When You Give a Duke a Diamond (Jewels of the Ton, #1)

by Shana Galen

[Angie]

I adored When You Give a Duke a Diamond! It did start off a little rough for me, since it seemed a bit darker than I'm use to when it comes to Historical Romance, but once the story picked up, it was infused with humor, steam, and some tender moments. Juliette is one third of a group of renowned courtesans known as The Three Diamonds. Her name appears almost daily in the gossip column of the paper, and lately it's been paired with the Duke of Pelham. Too bad she's never met the Duke, and when she does, she calls him an insufferable ass. Then she witnesses his fiancee's murder, and he doesn't believe her until his butler winds up dead, clutching a note. A hate-to-love romance and a murder mystery? Good times ahead!

Juliette was a great heroine! She's not what you would consider a lady, and not just because she's a courtesan. She stands up for herself and lets no man push her around, not even a duke. Juliette goes after what she whats, speaks her mind, and takes control of situations rather than being a delicate flower on the sidelines. This is mostly due to her previous marriage, in which she was abused. Thankfully, she had friends in high places to get her out of there!

Then there's Will, the Duke. He considers himself "regimented" but I'd say he's anal. Everything must be done on his schedule and not a minute off. Needless to say, Juliette's free spirit and the way she just inserts herself into his life sends things into temporary chaos. She's good for him though, and I loved watching him come undone and finally live a little! He also didn't have the greatest past, which explains his stuffy demeanor, but soon enough he realizes that he doesn't have to be that way. He's the duke and can do as he pleases!

While I loved the romance, the murder plot of When You Give a Duke a Diamond was disappointing. I did enjoy Juliette and Will traveling about, searching for clues and the diamonds the murderer is looking for. But nothing really came of this plot. It kind of disappears for awhile, and then suddenly it's conveniently resolved without any help from Juliette or Will. Oh well. Their relationship more than made up for it! There's some exceptionally steamy scenes in this book! I loved how Juliette was the more experienced of the two, and led them into slightly kinky territory.

Despite the side plot kind of failing, I really enjoyed When You Give a Duke a Diamond. I seriously cannot get enough of hate-to-love romance! There's just so much tension! It also helps that I adored the characters and couldn't help but want them together. The ending was a bit sudden, and I would have liked a wedding night scene, but overall I'm quite satisfied.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.