The Prize

Rating:
Summary: One Giant Step Backward
Review: Brenda Joyce seems very excited about returning to writing 'the kind of stories my fans love'. I'm very unexcited. This is a return to the bewildering cliche-ridden sex fests of her early works and a total abandonment of the emotionally compelling work she's been doing the Cahill series and her more recent books.

As softcore it holds up but as a romance novel it's lacking. The racism of the heroine is period appropriate, but completely distasteful. (Her 'best' friend is being sold but for five months that doesn't worry her). The motivation of all characters is inexplicable and motivated by plot demands, not logic. The heroine is lacking the smallest amount of self respect, while the hero views women as something akin to Kleenex.

I'm hoping this return to bodice ripping for the sake of same won't infect the Cahill novels, which have been my favorite series in some time.

Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous
Review: Definitely not the high standard of writing that you would expect from Brenda Joyce. The heroine Virginia was quit simpy ridiculous, whiny, and a doormat.

Rating:
Summary: Wow - what an incredible book!
Review: Devlin O'Niel just might be one of the most dispicable, unlikeable characters to ever have a woman fall in love with. You just had to intensely dislike him - aloof, unfealing, selfish - never mind that he was drop dead gorgeous!! But why would he have been like this. To see his dear father killed in such a horrible manner when he was but 10 years old - he just kept reliving that awful moment. And he lived to destroy the man who had killed his father in every way possible. The ultimate revenge he thought was to kidnap the man's niece for a ransome. But of course the niece turns out to be the most irristible female Virgina with a heart bigger than life and a will stronger than anything that Devlin had ever encountered. It is just a heartfelt story, that at times is so painful to see how many times Devlin can break Virginia's heart. If I were not sure in the end that it would indeed turn out well I would have stopped - some parts were just to sad and painful. Many might consider Virgina a fool to love this man - but she was not a fool she was just able to see the man that Devlin could in fact be - and wanted so much to believe that he would be able to give up revenge for a life of love. This was a powerful book and well worth reading!! High praise for such and intense story by Brenda Joyce!!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: I am a huge Brenda Joyce fan, and I've read everything she's published (including out-of-print novels), however, I was very disappointed in The Prize. The hero, Devlin, is great. I love alpha male heros. BUT, I hated, HATED the heroine, Virginia. She was a DOORMAT!!! This is a pet peeve of mine. I love Brenda's historicals, and was disappointed that this one was not up to par.

Rating:
Summary: The Prize
Review: I truly enjoyed the book. I loved the fact that Virginia could be so honest with her feelings no matter what Delvin does to her and her family. I hate that the book ended.

Rating:
Summary: A long let-down
Review: I was excited by Joyce's return to historical romance, but this novel was long and, frankly, stupid. The reactions of the heroine are unbelievable, going against social mores of the time--she far to willingly goes to bed with a "pirate!" I also have an issue with her "best friend" being a slave who will be sold off. The most interesting parts of the novel were the references to the War of 1812, a part of American history that tends to be ignored.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!!!
Review: I was very wary about buying this book. I've loved Brenda Joyce in the past, but have skipped the Francesca Cahill series. I was pleasantly suprised to learn that this is a pure romance novel. No mystery, amateur sleuthing, etc. This book reacquaints us with the de Warenne family who she introduced in "The Conqueror" and "The Game." In this story a vengeance-minded hero, afraid to feel any of the softer sentiments captures a young innocent and determines to use her in his quest for revenge. However, he is caught in his own trap as the young innocent falls quickly under his spell and refuses to let him go.

This book is the standard size paper-back book, but it's got around 500 pages packed into it! Never fear, they will fly by. I read the book in less than two days and was late late late for work on day two because I couldn't put it down!

Rating:
Summary: A Sweeping Historical You Won't Want To Miss!!!
Review: Ms. Joyce is back penning her extraordinary historical romances and I am THRILLED!! I can't understand why anyone would find fault with this story. Ms. Joyce has taken exceptional care in research and her diligence has paid off by offering her readers a story rich with historic details that will pull you into a time and place that no longer exists. The reader will travel to Ireland, England, and back to Virginia in this epic love story.

Characters are such an important part of any story and Devlin and Virginia are amazing. Devlin is a product of his past (he witnesses the cruel murder of his father when he is only 10) and as a result has lived his life from that moment on with one goal in mind revenge at all costs. Problem with this is that it has cost him more than even he could imagine. He is set on his course and when an opportunity presents its self he grabs it and runs. His life is never going to be the same and its all going to change due to a large set of Violet eyes. Virginia may be his enemy's niece but she is about to become his soul.

