Tuesday, May 27

The Prize by Julie Garwood

I cut my romance teeth on Julie Garwood. So imagine my surprise when Chantal told me she was reading the Prize and that it was her first Julie Garwood! I was flabbergasted. LOL So I quickly decided to read the Prize as well (as it has been a while) and yeah, I feel a JG backlist reread coming on! :P

In the resplendence of William the Conqueror's London court, the lovely Saxon captive, Nicholaa was forced to choose a husband from the assembled Norman nobles. She chose Royce, a baron warrior whose fierce demeanor could not conceal his chivalrous and tender heart. Resourceful, rebellious and utterly naive, Nicholaa vowed to bend Royce to her will, despite the whirlwind of feelings he aroused in her. Ferocious in battle, seasoned in passion, Royce was surprised by the depth of his emotion whenever he caressed his charming bride.

In a climate of utmost treachery, where Saxons still intrigued against their Norman invaders, Royce and Nicholaa revelled in their precious new love...a fervent bond soon to be disrupted by the call of blood, kin and country!

Ames: Let me ask you something, Chantal - how is it that you've never read Julie Garwood before and why did you decide to start reading her now?

Chantal: I'm not sure why I have not read her before. She was always on my to do list, as I have her books in my TBR. I just never picked them up, is all.
I finally decided to read one of them after I looked around to see who was most popular for that genre. Garwood is loved by many of the bloggers I like and trust, so thats why I decided to go ahead and read one by her :-)

Ames: Good stuff! Garwood's For the Roses was my introduction to the romance genre way back in 8th grade. LOL So her historicals will always have a place on my bookshelf. :P

Now Royce and Nicholaa. Aren't they just awesome? I really like Nicholaa. First of all, she defended her keep by her self and then she knocks Royce off his horse. hehe I also like how the whole time Royce is taking her to London, she keeps fighting him. She doesn't just let him walk all over her. And there's one funny part in particular, when they finally get to London, when she tries to trip Royce. I really liked how she never gave up.


Chantal: Oh yes, I know! And when he is giving her one of his lectures, and she is thinking about what needs to be done around the keep. LOL. I love it. I could picture it so well in my mind. I could see her sitting there cleaning her nails while Royce walks back and forth with his hands behind his back saying "blah blah blah...." Mind you, she was not cleaning her nails in teh story. Thats was just the spin I put on it in my mind :)

Royce is so romantic. Making her a new black queen for the chess board was so sweet of him.

For me, the best thing about Royce was how patient he was when it came to them consummating the marriage. He didn't pressure her into having sex right away. He waited till he was sure she was ready.

Ames: But oh man, when he tells her "Your hands will be healed in two days." I was like, oh yeah baby, light my fire!! LOL

I love when Nicholaa daydreams when she's getting lectured. Nicholaa and Royce just fit so well. I like how Royce doesn't enjoy the fact that Nicholaa is listening to him. haha And he's too sweet for making another chess piece.


Chantal: Nicholaa sure is a hand full. Royce needs someone like her to keep him on his toes though.

My favourite parts is when that guy threw the original chess piece into the fire and when Royce saw his wife's face, he threw whatshisname right threw the wall! Nicholaa's reactions was awesome...

"We have a lovely breeze now, husband. Thank you."

He nodded, passed her, then suddenly stopped. He turned around. "What did you just say?"

"I thanked you for the window."
How can you not love a man who would throw someone through a wall for you :)

Ames: I know!! And remember when Nicholaa was shot with the arrow? Aawww - just his reaction to that too. I love protective guys like Royce.

So, are you going to read another classic Julie Garwood and which one is it going to be? LOL


Chantal: I sure am! This one was awesome. An A.

Which book should I read? They are all supposed to be really good, right?

Ames: Ok Breezing Through readers - leave a comment and tell us which Julie Garwood Chantal should read next and why. For myself, I can't decide because I love most of them. *sigh* Decisions, decisions. LOL

18 comments:

Kris said...

Don't feel too bad, Chantal. I have never read a historical JG. I have read her contemporaries though. But she has a daunting backlist and i was not sure where to start. I think I have this one, I will check and maybe start with this one.

Anne said...

I just read JG historicals for the first time last year. I devoured them all. The Bride is awesome! The one with The MacBain... title eludes me right now. Dude, I love The MacBain. Sigh. I feel a reread coming on....

Congrats for discovering a masterpiece, Chantal! Look at all the pretty treasures for you to read. hee!

Anonymous said...

