Customer Reviews

Devil's Prize

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Kat Martin is one of my favorite authors. She always knows how to weave unique and heart quenching stories, that is why I have read a lot of her works. I have also enjoyed every single one of them except for this unfortunate one. As you have read in the above Editorial Review's, the plot does have potentials. The beginning of this book was actually 'pulling' and quite interesting. Damien was also an intriguing hero. Aside from his rakish reputation, he lived a dangerous life and has many secrets. I enjoyed the way he seduces Alexa. I love his charms and the way he carry himself. The heroine however was a bit too senseless to fully like. I mean, in the beginning, she was very likable. Alexa is a very beautiful heiress. Many nobleman doted on her yet she doesn't let that get to her head. She is spunky, rebellious and supposedly intelligent and witty. Hmmm... so i don't understand how and why she ended up doing the most oafish acts. The first time she manage to get herself and Damien in trouble, I actually slammed-SHUT the book. Mind you, I do like frustrating twisters but what she did was just totally dumb and OUT OF PLACE. I decided to give the book another try the next day. Who knows she might make up for that foolishness. YEA, RIGHT~! I agree with one reviewer here who said that Alexa definitely have no sense of the danger she puts herself and her husband in. I understand she is young and a bit impulsive but my gosh, how can someone simply blurt out a serious accusation about ones husband, someone who supposedly she was already half in love with. How can someone blab-out confidential informations and to a stranger, no less! Oh, of which I might add that she doesn't even have a proper proof or first hand knowledge of the informations and accusation she was blabbering about. Ugh. Perhaps Kat Martin wanted Alexa to sound naive and patriotic at the same time but I just can't comprehend how a girl who is supposedly well educated can exhibit a lack of power to absord the tiniest idea or impression such as SAFETY. If she can't trust her husband, how can she simply trust a complete stranger? I don't get it. This is the main reason why even in the end, I still wasn't convince that there is love between both of them. Even Damien's so called LOVE to Alexa was not credible enough to leave a lasting mark on me. Their strong physical attraction, their great sexual acts and perhaps even their dangerous adventure was what kept them both together. In my opinion, their relationship was base more on lust than love. If not for the interesting beginning, the French-English-SPY plot, Damien's character and the sexual tension, I would have rated this book a 2 stars.

NOTE: The prequel of this book is SWEET VENGEANCE. Story of Rayne and Jo, brother/sister-in-law of Alexa. They were pretty much involved all throughout this book that they have piqued my interest. Had I known this book has a prequel, I would have read it first. Yes, I haven't read S.V yet but I believe I will once I get a chance. This unfortunate experience with Devil's Prize definitely didn't discourage me from reading more of Kat Martin works. I still believe she is a gifted and a talented writer. To be honest, this book isn't too bad. But it's not up to Kat Martin's usual style and standard either. Well, try this one anyway... who knows, u might like it more than I have.

I really, really wanted to give Devil's Prize a 3 or higher. I was really anticipating reading Rayne's (Sweet Vengeance) sister's story. Alexandra/Alex/Alexa seemed very headstrong, if not intelligent in Sweet Vengeance. So, why when she gets her own story in Devil's Prize, does she act like a complete ninny?

The plot of this book is fueled by revenge. Damien Falon seeks Alexa out to avenge the death of his brother Peter. He believes that Peter's unrequited love for Alexa is what caused his death. After "winning" a night with Alexa, Damien compromises her, but he ends up married to her instead. Later on, Damien realizes that Alexa was not responsible for his brother's death, as he assumed, but by then he has laid a horrible ground for mistrust between his young bride and himself.

Alexa is impetuous in this book. Whether she is doing this to hide her grief at Peter's death or Ms. Martin is showing us through Alexa's actions how immature the heroine is, we may never know. I felt that Alexa's immaturity and mistrust is what caused Damien and she a lot of heartache and pain throughout the book.

We find out early that Alexa isn't responsible for Peter's death (although the "real" reason he died isn't revealed until the epilogue), and Damien tries to make amends. Still, she holds onto this mistrust, while claiming to fall in love with Damien. Her mistrust leads her to believe that her husband is a spy for the French, and, again, we see how her mistrust for Damien leads him into peril, danger, and harm. It seems like every time she struggled with her "love" for Damien, she ends up doing something stupid to contradict that.

I wanted the story of Alexa and Damien to work. There are some explosive and passionate love scenes in the book. But, I kept screaming in the back of my mind that Damien deserved better than Alexa!! And, when Alexa was getting herself into trouble, I kept praying that Rayne would appear to help her!!

Alexa does redeem herself toward the end of the book, but by then I was already so peeved at her, I didn't care. I only wish that Alexa had been more of a heroine instead of impulsive and immature. And if she hadn't betrayed Damien so many times, I would have believed she loved him.

Devil's Prize rates a 5 for Kat Martin; 4 for the sensuality, 5 for Damien, and Maybe a 1 for Alexa.

Alexa has no sense of the danger that she is getting herself and her husband into, with her constant questioning of his integrity and naive and untrained efforts to spy for the English. I finally couldn't take her anymore and dumped the book; give me a smarter heroine than this one every time! The sex is hot, but you probably already guessed that.

Damien, Lord Falon, is out for revenge. His target, Alexa Garrick, the beautiful heiress who destroyed his borther. He sets out to ruin her reputation only to end up marrying her. What follows is a tale of intrigue, seduction, and eventually love. Their adventure in matrimony takes them from Castle Falon to France in an adventure rife with spies and lies that weave a net around them, so much so that they cannot trust each other anymore. This is a beautiful story that will lift your heart and fill you with a sense of wishing that you were there with them. Do try this book, it is well worth your time.

