Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Conqueror

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Conqueror by Brenda Joyce

1 review

kimchikingreads's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

OVERALL 5 STARS
Writing: 5 Stars
Story line: 5 Stars
Steam: 4.5 Stars
Hero: 4.5 Stars
Heroine: 4.5 Stars

OPINION OVERVIEW
I know many people are screaming the C and R word and saying this book is a trash, but I beg to differ. While I consciously avoid cheating in my books, I have to say The Conqueror safely made it to my exception list.

I think we have to first understand the backdrop of this book is set in the 1800s, where nobility, status and gender mattered, a lot. Next, let's remember that free will and even owning a human being (slavery) were not that uncommon in that era. With that, this book actually makes sense and it made the romance even more endearing. I mean in that era, a nobleman doesn't even need to marry the women he impregnated (since he is of noble status?) and simply just leave them behind without a thought. So imagine how real the romance must be for H to want to be with h and not just for the bang.

Some may think H is a cheating bastard

{but it was never his choice to marry other woman. In fact, he wants to marry h but he couldn't defy the King's order}

. Is it wrong for him to cheat with h when he is married - yes. But is it wrong to want to be with the woman he truly loves - not really. I feel for them as they love one another but are forced apart by the circumstances where they do not have the free will to choose for themselves. Also, it doesn't help that H's wife doesn't love him at all.

As for the non-con sex, I find it to be dub-con at best since it is obvious h has feelings (some may argued it's only lust) for H as well. Though I think it is not uncommon for men, especially noblemen, to take what they want in that era

{H mentioned it is not unusual for lords to marry one and take another for mistress and admitted his intention of raping h when he thought she was just a commoner}

and while it doesn't make it right, that was just the way of things in that time and it is accurately depicted in this book. I know some people think this means romanticizing rape, but let's be logical here. Is raping right? Does reading a book where the H rapes h and then fell in love mean that I want to be raped in real life and fall in love with my raper? No and hell no! I am able to clearly differentiate fiction from reality to know that while it is romance because H/h fell in love in spite of the rape in the book, obviously I do not approve of such actions in real life!

This is my first book by this author and also my first historical romance book. It has definitely made it to my best reads in 2021 list and I am looking forward to read more historical romance in the future.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF BOOK
Rolfe DeWarenne (H) is the second-in-command to King William, a Norman on his path to conquer Saxon cities. H is given lordship of a recently conquered Saxon city, Aelfgar, with an accompanying condition to marry the Lady of the city. On his way into the city, H chanced upon Ceidre (h), whom he initially mistook to be his intended bride (a.k.a. the Lady of Aelfgar), and was immediately smitten by her. When truth came to light, H had no choice but to obey the king's order and marry h's sister, Alice, who is the rightful Lady of Aelfgar. h initially hated H as he invaded and took their home, not to mention he was still after her brothers. She swore to help her brothers regain their home by spying on H as a mistress but as they spent more time together, the lines begin to blur and both of them are torn between love and loyalty.

This is a standalone book in a series.

THE GOOD
J/P Hero who loves and protects the heroine in his own way.
Strong heroine who is independent, kind and free-spirited.
Good writing with brilliant character development and amazing story building.
Scorching hot steamy scenes done delectably well.

THE BAD
Some usage of old English which needs some getting used to.
Story is based loosely on history so I can't help but think that if I had known the history, I might enjoy the book even more.

THE ENDING
Thank goodness the author gave the ending a HEA or I am so gonna pull my hair out! The epilogue gives a quick general summary of what happened to the MCs and wraps up the book nicely.

WILL I...
• Recommend this book? Yes
• Read the next book? Definitely yes!

SAFETY
• H (Hero): Rolfe of Warenne (aged 29)

{A Norman general who is used to taking whatever he wants but soon learns to love. He has 6 bastard children but never married until Alice.}

• h (heroine): Ceidre of Aelfgar (aged 22)

{A bastard child who is free-spirited, kind and fearless in defending their home. She has odd-eye and knows how to create potions so people refer to her as witch.}

• Steam level: High

{The sexy scenes are very well written with heat and passion but without taking away the plot.}

• Descriptive sex: Yes
• Safe sex: No

{I don't think contraception is even relevant in that era.}

• OM (Other Men)/OW (Other Women) drama: Yes

{H is married to h's sister, Alice, and Alice tried to get rid of h in a few occasions.}

• Sexual acts with OM/OW: Yes

{See Sex scenes with OM/OW}

• Sex scenes with OM/OW: Yes

{h witnessed H had sex with a servant named Beth when they first met and H consummated his marriage with Alice (both on page).}

• Virgin: heroine only
• Insta-love: No

{But it is insta-lust for H.}

• Push/Pull: Yes

{H knew he was not allowed to have h since he was given the King's order to marry h's sister so he tried to resist their attraction initially; h tried to deny her feelings for H since he was the enemy and was still after her brothers. H also married h to his best friend, Guy, in an attempt to protect h.}

• Separation: No
• Angst: Low

{H and h couldn't be together officially because of their roles and responsibilities.}

• Possible Triggers: Dub-con by H, Cheating

{H is married to OW by King's order and h is married to OM by H's order, though h had a deal with her husband to be a marriage in name only.}

• Ending: HEA
• POV (Point Of View): Third person

DISCLAIMER
This IS NOT an ARC review.

*Legend:
ABO = Alpha-Beta-Omega / ARC = Advance Reader Copy / BJ = blow job / dub-con = dubious consent / FTB = Fade To Black / H = Hero / h = heroine / HEA = Happily Ever After / HFN = Happy For Now / J/P = Jealous/Possessive / MC = Main Characters / non-con = non-consensual / OM = Other Men / OW = Other Women / POV = Point Of View

Content Warnings

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