3.5 StarsOverall Opinion: This was an enjoyable read. I liked how they butted heads and loved to fight one another. I also liked both characters. I am, however, really disappointed in the ending! Why not give us more?! Especially because this was on the longer side! Not even an epilogue?! That reason alone has me dropping my rating to a 3.5 star read.Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Nicholaa and Royce’s story. Nicholaa is left to defend her families hold when the Normans send another ba

This is a spun-sugar version of Woodiwiss' The Wolf and The Dove. Perhaps if I'd never read that then I'd feel more charitable, but honestly, this is the lesser in every way possible. Granted the original was a rapey bodice ripper which might not suit people or be a trigger, but being inside both Royce and Nicolaa's heads with their repeated mantras of 'Is this love?' and 'I'll be agreeable' made we want to smack them both. I'm sure other reviewers have referenced "Checkmate" and the sling, but

Reread. And very deserving of a 5 star rating, again.Wonderful couple.Wonderful romance.Wonderful characters.And wonderful HEA.Checkmate, loved that little statement between the two main characters. Especially when Nicholaa said it to Royce when she chose him. 😊This review is short, simple and true.

FIVE “I IMMEDIATELY WANT TO READ THIS AGAIN” STARSAnd I would do just that, but I have like 5 other Garwood books on my kindle right now and my library is sending me warnings through email informing me that my loans are ending imminently.Anyway, back to The Prize. This is easily my favorite Garwood. To be clear, I've only read four of her books. And if we're going to get really technical and honest-y, I've actually only read three and half books by this author. The "half" is because I gave up on...

2.5 starsRomance literature gods if you hear me, forgive me for what I am about to say....but this needed way better misunderstandings. Even I the hater of all miscommunication found this pitiful.🛑TINY SPOILERS YOU WON'T EVEN NOTICE THEM🛑The heroine was the "prize" of this book. As ordered by the king, she was taken by Royce from her home to become a wife to one of the Norman knights. They are to fight for her hand and the dowry that comes with her. Due to yet another amazingly heroic thing the

This classic Julie Garwood medieval romance is set in the time of the Saxon and Norman skirmishes. One thing that slays me is the mindset of the invaders...they'd come to a castle keep, lay it under siege, kill as many men as possible, and basically just overtake the place...and then they would graciously allow the 'former' lord to remain alive if he would only swear fealty to their leader and become part of their army. WHAT THE....what? That's crazy to me...it's basically forcing them to live a...

I wasn't going to review this one because I don't usually write reviews when I read a well-known and traditionally published author. However, I felt it deserved a review to explain the low rating.I hated the heroine, Nicholaa. There was no happy medium for this character. She was either acting like an insecure adolescent, seeking approval and attention, or she was raising hell. The only time I found the strong woman characterized at the beginning of the book believable was - yes, at the beginnin...

Once again, Julie Garwood delivers a heartwarming, humorous, and delightfully romantic tale.  What I liked most about this book was Royce's character (he's not one Garwood's prototypical hero) and the relationship between him and the heroine, Nicholla. Royce is a hero to adore. He may not be extremely good-looking, with a badly scarred face, but he has the perfect combination of alpha and beta characteristics. He's powerful, driven, and a true leader; but he also possess a strong benevolent side...

My favourite re-read/listens...I kind of love that a romance set so far back in history, still manages to have a heroine that shows strength, courage and perseverance. This mixed with a slight vulnerability, made Nicholaa one of my very favourite heroines. Royce, well he's exactly my kind of man. Strong, determined and fierce, he finds it hard to accept the sweetness Nicholaa gives him. They are so perfect together that each re-read leaves me a very happy and content romance reader.Julie Garwood...

Written October 13, 20143.8 Stars - Safely, securely and precisely what expected. - Sweet charming, well written 'oldish' HRA Ms Garwood historical read (or listening) can not be but heartwaring and enjoying. The Prize a historical from 1991, here narrated by a very professional Anne Flosnik in a 12 hrs audiobook, is no exception. Perhaps you don't hear or see me sing and dance with joy after this novel, but at least I warm up for some very happy cheer jump step. A sweetie one!**************...

