещо :-Х
January 9, 2022
PUBLISHER: Leisure, 1984
GENRE: Fiction/Historical Romance
SETTING: Martinique & USA, 1814-1817
AUTHOR SITE: link
BODICE RIPPER? Yes
MY GRADE: B
This was a typical bodice ripper and I enjoyed it. It takes place on the island of Martinique, New Orleans, Louisiana (USA), Norfolk, Virginia (USA) and spans three years. It features multiple rapes, drugged heroine, cheating, masturbation, a love triangle, an evil mistress (I love those!), politics, you name it.
The heroine, 17/18 year old Gabby has pale blonde hair and violet eyes. She goes through so much, most of which is at the hands of her husband. It was overkill with how many men wanted her- her husband, a man at the brothel where she was staying temporarily, an American named Robert, and Marcel, a man her husband hates. They own neighboring plantations in Martinique. I can't remember why Philippe hates him so much. Marcel's a good 15 years older than Gabby. He loves her and tries to help her escape Philippe. He's a real good friend to her right until the end.
The hero's age isn't given. He's widowed and feels responsible for his wife's death. He also feels responsible for his mother's death when he was only ten years old though he's not truly to blame for either. He's violent and possessive. He whores around but so does Gabby. He's working with Andrew Jackson to deliver documents about an upcoming British invasion and that's why they're in New Orleans for a time.
Amalie is Philippe's slave and mistress. She's nuts and jealous of Gabby. She tries to kill her and sets her up to be raped during a strange ceremony. Nature punishes her in the end. Really the only thing I dislike about her is she refers to herself in third person a lot, which is annoying.
Though the synopsis says Gabby and Philippe are together, I was hoping he'd get killed in the end, and there's a scene that made me think he would die, so she could be with Marcel but that wasn't in the cards for her, sadly.
This is the author's first novel. She passed away in 2020. She was featured in a short segment on 48 Hours called Foreign Affair on an episode called Isn't It Romantic? I can't find the air date of the episode but according to her website, it's from 1995 and she's reading an excerpt from her book Wind Raider, which came out December 1994.
October 23, 2017
Me resulta difícil hacer la review de un libro que me ha atraído en todo momento y he leído con mucho interés pero que me ha dejado perpleja por muchas cosas. Veamos.... Y AVISO QUE VAN SPOILERS!!
1.- La calidad literaria es cuestionable: la forma de escribir no está mal, pero solo eso.
2.- Los personajes son muy muy raritos. Philip se porta como un tipo vengativo y cruel sin razón y cuando tiene verdadera justificación para estar muy enfadado (infidelidad de su esposa) perdona y se muestra tierno y comprensivo "para no perderla" pues la adora (ejem!!).
3.- Gabby, su esposa, le perdona todo, absolutamente todo. Es como si no se diera cuenta de que el tipo es como para salir corriendo. Entiendo en estos casos el cuelgue sexual de las heroínas por tipos malotes pero en este caso no es solo la sexualidad explosiva. Aquí hablamos de amor! Hacia un individuo que dice amarte y se acuesta con prácticamente todo lo que se mueve a su alrededor...
4.- Es para caerse de espaldas que Philip, enamorado amante de su esposa, no pueda dejar de acostarse de manera descrita como explosiva y brutalmente placentera cada vez que una de sus esclavas mulatas se acerque insinuante. No puedo entender su primera infidelidad en un momento de felicidad conyugal. Me parece tan absolutamente terrible que desde ese momento flipé. Sobre todo porque Gabby parece admitir que eso no es tan grave. Le duele mucho pero lo perdona muy fácilmente (WTF!)
En resumen: muy muy entretenido pero me ha dejado medio impactada ver ese final abrupto, la falta de sensibilidad del protagonista que se autojustifica en todo momento y la manera en que Gabby regala el perdón sin que el otro haya hecho ningún esfuerzo por ganárselo. He estado esperando que en un momento dado el prota se arrastrara literalmente por el suelo para no perder a su adorada Gabby pero eso no ha llegado.
Qué sensación más rara me ha quedado al acabar!!
Y a pesar de eso, no he podido dejar de leerlo... Y esto es meritorio. No sé si la autora lo ha hecho intencionadamente y en ese caso ha conseguido el impacto que pretendía ( y me quito el sombrero) o si escribir este libro ha sido un acto de una descarada ingenuidad. Todavía me rasco la cabeza!
1.- La calidad literaria es cuestionable: la forma de escribir no está mal, pero solo eso.
2.- Los personajes son muy muy raritos. Philip se porta como un tipo vengativo y cruel sin razón y cuando tiene verdadera justificación para estar muy enfadado (infidelidad de su esposa) perdona y se muestra tierno y comprensivo "para no perderla" pues la adora (ejem!!).
