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9th out of 65 books
—
64 voters
Devil's Embrace (Devil #1)
by
Catherine Coulter (Goodreads Author)
CITY OF SIN
For beautiful young Cassandra Brougham, the seething city of Genoa, Italy, seemed a world away from the great 18th-century English estate where she was raised -- and the closest she had ever come to purgatory.
Cassie was no longer an innocent when she arrived there with Lord Anthony Welles, the brutally handsome aristocrat who had seduced and stolen her from her...more
For beautiful young Cassandra Brougham, the seething city of Genoa, Italy, seemed a world away from the great 18th-century English estate where she was raised -- and the closest she had ever come to purgatory.
Cassie was no longer an innocent when she arrived there with Lord Anthony Welles, the brutally handsome aristocrat who had seduced and stolen her from her...more
Paperback, 379 pages
Published
August 3rd 1982
by Signet
(first published 1982)
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2,404)
Apr 11, 2012
Ghetto Pixie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bodice-ripper,
idiosyncratic,
serialkiller-romance,
devils-embrace-flashbacks-lesigh,
on-paperback,
50-shades-of-pale,
all-we-get-is-titillation,
boom-boom-kitty-feck,
christian-grey-of-yesteryear,
crazypants,
day-of-rage,
heroine-kickass-brawler-till-sex,
id-rather-gouge-out-mine-eyes,
kidnapping,
mommy-the-zombies,
need-purgatory-after-reading,
rape-wagon,
save-for-making-fires-in-wwiii,
skarkity-snark,
sweet-as-christian-grey,
the-crazies,
throw-em-in-the-brig,
tstl,
upper-arm-grab,
will-dull-my-knife-if-i-impale-it,
wont-this-shit-just-die
Oh wow, Jesus Christ on a crutch. This literary piece emphasizes and stands as a catalyst against for every arbitrary guideline by an author, that we've embraced even in the most shoddy of stories(Stormfire?).
He practically had her floor-planned since she was FIVE! And this is why, in my abject misery, I strive to discern its meaning; I knew from the very instant when she shot the hero, and didn't reload, that her usefulness and entertainment factor was at its end for me.
Generally in most bodice...more
He practically had her floor-planned since she was FIVE! And this is why, in my abject misery, I strive to discern its meaning; I knew from the very instant when she shot the hero, and didn't reload, that her usefulness and entertainment factor was at its end for me.
Generally in most bodice...more
13 likes · like · see review
view all 15 comments
Oct 07, 2010
Karla (Mossy Love Grotto)
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
BR fans who want to read "the classics"
Shelves:
historical-romance,
bodice-ripper,
cover-artists-elaine-gignilliat,
abduction,
retarded-jellyfish-could-wr8-better,
hero-worst,
hero-alpha,
heroine-annoying-and-way-annoying,
rape,
no-no-no-yes-yes,
cover-sparklies,
boring-as-batshite,
wtf-was-this,
2-stars,
wallpaper-historical,
when-the-genre-sucks-it-sucks-hard,
going-ranty-on-ur-ass,
bring-your-big-girl-panties,
son-i-am-disappoint,
the-bottomless-pit-of-leonidas,
ack-i-need-a-shower,
pedobear
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
37 likes · like · see review
Mar 09, 2012
Patricia
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
no one
Shelves:
2011
Rating: No Star.. Well, One. Because Goodreads sucks and won't give me no stars. :<
Edit: Since then I read some books that were even worse, buuut.. I'll let this review stand. ; )
First Thoughts:
I NEVER read a book that affected me this badly. I can read rape-scenes, I can read stuff that'd make my brother sick. (Okay, so he's barely 4 years old..) I even saw and felt some of the things that others can't read. But this book? I don't even know how to.. Wra! I seriously hate how this book makes...more
Edit: Since then I read some books that were even worse, buuut.. I'll let this review stand. ; )
First Thoughts:
I NEVER read a book that affected me this badly. I can read rape-scenes, I can read stuff that'd make my brother sick. (Okay, so he's barely 4 years old..) I even saw and felt some of the things that others can't read. But this book? I don't even know how to.. Wra! I seriously hate how this book makes...more
6 likes · like · see review
I unapologetically loved this book. It reminded alot of Christine Monson's "Stormfire" (which I am obsessed with). This book, like many in its genre, is not for the faint of heart. There's kidnapping, rape, gang rape, psychological abuse, stalking, etc. In fact, the hero is a psycho stalker that, if he were to live in 2012, would be on America's Most Wanted. I found Anthony to be a kind of fun-loving stalker as opposed to Sean Culhane in Stormfire who was just a serious pyscho. I mean, after he...more
I honestly don't know what to think of this book. It sounded interesting at the time of reading and I was intrigued by the notion of Welles kidnapping Cassandra because he wanted her, but it seems like he essentially raped her. Sure he wasn't horrible of vicious about it but she didn't want him.
