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Summary: The Best book ever!
Review: This is the only book I have ever read more than 10 times! I bought it in 1993 and I STILL read it! Nichola's and Royce's love is one of a kind. Royce is a captivating warrior and not your usual dashing handsome warrior. He is handsome in his own right, but not outside- inside. He is tender and gentle with Nichola and her feelings. The most memorable moments in the book is when he brings Ulrich to Nichola the night after they slept together and then when he falls asleep with Ulrich in his arms. If that wasn't beautiful, I don't know what is! Ms.Garwood, please make a sequel to this!
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Summary: Exciting, enjoyable, funny, a great read!
Review: This was my first Garwood... it got me started on my mission to read all of Ms. Garwood's historical books. I can honestly say that the only one I have not fall in love with so far is 'the Gift'. Anyway, this story is written at a beautiful pace with just enough amount of humor. I love the heroine's fighter instinct and temper and the hero's calm and patience.I especially love the humor in Royce's need to lecture and Nicolaa's way of tunning him out. He does not even know he love to lecture and that she day dreams when he is doing that. There are a log of touching scenes in this book. What Royce did to help Nicolaa's brother was really touching. In addition, his determination to repair the chess piece was both funny and loving... You definitely have to read this to appreciately the writing of Ms. Garwood.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved the male hero
Review: I liked this book simply because Royce wasn't overtly handsome and was disfigured with a scar. He didn't think he was a catch and was surprised when Nicholaa chose him. What she saw and loved was a handsome older man. He wasn't quite as arrogant and hot-headed as other Garwood male heroes who demand their brides marry them. He even waited for his bride to come around before bedding her.
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Summary: Delightful medieval romance!
Review: The last time I read a Garwood historical, The Lion's Lady, I stated in my review that it was her best romance I had read. Well, I now say that again. The Prize was even better than The Lion's Lady. This book however, is set in a medieval time frame. It is full of subtle humor and I laughed out loud many times. Although there are some serious aspects to the story, it reads as more of a light comedy. Both of the leads are strong and very likable characters. Baron Royce, the hero, is one of the Norman invaders at the time William the Conqueror takes the throne of England. Tension runs high between the Saxons and Normans as the new king plans weddings between Saxon nobility and Norman knights that have served him well. In the opening pages of the book, Royce and his soldiers are capturing the family holding of Lady Nicholaa. Royce has been ordered by the king to bring Lady Nicholaa to London where she will wed a Norman of his choosing. King William refers to Nicholaa as the prize (thus the name of the book) because he will give her in marriage to a highly deserving knight. Royce is a very popular leader of men and is known to be the best Norman trainer of soldiers. He leads a very organized, logical life and demands obedience from all who serve him. This is one hero who is alpha in the extreme yet very lovable at the same time. He has an evenly tempered personality and exhibits great maturity - until it comes to Nicholaa. Lady Nicholaa is not at all happy with the Norman invasion of her home. She is a young lady full of mischief and a very expressive personality. She uses her wit to escape Royce once her family holding is captured. When he finds that he has been tricked by Nicholaa, he eagerly anticipates beating her at her own game. Before long, Royce has found Nicholaa and manipulated her into accompanying him to London. The journey to London is a long one and Nicholaa attempts to escape again and again and Royce prevents her escape again and again. He spends portions of their journey readying Nicholaa for her presentation at court and to the king. By the time they reach London, their relationship is a mixture of aggravation and fondness. Due to some heroic action during court on the part of Nicholaa, the king allows her to choose her own husband from the many single men that surround her. Although Royce can be thoroughly exasperating, Nicholaa has determined he is a man of honor and kindness. Much to Royce's surprise, she chooses him as her future husband and the two marry that very night. Shortly thereafter, the two return to Nicholaa's former family's fortress and begin married life. This is a most enjoyable tale as these two match wits, annoying each other, yet growing in fondness for each other by the day. Royce is very much in command and never asks Nicholaa to do anything - he only tells her what to do. Their home is "his" home and she is "his" property and she is expected to obey without question and without delay. I laughed again and again as they react to each other and grow. It is thoroughly entertaining and not a page is boring. This is a book that concentrates on the romance between the leads and most of the book is dedicated to that romance. Although there are some interesting secondary characters and a couple of mysteries to solve, they take few pages overall. We get to read more and more about this juicy relationship developing between Royce and Nicholaa. There are some sensual scenes and they rate a solid 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). I highly recommend The Prize for an engrossing and delightful read. It will definitely take its place on my keeper shelf along with a few other Garwood books. Although I am not overly fond of Garwood's contemporary romances, I have yet to read one of her historical romances that disappointed me. It's just that I can't decide which one I really like the best because they are all so good.
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Summary: My Favorite Garwood Book!
Review: I love all of Julie Garwood's books, but this is my all time favorite! I can't keep track of how many times I have read it. It still makes me laugh every time I read it. Nichola and Royce are the perfect hero and heroine. This is a must read! I won't go into the merits of this book! I will let you be pleased about it all on your own.
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Summary: A hit from Julie Garwood!