Move over Rosemary Rogers, to me this was a Steve and Ginny story and very well done indeed. One of my all time favorite couples were the tortured Steve and Ginny. They loved each other deeply but managed to have difficulties with trust, but were so passionate when they were together. Damiena and Alexa were exactly the same. They really truly loved each other. Yes, of course it was lust at first. Often lust comes first and then the couple gets to know one another and lust becomes love. Damien went after Alexa for all the wrong reasons. But what was so remarkable is he forgave her right away when he realized he was just totally wrong about her. And he set out to make the best of things, which was difficult do to, with his history. He really had no business taking a wife, but he did and he really did love Alexa deeply. It showed over and over again because he was willing to forgive some of her actions, understanding so much about how it is difficult to trust. And it is so important to understand how young Alexa was. How is such a young person able to really understand spying for ones country and how impossible a life like that can be. She just went on instinct and honor and at first she had it all wrong about Damien. But when he finally was honest with her it was still a challenge to believe. But over and over again this couple would put themselves into peril for each other and it was just so romantic and real. I cannot say enough about this book. I love to find books like this that you can truly get into such an emotional roller coaster ride of a story with lots of passion. And this was five stars and more!! I guess if you want your characters totally black and white with no shades of grey then perhaps Damien and Alexa are not your couple but to me they were what romance novels are all about!!

I've read 7 of Martin's books...and this one is my absolute favorite! Damien is absolutely gorgeous (I'm sure from Martin's exquisite details) and Alexa is just wonderful! I have yet to read Gypsy Lord (my mom told me to save the best for last) but I'm looking very forward to it!

I have all Ms. Martin books but I don't think I will keep this one. It wasn't about love. However, my sister think that it interesting. Still, I couldn't made myself finish 'till the last pages.

Like many of the other reviews, I had a very hard time finishing this book (I put it down in disgust several times). I have read countless historical romance novels and this is the absolute worst "heroine" ever. I defend my passion for these kinds of books to my friends by telling them that romance novel heroines are independent, intelligent, strong, rational characters who rarely cower to men. Alexa is, at best, incredibly dim-witted and, at worst, the most disloyal, dishonest woman to date. She is sniveling and irrational, and falls victim to whatever any man in the book chooses to tell her. If this character wasn't so completely dithering and indecisive, I think we all could have been blessed with a book that was at least 100 pages shorter. Leave Alexa to join the women of THE BACHELOR series. I'm quite disappointed to think that this is how Kat Martin views women.

Admittedly, Kat Martin writes stories that are engrossing with fairy tale qualities, enmeshing her fascinating, gloriously attractive characters in intriguing, breathtaking adventures. This is such a book which has the leads experience romance and trials that are more than enough to satisfy an avid romance reader. My objection is the choice of her heroine who is beautiful and recklessly courageous on the one hand, but dense and emotionally puerile on the other.

Alexa notices Damien at a ball and is instantly drawn to him as he is vastly attractive with an appeal which most women easily succumb to. He is out to ruin Alexa as he considers her responsible for his brother's death. He believes her to be an overindulgent, superficial young woman who flirts with men as a way of confirming her charms and allure. Damien draws her to the gambling table where she loses a fortune to him. He can now blackmail her, but when he has the chance to ruin her, he proposes instead and takes her to his remote castle by the sea. Alexa is disillusioned to realize that her knight in shining armour wished to destroy rather than save her and is unable to endure a marriage founded on such shaky ground.

On getting better acquainted with his wife, Damien realizes that she had not intentionally set out to seduce his brother, but was flattered by his devotion, unaware of where this could lead as she was a naive seventeen year old and not an experienced woman of the world Damien had pictured. He tells his mother and his sister who have come to abuse Alexa, to go back where they came from, and from then on the couple live a life of love and bliss, at least for a time. Then Alexa begins to suspect that the rumours about him being a spy for the French may be true so she feels her loyalties divided and once again betrayed! This perpetration of "he loves me","No.He he had alterior motives for marrying me. He despises me." is frustrating and lasts till the last pages.

I don't wish to reveal too much of the story as the suspense was what propelled it, making the reading absorbing. However, Alexa's stupidity was beyond words as her constant dithering "is he a spy?" "Is he not?" "Should I betray him?" end them in more trouble than is likely for one story. Damien saves her on several occasions by risking his own life but she still feels betrayed and cheated. Her "Sniff. He married me for my money" snivelling attitude is aggravating. On the other hand Damien is tender, loving, protective, gentle, an amazing lover; what more could a woman want? I forgot to mention that he is intlligent, devastatingly attractive, fascinating...there's no end to the list. He paid a high price for her as all their tribulations are due to her lack of trust in the man she is supposed to love.

Perhaps the novel covered a vast range of issues from vengeance and betrayal, to spying and the war in France which might be detracting from the romance which I prefer more of. I enjoyed reading it despite its flaws as it is one of those classic romance novels which are getting harder and harder to find. A book that is well written with that escapist quality that realy takes you to "Never Never Land" and leaves you elated and content at the end. A grown up's fairy tale.

My problems with this book:
First, Alexa never trusted Damien. No matter what he did, no matter what he said, she kept thinking of him as a traitor. In the end, of course, he isn't a traitor and she can accept him without facing any dilemma at all. Perhaps it would be better if she would have to come to terms with the fact that he is a French spy. It would be more complex and more interesting, and Alex would have a chance to prove her love for Damien.
Second, Damien was brutally beaten - twice. Totally unnecessary.
Third, the fact that the Madame was watching them while they were kissing etc was just yucky:(
Well, apart from these points, Devil's prize was an enjoyable read whit a refreshing plot. Not so bad, but not great either.