The Promise
by Brenda Joyce

Pride...

After a record breaking sail from China, Alexi de Warenne's moment of triumph quickly vanishes. At his welcoming party, his bewitching childhood friend Elysse O'Neill begins flirting with a shipmate, clearly punishing Alexi for his time at sea. But when Alexi finds Elysse desperately struggling in the man's arms, tragedy ensues. Within days, Alexi weds her to save her honor---and leaves her to forge a new life.

and Pretense.

Elysse de Warenne rules the ton with her wit and grace, but the whispers of "abandoned bride" follow her ruthlessly. Elysse will never reveal the truth: that she hasn't see her husband in six years---and they didn't even consummate their marriage! When Alexi unexpectedly returns to England, Elysse will do whatever it takes to win his heart and claim her place at his side.

Brenda Joyce's Bio

Brenda Joyce is the bestselling author of fourty-four novels and five novellas. She has won many awards, and her debut novel, Innocent Fire, won a Best Western Romance award. She has also won the highly coveted Best Historical Romance award for Splendor and Two Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. There are over 14 million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries.

A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her.

Web sites: Brenda Joyce
The de Warenne Dynasty
The Masters of Time