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A review by katiev
The Velvet Promise by Jude Deveraux
4.0
2/26/14 ETA: Okay I upped this from 3 to 4 stars, because I did really like it and it's much better than a lot of the 3 star books I have out there. It kept me engaged. I didn't skim, etc. I have a tendency to do this when a character or plot point irks me so bad I can't see the bigger picture. I think I did the same thing with [b:Lily|525619|Lily|Patricia Gaffney|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322372728s/525619.jpg|513465] and [b:The Demon Lover|353411|The Demon Lover|Victoria Holt|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1258035430s/353411.jpg|3320485]. Maybe I should wait a week before writing my reviews. However, I do so love to rant when I'm in the moment :)
***original review***
This is my very first Deveraux and I definitely had a hard time coming up with the rating. Part of me feels like I should give it a 4, because the writing is certainly far superior to other things I've given 3's to. But in the last few chapters the hero lost the book that extra gold star.
From some of the reviews I've read, I expected to have problems with the hero because he was violent. Actually in the world of medieval romance, I didn't find him too bad.He slaps the heroine at the beginning of the book and rapes her on their wedding night. Granted, not a great start to a relationship, but he didn't seem to get any sadistic enjoyment from hurting her. After that he wants her willing and doesn't rape or hit her again.
Most of my problem was with Gavin's attitude. He acts like a class A jerk a lot of the time because he's very jealous (Judith is extremely beautiful and every man who sees her wants her). That's rather par for the course though in many romances. My problem was his attitude when it came to that crazy ex-lover of his that everyone but him could see through. It was because of that witch that their wedding night went awry. He was thrilled when he saw how beautiful Judith was and they were both making googly eyes at each other until Alice (the ex) turns up and cries crocodile tears while attempting a fake suicide. Judith witnesses this and is understandably not happy to hear her brand new husband swearing undying love to another woman on their wedding day. Gavin handles this by slapping Judith for daring to be angry and say something unkind about the sweet homewrecker Alice. Then he ends up raping Judith that night because she won't just 'get over it already' and go back to being the warm, attentive wife she was before she witnessed that scene with Alice. He reminded me more of a spoiled, petulant child than a true alpha hero. Plus, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Gavin never actually cheats with Lady Alice (there is a kiss, which she initiated), but he keeps her on a pedestal as this vision of how a real lady should behave. He does quickly realize he desires Judith more than he ever desired Alice. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to really pine after her either or I'd have given up. I don't think he ever loved Alice to begin with. He's all about Judith from day one. It's "Lady" Alice who continues to seek him out. Problem is, he never seems to get it that she's trying to cause trouble in his marriage and is the #1 reason the two of them are often at odds. He always blames Judith for being unreasonable, shrewish, and jealous. He thinks she should have compassion for Alice since she had to go through the horrible devastation of losing him :P Dude really likes the idea that this woman is so hopelessly in love with him that she'll got to crazy lengths to cause trouble. His ego was only rivaled by his stupidity. Up to the very last chapter, he still couldn't believe that gentle, demure Alice would actually try to harm his wife. Surely she was just misunderstood.
However, despite my issues with the hero, the writing was good and the story engaging. I really liked Gavin's brothers who seemed to have inherited all the brains in the family. I'm holding out hope that their stories will be better.
***original review***
This is my very first Deveraux and I definitely had a hard time coming up with the rating. Part of me feels like I should give it a 4, because the writing is certainly far superior to other things I've given 3's to. But in the last few chapters the hero lost the book that extra gold star.
From some of the reviews I've read, I expected to have problems with the hero because he was violent. Actually in the world of medieval romance, I didn't find him too bad.
Most of my problem was with Gavin's attitude. He acts like a class A jerk a lot of the time because he's very jealous (Judith is extremely beautiful and every man who sees her wants her). That's rather par for the course though in many romances. My problem was his attitude when it came to that crazy ex-lover of his that everyone but him could see through. It was because of that witch that their wedding night went awry. He was thrilled when he saw how beautiful Judith was and they were both making googly eyes at each other until Alice (the ex) turns up and cries crocodile tears while attempting a fake suicide. Judith witnesses this and is understandably not happy to hear her brand new husband swearing undying love to another woman on their wedding day. Gavin handles this by slapping Judith for daring to be angry and say something unkind about the sweet homewrecker Alice. Then he ends up raping Judith that night because she won't just 'get over it already' and go back to being the warm, attentive wife she was before she witnessed that scene with Alice. He reminded me more of a spoiled, petulant child than a true alpha hero. Plus, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Gavin never actually cheats with Lady Alice (there is a kiss, which she initiated), but he keeps her on a pedestal as this vision of how a real lady should behave. He does quickly realize he desires Judith more than he ever desired Alice. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to really pine after her either or I'd have given up. I don't think he ever loved Alice to begin with. He's all about Judith from day one. It's "Lady" Alice who continues to seek him out. Problem is, he never seems to get it that she's trying to cause trouble in his marriage and is the #1 reason the two of them are often at odds. He always blames Judith for being unreasonable, shrewish, and jealous. He thinks she should have compassion for Alice since she had to go through the horrible devastation of losing him :P Dude really likes the idea that this woman is so hopelessly in love with him that she'll got to crazy lengths to cause trouble. His ego was only rivaled by his stupidity. Up to the very last chapter, he still couldn't believe that gentle, demure Alice would actually try to harm his wife. Surely she was just misunderstood.
However, despite my issues with the hero, the writing was good and the story engaging. I really liked Gavin's brothers who seemed to have inherited all the brains in the family. I'm holding out hope that their stories will be better.