The Prize [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Julie Garwood (Author), Anne Flosnik (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2009

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!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julie Garwood is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Sizzle, Fire and Ice, Shadow Music, Shadow Dance, and Slow Burn. She lives near Kansas City.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Chapter One

Baron Royce had left his mount to pull one of his soldiers out of the moat surrounding the holding. The foolish soldier had lost his footing and fallen head first into the deep water. Because of his heavy armor, he couldn't catch his balance and was sinking to the bottom. Royce reached down with one hand, caught hold of a booted foot, and lifted the young soldier out of the murky depths. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the vassal onto the grassy bank. The racking coughs coming from the lad had told Royce he didn't need further assistance. The boy was still breathing. Royce had paused to remove his own helmet, and was just wiping the sweat from his brow when the stone had found its mark.

Royce was thrown backwards. He landed a fair distance away from his stallion. He didn't sleep long. Dust still clouded the air around him when he opened his eyes. His soldiers were running toward him to offer assistance.

He declined their help. He sat up, shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the pain and fog that confused him. For a minute or two, he couldn't even remember where the hell he was. Blood trickled from a cut high on his forehead, above his right eye. He prodded around the edges of the injury and only then realized a fair chunk of flesh had been torn away.

He still didn't understand what had hit him. From the size of the jagged wound, he knew an arrow couldn't have done the damage. But damn it all, his head seemed to be on fire.

Royce pushed his pain aside and concentrated on standing up. Fury came to his aid. By God, he would find the bastard who'd done this to him and give him equal measure.

That thought cheered him considerably.

His squire stood holding the reins of his mount. Royce swung himself up into the saddle and turned his attention to the top of the wall that surrounded the holding. Had his enemy aimed at him from that spot? The distance was too great for him to see even a glimpse of a threat.

He put his helmet back on.

Looking around, he saw that in the ten or fifteen minutes that had passed since he'd taken the blow, his soldiers had seemingly forgotten everything he'd taught them.

Ingelram, his temporary second-in-command, had the full contingent of men fighting in a unit near the south side of the fortress. Arrows rained down on them from the top of the wall, making advance impossible.

Royce was appalled by their ineptness. The soldiers held their shields up above their heads to ward off the arrows, and they were fighting a defensive battle again. They were in the exact position he'd found them in when he'd joined them for this nuisance duty this morning.

Royce let out a long sigh, then took command again.

He immediately changed tactics to prevent them from losing the ground they'd already secured. He pulled ten of his most reliable soldiers away from the wall and went with them to the small rise above the holding. With one of his own arrows he killed a Saxon soldier who was standing on top of the wall before his men had even had time to secure their own sightings. Then he allowed them to take over the task. In little time at all, the Saxon walls were once again unprotected.

Five of Royce's men climbed the walls and cut the ropes to the bridge, lowering it. God help him, he'd actually had to remind one of the eager volunteers to take his sword with him.

Royce rode first across the wooden planks of the drawbridge, his sword drawn, though there really wasn't any need. Both the lower bailey and the upper one were completely deserted.

They made a thorough search of the huts and outer buildings and discovered not a single Saxon soldier. It became clear to Royce that the enemy had left their holding by a secret passage. Royce ordered half his men to search the walls for such an opening. He would seal it the minute they located it.

The Normans secured the holding in William's name a few minutes later when they hoisted the duke of Normandy's banner, displaying his magnificent colors, onto the pole atop the wall. The castle now belonged to the Normans.

Yet Royce had completed only half of his duties. He still had to collect the prize and take her to London.

Aye, it was time to capture Lady Nicholaa.

A search of the living quarters of the keep produced a handful of servants, who were dragged outside and pushed into a tight circle in the courtyard.

Ingelram, as tall as Royce was, though he lacked the bulk and battle scars, held one Saxon servant by the back of his tunic. The servant was an elderly man with thin, graying hair and puckered skin.

Royce hadn't had time to dismount before Ingelram blurted out, "This one's the steward, Baron. His name's Hacon. He's the one who told Gregory all about the family."

"I didn't talk to any Normans," Hacon protested. "I don't even know anyone named Gregory. God strike me dead if that ain't the truth," he added boldly.

The "faithful" servant was lying, and he was feeling quite proud of himself for possessing such courage in the face of dire circumstances. The old man still hadn't looked up at the Norman leader, though, but kept his attention on the overly eager blond knight who was trying to tear his tunic off his back.

"Aye, you did talk to Gregory," Ingelram countered. "He was the first knight to take on the challenge of securing this holding and capturing the prize. It won't do you any good to lie, old man."

"He be the one who left with the arrow in his backside?" Hacon asked.

Copyright © 1991 by Julie Garwood --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD Lib Ed; Library edition (December 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441812075
• ISBN-13: 978-1441812070
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,170,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( G ) > Garwood, Julie

More About the Author

Julie Garwood is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Fire and Ice, Shadow Music, Shadow Dance, Murder List, Killjoy, Mercy, Heartbreaker, Ransom, and Come the Spring. There are more than thirty-six million copies of her books in print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous, Amazing, Wonderful, Stupendous, Divine..., December 22, 2004

By 

Brandi & Chrissy (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Prize (Mass Market Paperback)

GREATEST BOOK EVER!!