I'm a lurker and I don't usually comment, but Julie Garwood is one of my very favorite authors, so I felt I had to chime in. I'd recommend reading Honor's Splendour. It's one of my all time favorite reads. After that would be The Secret and Ransom (read those two in that order, they're connected)

I'm jealous of someone who gets to discover these books for the first time! I think I'll go reread my copies now...

Holly said...

OMG! Chantal, how can you never have read a JG before? And Kris, you too? I'm so sad for you.. LOL You need to get moving on them.

Anne, that's Saving Grace. Such a wonderful book.

I think my favorite part about this story is that Nicholaa changes for Royce. She decides to become exactly what he wants her to be, and then he hates it and wants the old her back. Aww, I love that. :P

I feel the need to re-read coming on...*Sigh*

~ames~ said...

Kris-Daunting backlist or no, just start somewhere! LOL Go for the older stuff first. :P

Anne-That's exactly how I feel, like I need to reread all of those historicals. At least I know I'll be reading good stuff.

Anon-Thanks for delurking!! I looove Ransom and the Secret. Did you read Julie's latest historical?

Holly-That's one of my fave parts too. When he realizes that she's only doing what he asked and he absolutely hates it. He wants his fiery lass back. haha

Isabel said...

I love when he makes her the black queen chess piece. I haven't read this book in forever.

My favorite JG books is The Wedding. It's a sequel though.

Ana said...

You brought back some nice memories. I love this book.

I just read over the weekend, The Lion's Lady and it is very good (and teh funny)

KT Grant said...

WAAAA... this made me miss the good old days of JG historicals. I feel a re-read coming on! :D

Anonymous said...

I'm with Katie - I miss her older historicals!

Hmmm... I would have to add a vote for Saving Grace and The Secret.

Toni Anderson said...

I love that book :) And I also prefer her older historicals to her contemporaries.

CindyS said...

Wasn't this story just great! Thanks for reminding me of it and 'checkmate'. Absolutely loved it!

The Secret is another favourite - I mean I love almost all her historicals with Honor's Splendor way up there but The Secret had a similar feel to it.

The Bride - fantastic. I'm pretty sure this was the one where the hero told the heroine he didn't have time to do something so she took a battleaxe and did it herself. I couldn't stop laughing.

Chantal - I think since you loved this one you won't go wrong with any picks (although I didn't love For The Roses or Prince Charming I think it was called)

CindyS

~ames~ said...

Isabel-I think the Wedding was my second JG. :P

Ana-I always get a laugh out of that one. Especially when Lyon waves to people on the street from Christina's doorway. LOL

Katie, Li and Toni-I used to reread JG's historicals all the time. But it has been a while, so there's definitely a reread-a-thon in my future.

Cindy-I didn't really care for Prince Charming either.

Rowena said...

I so love this book...I love Justin most in this whole book, the way he turned his life around and how he thanked Royce for basically not giving up on him.

*sigh*

That scene at the end before Justin goes to compete in the tournament was just too touching and I loved it so much!

I enjoyed reading you guys review on this! Great job guys!

Chantal, I can't wait to read more of your reading adventure through the JG books.

Shannon said...

omg! Prince Charming and Saving Grace! I SO need to do a reread.

Anonymous said...

Omg, I love JG historicals! I got to read all her books from the Library and am now going back to collect them...nearly there and I can't wait. =) Cind and Ames, Prince Charming was a bleh for me. But I love 'The Bride', it was my first read by her and she got me hooked. Oooh, re-read time. Lol

Anonymous said...

Oops, sorry, Cindy, I forgot the 'y' when I mentioned your name.

Joanna Remaneses said...

Wow. The 'conversation' between Ames and Chantal was cute. It brought back memories from THE PRIZE. It's the only historical Julie Garwood that I have. I just actually found it in one of the not-so-nice places in our dormitory. When I saw it and read the name of the owner (who has graduated two years ago), I thought, "What the heck is this oh-so-lovely book doing in this awful place?" Since it has been there for more than two years, I decided to keep it for myself, since I so love the historicals of Julie Garwood.

My favorites are: THE GIFT, THE WEDDING, HONOR'S SPLENDOUR...
I also love THE LION'S LADY, THE PRIZE, THE SECRET, THE BRIDE, CASTLES, and GUARDIAN ANGEL.
Hope you enjoy them, too!

Netherland said...

I must admit that every one of Ms. Garwood's books are wonderful and this one is no exception. You are swept back into the time of William the Conqueror where you meet the brave and competent Saxon beauty, Nicholaa and the strong and noble Norman knight, Royce. Sparks fly between these two from page one. In fact, Nicholaa knocks Royce off his feet . . . literally! With the aid of her trusty sling and a carefully dispatched stone, she drops her "Goliath" where he stands. His heart follows not long after.