Virginia is on her way to England with hopes to talk her uncle into saving her family's plantation "Sweet Briar" since it is currently up for sale. She is only days away from realizing her dream when her ship is boarded and she is taken hostage by Captain Devlin O'Neill. She fights him from the first moment she sets eyes on him but this blonde and strong man calls to her and it's only a matter of time before she looses her heart to the one man that doesn't want it. Can she show Devlin that there's more to life than justice and revenge?

This is an amazing story and Ms. Joyce is true to her characters. Some readers might loose patience with Virginia's willingness to continue to feel any kind of soft emotion for Devlin. Devlin is so consumed with his revenge that it's amazing that Virginia is able to get through to his heart. The chemistry between these two very strong people is immediate and hot. Virginia's willingness to see the good in Devlin is what makes her such an amazing character. Secondary characters (Devlin's family) are just as important as the main characters and I'm highly looking forward to the next in this series, which is Ty's story. This is a complex love story that I highly recommend. Be forewarned this is a book that totals 575 pages but it is well worth taking the time to read. Fans of true historical romances will not be disappointed with Ms. Joyce's latest effort.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com


Rating:
Summary: Ripping!
Review: The Prize

Reviewed by Devlin O'Neill

Bodice-ripper characters ... sorry ... historical-romance characters SHOULD be larger than life - Titans seen through a magnifying glass. Their passions should soar higher, their griefs cut deeper, their joys burst brighter than those of mere mortals. And here Joyce does not disappoint, especially as regards Devlin O'Neill. From his long blond hair to his chiseled face to his rock-hard torso, all angles and planes, he is the consummate bad boy that girls fear and adore, as dangerous and unapproachable as he is zealous and protective ... when the right woman comes along.

He is not likable, on purpose; he is scornful, aloof and arrogant, cold and implacable, as obsessed with revenge as any Hamlet, but of course his captive falls helplessly in love with him. It has been thus with pirates and their female captives at least since the days of Tom Sawyer, and I see no reason to mess with success. The Virgin on the other hand, Virginia from Virginia, acts as restrained as she can in the presence of this violent, golden Adonis, and eventually wins his heart, mostly through a collusion of circumstance, but brattish innocence does have its own charm, to which even cold, chisel-faced sea captains are not immune.

At first I detested Devlin, because he is altogether too perfect a male specimen, and then because he acts so irrationally, risking so much for so paltry a return on investment. But as I read, it occurred to me that I can be just as driven, just as single-minded, and just as cold and scornful when someone I should call friend tries to thwart my own faulty purpose, however rational I deem it to be. Whether THIS Devlin experiences the cathartic redemption of the novel character remains to be seen, but I commend Joyce for her portrait, her flawed hero painted with such bold strokes.

I must admit that I never have read many bodice-rippers, if any. Probably that is not the preferred genre descriptor, but Devlin in fact "... abruptly ripped her nightgown in two ..." on page 224, so the term is justified. Not that I read much of anything anymore, since I began to write my own romance novels. But I had to buy this one, to see what sort of man Joyce created to carry my noble appellation. I could say I am the REAL Devlin O'Neill, but I believe that a well-crafted character takes on a life of his own, so even if he IS impossibly perfect, I'll not disparage him that way.

A final note and I am done. Joyce writes well. If you detect a hint of surprise in that statement, there is good reason. I have avoided historical romances because I assumed they would be filled with flowery, six-clause, Henry James sentences, but I found 'The Prize' to be quite readable. True, Joyce is closer stylistically to George Eliot, while I cut my teeth on Raymond Chandler, yet she can fire off a hard, flat sentence as sharp as a pistol shot, and has a steamy flair for sex scenes.

-Devlin O'Neill, author of the 'A Maid for All Seasons' series of erotic novels



Rating:
Summary: Not Worth The Effort
Review: This book was poorly written, in every way. The spelling was atrocious, some sentences were so grammatically incorrect, it was more like something one would expect from a Jr. highschooler. So if you can get past that, you then have to contend with an often unbelieveable story. The male lead, Devlin, is a cold, heartless s.o.b. His female counterpart, Virginia(from Virginia)totally lacks for self-respect. The story was way too long. I had to make myself read the whole thing. The author just keeps rehashing the same old things page after page till I found myself skipping paragraphs. It almost seemed to me that the author was just trying to fill pages rather than write an interesting story. I was greatly disappointed in this book. It had such a promising premise, but she let the story get away from her. Don't waste your time or money.