What do you think?
Rate this book
Pirate's Conquest
Willful Starlin Cambridge never paid any attention to rumors that the ruthless pirate Scorpio sometimes came ashore after dark near her home. Nothing could keep her from the reckless midnight rides she enjoyed -- away from the confines of society and tradition. But one night she came face to face with the notorious outlaw and there was no escape from his determined pursuit. Trapped in his arms, the violet-eyed beauty felt her resistance melt under the onslaught of his experienced caresses. He had taken her freedom...now she loved to give him her innocence as well!
The tanned, handsome rakehell called Scorpio sailed the high seas only to recover the vast fortune that Starlin's brother had stolen from his family. His sole purpose in raiding was revenge...then when he gazed at his enticing, curvaceous enemy, the hot-blooded male resolved to humiliate her as well. But as his harsh kisses and steely embraces turned tender and passionate, Scorpio knew he no longer cared if her money and jewels sank to the cold ocean floor. All he wanted now was the bounty of her complete surrender as the Pirate's Conquest
The tanned, handsome rakehell called Scorpio sailed the high seas only to recover the vast fortune that Starlin's brother had stolen from his family. His sole purpose in raiding was revenge...then when he gazed at his enticing, curvaceous enemy, the hot-blooded male resolved to humiliate her as well. But as his harsh kisses and steely embraces turned tender and passionate, Scorpio knew he no longer cared if her money and jewels sank to the cold ocean floor. All he wanted now was the bounty of her complete surrender as the Pirate's Conquest
496 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1987
1 person is currently reading
37 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 4, 2013
***SPOILER ALERT***
Ever watched the series Lost? How the secret behind Lost was merely that there wasn't anything, to begin with? That is Pirate's Conquest.
Sure, you have various subplots, a multitude of villains and a revenge/hatred premise that surely is entertaining, but in the end, those strands of intricacy are a heaping pile of shat. Complicated does not = Masterpiece. Let's say that again, together.
There are attempts at twists/plots, but each fell short because of the hapless dialogue. The, 'you'll never get away with it, because good prevails!' tidbit into every response. Not to mention the fact that most of the mystery was acknowledged and discovered within the story, prior to the finale. The purposeless reasoning behind the hero's vengeance was just short of tactless, the side-characters are supposed to be major parts of the 'mystery' yet are not introduced till 90% through the book, either. This book is the EPITOME of TELLING...instead of SHOWING. It's written as though it's an opinion. You're not allowed, as a reader, to arrive upon any conclusions, because it's ALL written out FOR YOU.
I've often heard authors are liars, and in reference to this book -- you're blatantly aware of that lie. So, like with a compulsive, a bit flaky type of liar, what do I do? I amused the story. I pretended to believe in the lie. And where does this review come into play? This review is me going home, after said lie, and complaining at the first friend or small animal(who are easier to converse with), on how that lyin' POS tried to school me. This is one big lie, that I could not smother down my ultra bitchX tendencies for. I am not convinced, I'm sorry. I believe this is the first Zebra Lovegram or Heartfire that I've had to burn down. My heart's a bleeding, too.
1843 -- Somewhere in the lost sea(I love how the author uses that generalization so freely).
NO wait, it's Sargasso Sea. My fail. ...but I thought it was lost? OK, Sargasso doesn't sound so enchanting and mysterious as lost sea.
Welcome to madame Mona's, errr Bettina's Sunday reading.
She's a sultry gypsy wench with a penchant to entice the hero, Mr. Goldy Locks Aka Scorpio. For some reason, when a hero has curly hair, I instantly think of a mullet. Which is hilarious because of the amount of description given to emphasize the hero's curly blonde hair. I get it. It's so freakin' curly, we'll just call it a cullet.
