The Prize

Yes you want this book, yes you will love this book, yes you too will recommend this book AND every other book by this author.

This story has everything; Revenge, Hatred, Sadness, Action, Love. It captured my heart to the fullest. My favorite Heroin, Miss Virginia Hughes, truely brings out the girl becoming a woman. The devilish Captain Devlin O'Neill is gorgeoues and far from being any gentleman. He captures Virginia to use her in his plot of revenge but doesn't expect anything else that follows. He must learn to open his heart to the one woman who can help him save his dark soul. Brenda Joyce truely captures the love story between two individuals who not only are from two different worlds but share a similar strentgh. It is beautifully written from Sweet Briar, Virginia to green field Ireland, to the glorious balls of London. Brenda Joyce is an amazing author and you wont be disappointed.

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

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!!

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!