Promise of the Rose

OVERALL 4 STARS
Writing: 4.5 Stars
Story line: 4 Stars
Steam: 4 Stars
Hero: 4 Stars
Heroine: 4.5 Stars

BRIEF SUMMARY OF BOOK
Stephen DeWarenne (H), son and heir to Rolfe DeWarenne, is a ruthless Norman warrior like his father and one of King William II (Refus the Red)’s most capable men. Upon a recce mission into the Scotland soil, H captured Mary Canmore (h), who had sneaked out for a rendezvous with her betrothed. The h refused to reveal her true identity as a Scottish princess in fear that the Norman could gain the upper hand in the rivalry with her father, the King of Scotland, and thus, H decided that h is a spy. Despite his instant lust for h, H wanted to use sexual intimidation to force h to reveal her true identity in which he failed miserably and he gave in to his desire and bedded h. However, he soon discovered h’s real identity and decided to wed her to form an alliance in achieving peace between the countries and also in his personal interest since he lusted for h.

This is a standalone book in a series.

OPINION OVERVIEW
After reading the amazing The Conqueror, I have decided to start a historical romance book by Brenda Joyce and this time, it is the second book in her DeWarenne Dynasty series, The Promise of the Rose (TPOTR). While The Conqueror was a 5-Stars read for me, sadly The Promise of the Rose wasn’t as good this time. At least not for me.

Still set in the 1000s, TPOTR centres around Stephen DeWarenne (H), the firstborn of Rolfe and Ceidre DeWarenne, and obviously the social norms are still similar to that in the first book (e.g. nobleman taking what they want, men slaking their lust at will with any woman of lower status, infidelity etc). Like his father, H is a ruthless warrior on the battlefield, hardened by his time away from home from a young age, and I liked him despite what he did to heroine at the beginning. (I even understood and accepted it when he slept with a woman before his wedding with h due to respect of his intended bride (who is also a highborn lady), and I think I love him a little more when he promised her celibacy till wedding and his fidelity.)

However, I was disappointed towards the end when H broke his promise and though this happened during a time where they were separated and H was bearing great hatred towards h due to her supposed betrayal and tried to deny his feelings for her, h was nothing but faithful to him! Their reconciliation was also hasty and I feel that the author should have made H grovel more for h’s forgiveness.

In addition, I find Geoffrey and Adele’s parts in the book as unnecessary and it was unsatisfying to be left open-ended. I do not mind them if they somehow contributed to Stephen and Mary’s story or in the grand scheme of things, but sadly I do not think they do.

To be honest, I could be a little harsh in my review for this book as I was expecting a lot from it since the first book was such a gem. It was not up to my expectations but it is nonetheless a worthwhile read with a good balance of angst, romance and steam.

THE GOOD
Heroine who is inquisitive, smart, loyal with the honor of a man, and most of all faithful to Hero.
Strong writing with good character development and story telling.
Steamy scenes that doesn’t take away the plot – most scenes were more suggestive than explicit but they are very well written in my opinion.
A good amount of angst that gets you glued to the pages.
I love Rolfe and Ceidre’s appearance in this book and it is great knowing Rolfe is still enamoured with his wife and remained faithful to her.

THE BAD
Hero sleeping with OW even though he promised heroine fidelity – I do understand that in that era fidelity is rare and probably non-existent but since he gave his word, I had high hope that he abide by it.
One-sided loyalty and fidelity from the heroine – Don’t get me wrong, I love that she is loyal and faithful to Hero, I just hate that the sentiments are not reciprocated.
Not enough jealousy from the Hero though there were some from the heroine.
Geoffrey and Adele’s story within the pages which doesn’t contribute to the main plot.
Hasty writing toward the end where Hero suddenly did a 180-degree toward the heroine when obviously he hated her the second before, and heroine forgiven and accepted him just as quickly.

THE ENDING
I find the ending somewhat lacking even though it has all the requirements of a HEA. There seem to be many questions left unanswered and things left unsaid, and sadly I don’t see a next book in the series that continue the story.

WILL I…
• Recommend this book? Yes
• Read the next book? Yes

SAFETY
• H (Hero): Stephen DeWarenne (aged 23) (A seasoned warrior and future Lord of Northumberland whom the King kept as a hostage since he was six years old to keep Rolfe DeWarenne’s power in check.)
• h (heroine): Mary Canmore (aged 16) (Daughter of King of Scotland, Malcolm Canmore and sacrificed as a political pawn by her own father.)
• Steam level: Medium-high (Sex scenes are well written but not as explicit as in The Conqueror.)
• Descriptive sex: Yes
• Safe sex: No (I don’t think contraception is even relevant in that era.)
• OM (Other Men)/OW (Other Women) drama: Yes (H is betrothed to Adele Beauford in the beginning and Adele tried to separate h from H in one instance.)
• Sexual acts with OM/OW: Yes (Prince Henry was touchy with h during one scene and he visited h when she was in exile and he slipped into her bed at night and tried to rape her.)
• Sex scenes with OM/OW: Yes (H slept with a woman before he was to wed h (he needed a release and he could not bed h due to respect of his intended bride). H also had sex with a few women during the few months of their separation where he exiled h to Tetly (they are still married). All OW scenes are off-page.)
• Virgin: heroine only
• Insta-love: Yes
• Push/Pull: Yes (H/h’s relationship was burdened from the start by their opposite allegiance. Throughout the book, trust is a major issue between the both of them and it leads to many misunderstandings which eventually deteriorate their marriage. Finally, after the war against the Scottish King, H exiled h when he thought her to betray him for her family.)
• Separation: Yes (H/h were separated for about 5 months when H exiled h to his outskirt minor.)
• Angst: Medium (See Push/Pull.)
• Possible Triggers: Dub-con by H, Attempted non-con by OM, Cheating (See Sex with OM/OW.)
• Ending: HEA
• POV (Point Of View): Third person

DISCLAIMER
This IS NOT an ARC review.

*Legend:
ABO = Alpha-Beta-Omega / ARC = Advance Reader Copy / BJ = blow job / dub-con = dubious consent / FTB = Fade To Black / H = Hero / h = heroine / HEA = Happily Ever After / HFN = Happy For Now / J/P = Jealous/Possessive / MC = Main Characters / non-con = non-consensual / OM = Other Men / OTT = Over-the-top / OW = Other Women / POV = Point Of View