Scorpio's entire pirate life is purely based on his symbol of a scorpion. Perhaps you're thinking this:
When really, he's this:
Scorpio's life as a pirate was never actually put into the storyline, until approximately 90% through the book, and that was all derived from bad guy spoutin' lies. Scorpio's legendary reputation...as a pirate...is never referred to or remarked upon, until the end of the book. Shitting you not, peapoles. He's the TERROR of the sea--- I suppose that piracy legacy is just as lost as that sea, is --huh? I'm sure all of it is written down in his pirate diary. Unfortunately, that gets lost, too.
Gypsy wench gives the hero this spooky premonition about the long, lost destiny awaiting him..his love..his enemy. His vengeance, and all that rot. He turns up on the heroine's very beachside escape, the very next night, too. He damn near takes advantage of her, too - but did not, and then internally blames her, for making him nearly rape her. Oh.,..and she has a ring, from his mother, too. He recognized it on her hand in the middle of the night. *Cue creepy organ music*
You are mine, goddess of the night, and I, your master.
Yes, this was all Fate, mind you.
Skip a few pages, because they're never truly apart for more than a couple pages, despite some years later and they meet up in London, where he's claimed his title and whatnot. Mind you, he's STILL docked with the Scorpio crest brightly gleaming, in London PORTS!! I guess London's in a time capsule.
This was the girl he'd encountered in the cave on Torquay--Lady Starlin Cambridge--his sworn enemy!
Starlin Cambridge has an old terror to do with her parents being lost at sea and her grandfather now raises her in London. Her coming out season is a disaster, because she's far too independent, spirited and spitfire dragon-lady to tolerate any boy's sassyin' her around. This may very well be, but when do we get to view it? She was mentioned to have a strong & savvy business mind, always intruding upon her grandfather's finances, but it's all hearsay.
Rayne and Starlin meet again in London, and sparks fly. He's got a side-mistress Duchess, who feigns pregnancy to bring the hero to his knees, which falls through. They immediately recognize one another, because the author always reveals a SURPRISE, with an exclamation point at the end of the revelation. Thank you, I was unaware how to read subtle cues and develop my own theory, so exclamation points saves the author from having to write passage connotations! Because how dare we be let to think on our own. Dangerous business.
Meanwhile, people are trying to kill people, people are playing thief, Starlin's jewels are stolen. Starlin's pondering whether or not she should turn Scorpio in to the proper authorities.
Nevertheless, a plan immediately formed in her mind. His ship *must* be somewhere in the English waters. She would find it, sneak on board, and obtain something of his to hold as security should she need it. Only then would she have gained the upper hand.
Yes, she doesn't know where, but narrowing it down to English waters, eliminates that whole pesky location problem.
Starlin is snagged off the dockside by some nasty sorts, intent on being sold, and of course Rayne is there to win her. He throws her onboard and they do their deeds. She steals his Scorpio necklace and Pirate Diary, threatening to use it against him, because it has sooo many details and clues...that we readers never get to hear. o.o ....? Exit stage-left, useless placeholder/prop....
The chaotic, back-and-forth of endless brawling matches of the H/h's relationship pretty much keeps me confused as hell, because one moment they're endless lovers, the next she thinks he's leaving her, finalizing his Ultimate Revenge. Mwahahah. The gypsy was immediately known to Starlin, as Rayne's ex-lover, which she claimed she could never become friends with, because of what it would require from both of them. And what is that, you ask? Nothing. That entire character was a useless by-standard. So was half of the cast of characters who weren't even involved till the last 90%. That was a dead-end plotline, too. This is the land of a thousand dances, folks. I advise you pass this one up, because you'll read 100 pages and start staring through the holes in it, or sifting through the cat's cradle of clusterf*ck mess in hopes there's one redeeming quality.
Not only is she
Starlin thought of the creature Benton had talked about. She could only hope that it no longer inhabited the area.
The most laughable trope of it all, was that the Generic Villain #5 got I wanted them all to just burn...just sink with that ship, please. Just everyone die. Let this f*cktarded misery END, FFS! Even the damn ship got a makeover and HEA.