Review: I've read this book many times before, and it's always stuck out in my mind as one of Julie Garwood's finest. The cover depicted is not actually the newest edition, as it has a white cover with a graceful castle on it. Not that it makes a difference on anything, but just FYI. The Prize is set in 1066, at the time of the Norman Invasion (One of my favorite time periods for romances). Lady Nicholaa is a Saxon already legendary for the lengths that she goes to keep her castle safe from the invaders. When it does finally fall to Royce, a Baron in the king's employ, Nicholaa is taken to court, and instead of being the King's Prize to give out to a Baron, she is actually allowed to choose her *own* husband. She chooses Royce for revenge, and things snowball from there. This is a very sweet, fairly predictable romance (aren't they all?) but the characters are what make it truly exceptional. Julie Garwood makes her heroines so naive and forthright that they're utterly hilarious to read about. Nicholaa is not a strong spitfire of a heroine, but there's no doubt in your mind that she knows how to get what she wants! I like that her heroines are very ordinary with a touch of the extraordinary. Julie Garwood combines a mix of warm humor, storytelling, and romance in 'The Prize'. It's not a groundbreaking, unique novel, but it's more like a warm, fuzzy blanket that you can pull up over yourself and relax with. 'The Prize' is everything a romance should be! Which suits me just fine, and I suspect that if you pick up this book, you definitely will not be disappointed.
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Summary: Worth your time... READ!
Review: Nicholaa & Royce love story was somewhat slow in the beginning yet practical, given to their situation & description of characters. Considering how they met and the different belief of values, it is understandable that both needed more time to trust, adjust to each other... then love. Nicholaa's character is described as a strong, stubborn, bold, intelligent & self assured woman. Royce is once again a true warrior in every way. Honorable, practical, disciplined, patient & set to himself. He defines everything in his life as a map, all set & drawned out. Both are equally independent until they met.... they have to realized and show they needed each other too! Aside from the love, romance of Nicholaa and Royce, my second favorite part of this book is Nicholaa's youngest brother, Justin. His transformation and Royce patience was exciting and interesting. Their casual relationship of Baron to Vassel then progressing into a brotherly affection made my heart quenched. I actually cried reading Justin's accomplishments. I wish J.G. would write a book just for him. I was also touched reading about the other characters who have helped Justin's transformation. They were all patient and compassionate. Developing a lifetime friendship also made this book more appealing and heart warming. Front front to end, this book gives me so much pleasure, I was saddened when I saw few more pages left. I didn't want this story to end.
Rating:
Summary: top romance
Review: Rarely do I reread a book, this one is an exception. I was drawn in to the lives of Royce and his captive. Royce is the ultimate protector and Nicholaa the brave little girl in all of us. A warm romance that left me with a lovely glow for days.
Highly recommended for the romantic in all of us.
Rating: 
Summary: A little effort, please!
Review: There are so many flaws with this book I hardly know where to begin. The heroine is flighty and incapable. At the beginning of the novel she is defending her Saxon keep against Norman invaders, their fourth attempt to take her castle. The other three attempts she easily turned away but this one is different, due solely to their brilliant leader, without whose guidance they regain their idiocy. Our brave heroine has a clear shot at taking out Royce (the leader) with her slingshot by hitting him in his temple, which would leave him dead and her castle would be safe. Instead, she decides to aim for his forehead, so she'll leave a scar he'll carry for the rest of his life. And he'll win her castle. Right. Later on, once she's married to him, she puts on a show of independence and spirit and self-reliance but any time she begins to express dissent he "swiftly kisses her, which leaves her so bemused she completely forgets what she was talking about." Gag me. At one point our hero is told that Nicholaa (our heroine) was married briefly. He has no reason to doubt this information, but somehow miraculously divines it was not so. That's a minor point, though, so I'll let it pass. There were other flaws, such as not enough research (Ms. Garwood, medieval audiences did not clap as applause), and not enough accounting for the ignorance of her audience (such as using the obscure french names of the lady's clothing and not explaining what they described). Of course, not all of these are the author's fault. A large portion of my disdain rests on the editors at Pocket Books who should have caught continuity problems and anachronistic details. I'm not even going to go into the boorish nature of our hero and the abusive relationship between the main couple, although I will concede some of the love scenes were very well done. Still, if you'd like to read a good romance novel, I'd recommend something by Celeste Bradley. Excellent, plot, characters, writing and love scenes in her novels. Read Judy Garwood at your own risk.
Rating:
Summary: What a joy to read!
Review: I have to say that I really loved this book. Although, I also have to say that I have loved every Julie Garwood book I have ever read. I wouldn't say this was my all-time favorite Julie Garwood book because that honor goes to "Honor's Splendor." This does, however rank right up there after "The Wedding," and "The Gift." I loved the truthfulness between Royce and Nicholaa. It was a breath of fresh air to have two characters that where forthright with eachother and there wasn't any big misunderstanding that is usually typical of Romance novels. This is a keeper and I strongly encourage anyone to read this book. The only thing I wish is that Julie Garwood would have wrote more about the trip to London. Obviously a lot happened, but she never went into it past the first day and night they traveled. I loved that Royce was so kind and patient with everyone. It was a nice change from the typical hot-headed warriors we read so much about in most romance books. Thanks for another great story Julie!!
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