Customer Reviews

Promise of the Rose

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I recently read this book because someone from Romantic Times Reader Message Board recommended it and because it had Scotland (which is my favorite romance subject) in the plot.

I read the book "The Conqueror" years ago (when it first came out) and I just discovered while reading this one that it is the pre-quel to this one. The book starts out as Stephan is a young child being fostered by (more like political hostage) the King of England while he is there he meets 3 other individuals 1st being Duncan, a young boy (who's father is the King of Scotland) is also being held. 2nd being Prince Rufus (who will later become King) and Rufus has a like of men, 3rd being Prince Henry who is brother to Rufus and of course, resents his older brother.

Stephen while traveling home is wounded and his men rest in a forest, our heroine Mary (Princess of Scotland) is in disguise and on her way to meet her betrothed for a tryst. She is captured and brought to Stephen he asks her repeatedly who she is because even though she is in disguise he know she must be a noblewoman. His Lust for her overcomes his rational behavior and he beds her... of course this back fires on him. He is already betrothed to someone else (a marriage approved and selected by the King himself)the King HATES Mary's father (the King of Scotland) and her father HATES (with a passion) King Rufus. This sends the story into some very interesting political turmoil at court which includes Stephen's father "Rolfe" in the story.

The story was long but I could not put it down. Mary is stubborn and very young (which was a norm for the writing style for when this book was written) she does some stupid things in the course of her relationship with Stephen. She is torn between her naive perception of her Father, her loyalty to Scotland, her growing LUST/LOVE for Stephen and last but not least her own head strong ways.

Stephen is no better, he has issues with the King that he never shares with anyone (accept the readers.. if you get what I mean), doesn't trust Mary-exiles her, hits her (although only once), has sexual relations outside of their marriage and goes to war on her family (Kings orders). Geoffrey is Stephen's brother he has a pivotal part in this book too, and I actually found his part more exciting and interesting. He is sexy, virile and sounds gorgeous like his father Rolfe.. but Geoffrey is to be a priest, in fact he is already in the order so you can imagine his story would be a bit more fascinating to watch. His struggle with Religion and his bodies natural "urges" LOL
You also get to see Ceidre, from "The Conqueror", Stephens mother again as well as her and Rolfe's other children.

Brenda Joyce always does a Outstanding job at keeping her history 90% accurate and when she strays she has a disclosure at the end of the book. Book does show "Rufus the Red" in a strange and sort of pathetic light. I couldn't figure out if I liked Henry or not there were times when he seemed okay and others were you weren't for certain whose interest he was taking care of.

This book has political espionage, incest, murder attempts, homosexuality, the church vs. the crown, betrayal (or was it?) a satisfying read for anyone who likes books and storylines from this time span and written in the 80's. I must also recommend over this one {KINGDOM OF DREAMS} written by Judith McKnaught pretty much almost the same identical story lines but in my opinion more of a fulfilling read... and yes JM's was written first.

Respectfully Reviewed

The only thing I disliked about this book was that I couldn't put it down. I found myself reading it during every available second of every day even burning supper so I could finish a page! Lately, most stories can't hold my interest longer than the first few pages because their plots are too predictable or there is no chemistry between the characters or it is too unbelievable. Ms. Joyce has no problems creating chemistry and her characters feel real. I won't get into the storyline or what I liked about each character; read the book, you'll see what I'm talking about!

WHEN MARY, PRINCESS OF SCOTLAND, IS CAPTURED IN HER DISGUISE AS A PEASANT AND DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF HER FATHERS WORST ENEMY STEPHEN DE WARENNE, SHE HAS NO IDEA THE TURN HER LIFE WILL TAKE. WHEN HE COMMANDS TO KNOW HER TRUE IDENTITY, AND SHE OPENLY DEFIES HIM AND FORFEITS HER VIRGINITY. LATER STEPHEN IS STUNNED WHEN HE FINDS OUT HER IDENTITY AND KNOWS THIS COULD MEAN WAR SO HE INSISTS ON MARRYING HER. HER FATHER AGREES ONLY SO SHE CAN SPY ON HIS ENEMY AND PLAN DE WARRENE'S DEFEAT. BUT MARY IS FALLING FOR HER HUSBAND AND ENEMY AND REFUSES TO SPY AND BREAK HER VOWS. BUT A SERIES OF ALMOST BETRAYAL'S AND LACK OF COMMUNICATION ALMOST DESTROY THEM BOTH. THIS BOOK IS THE SEQUAL TO "THE CONQUEROR". STEPHEN IS THE FIRST BORN OF ROLF AND CEIDRE. I LOVE BOOKS THAT BRING PAST CHARACTERS BACK. I HAVE READ THIS BOOK SEVERAL TIMES AND LOOK FORWARD TO IT AGAIN!!! A REAL PAGE TURNER!!!

