The Warrior's Prize by Claire Delacroix

The Warrior's Prize (True Love Brides, #4)

by Claire Delacroix

The maiden was just another treasure to be won-until she stole his heart and changed his life forever.



Outraged that her beloved brother's soul is to be the Fae tithe to Hell, Elizabeth knows that she must save him. She is the only one in her family who can see the Fae, after all, and is already cursed by their king herself. Malcolm may have offered to replace his comrade out of honor, but Elizabeth knows who better deserves to live-and it is not the handsome rogue, Rafael, who is concerned with his own welfare alone. It should be easy to make a wager with a mercenary, especially as Elizabeth does not care about the cost to herself. To her surprise, though, Rafael proves to be the man who not only takes her dare, but banishes the Fae king's curse with kisses that turn her blood to fire. Could this hardened warrior, who appears to have no heart, be the destined love she has awaited?



At first glimpse, Rafael believes Elizabeth to be an angel sent to judge him-and he knows what her verdict will be. He has made choices in order to survive, and is not proud of them. But Elizabeth dares him to change, with an audacity that awakens a nobility of purpose that Rafael has forgotten he possessed. Can this bold maiden heal the wounds of his past? Can Rafael earn the right to grant her the life she deserves-and do so before the Fae king springs his trap, making Elizabeth his captive forever?

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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Oh, what a suspenseful tale we find in the Warrior’s Prize! Elizabeth is the last unwed sister of Alexander’s and takes place at Ravensmuir. The beginning of the story overlaps with the ending of The Frost Maiden’s Kiss, Malcolm’s story and we faced intense battles and dealings with the Fae. The overlap worked wonderfully. Elizabeth has always been able to see the Fae and has caught the Fae King’s eye who seeks to trap her forever.

Rafael is a mercenary who fought with Malcolm and the reason Malcolm found himself in trouble with the Fae. Elizabeth sets out to make Rafael surrender to the Fae, but finds herself smitten. Of course, she is young and fancies a life as a mercenary’s wife to be thrilling and exciting. Despite his attraction to Lady Elizabeth Rafael knows he cannot ask this of her.

I was not sure if Rafael would cause me to swoon as he did Elizabeth but swoon I did. He was a fierce warrior and soothing on the eye but I am not a wanderer and I wondered if he was honorable enough. Delacroix soon had me falling for him and I felt he was perfectly suited for Elizabeth.

Impossible love and the devious Fae had me completely caught up in the tale. I wanted my HEA and anxious to see how it would all play out. This had me listening into the wee hours of the night and looking for excuses to grab my earbuds. In The Warrior’s Prize Delacroix weaved in so many twists that I found myself holding my breath and yelling at the characters. I love when an author gets me so caught up in the story that the characters become real. Both Rafael and Elizabeth are strong, determined and stubborn characters. The two together created an electricity that you could actually feel. Finvarra, the Fae King was wicked and the perfect villain. I loved seeing previous characters and others from the fairy realm.

Saskia Maarleveld has been the narrator throughout the series and I absolutely loved listening to her. Even her male voices were soothing and not that hoarse tone we often hear from female narrators. I could easily identify who was speaking as she drew me into the story.

Copy provided by author. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 March, 2016: Finished reading
  • 2 March, 2016: Reviewed