[image error]★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Anne Flosnik reads this classic medieval Julie Garwood tale rather nicely. If she is somewhat “stilted” in areas, she makes up for it in others. By “stilted” I mean where the story is pure narrative she sounds stiff. I also wasn’t crazy over our Norman hero, Baron Royce’s voice; by trying to lower him to a baritone, he comes across sounding “stuffy” and that isn’t the way I heard him in my head (always a difficult – if not impossible – job!...

MY FAVOURITE HISTORICAL!!!!! CHECKMATENicolaa (a saxon)has defended her home against the normans and the king is not happy.The king has ordered Baron Royce to bring the woman that had defended her home so well against his vassals. She was going to be The Prize for the lucky knight who won the battle for her. The King was allowing his knights to compete for her hand in marriage. But, Nicholaa saved the Queens niece. So the king changed his mind and allowed Nicholaa to choose from any of the singl...

Before starting this book you may want to mentally prepare yourself for a kowtowing heroine because if that kind of trait bugs you (like it does me to no end) this book has the potential to get on your nerves –fast. There’s that and the fact that the hero is painfully overbearing and you think he’s going to get the oh so deserved whack upside the head eventually but he never does unfortunately which is a shame because it could have done him a world of good :)Briefly, the story is about Nicolaa (...

This is my second read, and even though I admit this is not Garwood’s best (it can be a bit slow sometimes), it’s still goddamn good. Excellent. Exemplary. Wonderful. This book follows the story of a Norman named Royce and a Saxon named Nicholaa. She was supposed to be taken to the new Norman king, and be gifted to a Norman man as a prize. Nicholaa was not an easy girl to capture, however, and had bested three men before the king sent the best one, Royce. She shot a pebble to his temple with a s...

4.75 ‘Captured Legend’ StarsArghhhh, how have I not read this HR brilliancy until now?! *slaps herself in the forehead*What an amazing story! I couldn’t have loved Royce and Nicholaa any more than I did! Had we all the loose ends like Thurston and Clarisse and Hugh tied up better, and of course the ever required Epilogue, it would have been 5+++ Stars. But it was still a SPECTACULAR read that I will no doubt add to my all time fav HR, and forever remember.Julie Garwood did it again. She truly is...

I love this book so much! Though it was lengthy. I was captured and didn't even notice the time flying. I must say there is something about julie garwood's heroines that is just so refreshing and good to see. Both Royce and Nicholaa were a delight. What an amazing couple they made. Some of the remarks of this book will always stay with me. The way Nicholaa gently used to praise Royce's rugged beauty and the way Royce was miserable after Nicholaa quit to argue and fight with him tugged my heart s...

I read this for the first time soon after it was released. I then reread it several times through the years. I recently listened to this on audio and was so disappointed in the narration. I reviewed it on the edition of that book. Since I never reviewed this book back in the day, I decided to share some of the things I remembered and loved about the book.I remember loving the following things about this book: The heroine was feisty, knew how to work a wicked slingshot, and tended to ignore her h...

3.5 COSY STARSAn entertaining re-read, light and fluff. It really was a nice bit of escapism. There are times where the heroine had be rolling my eyes but she did amuse rather than annoy.

"He never knew what hit him." The first line in this book was enough to hook me. How could I not love a heroine who was smart and resourceful enough to drop the hero to the ground in the middle of a battle?Baron Royce is Norman and Lady Nicholaa is Saxon, and that makes them enemies in 1066. The Prize starts with Nicholaa trying to defend her home against Royce and his "barbaric" soldiers. She's successfully defeated the three previous knights sent by "the bastard" William of Normandy, soon to b...

I love love LOVE all the Julie Garwood books i have read, except this. I liked Nicholaa at first - she was interesting, smart and drew your in - Royce seemed sweet with not too much of a temper, only then they got married. It seemed like as soon they got hitched, he became a pig and she became plain annoying. What happened to the woman who shot an arrow in a mans arse when he tried to take her home from her? It seemed like every time she got annoyed at Royce he'd pet her a little and all would b...