My biggest issue with the book was her seeming love for Edward, her fiance. It would have been easier, I think, to know that Cassandra didn't want to marry him than to believe she loved him and that Antho...more
My biggest issue with the book was her seeming love for Edward, her fiance. It would have been easier, I think, to know that Cassandra didn't want to marry him than to believe she loved him and that Antho...more
Sep 29, 2011
Sue Lyndon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bodice-ripping-goodness,
historical-romance
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
1 like · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
7/23/2009
Well here is the gist of the book - Cassandra Brougham loves Edward Forsythe Lyndhurst and they are getting married. The day before the wedding she is kidnapped by Anthony Welles, Earl of Clare. He has been in love with her since she was a child (okay?). When he has Cassie in his possession, he explains to her that he loves her and always had from afar (he was a friend of the family - a sort of uncle but not related). He was planning to romance her on her trip to London but it got canc...more
Well here is the gist of the book - Cassandra Brougham loves Edward Forsythe Lyndhurst and they are getting married. The day before the wedding she is kidnapped by Anthony Welles, Earl of Clare. He has been in love with her since she was a child (okay?). When he has Cassie in his possession, he explains to her that he loves her and always had from afar (he was a friend of the family - a sort of uncle but not related). He was planning to romance her on her trip to London but it got canc...more
I did not read the entire book. Why? Because the hero was a delusional pscho! I like dark heroes but I do not like rape- that was when I stopped reading, when I realized that the author was going to have them end up together. I agree with all the reviewers that this is probably a study of the Stockholom Syndrome. It would have been a better book if the author had explored it from that point of view. What I don't understand is why, if the hero loved her from afar for that long, he never attempted...more
Nov 03, 2012
Delicious Strawberry
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
catherine-coulter,
historical-fiction
First and foremost, the research and writing style is tight. Ms. Coulter has done her research in what was appropriate for the time period in regards to clothes, furnishings, and what not. The dialogue also flows well - I loved the arguments between Cassie and her kidnapper.
However, what keeps this novel from reaching a 5-star is the premise of the forced bride. Cassie keeps protesting, but is taken nonetheless, and of course experiences blinding pleasure! (sarcasm) No matter how many times she...more
However, what keeps this novel from reaching a 5-star is the premise of the forced bride. Cassie keeps protesting, but is taken nonetheless, and of course experiences blinding pleasure! (sarcasm) No matter how many times she...more
ok so I had to pick it up due to the hype.. much older man, abduction, rape and on and on... I'm glad I did though. Maybe it's because I married my husband at the ripe old age of twenty, keep in mind my dshing hero in real life is sixteen years my senior. so the age thing, while it shocked some, didn't phase me. I like a good abduction, don't mind a rape or whatever the more drama and chaos usually the better I like it but Devil's Embrace wasn't anything special, to me.