F*ck. OFF.
Ever watched the series Lost? How the secret behind Lost was merely that there wasn't anything, to begin with? That is Pirate's Conquest.
Sure, you have various subplots, a multitude of villains and a revenge/hatred premise that surely is entertaining, but in the end, those strands of intricacy are a heaping pile of shat. Complicated does not = Masterpiece. Let's say that again, together.
There are attempts at twists/plots, but each fell short because of the hapless dialogue. The, 'you'll never get away with it, because good prevails!' tidbit into every response. Not to mention the fact that most of the mystery was acknowledged and discovered within the story, prior to the finale. The purposeless reasoning behind the hero's vengeance was just short of tactless, the side-characters are supposed to be major parts of the 'mystery' yet are not introduced till 90% through the book, either. This book is the EPITOME of TELLING...instead of SHOWING. It's written as though it's an opinion. You're not allowed, as a reader, to arrive upon any conclusions, because it's ALL written out FOR YOU.
I've often heard authors are liars, and in reference to this book -- you're blatantly aware of that lie. So, like with a compulsive, a bit flaky type of liar, what do I do? I amused the story. I pretended to believe in the lie. And where does this review come into play? This review is me going home, after said lie, and complaining at the first friend or small animal(who are easier to converse with), on how that lyin' POS tried to school me. This is one big lie, that I could not smother down my ultra bitchX tendencies for. I am not convinced, I'm sorry. I believe this is the first Zebra Lovegram or Heartfire that I've had to burn down. My heart's a bleeding, too.
1843 -- Somewhere in the lost sea(I love how the author uses that generalization so freely).
NO wait, it's Sargasso Sea. My fail. ...but I thought it was lost? OK, Sargasso doesn't sound so enchanting and mysterious as lost sea.
Welcome to madame Mona's, errr Bettina's Sunday reading.
She's a sultry gypsy wench with a penchant to entice the hero, Mr. Goldy Locks Aka Scorpio. For some reason, when a hero has curly hair, I instantly think of a mullet. Which is hilarious because of the amount of description given to emphasize the hero's curly blonde hair. I get it. It's so freakin' curly, we'll just call it a cullet.
Scorpio's entire pirate life is purely based on his symbol of a scorpion. Perhaps you're thinking this:
When really, he's this:
Scorpio's life as a pirate was never actually put into the storyline, until approximately 90% through the book, and that was all derived from bad guy spoutin' lies. Scorpio's legendary reputation...as a pirate...is never referred to or remarked upon, until the end of the book. Shitting you not, peapoles. He's the TERROR of the sea--- I suppose that piracy legacy is just as lost as that sea, is --huh? I'm sure all of it is written down in his pirate diary. Unfortunately, that gets lost, too.
Gypsy wench gives the hero this spooky premonition about the long, lost destiny awaiting him..his love..his enemy. His vengeance, and all that rot. He turns up on the heroine's very beachside escape, the very next night, too. He damn near takes advantage of her, too - but did not, and then internally blames her, for making him nearly rape her. Oh.,..and she has a ring, from his mother, too. He recognized it on her hand in the middle of the night. *Cue creepy organ music*
You are mine, goddess of the night, and I, your master.
Yes, this was all Fate, mind you.
Skip a few pages, because they're never truly apart for more than a couple pages, despite some years later and they meet up in London, where he's claimed his title and whatnot. Mind you, he's STILL docked with the Scorpio crest brightly gleaming, in London PORTS!! I guess London's in a time capsule.
This was the girl he'd encountered in the cave on Torquay--Lady Starlin Cambridge--his sworn enemy!
Starlin Cambridge has an old terror to do with her parents being lost at sea and her grandfather now raises her in London. Her coming out season is a disaster, because she's far too independent, spirited and spitfire dragon-lady to tolerate any boy's sassyin' her around. This may very well be, but when do we get to view it? She was mentioned to have a strong & savvy business mind, always intruding upon her grandfather's finances, but it's all hearsay.
