The Velvet Promise (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jude Deveraux (Author) "THE MOON CAST LONG SHADOWS OVER THE OLD STONE tower which rose three stories high and seemed to scowl down, in a tired way, at..." (more)
Key Phrases: deadly voice, inner bailey, Lord Gavin, Lady Judith, John Bassett (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

All of England rejoiced on her wedding day. But Judith vowed that her husband would get only what he took from her!

At the flower-bedecked altar, the first touch of their hands ignited an all-consuming passion. Gavin Montgomery looked deep into her golden eyes and burned with desire for her...but his heart had been pledged to another.

Humiliated and alone in a strange castle, Judith resolved to hate this husband who took her body, but rejected her love...never admitting her fear of losing him.

But destiny held another fate for Judith...a fate that would keep at last...The Velvet Promise.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671739743
• ISBN-13: 978-0671739744
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,893 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a fantastic beginning to the Motgomery saga!, October 4, 1999

By A Customer

I have read The Velvet promise, Highland Velvet, Velvet Song,and Velvet Angel and had not one complaint with any of them! If you have read one you must read them all! Each book links to each other to explain the life, and love,of the four brothers.Velvet Angel wich I have just finished reading is the climactic ending to end all four books. Read them all you wont be let down!

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read; A Terrific Heroine; & A Very Flawed Hero & Plot, August 31, 2003

By	Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As my review title suggests, I did enjoy reading Jude Deveraux's "The Velvet Promise," primarily because I admire and appreciate her heroine Judith Revedoune Montgomery's character. Judith's qualities of intelligence, ingenuity, courage, inner strength, her loving, kind heart and unselfish nature make her truly admirable. Judith, however, is far from perfect. She has her flaws, as all people do. And these flaws, along with her many excellent traits, form a very believable young woman. I wish I could say that Ms. Deveraux is consistent in her character development, but she is not. The characters of her hero, Gavin Montgomery, and his lover, Alice Valence, are so flat they are almost caricatures. I found that these distorted, comic-book-like figures, intruded and impeded my enjoyment of the novel.

Wealthy heiress, Judith Revedoune, is forced by her brutal and abusive father to agree to marry Gavin Montgomery. Judith was raised to enter a convent and become a prioress; ruling lands, estates, villages, and knights. Her two elder brothers have recently died, and now she is the only heir. Her father desperately wants grandsons and the continuation of his bloodline. The Montgomery family is an old and noble one, dating back to the Norman conquest. The Montgomery brothers, led by Gavin, also offer protection from the Scots for the Revedoune borderlands.

Gavin Montgomery, at first glance, would seem all that a maid could ask for in a mate. Yes, he is a handsome hunk - aren't they all? He is intelligent, in the I.Q., "left side of the brain" sense of the word, knightly, of noble birth, bearing, and sensibilities, and has assumed responsibility for his entire family since his parents' deaths when he was sixteen years old. He is also wildly infatuated with the obviously sociopathic Alice Valence, and has been her lover, and blind to her fatal faults, for two years when the story begins. He believes that Alice was a virgin when they were first "together." Meanwhile, she had been sleeping around since her early teens. (Sorry for the cattiness - I got carried away by our hero's stupidity!). Anyway, Gavin is truly, madly, deeply, etc. He has proposed marriage many, many times and Alice has always put him off with excuses - which he always accepted. She desires social position and wealth, which Gavin does not have, but she also wants Gavin's undying and exclusive devotion. She finally tells him that her father has insisted she marry a wealthy earl, and persuades him not to go to her father and pay a handsome bride price for his own suite. No one, except a green boy would believe this nonsense, without the slightest suspicion. What we have here is a naive hero, with tunnel vision, who is a poor judge of character, and stubborn to the extreme.

Alice is a woman so obviously evil, and demented, that even though the Montgomery brothers warn Gavin about her, he remains oblivious. Alice is another cardboard character, whose flatness really unbalances the entire novel. The author has portrayed her without any redeeming characteristics whatsoever. There is no real background material to explain why she has developed into such a despicable wretch.

Our hero and heroine meet on their wedding day. Gavin is surprised by Judith's unusual beauty, and dignified manner. She is taken by Gavin's gallant behavior, and thinks there may be hope for her marriage. Then she witnesses Gavin kissing Alice, and declaring his undying love for her, in the garden during the wedding feast. Judith has a bit of a declaration of her own. She vows to Gavin that she will never give herself to him freely. Thus, with this auspicious event, we have the main storyline - which gets tiresome, in spite of a few interesting subplots that Ms. Deveraux has devised. She does attempt to redeem Gavin at the book's conclusion, but by this time, he has become such a cartoon figure that it is difficult to blame or forgive him.

I am also disappointed with Jude Deveraux's portrayal of historic figures and lack of adherence to historical detail. She shallowly depicts England's King Henry VII and his Queen Elizabeth as a loving, happy couple, which history disputes. They chat and gossip together like old chums, a veritable "Harry" & "Liz." Their anachronistic behavior was extremely distracting for me. There is little detail of court intrigues and politics, so very prevalent at this time - and at all times. After reading this novel, one is left with the idea that the English court had little to do except gossip about love affairs, and petty, personal intrigues.

I will attempt to read book two in the series. I liked what I read of Stephen Montgomery, Gavin's brother and the main character in "Highland Velvet." This was my first Jude Deveraux novel, and I must say that "The Velvet Promise" was a disappointment for me, and certainly not up to what I expected from this well-known author.
JANA

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Romance at its finest!, October 29, 2000

By	Tara A. Green (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

Jude Deveraux is a master in this genre. Gavin and Judith are characters you will remember for many years to come after you set done the book. I read a lot of romances, and if I remember their names some time later, I know the author has struck a cord with myself. Gavin is a handsome and strong man, the eldest of several brothers (read the rest of the series to find out what happens to them!) and he meets the beautiful Judith. Alice was a wonderful twist to the story, and I'm sure I wasn't alone in my frustration of Gavin's blindness to her faults. Jude Deveraux is becoming one of my favorite authors in the romance genre, I have only recently discovered her and have yet to find a book I don't like! Enjoy.