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The Bride Price
PAPERBACK
466 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
9 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Karen Jones Delk
2 books9 followersTwo of my novels, Emerald Queen and The Bride Price, are currently available online. I have also written four historical romances for Harlequin Historicals, under the name Kate Kingsley: Ransom of the Heart, Season of Storms, The River Sprite and The Scout's Bride.
With my husband of 40 years, I have begun to split my time between Northern California and the Texas Gulf Coast and am re-learning how to write on the fly.
With my husband of 40 years, I have begun to split my time between Northern California and the Texas Gulf Coast and am re-learning how to write on the fly.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 12, 2015
Warning to potential readers - don't assume this is your run of the mill old-skool bodice ripper. Yes, the heroine is kidnapped and sold into slavery, but for reasons she's able to keep her virtue, so there's not all that rapey stuff one finds in most of the older harem/slave books from back in the day.
Hooray, some of you might say, but I'm going to have to burst that bubble, because unfortunately nothing else happens except our merry band of captives and captors do nothing for 95% of the book except travel across the desert, set up camp each night in a different place, cook, drink coffee, sleep, break up came the next morning and start all over again. Over and over and over and over and over and over again. Then towards the end there's a hint of maybe some romance, but by that time the reader is so numb from boredom one doesn't care anymore, plus there really isn't any real chemistry between the H and h. The sex scenes are pretty tame too, so don't pick this one up expecting sexed up wallpaper.
I do give the author credit and the extra star for taking the time and effort to research 19C Arabia, but she just wasn't able to bring the era and settings to life for me. YMMV.
Hooray, some of you might say, but I'm going to have to burst that bubble, because unfortunately nothing else happens except our merry band of captives and captors do nothing for 95% of the book except travel across the desert, set up camp each night in a different place, cook, drink coffee, sleep, break up came the next morning and start all over again. Over and over and over and over and over and over again. Then towards the end there's a hint of maybe some romance, but by that time the reader is so numb from boredom one doesn't care anymore, plus there really isn't any real chemistry between the H and h. The sex scenes are pretty tame too, so don't pick this one up expecting sexed up wallpaper.
I do give the author credit and the extra star for taking the time and effort to research 19C Arabia, but she just wasn't able to bring the era and settings to life for me. YMMV.
March 7, 2017
1.5 Stars
American Bryna O'Toole gets kidnapped by slavers and eventually ends up owned by a Bedouin tribe ruled by Sharif Al Selim. Bryna's father and her fake fiance are in pursuit. The ensuing journey and hardships help the fake fiance have a change of heart. Too bad this happens off-screen as it sounds like it would have been potentially interesting to see the selfish young man become a thoughtful and caring person.
As another reviewer has already pointed out, about 80% of this story is nothing but one long road trip from Louisiana to Saudi Arabia and points in-between. If you enjoy reading travelogues then you would probably enjoy this. If you picked up this book expecting a historical romance, you're not gonna get it. It takes about a third of the book before Bryna and Sharif ever meet. Even then, because Bryna is 'owned' by another man, Sharif cannot be in her company. He pops up once in awhile to give Bryna longing looks; otherwise he's barely in this book. This is all Bryna's Story, with the places she sees and the people she meets. Sharif is just a footnote.
American Bryna O'Toole gets kidnapped by slavers and eventually ends up owned by a Bedouin tribe ruled by Sharif Al Selim. Bryna's father and her fake fiance are in pursuit. The ensuing journey and hardships help the fake fiance have a change of heart. Too bad this happens off-screen as it sounds like it would have been potentially interesting to see the selfish young man become a thoughtful and caring person.
As another reviewer has already pointed out, about 80% of this story is nothing but one long road trip from Louisiana to Saudi Arabia and points in-between. If you enjoy reading travelogues then you would probably enjoy this. If you picked up this book expecting a historical romance, you're not gonna get it. It takes about a third of the book before Bryna and Sharif ever meet. Even then, because Bryna is 'owned' by another man, Sharif cannot be in her company. He pops up once in awhile to give Bryna longing looks; otherwise he's barely in this book. This is all Bryna's Story, with the places she sees and the people she meets. Sharif is just a footnote.