Ok for real, this has got to be the best historical I have ever read!! I should warn you now; this is going to be a long review!
Ok let's get the description of the story out of the way so I can tell you how much I loved this book!
The year is 1066 and the Norman's are taking over the Saxon's. Well
Nicholaa (what a cool name!) did not like that at all, since she is a Saxon and she has had to defend her home to Norman's trying to take it over. She defeats a couple of the invaders but the last one she could not. The king has ordered Baron Royce to bring the woman that had defended her home so well against his vassals. She was going to be The Prize for the lucky knight who won the battle for her. The King was allowing his knights to compete for her hand in marriage. But, Nicholaa ruined it for the knights when she saved the Queens niece. So the king changed his mind and allowed Nicholaa to choose from any of the single knights. So, of course since she had already spent a week or so with Royce she choose him because she saw that he was patient and seemed nice enough. They get married and then the fun begins!!
Nicholaa is funny. Almost all of Julie Garwood's females are strong and Nicholaa is no exception. During the initial invasion on her home she hit Royce with a rock from her sling. Then during the week they were traveling to London to meet with the king so that she could be married off she gave him hell. Julie Garwood does not go into great length with that week but what you get is very funny. Nicholaa is very protective of her family and when she marries Royce she decides to make the best out of it. She wants a happy home because she knew what it was like to have one because of her parents. She is faced with some hard situations but handles them very well. She is very cunning and smart. She is also a little stubborn but then so is Royce. She really wants to make Royce happy so she decides to be the type of wife he wants and totally changes, this did not upset me at all because you see how much Royce hates it and how he feels guilty about it because he was the cause of the change.
So on to Royce...........OH MY GOODNESS!! This character is great! He is a very well respected Baron and is known for his training of great warriors. He has a list of soldiers waiting to be trained by him. He is feared my many, but the man has a gentle and kind heart when it comes to Nicholaa and I absolutely loved that! He always wanted her to be happy and of course he was not a push over. He stood his ground when he thought it was important. He tries to come off arrogant and when it comes to his soldiers he is because his men are the best, but in other things he is reasonable. I did not get mad at him once. He is a bit insecure. He has a scar on his face, he is very tall and wide, normally women were afraid of him. But she doesn't see that, she only sees the silver flecks in his eyes. He can not understand why she loves him but he is very happy about it. Sweetness odometer (rate 1-10). He misted up when she tells him she loves him. He was so full of joy, I give that a freakin 20! Royce thinks that Nicholaa is very pretty but what he really likes is the fact that she is smart. He is more concerned about her mind then about her appearance. All
I have to say is pages 235-236 MY FAVORITE PART OF THE BOOK!! It shows the kind of man that he is which is a good one. He has an evil sense of humor and I loved it. Before you think I am crazy let me explain. Nicholaa wanted to get him drunk and he realized it and got her drunk then in the morning she had a hang over and he messed with her by shouting, slamming doors and having food sent to her. It is something I can respect and laugh about because it is something I would do and have had done to me. Come on you are trying to tell me you have never messed with some one when they have had a hangover? If not, you should try it, freakin fun!! He is also an order freak!! He does not like surprises where as she loves them. He likes to "Instruct" her in the ways this marriage is going to work, which she says is lecturing and I would have to agree with her. It is funny though.
Ok so can you guess I loved this book?? What I really really liked about this book is the fact that he wanted to wait until he had her complete loyalty and honesty before he touched her. He also did not want her to be afraid of him at all. So they ended up waiting for a little over 2 weeks before they had their "Wedding night". This book really is a great story! Julie Garwood out did herself with this book. The writing flowed very well and I was never bored! I laughed and sighed and laughed some more and sighed a whole lot more because Royce was so great!! Have I mentioned that I liked Royce? Oh yeah, it is that long paragraph above this one. The characters in the story were great and fit so well together. I really did not want this book to end at all. I have said that before but I really did not want this one to end. It was a great historical and you see how he trains his man and I thought that was great of Julie Garwood to put that in.

Chrissy

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Garwood's best, March 16, 2002

By 

mirope "mirope" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Prize (Mass Market Paperback)

Julie Garwood is a master romance writer, and "The Prize" is one of her best. The lead characters are classic Garwood - a brave, naive heroine and a strong, patient hero. The genius of Garwood is that her heroines can be kind of flighty and ditzy and still be charming rather than annoying. Here, Garwood does a wonderful job of blending her plot in with the Norman invasion of England and the subsequent relationship between the Normans and the Saxons. The contest of wills between Niccola and Royce is hysterical - you will particularly enjoy Niccola's plot to confess all her wrongdoings.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty and delightful, December 17, 2005

By 

Michelle888 (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Prize (Mass Market Paperback)

In the year of 1066, England finally falls in the hands of the Normans under the command of William, the duke of Normandy. While many Saxons swear fealty to the new king, there are still those who resist, one of them being Lady Nicholaa, whose courage will become legendary in the king's court when she manages to resist capture by three of William's knights. But finally the king has had enough and sends in his most revered baron.

As soon as Royce secures Nicholaa's holding he immediately goes in search for the lady herself who has now become known as "The Prize". Intent on taking her back to William's court, what Royce never expected is to meet the first woman who will drive him to distraction and eventually capture his heart.

If there is one thing I have come to expect and love from a Julie Garwood novel, it is the quiet humor and likeable hero and heroine. THE PRIZE is certainly no exception. From the first couple of pages, I knew I was in for some entertaining reading, and couldn't wait for the romance between Royce and Nicholaa to blossom. Nicholaa is courageous and clever. I loved how she pretended to be a nun in the hope of escaping capture by the Normans. And reading about the guilt Royce suffered for the strong attraction he felt for the supposed "Sister Danielle" was quite delightful. And oh how Nicholaa managed to fool them all, albeit for a short period only. Sparks fly whenever those two are together. My favorite scene would probably be the part when Nicholaa was ordered by king William to choose any one from his favored barons to take as her husband. Checkmate it certainly was for Royce!

THE PRIZE is an entertaining and lighthearted read. You will enjoy the interaction between Royce and Nicholaa, and will adore him for his kindness and patience, not only with Nicholaa, but with her brothers and his men too.