3.- Gabby, su esposa, le perdona todo, absolutamente todo. Es como si no se diera cuenta de que el tipo es como para salir corriendo. Entiendo en estos casos el cuelgue sexual de las heroínas por tipos malotes pero en este caso no es solo la sexualidad explosiva. Aquí hablamos de amor! Hacia un individuo que dice amarte y se acuesta con prácticamente todo lo que se mueve a su alrededor...
4.- Es para caerse de espaldas que Philip, enamorado amante de su esposa, no pueda dejar de acostarse de manera descrita como explosiva y brutalmente placentera cada vez que una de sus esclavas mulatas se acerque insinuante. No puedo entender su primera infidelidad en un momento de felicidad conyugal. Me parece tan absolutamente terrible que desde ese momento flipé. Sobre todo porque Gabby parece admitir que eso no es tan grave. Le duele mucho pero lo perdona muy fácilmente (WTF!)
En resumen: muy muy entretenido pero me ha dejado medio impactada ver ese final abrupto, la falta de sensibilidad del protagonista que se autojustifica en todo momento y la manera en que Gabby regala el perdón sin que el otro haya hecho ningún esfuerzo por ganárselo. He estado esperando que en un momento dado el prota se arrastrara literalmente por el suelo para no perder a su adorada Gabby pero eso no ha llegado.
Qué sensación más rara me ha quedado al acabar!!
Y a pesar de eso, no he podido dejar de leerlo... Y esto es meritorio. No sé si la autora lo ha hecho intencionadamente y en ese caso ha conseguido el impacto que pretendía ( y me quito el sombrero) o si escribir este libro ha sido un acto de una descarada ingenuidad. Todavía me rasco la cabeza!
May 7, 2018
I read this years ago, found it among my mom's collections. I didn't know at the time what bodice rippers were, all my mom's pocket books looked the same to me.
Anyway, omg this book is a wreck. Out of all the books I've read in this genre, this has got to be the absolute worse. It started out okay, acceptable. Our main couple get to know each other, start to slowly fall in love. But then we get to the cheating. Actual cheating wherein our heroine witnesses. Just unbelievable. I couldn't stomach it then, I'll never stomach it now. Mind you, this was the first romance novel I read with a cheating hero, I was shook. Plus, we get a miscarriage.
So yeap, definitely will never recommend this one.
Edit:
So I have finally finished reading this book after so many years. One word: DISGUSTING. I don't know why I didn't remember the other parts but the heroine cheated on the hero as well. Not as much as the hero but still. They both cheated on each other. She cheated/got raped. I cannot deal with this book. Racism, Sexism, Entitled, Privileged, it was just disgusting. I am so glad I didn't continue on this book when I did years ago.
The hero is such an entitled and privileged asshole. Nothing can make his cheating and everything else okay. The reason he gave the heroine as to why he wasn't able to show her love right away was just so typically low and stupid. Ughh. All the cheating/rape as well. Tbh, it was more like him taking advantage of his power. He was doing slaves, underage slaves. No words.
The heroine as well. Can she get any dumber? She was raped so many times. Taken advantaged so many times. The scene that was just the worse was when she was in that prostitution house. She was drugged so many times while pregnant and had sex with a customer. To make matters worse, while she was crazily having sex, her husband was having sex with the owner of the prostitution house in the room right next to hers. I couldn't believe what was happening. I couldn't describe that scene perfectly but it was just NASTY. NASTY!
If I could give this book negative stars I will. It was nasty and disgusting.
STAY AWAY
Anyway, omg this book is a wreck. Out of all the books I've read in this genre, this has got to be the absolute worse. It started out okay, acceptable. Our main couple get to know each other, start to slowly fall in love. But then we get to the cheating. Actual cheating wherein our heroine witnesses. Just unbelievable. I couldn't stomach it then, I'll never stomach it now. Mind you, this was the first romance novel I read with a cheating hero, I was shook. Plus, we get a miscarriage.
So yeap, definitely will never recommend this one.
Edit:
So I have finally finished reading this book after so many years. One word: DISGUSTING. I don't know why I didn't remember the other parts but the heroine cheated on the hero as well. Not as much as the hero but still. They both cheated on each other. She cheated/got raped. I cannot deal with this book. Racism, Sexism, Entitled, Privileged, it was just disgusting. I am so glad I didn't continue on this book when I did years ago.
