Title: The Prize

Author: Debra Doggett

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Genre: Fantasy Paranormal Faery Rose

Length: 240 Pages Spicy

ISBN 1-60154-309-3

Blurb:

Stellan was the last thing Cardis expected to deal with when she fled her home on Adena to avoid another unwanted challenge. Safely stowed away on her father’s freighter, she thought she’d escaped those who wished to invoke Adena’s ancient tradition of the Virgin challenge and attempt to win her in marriage. Now she find herself in the hands of the most unlikely challenger of all. And in spite of all her resolve never to be trapped into marriage, trying to keep herself from melting when Stellan’s hands touch her may be the hardest challenge Cardis has ever faced.

Review:

Debra Doggett is a terrible tease.

In her tantalising space fantasy “The Prize,” Cardis flees her home planet to escape another unwanted challenge for her virginity.  The man who seduces her will gain her wealth and status, but Cardis dreams of being more than a stay at home wife.  She dreams of the stars.  When her ship crashes on the hostile, primitive world of Edaria, the last person she expects to meet is Stellan, a barbarian whose dreams echo her own.  In him, Cardis faces the most unexpected challenge of all.

No “prizes” for guessing what happened between Stellan and Cardis, but it‘s how they get there that‘s the fun part.  Debra Doggett teases out the plot to the final page, mirroring the couples extended foreplay, before delivering a satisfying climax for both the reader and her golden-eyed heroine.  It’s a master class in keeping the reader hooked until the very last paragraph.

Warm, likeably flawed characters and a strong, unusual plot are a winning combination that make “The Prize” a novel to savour.

Reviewed by Joanne Hall

WRDF Review