The Promise
Brenda Joyce
Harlequin HQN, Sep 28 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780373774425
In 1833 Captain Alexi de Warenne is euphoric to finally come home to Askeaton, Ireland after being away for two years. He looks forward to seeing his childhood friend Elysse O’Neill. Unlike when they were growing up when they were inseparable, however Alexi seems to ignore Elysse except when politeness makes him do otherwise.
Instead Elysse and Alexi’s shipmate William Montgomery flirt with one another until he wants to marry her. When the former best friends fight, William’s head hits a rock and he dies. Alexi marries Elysse to save her reputation and they sail from Ireland though they never make love. For six years, Elysse lives the life of a free wife, but prays one day her Alexi will make love to her. When he finally comes home, Elysse plans to seduce her spouse, but he flees to the sea with her in pursuit. When she is captured, he risks his life for his beloved wife.
The latest de Warenne historical romance (see The Masquerade) is an engaging tale that fans of the saga will enjoy. Alexi and Elysse feel guilt over what happened to William and how the accidental death caused them to marry. A daughter of a captain, she knows his first love is the sea, but decides to make a play for his affection. Although the late suspense seems somewhat forced as a mechanism to move this couple on, readers will appreciate the strange marriage of Alexi and Elysse.
Harriet Klausner
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