The hero is such an entitled and privileged asshole. Nothing can make his cheating and everything else okay. The reason he gave the heroine as to why he wasn't able to show her love right away was just so typically low and stupid. Ughh. All the cheating/rape as well. Tbh, it was more like him taking advantage of his power. He was doing slaves, underage slaves. No words.
The heroine as well. Can she get any dumber? She was raped so many times. Taken advantaged so many times. The scene that was just the worse was when she was in that prostitution house. She was drugged so many times while pregnant and had sex with a customer. To make matters worse, while she was crazily having sex, her husband was having sex with the owner of the prostitution house in the room right next to hers. I couldn't believe what was happening. I couldn't describe that scene perfectly but it was just NASTY. NASTY!
If I could give this book negative stars I will. It was nasty and disgusting.
STAY AWAY
April 18, 2019
Hahahahahaha..... .
I needed some light reading material and picked this stunningly ridiculous historical romance novel!
It's not only bad, it's really one of the ten worst books I've ever read. This story about the virginal, convent-raised, gorgeous girl sold into marriage to the dark, brooding, ever so macho and handsome plantation owner is as cliche a plot as it sounds. But it gets better as this plot takes off in so many directions it's hard to keep up. The couple are the whores of the 19th century in my opinion. How this couple can ever hope to have a successful marriage after all their amorous lustful side flings is beyond me. But of course, they're French so I guess that explains it.
How this got published with so many typos and massive editing errors is the real question!!!
Shallow characters! Silly plot! Overkill on the lust! And a misspelled word every other sentence! A good laugh!!!!!! (And it's supposed to be a serious love story!....Snort!!!!)
I needed some light reading material and picked this stunningly ridiculous historical romance novel!
It's not only bad, it's really one of the ten worst books I've ever read. This story about the virginal, convent-raised, gorgeous girl sold into marriage to the dark, brooding, ever so macho and handsome plantation owner is as cliche a plot as it sounds. But it gets better as this plot takes off in so many directions it's hard to keep up. The couple are the whores of the 19th century in my opinion. How this couple can ever hope to have a successful marriage after all their amorous lustful side flings is beyond me. But of course, they're French so I guess that explains it.
How this got published with so many typos and massive editing errors is the real question!!!
Shallow characters! Silly plot! Overkill on the lust! And a misspelled word every other sentence! A good laugh!!!!!! (And it's supposed to be a serious love story!....Snort!!!!)
April 2, 2023
Tender Fury by Connie Mason was a tough read for me. Both the hero & heroine cheat on each other multiple times, and they have a ridiculously OTT relationship which crosses into full on melodrama, AND the heroine acts childish most of the time. I thought I might like this since the hero is a complete bastard, buuuut I didn't. The book has too much of a focus on war for me to enjoy the "romance", the plot felt repetitive with them constantly breaking up and getting back together. I will give this book kudos for none of the male characters thinking less of the heroine after she is drugged and raped at one point. Connie Mason is a good writer, but this one didn't hit the right notes for me.
July 24, 2018
This has got to be one of the worst, if not the worst, books I have ever read. I could not bear myself to continue reading it. The hero is so despicable and vile that Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsey of Game of Thrones pale in comparison. I feel so terrible for the heroine. But then I also feel outraged by her naive and weak-willed character. There’s nothing good that happens in this book. It’s like an over the top soap opera with every characters seemingly evil!!
August 26, 2017
Terrible. And not because of the hero's repeated unfaithfulness - which generally, considered some circumstances I might not dislike, see Passion of a Wicked Earl; it's not my cup of tea but I certainly don't hate it. I mean, in Tender Fury he cheated on the wife with everything in a skirt...I can accept a mistress, towards whom a man might feel affection (this is not the case) despite having a wife (again, certain precedents are needed), but if you have the need to "sleep" with everything with a vagina, then my man, you have a problem. And I feel very sorry for the lady who marrys you.
On top of that, he is violent, abusive, offensive...what the heck?!? How can a reader see a genuine feeling/love in this sad picture?
Not for me. Sorry.
On top of that, he is violent, abusive, offensive...what the heck?!? How can a reader see a genuine feeling/love in this sad picture?
Not for me. Sorry.
November 5, 2017
Whew
Wow what a book. This book had so much drama. The things that the poor heroine endured was so sad even at the end i didn't really care for Phillipe. This book is going to go in re-read pile.
Wow what a book. This book had so much drama. The things that the poor heroine endured was so sad even at the end i didn't really care for Phillipe. This book is going to go in re-read pile.
November 28, 2021
Besides a stunning cover. This book was just awful. They were kept apart till the last 3 pages. You didn't really see any real growth for each person until the last moment and nothing seem to ever be clarified even when they got back together.
September 7, 2017
it is the worst novel i have ever read
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