Stephan and Mary are from two very powerful families. When they meet for the "first time" it's lust at first sight with a capital "L". Their love scenes have your palms sweating like you are there! Mary hides her true identity when Stephan captures her. When Stephan finds out who Mary really is... their marry. Although she balks and fights him at every turn she can't deny the expolisve love she has had for him for a very long time. The love story between Stephen and Mary is amazing and combustible! Through betrayal, deceit, lies, adultery and more, they manage to survive it all! This book is a keeper. I have read it numerous times and never become bored.

There is only one thing wrong with this book. Well, maybe two. The first is the hero's name is the exact same as my ex-husband's. The second is that I have had to buy 3 copies of this book because pages fall out in crucial scenes around 350-425 page area. So if you're hard on books, you may consider buying 2. Stephen is absolutely magnificent, BUT, he more than meets his match in Mary. The King of Scotland's favorite, but wayward daughter. She is extremely intellligent, cunning and brave as her soon to be husband. In a time when loss of virtue usually meant a lifetime in a convent, Mary risks everything precious to her to keep Stephen from finding out her true identity after she sneaks off to tryst with her Scots betrothed. Stephen is utterly ruthless, but amazingly seductive. He has exceptional honor and a dark secret he hides from his father Rolfe de Warrene, the hero of the book, The Conqueror. Rolfe's character more than makes it worth it to buy the Conqueror. Rolfe is so sexually magnetic, he passes it on to his three sons. One thing I would truly love to see Ms. Joyce do is a book on Geoffrey, Stephen's brother, who is Rolfe reborn, only better. The side plot with Geoffrey is tantalizing in that you want him not to become a fully ordained priest. At the end of the book, he has taken his vow of chasity required to become the Bishop of Ely, but he suffers greatly because he is every bit as virile as Rolfe, Stephen or brother Brand. But back to Stephen and Mary. Mary does indeed battle with Stephen to the point of both of them losing all care that Stephen believed Mary a spy and demanded her identity or her virtue. I love Mary's intelligence, passion and spirit. As well as her loyalty, which in the end goes to the right person. Stephen's hatred of the King, and wariness of Prince Henry, causes him to doubt everybody and everything. In one case, Mary does betray him, but after that she has to battle to regain his trust, and he doesn't give it lightly. The fact that Mary is finally proven innocent and trustworthy to him, I feel finally softens him to give his complete heart and most precious of gifts. A flawless, thornless, red rose, the symbol of his undying and unyielding love for Mary. There is also a book, The Hellion, I believe Beatrice Small wrote. It picks up with Henry, the brother to the perverted King Rufus the Red. Henry gains the throne he's coveted his entire life, after Rufus's murder while hunting. It too has a wonderfully strong female character, and a rather dull hero, but the book does carry on the line in history with a very powerfully sexual twist toward the end, when the heroine goes off to rescue her husband. Both books are worth buying, but I would start with The Conqueror, Then The Promise of the Rose, then The Hellion if you are a history buff like me.

This book was a true page turner I could not put it down. Mary and Stephen have to overcome some true misunderstandings and obstacles. Mary is devoted to her family, especially her father who is Stephen's enemy. Malcom, Mary's father wants his daughter to spy on her husband, that is one of the reasons Malcom agreed to this marriage. Mary is torn between her loyalties but makes the right decision in the end. This was my first book by Brenda, I can't wait to pick up another one especially "The conqueror" which is the story of Stephen's father Rolfe and his mother. I recommend to read these books in order and enjoy them!

This is the first Brenda Joyce book I ever read, I will definitely read more of her books. I stumbled upon it in a used book store and I am so glad I did. I have not even finished it yet and just wanted to let everyone who is a fan of romance know if you get the chance definitely read it.

I recently became a fan of de Warenne series, so I thought that this will give me a nice view of how it all started. I was also sold on so many stars here, but boy was I disappointed.
After the disturbing 50 pages, the first part of the book was pretty ok, but it just went downhill from there. I also hated the 'hero'. Knowing the regular de Warenne men characters, Stephen was very unlikable and not what I expected.

Another thing- I know that it was written back in the early 90s, but please, since when are incest, domestic abuse, child molestation, and rape considered to be romantic?!
Also, I did not really care about the historical background (although some readers might really be all over this), so I was skipping those long, long parts.

Great Book! Could not put it down, loved the historical references as well. Great characters, moving plot that keeps you riveted. I haven't read a Brenda Joyce Novel that I did not like, but this one was particularly moving. There were times when I wanted to kill Stephen,but that's what makes her books so special.

Promise of the Rose, was the first book that captivated all of my emotions. It made me feel like I was Mary. I have read this book 4 times, and all 4 times it just seemed like the fist time I read it. At first, I was a little upset because of Mary's insistance on not telling Stephan who she was. But then, I just put myself in Mary's shoes and suffered with her, cried and felt joy when she did. The love between them just captivated my heart.