When You Give A Duke A Diamond (The Fallen Ladies), Shana Galen (Review)
Juliette the Duchess of Dalliance is one of the famed Fallen Ladies, they are the most coveted courtesans in England, although no one knows their true story. Juliette has been tied with William, the sixth Duke of Pelham. The society pages pair them as a scandalous couple before they had even met. Juliette finally has the chance to meet William and the evening takes a disastrous turn linking them together to find out the truth regarding his missing fiancé and the diamonds she stole. When You Give A Duke A Diamond pits the vibrant Juliette versus the staid William in a battle to find out the truth and keep their hearts.
Bookswagger Marcia: This was a creative take on regency romance, not many stories are from the courtesan point of view. A prim virginal Miss Juliette was not. Juliette is a woman who escaped from an abusive marriage in a time it was unheard of and later found the man of her dreams in William. I enjoyed this unique take on the regency romance and I am curious about the other Fallen Ladies stories. For those who enjoy their heroines a little less experienced when it comes to their Regency reads. Don’t write this book off, she is a woman of virtue you just have to pick it up to get in on the twist.
Bookswagger Danielle: I haven’t read a book about a Duchess or Duke in about ten years so this was a fresh change of pace for me. I wasn’t in love with the concept, I never like it when my heroine is perceived as not respectable (personal choice). Therefore I hated how Pelham repeatedly disrespected Juliette although she gave as good as she got I honestly wanted the truth to come out sooner.
Despite the disrespect I couldn’t help but to like, Will he was stuck in his ways, the author did a good job sprinkling background information in to explain his behavior. It made me feel for him. I really liked Juliette, she still had an upbeat and charming personality even after everything she had been through. The chemistry was believable and well played. I would read this author again.