I see why the Ladies love...more
I see why the Ladies love...more
5 likes · like · see review
Apr 10, 2012
Anne Dirty Girls' Good Books
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
hall-of-shame
I had to write this review to try to warn people away from this book. I wish I could forget some of the awful things I read in it.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
Aug 12, 2010
Dani "The REAL Cullens_Girl since 2002"
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
hard-core bodice-ripper readers
**comes out from under the bed**
Yes I liked this book. Yes, it was degrading, yes both the heroes in this story were complete IDIOTS. Yes, the heroine was a simpering mess and made some pretty lame choices.
That being said, I still enjoyed this book. It was degrading, unbelievable, and made me want to beat every character. Yet, I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I still think it was well written, and although a darker romance, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. IT'S FICTION. Not real-lif...more
Yes I liked this book. Yes, it was degrading, yes both the heroes in this story were complete IDIOTS. Yes, the heroine was a simpering mess and made some pretty lame choices.
That being said, I still enjoyed this book. It was degrading, unbelievable, and made me want to beat every character. Yet, I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I still think it was well written, and although a darker romance, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. IT'S FICTION. Not real-lif...more
9 likes · like · see review
I read and loved The Duke (seriously, one of my faves from childhood, right), so, when in adulthood I took up this book (bought and frakking paid for) thinking 'Yay another Catherine Coulter Historical, Yay', imagine my consternation and downright disapprobation at what turned out to be a gruesome (if only for the squalid quality of the writing) GANG-rape scene in the middle of an already mediocre (I am feeling awfully meritorious tonight) book. I NEVER expected that, and it remains my biggest g...more
ONE ENTHRALLING ROMANCE! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!
This was Coulter’s first long historical romance, published in 1985, and it is a superbly written, heart stopping, action-filled story that I could not put down. Literally. I do not recommend you begin it in the evening as I did. That night I did not sleep until nearly dawn. Forget the low reviews, and set aside your 21st century sensibilities and go with what may be one of the most enthralling romances I’ve read in a long time. Certainly it’s a...more
This was Coulter’s first long historical romance, published in 1985, and it is a superbly written, heart stopping, action-filled story that I could not put down. Literally. I do not recommend you begin it in the evening as I did. That night I did not sleep until nearly dawn. Forget the low reviews, and set aside your 21st century sensibilities and go with what may be one of the most enthralling romances I’ve read in a long time. Certainly it’s a...more
Romance? More like a study of Stockholm Syndrome!
A truly disgusting and twisted story. I though the so called 'hero' was the villain until I skipped to the end.
A truly disgusting and twisted story. I though the so called 'hero' was the villain until I skipped to the end.
4 likes · like · see review
it was such a good read !!very entertaining. it tore my heart however when cassie was raped by 4 men and it was very realistic. no woman should suffer such calamity. hats off to coulter 4 describing it bcoz in most books u see they will bypass the rape scene either by not describing it or they let the heroine be rescued by the hero or another way which does not actually happen in real life. yes anthony also raped her that first night but it was a very different kind..he made forced love 2 her. i...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was the book that got me reading romance; at first I was embarraced by the content but then I became intrigued how a man much older than the heroine could induce her to love him when she loved another man. He raped her and at first she hated him but she grew to love him even though he held her captive. Eventually she became reaquainted with the man she had loved before and found he was not what she expected. There is a scene during the book when Cassie is brutally raped by some evil men but...more
umm.. i really don know what to say..
hero d novel ini kaya psikopat gila.. anthony, jatuh cinta ama ibunya heroine-cassandra.. tp krn ia ga berhasil ngedapetin ibunya, maka ia memutuskan utk mjd kan cassandra sby calon istrinya d masa depan.. yaiks,, cassandra masi berumur 5 th pas itu..!!
after years passed by,, trnyata cassandra jatuh cinta ama her childhood friends - edward, n they decided to marry.. sehari sblom the wedding, si anthony menculik cassandra..
dalam penculikan ini, si anthony berk...more
hero d novel ini kaya psikopat gila.. anthony, jatuh cinta ama ibunya heroine-cassandra.. tp krn ia ga berhasil ngedapetin ibunya, maka ia memutuskan utk mjd kan cassandra sby calon istrinya d masa depan.. yaiks,, cassandra masi berumur 5 th pas itu..!!
