The Prize

Rating:
Summary: Heavy Accent is the Main Character
Review: "I didna mean tae lash oot at ye. I knoo ye meant well." Apparently this is how they talked in Scotland in 1809. It's also the type of dialogue the reader must wade through in this tale of an English nun inadvertently abducted by Scottish Laird Leith Campbell. This cloying girl is held somewhat captive by swaggering hunk, but she endears herself to his clan while he denies his burgeoning desire for her. She is after all English and he is Scottish. Viola! With this built-in conflict between hero and heroine, why establish a viable one?

A little bit of everything is thrown in THE PRIZE... clan feuds, healing of the sick, greasy villains, jealous rival, ale imbibing, and silly titillations. It's all just short of camp with melodramatic emotions.

As Ms. Berne's first effort, the writing is competent, if lacking a mature voice. Her overuse of one-sentence paragraphs failed to create impact, but an editor should have pointed this out. Kudos, though, (seriously) for abandoning the idea that romance readers don't want bodice-ripping scenes. When written between consenting characters, the sound of rending fabric during lovemaking is always welcome.

Even without the overdone accent, THE PRIZE will appeal only to diehard fans of the Scottish setting.

Rating:
Summary: The Prize
Review: As a history buff myself, I really appreciate the impeccableresearch that forms the underpinning of THE PRIZE. But would thatalone keep me glued to the page? No, fiction must tell a good story. And, wow, does this ever!The chapter endings are cliffhangers, making it hard to turn off the light and stop reading; for example, one chapter ends with Adrianna falling from a balcony -- and I sure wanted to know if she'd be okay and what role the gorgeous and manly Leith would play in saving her. He is everything most women dream of (and find only in their dreams). My favorite scene with him was not the romance and sex, but his sincere remorse when Adrianna tells him that she needs more than just passion and ardor, she needs to hear him say he loves her, she needs to hear the words. Who says romance novels aren't like real life! I hope Martine Berne will write many more books. END

Rating:
Summary: This book IS a Prize!
Review: I enjoyed this book so much I finished it in less than 2 days. I couldn't put it down! I'll relay the main idea behind the story - I don't want to ruin it but I see there is no description of the story here. The lead characters are Leith and Adrianna. He is laird of the Campbell clan and she is the daughter of a late English earl who has been away in a convent for 12 years and wants to be a nun. Leith wants vengence on Adrianna's father for a past wrong but finds out that the old Earl is dead and Adrianna's lowlife brother is in his place, so Leith spirits Adrianna away with him to Scotland instead - as his prize. From there on the book only gets better - from first page to last! Adrianna is kind, sweet tempered, generous, compassionate and has skills as a healer. Leith is strong, brave, honorable, passionate and loyal. They will both steal your heart.

Rating:
Summary: This book IS a Prize!
Review: I enjoyed this book so much I finished it in less than 2 days. I couldn't put it down! I'll relay the main idea behind the story - I don't want to ruin it but I see there is no description of the story here. The lead characters are Leith and Adrianna. He is laird of the Campbell clan and she is the daughter of a late English earl who has been away in a convent for 12 years and wants to be a nun. Leith wants vengence on Adrianna's father for a past wrong but finds out that the old Earl is dead and Adrianna's lowlife brother is in his place, so Leith spirits Adrianna away with him to Scotland instead - as his prize. From there on the book only gets better - from first page to last! Adrianna is kind, sweet tempered, generous, compassionate and has skills as a healer. Leith is strong, brave, honorable, passionate and loyal. They will both steal your heart.

Rating:
Summary: Acclaim for "The Prize"
Review: It is hard, so to speak, for a romance novel to fire the passions the way The Prize does.Ms. Berne writes with style far above the average "bodice ripper" and creates whole characters with historical accuracy. Leith and Adrianna come alive between the pages.

I especially loved the sense of the highlands and am eagerly anticipating The Rogue.Keep it up, Martene.

Rating:
Summary: Acclaim for "The Prize"
Review: It is hard, so to speak, for a romance novel to fire the passions the way The Prize does.Ms. Berne writes with style far above the average "bodice ripper" and creates whole characters with historical accuracy. Leith and Adrianna come alive between the pages.

I especially loved the sense of the highlands and am eagerly anticipating The Rogue.Keep it up, Martene.

Rating:
Summary: Encore!
Review: The Prize - it is. This is sort of a 'typical' romance story. You know, boy meets girl, fall in love, run into a few difficulties along the way, there's a bad guy, but on the whole, live happily ever after kind of thing. The difference here is, it wasn't a frustrating story. Oh, it had its moments where I had my doubts. Being conditioned for the "big misunderstanding" I was waiting for it to happen. As it turns out loyalty and love played a major and satisfying role (no pun intended). I hesitate to give any book 5 stars because in my opinion, no one can compare with Stephanie Laurens. This book is comparable to Andrea Kane with a little more spice. In fairness, this is my first Martine Berne book and I would not hesitate to read another of hers. I wouldn't however wish to read this type of story consistently because the "big misunderstanding" does have its appeal no matter how annoyed I get. This was a nice change that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Adrianna and Leith...........You read the synopsis so you know the story line. Leith loved Adrianna long before he admitted it to himself (big surprise). What I especially enjoyed was how hatred turned into love, respect and trust. Not only with Leith but with the clansmen as well. No, the clan didn't fall in love with Adrianna but they came to know her for herself and not what they expected or believed her to be. In the end, they respected her for the person she WAS. It was a strong lesson in prejudice as well. I only wish in reality people would realize the stupidity of any prejudice and it could be remedied as easily. There's sexual tension and descriptive love scenes. Not overdone but just right.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and hope I've swayed you to try it. You will definitely get the feeling of things falling too neatly into place but for me, it was a nice change.

PS I'm still not convinced what is worn beneath a kilt. If you know, let me know. I'm awful curious.