Rayne and Starlin meet again in London, and sparks fly. He's got a side-mistress Duchess, who feigns pregnancy to bring the hero to his knees, which falls through. They immediately recognize one another, because the author always reveals a SURPRISE, with an exclamation point at the end of the revelation. Thank you, I was unaware how to read subtle cues and develop my own theory, so exclamation points saves the author from having to write passage connotations! Because how dare we be let to think on our own. Dangerous business.
Meanwhile, people are trying to kill people, people are playing thief, Starlin's jewels are stolen. Starlin's pondering whether or not she should turn Scorpio in to the proper authorities.
Nevertheless, a plan immediately formed in her mind. His ship *must* be somewhere in the English waters. She would find it, sneak on board, and obtain something of his to hold as security should she need it. Only then would she have gained the upper hand.
Yes, she doesn't know where, but narrowing it down to English waters, eliminates that whole pesky location problem.
Starlin is snagged off the dockside by some nasty sorts, intent on being sold, and of course Rayne is there to win her. He throws her onboard and they do their deeds. She steals his Scorpio necklace and Pirate Diary, threatening to use it against him, because it has sooo many details and clues...that we readers never get to hear. o.o ....? Exit stage-left, useless placeholder/prop....
The chaotic, back-and-forth of endless brawling matches of the H/h's relationship pretty much keeps me confused as hell, because one moment they're endless lovers, the next she thinks he's leaving her, finalizing his Ultimate Revenge. Mwahahah. The gypsy was immediately known to Starlin, as Rayne's ex-lover, which she claimed she could never become friends with, because of what it would require from both of them. And what is that, you ask? Nothing. That entire character was a useless by-standard. So was half of the cast of characters who weren't even involved till the last 90%. That was a dead-end plotline, too. This is the land of a thousand dances, folks. I advise you pass this one up, because you'll read 100 pages and start staring through the holes in it, or sifting through the cat's cradle of clusterf*ck mess in hopes there's one redeeming quality.
Not only is she
Starlin thought of the creature Benton had talked about. She could only hope that it no longer inhabited the area.
The most laughable trope of it all, was that the Generic Villain #5 got I wanted them all to just burn...just sink with that ship, please. Just everyone die. Let this f*cktarded misery END, FFS! Even the damn ship got a makeover and HEA.
F*ck. OFF.
Read
February 16, 2019I am 100% sure that I read this book back in the '80s during my Zebra historical phase. It was a long and thorough phase. I think that is probably why I can't do historical romances anymore. (lol)
August 27, 2023
Pirate’s Conquest by Mary Martin (1987) is a swashbuckling tale of the ruthless Scorpio (Rayne) a pirate, who’s actually an Englishman bent on revenge, and Starlin, the willful beautiful heroine he unexpectedly meets in a smuggler’s cave on the English coast. Unbeknownst to them their lives are entwined over a stolen family fortune lost at sea in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. It’s lust at first sight for them! And they can’t keep their hands off each other.
Plenty of intrigue, characters and a somewhat convoluted plot bogged the story down and made the 494 pages at times, a chore to read. Plus the constant hate and bitching between the Rayne and Starlin got old quickly. However, the story was redeemed by plenty of steamy sex scenes that were exceedingly well described … considering this book was written in the 1980s.
A gorgeous cover by the legendary artist Ray Kusar is an added bonus.
Plenty of intrigue, characters and a somewhat convoluted plot bogged the story down and made the 494 pages at times, a chore to read. Plus the constant hate and bitching between the Rayne and Starlin got old quickly. However, the story was redeemed by plenty of steamy sex scenes that were exceedingly well described … considering this book was written in the 1980s.
A gorgeous cover by the legendary artist Ray Kusar is an added bonus.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews