Promise of the Rose
By Brenda Joyce
ISBN# 0380771403
Avon, Nov 1993, 437 pp
Medieval, 1068, England/ Scotland
$6.50 US $8.50 CDN

Reviewed by Margaret
January 2006

The sequel to THE CONQUEROR, the very popular romance classic by Brenda Joyce, PROMISE OF THE ROSE is a jewel in the historical romance genre and the author at her best. The book has everything; political intrigue, deception, lust for power, war, love, abduction and betrayal. From a Master’s pen a beautiful historical tapestry comes to life. Just Ms. Joyce’s talent could dig in such a rich historical time and come up with a GEM.

The characters are powerful, intriguing and unforgettable. The hero, Stephen de Warenne is the Earl of Northumberland’s son and heir. His father, Rolfe de Warenne and his three sons Stephen, Geoffrey and Brand hold in their hands the greatest power in England. What Rolf conquered, the sons kept well.

Malcolm III (Conmore) is the King of Scotland. All his life Malcolm tried to regain Scotland’s territories taken by Normans, even though his every attempt failed. The Scotland King’s army and Northumberland’s army are constantly at war over the territories held now by the Earl of Northumberland.

Stephen de Warenne is Malcolm’s worst enemy. He is a powerful, shrewd and ruthless warrior and the latest attempt made by Malcolm to take over Northumberland ended in a disaster for the Scottish King. Leading Northumberland’ army, Stephen defeated the Scots and Malcolm was forced to swear loyalty to the King of England, William II. The defeat didn’t change Malcolm’s plans though. He wants Northumberland and he wants Edward, his eldest son from his second marriage, to be the King of Scotland after his death.

William II, the King of England has his own plans for Scotland. He wants more land from Scotland and he plans to invade Carlisle soon. As for who should rule Scotland after Malcolm, King William plans for Duncan, Malcolm’s son from his first marriage, on the Scottish throne. For twenty years now Duncan has been a hostage at the King of England’s court. Duncan is in William’s favor, as to where Malcolm is like a thorn in his side. And Scotland is not the only thing in the King of England’s mind these days. William II wants Normandy and someday, he plans to take it from his eldest brother Robert. And then there is Prince Henry, William’s cunning youngest brother, who has his own plans for the throne of England. To achieve his goals King William needs the support of mighty Northumberland and Rolfe de Warenne and his sons know how to play well the political game to their advantage.

In this complex political web, Fate decides to take a hand. Princess Mary, one of Malcolm’s daughters, is betrothed with a Scottish laird. Disguised as a peasant, Mary leaves her father’s castle for a tryst with her betrothed when she is caught and taken hostage by Stephen de Warrene’s men. Brought before Stephen, the Scottish Princess knows that if her father’s enemy finds out her identity he would hold her for ransom. Mary is young, sweet, innocent and loyal to her father and country. Sacrificing her innocence to the heir of Northumberland, she refuses to give up her identity. Nevertheless her identity is discovered and the House of Northumberland wants the Scottish princess for Stephen. A marriage between the Princess of Scotland and Stephen will bring Northumberland to even greatest power. Nothing is going to stop this marriage, not even the fact that in order to marry Mary, Stephen has to break his engagement with Adele Beaufort, the Earl of Kent’s stepsister.

For his own reasons, King William agrees to the union. After such display of goodwill from the King of England, Malcolm will not expect an attack on Carlisle. The marriage will give William the perfect cover to take Malcolm by surprise. Malcolm also agrees to the union. He made a secret pact with Stephen. After his death, Northumberland would support his son Edward’s claim to Scotland’s crown. The King of Scotland is deceitful and ruthless and his daughter’s marriage with Stephen would not change his plans for Northumberland. More then that, he expects his daughter to betray her husband. A marriage between Mary and Stephen would serve Malcolm’s plans well.

The Princess is a pawn in a dangerous political game. Mary is caught between her loyalty to her father and her growing love for her husband. She knows that if she betrays Stephen, his retaliation will be swift and harsh. The Northumberland heir never shows mercy to his enemy. The Princess wants peace between her country and Northumberland and she goes to great lengths in her attempts to stop the conflict. The character growth and development is well done by the author and the romantic, headstrong, if a little naïve at times young girl caught in extraordinary circumstances grows under the readers eyes into a strong, vibrant, resourceful heroine and the perfect match for the hero.

Stephen de Warenne is a complex multidimensional romance hero. Fostered as a young child to William the Conqueror’s court, Stephen feels contempt for the conqueror’ son William II, and is cautious of Henry Beauclerc’ scheming. Shrewd and with a cunning politician’s mind, Stephen plans with care for Northumberland’s future. The devastatingly handsome, brooding hero falls in love with his young wife and in one of the most moving beautiful romantic scenes in the genre, the battle hardened, ruthless warrior is giving his love a red rose, the symbol on the Northumberland army pennant, “ without thorns this time my love“ is telling her.

A beautiful romance with a strong chemistry between the main characters, a hot degree of sensuality and a cast of secondary characters screaming for their own story PROMISE OF THE ROSE made for a fascinating reading and represents well the genre. The main characters as well as the memorable secondary characters are well developed, complex, and multidimensional and their actions and motifs are realistic and believable. Joyce’s prose is beautiful; she uses symbolism with mastery and in an old school romance style the author is telling a heart-warming, moving medieval tale of two lovers caught between their duty to their countries and their growing love for each other.

Well researched and very rich in historical details with a complex, intriguing plot and subplots PROMISE OF THE ROSE is much more than a love story; it is a portrait of a brutal, historical era and its people. The well-captured historical figures of Rufus the Red, Malcolm III and the always-scheming Henry Beauclec as the detailed historical tapestry would appeal to the traditional historical fiction audience as much as it does to romance genre audience. The book is a long, meaty medieval and a keeper that reminds me why I love the genre and once I started reading it I just couldn’t put it down. No matter how many times you read PROMISE OF THE ROSE, you will want to read it again. I highly recommend it as one of the best medieval romance novels that I've ever read.