January 26, 2010
This book was so good I didn't want it to end.
Since there is no description of the book listed here I will give a brief one:
Bryna is an American who was raised in an convent/orphanage in Lousiana because her mother died and her father lives in the middle east and cannot raise her alone. Her father sends for her to live with him in Moracco when she is grown. On the ship she meets a Lt. in the British army and Bryna thinks she falls in love with him but really he is just using her for a distraction on the ship. When they arrive in Moracco the Lt. discovers she is the daughter of a wealthy merchant and tries to court her.
But Bryna's father has enemies who discover she is in Morocco and they kidnap her and sell her to an Arab slave trader who sells her to a "marriage broker". She is bought by Nassar Al Selim, an bedouin who brings her and another european girl to his home to be wed to him. But his uncle Sharif Al Selim, the Shiek of the Selim tribe, eventually falls in love with Bryna himself.
Meanwhile, Bryna's father Blain and the Lt. from the ship are searching Arabia for Bryna.
This book was so well written for a romance novel. The characters and the plot are great and so believable. The main love story between Bryna and Sharif will break your heart. This book will giv eyou "that feeling" that good books do!
Since there is no description of the book listed here I will give a brief one:
Bryna is an American who was raised in an convent/orphanage in Lousiana because her mother died and her father lives in the middle east and cannot raise her alone. Her father sends for her to live with him in Moracco when she is grown. On the ship she meets a Lt. in the British army and Bryna thinks she falls in love with him but really he is just using her for a distraction on the ship. When they arrive in Moracco the Lt. discovers she is the daughter of a wealthy merchant and tries to court her.
But Bryna's father has enemies who discover she is in Morocco and they kidnap her and sell her to an Arab slave trader who sells her to a "marriage broker". She is bought by Nassar Al Selim, an bedouin who brings her and another european girl to his home to be wed to him. But his uncle Sharif Al Selim, the Shiek of the Selim tribe, eventually falls in love with Bryna himself.
Meanwhile, Bryna's father Blain and the Lt. from the ship are searching Arabia for Bryna.
This book was so well written for a romance novel. The characters and the plot are great and so believable. The main love story between Bryna and Sharif will break your heart. This book will giv eyou "that feeling" that good books do!
May 11, 2015
Could have been a good book
Disappointed with this attempt at a romantic tale....It was so boring at times throughout I almost didn't finish reading the entire book. It is a great plot but incredibly boring as written. I forced myself to plow through the first several chapters. It was dry and at times pointless. There was a lot of good material to work with here. Possibly a good editor may have made the difference. I wouldn't recommend this book...It will put you to sleep.
Disappointed with this attempt at a romantic tale....It was so boring at times throughout I almost didn't finish reading the entire book. It is a great plot but incredibly boring as written. I forced myself to plow through the first several chapters. It was dry and at times pointless. There was a lot of good material to work with here. Possibly a good editor may have made the difference. I wouldn't recommend this book...It will put you to sleep.
July 3, 2017
This is a pretty miserable book. In this day and age and in the western world it's hard to understand the culture of many wives and selling women as slaves. Women having no rights and being bartered as the men see fit.
It's pretty depressing, it gets more interesting around 70%ish.
It's pretty depressing, it gets more interesting around 70%ish.
September 22, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it's not my normal genre. An Arabian knight type of historical romance where she is abducted from her father's home and sold as a slave. He is the Sheikh of the tribe where she eventually goes to. Unbeknown to her from the first time he saw her he had started to fall in love but she belonged to another. It does take a while for they love to blossom but at the end they belong together.
October 9, 2016
Very interesting book. Not only does it tell a lot of historical (accurate sounding) information it also depicts quite believable how someone stranded in a foreign and scary situation might fall in love with someone over time. (And I do not mean two days like in some romance books). I also liked the idea of how the guy is struggling with his honour and what might be doing the right thing.
October 15, 2013
I loved the setting - both place and time - for this book but there were times that the author's attention to cultural detail overwhelmed the characters' story so that I couldn't quite lose myself. I enjoyed the book overall very much.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews