The Promise of the Rose

by Brenda Joyce Rated

If romance is your type of reading then you will delight at this wonderful story by Brenda Joyce. The setting is Scotland during the reign of King Malcolm III. War is a way of life between Scotland and the Norman invaders.

Mary, Malcolm's daughter, is kidnaped by Stephen de Warenne. Mary knows if Stephen finds out her identity he will hold her for ransom so she tells him she is a daughter of a knight and a local peasant. Stephen sense there is more to the story than Mary is telling so he bargains with her. He will not take her virginity if she will tell the truth. Mary refuses and Stephen takes Mary to bed only to find out later she is the daughter of a king.

Stephen in hopes to win peace between the two nations presents Mary's father a deal. He promises he will marry Mary to save her honour and will support Malcolm's son when he rises to the throne after the King's death. Malcolm agrees to this and so Mary's fate is sealed. She is to be wed to the Norman barbarian. The rest of the book presents the constant conflict Mary experiences between her new husband whom she comes to love and her loyalty to her father and her country.

This book's characters are well developed and presents well the life in 12 century Scotland. You will find this book a wonderful escape into days gone by. The plot is involving and fast moving so that turning to the next page is exciting. Because of the rich character development and well-defined plot we give this book three thistles. The sex is explicit and we would not recommend it for younger children.

Scottish Radiance is an Associate of Amazon.com Books and you can order this book from them by going to Promise of the Rose.