I really enjoyed reading this book. It was fast paced and well written. The only problem was that Rowena just let herself be walked upon time and time again. But once I got past that little fact. I enjoyed the story and was a little surprised about who killed the stepmother. Give this one a hard look, it is worth it.

If you like historical romance with a twist of darkness, this is the book to read. The author brought every one of the significant characters to full bloom. Her characters personalities unraveled more and more as I read on. I felt the joy and disappointment of Rowena, the confusion in Sir Gareth, the weakness of Lindsey, the courage of Little Freddie. I felt each emotion as I read the lines. This book made me miss my stop on the subway while going to work one morning. Now that's a sign of a great book...trust me. Kudos to Theresa Medeiros...keep up the great work.

Since I first picked it up 3 years ago, I've read it FOUR times. I simply couldn't get enough of the dark hero, Gareth and his feisty gambling win, Rowena. His dark past and her hope for the future ensnare the reader into a tangling web of mystery and passion. Medeiros outdid herself on this one. She writes her characters with such vivid imagination and eloquence, you feel as if you're really there - Rowena herself. Don't mistake it. Medeiros is the best writer of romantic fiction of this historical period!

The first two books I read by Ms. Medeiros were Charming the Prince and Nobody's Darling which are both excellent books. This one fell back a bit. I agree with the other reviewers that the constant time and scene changes can be a bit confusing and Sebastian was very selfish through the beginning of the book. There were also more characters who I disliked than who I liked. I only liked about three characters. The reason I rated this book fairly highly is because the heroine is not drop dead gorgeous. Reading romance novels sometimes makes me feel a bit lacking in the looks department because the lead females are always so pretty. This book was good because Sebastian loved Prudence even though she was not the fairest in all the land. I also liked the cat. My advise is to get this one from the library or a used book store but it is still worth reading.

I have owned this book since it first hit the shelves. Since then, I have read it more times than I can count. Mrs. Medeiros has written a story that will stick in my mind for years and years to come. She brought those characters to life! Sebastian and Prudence are so real you can almost believe that they are alive, living somewhere, hoplessly in love. And isn't that what a romance novel is all about? To bring love into this world?

This is the third Medeiros book I've read so far and I look forward to the next one. Like the other two books (Charming the Prince and Nobody's Darling) this book has an original plot and winsome characters. You don't skim through pages on these books. The heroine is just as interesting and captivating as the hero and they will both break your hearts as they move through the dance of falling (or in their case - crashing) into love. Sebastian is worthy of all our daydreams and Prudence is gutsy and smart. The plot twists and turns, the secondary characters are delightful and carefully drawn out. It's fun to read and the love scenes are great. What else could you want?

I have read all of Teresa's books, and I must say that this was a dissappoint. She usually is so funny and poignant, but this story was boring. Of course, I'm not too upset, since this WAS her first book.

By the time I was finished, I was thoroughly irritated with the love/hate relationship between Conn and Gelina. As Gelina says,"I think I love you almost as much as I hate you." This gets in the way of the development of the story a great deal. Also, the love scenes were a little too graphic and "crude" for my taste; totally unlike Teresa's other books. At the end of the book, I was still wondering what exactly was going on; I really didn't understand it.

Still, although I wouldn't recommend "Lady Of Conquest", I WOULD recommend Teresa Medeiros. She really is a wonderful author, with a hilarious sense of humor. Her other books are excellent reads, especially "Nobody's Darling." If you think you wouldn't like "Lady", or tried it and was disappointed, give her other books a chance. I think you'll find them much better.

The fact that so many people (including myself!) are furious about this book is a statement in and of it's self. I first read it a few years ago and I've actually re-read it a few times since. I have vented and vented and vented... sometimes I was angrier with Conn than Gelina had the good sense to be... but never once did I complain about the writing. And not once have I seen anyone else complain about the writing. If we are upset with the characters it's because they were written SO well that we were able to develop an opinion. More than that, I felt that they acted "correctly" for their character all the way through even though it was certainly not romantic... at least, not the typical type. I definitely did feel the sparks through this story and I thought it was a more realistic vision of love than in most stories I've read. The big thing that I think would have changed most of the reviewers (and my own) opinions is the ending... it was SO unsatisfying that it left us all without the reasons to forgive Conn or understand why Gelina forgave him. I think that with a better ending this story could be amazingly powerful... because it already is amazingly powerful it's just that the abrupt ending leaves us frustrated and angry and I think that that is what you're hearing in all these reviews... it's a great, unique story, about wonderfully vivid characters written so well that it inflames the reader... I took emotion away from the book and I've thought back on it several times: I think that that is the true test. This book was NOT fluff and it was not disposable... the characters and their actions and my own emotional opinions haunted me and made me think. Apparently, though, the average romance reader isn't looking for that. (just remember that all my praise comes attached to the acknowledgement that the story does need a more qualified ending). Oddly enough this is one of my favorite books even though every time I read it I get furious all over again. Good writing elicits emotion... not always happy "awww"s, though. And love it's always happy "awww"'s anyway but it is love, even when it's completely messed up.

Lady of Conquest is the first Teresa Medeiros book I ever read and it's the book that made me her most loyal and devoted fan. Conn and Gelina's story is the story of first love that lasts a lifetime and nothing is more wonderful or magical than that! Thank you, Teresa Medeiros, for introducing me to Conn and Gelina and to your magical vision of what romance is all about.