Highland Velvet by Jude Deveraux
A few weeks ago, we highlighted the many covers for Jude Deveraux’s The Velvet Promise. These included the re-issues and foreign editions. As a result, we decided to continue displaying the multiple covers for the book’s sequels.
Today, we focus on Highland Velvet covers, a book we previously reviewed. It is one of our favorite romances.
Highland Velvet Covers
The Original Cover
Harry Bennett illustrated the original edition of Jude Deveraux’s Highland Velvet. The artist painted all the covers in the Velvet series. This is the 2nd of 4 books in a series about four Montgomery brothers. Pocket Books published this in 1982.
Note the horse’s expression as the hero swoops the heroine onto the saddle!
The hook under the author’s name markets this as the bodice ripper it was. Although, for a bodice ripper, this was rather tame as the hero was not cruel.
In an Age Like No Other, In a Land Where Hatred Was Sown, One Great Love Grew…
HIGHLAND VELVET
The American Re-Issues
The Faux Stepback
The 1984 Pocket Books reissue of Highland Velvet had a fake-out stepback cover. This was typical of most of Jude Deveraux’s re-issues.
The Plain, “Respectable” Re-Issue #1
Just like its predecessor, the next reprint of Highland Velvet had no hint of a clinch or a step back. This is a “plain” style cover that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, especially for big-name authors.
A plain cover was a stamp of “respectability” that publishers thought would lure more readers in.
The Plain, “Respectable” Re-Issue #2
Here is another Pocket Books re-print that has a plain cover.
The Large Print Edition
For those of you like me who need a large print for aging eyes, Thorndike Press released a large print edition in hardcover in 2007. You can see mountains and a castle. Nothing else hints at the passion that lurks between the pages!
The International Versions
U.K. Versions
The 1984 British Arrow Publishers edition of Highland Velvet shows lots of skin, even more than Arrow’s The Velvet Promise did! There’s a topless Bronwyn showing off-side boob as she and an equally topless Stephen get it on the moors.
Across the pond, attitudes were more relaxed about sexy covers, particularly in the 1970s and early 1980s. In the next installment of this series, we’ll see just how much nudity was acceptable!
The 1984 Arrow edition of Highland Velvet is a simple photograph of a couple embracing. It looks sweet, right?
A tagline reads: “She was proud and beautiful, and he had been ordered to tame her…”
Spanish Language
Again, the first Spanish language version reused the original American cover art. Suma de Letras published this version of the book in 2005.
The title translates into “Land of Velvet” or “Velvet Land.”
This Ediciones B Spanish language edition is almost identical to their version of The Velvet Promise’s cover. It’s plain, blue-greenish in color, and very modest.
Portuguese Language
This Portuguese language version of Highland Velvet has a nice cover, but it looks a bit too Gothic for this Medieval romance. The publisher was Quinta Essência.
French
The 1991 J’ai lu edition features an illustrated cover. I commend them for getting the characters’ looks correct. The title means “Velvet Skin” or “Velvet Complexion.” It pairs well with this book’s predecessor, The Velvet Promise. The French translate title of that book was “Eyes of Velvet.”
The 2013 J’ai lu edition is updated with a more modern photograph image of the heroine. She wears a lovely headpiece and matching necklace.
German
The German-language version of Highland Velvet is called Die Ascotts: Alicia, or The Ascotts: Alicia. The Montgomery family name is now Ascott.
This 1996 Weltbild-published edition features art that is unknown to me. It matches the time period and characters’ descriptions.
This Weltbild 2006 edition re-uses Elaine Duillo artwork. The art was originally used for the stepback for Dangerous to Hold, by Elizabeth Thornton, Bantam, 1996. Neither the hero nor the heroine’s description is correct.
This 2019 beHEARTBEAT German e-book edition continues the humorous titles that are typically German. This one is Alicia Und Der Englische Schuft, or Alicia and The English Blackguard (or Meanie)
We think the title is unfair. Stephen Montgomery was a kind hero. If anything, it’s the heroine, Bronwyn, who is the meanie.
Croatian
This Croatian version of Highland Velvet translates to Velvet Plateau.
Ana Silić translated this 2015 edition that Znanje published.
The cover is done in almost all aqua hues, with Bronwyn’s medieval dress front and center.
Bulgarian
СББ Медиа АД (or SBB Media) was the publisher of the Bulgarian version of Highland Velvet. The title translates into “Silk Flattery.” While it is a lovely cover, it’s not quite fitting for the Medieval Highland setting.
Your Opinion
Which cover do you prefer for Highland Velvet? Do you like seeing the different editions of romance covers?