after years passed by,, trnyata cassandra jatuh cinta ama her childhood friends - edward, n they decided to marry.. sehari sblom the wedding, si anthony menculik cassandra..
dalam penculikan ini, si anthony berk...more
This was one of those books that I liked and didn't like. It was not boring and I finished it pretty fast, but the amount of sex and let's be honest here, almost continuous raping of the heroine tainted my enjoyment of the story. It seemed like the author was going for a book similar to The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, and yet this book did not have the heart or the character of the other.
The alpha male, who purported to be in love with the heroine his whole life, proceeds to...more
The alpha male, who purported to be in love with the heroine his whole life, proceeds to...more
If there was ever a book where I didn't want the heroine to remain with any of the love interests in the book, it was this one. Seriously, the two men in this book were complete and total a-holes. *sigh* No redemptive qualities in either of them. Where was my fiesty ex-pirate from Gentle Rogue when I needed him? :)
Then again, I didn't particularly like the heroine, either. She was a simpering wimpy girl, and not the spitfire heroine I would have preferred, even if she shot a pistol in the book....more
Then again, I didn't particularly like the heroine, either. She was a simpering wimpy girl, and not the spitfire heroine I would have preferred, even if she shot a pistol in the book....more
6 likes · like · see review
May 09, 2007
Rhapsody
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who enjoy very dark romance
The darkest romance novel I've ever read. I'm embarrassed to say that I enjoyed it considering that the heroine is basically raped by the hero and then comes to love him (yeah right), but I guess all that smutty manga I've read has affected my brain. After reading Shinjo Mayo's work (Haou Airen mainly), this sort of book doesn't give me much pause.
Cassandra (18 years old) has been in love with her childhood friend Edward all her life, but the day before their wedding, she's kidnapped by the Ear...more
Cassandra (18 years old) has been in love with her childhood friend Edward all her life, but the day before their wedding, she's kidnapped by the Ear...more
Sadly, this book was beyond horrible. The characters are vulgar, especially Jennifer Lacy... I mean, really... drugging - raping! - a man? And still claiming to LOVE him? I hoped that she would fall down a flight of stairs and kill herself - the woman is just sick and I was so disgusted to see Edward accept such a creature as a mate. What will she do if he disappoints her? If she can drug/rape him without remorse then what else is she capable of? Scary!
This is where I pretend I didn't read through the whole book hoping for some kind of regrets from the H for his actions and failed to find any. Even when the h finally gets her butt out of the H's grip (she was kidnapped btw), it is 'supposedly' her fault for not talking through 'their problems" beforehand. How f*cked up is that?! o_o; So I'll try to push this story out of my mind and try to find a better book to compensate.
This is a true boddice ripper first published in 1982. Anthony Welles, Earl of Clare, kidnaps Cassandra Brougham on the day before her wedding. He takes her to Genoa, Italy in effort to convince her to be his wife. Soap opera adventures commence.
Why I picked up this book: It was listed on Amazon's rape and pregnancy thread.
Why I finished it: The same reason you watch a train wreck. Sheer horror!
Why I picked up this book: It was listed on Amazon's rape and pregnancy thread.
Why I finished it: The same reason you watch a train wreck. Sheer horror!
1 like · like · see review
I can see from the reviews a lot of people didn't like this book but I must say I LOVED IT!!!! There is only a handful of books I've reread and this is one of them. I loved that he loved her so much. I know it was a sick love to make him go to the extremes he did to have her and to give her no choice. I just couldn't help myself. I loved it and I love Anthony!!
Didn't even finish it. I got as far as the first rape scene before reading the Amazon reviews. I can handle a rape scene if the perpetrator eventually gets what's coming to him, but apparently in this book the perpetrator not only gets away with it, but is hailed as the hero in the book. I immediately deleted it from my Kindle.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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