ARC REVIEW The Infamous Duchess by Sophie Barnes

 Diamonds in the Rough #4, I was really looking forward to Viola's book and was all excited when I found out that she was being paired with Henry Lowell, heir to the Viscount Armswell and brother of the last books hero. I liked Henry, I liked how his determination to make Viola his wife grew from respect and liking her into unshakeable love. Viola had been burned once before and when she married her father's old friend, the Duke of Tremaine, and he died the next day and she was left all the money; the rumors about her started. She cared about what they were saying but there was nothing she could do to stop them so she built her hospital and went about her business never going out into society. But now the new Duke of Tremaine is finally coming back from the West Indies to rightfully take his place and contest the will in which he was left nothing but the entitled lands. Henry is determined to help Viola and with help from an unlikely source he sets out to completely ruin Tremaine.

Aside from Henry's method of wooing Viola, the romance was a little underwhelming. Viola was much better as a side character than a main character and as much as I love internal struggle this book lacked the chemistry and excitement of the previous books. Overall it was a nice read but not quite as good as the previous books. I hope I'm not the only one kinda hoping that Carlton Guthrie gets a turn at a HEA. 

ARC REVIEW The Illegitimate Duke by Sophie Barnes

Diamonds in the Rough #3, The third and last of the Matthew siblings but not the last of the series. Don't worry each book can be read as a stand alone but it's nice if you have read the others. Juliette was the sickly one growing up after the death of their other sister they protected Juliette. Stuck in the house most of the time she had nothing to do but read, she grew to have a thirst for knowledge, particularly medicine, health, and the human body so when typhus broke out in her old neighborhood she knew right away what she wanted to do with her money. Juliette didn't just want to give St Agatha's Hospital her money and walk away she wanted to be able to have a say so on how her money was spent. Florian was content at being a doctor and the second born son but then his uncle gets elevated to Duke and names Florian as his heir and suddenly Florian is the most eligible bachelor in the country. As if the typhus epidemic wasn't bad enough and old enemy has shown his face again and this time his target is Florian.

Falling in love with Juliette was never part of the plan he feels like he's not good enough for her and the secret he's kept from everyone and the fact that he has received threats against those he loves keeps him from fully committing to her, no matter how much he may want to or how good she feels in his arms. Juliette is tired of being treated like she's made of glass, she knows she is made of sturdier things she can handle whatever problem that may come her way and convincing Florian that they are meant for each other just maybe the hardest thing ever. But when those threats come to fruition Florian will do anything to keep Juliette safe.

Overall, a fantastic read. I absolutely adore Juliette. Sophie Barnes is a great writer, the active setting transports you in time and I never have problems visualizing the story in my head with her books. The characters are strong willed and so caring the story draws you in and for me the heartfelt story and the character you end up really caring for made the whole book very much a fantastic read.     

ARC REVIEW The Duke of Her Desire by Sophie Barnes

Duke of Her Desire is book two of Sophie Barnes' Diamonds in the Rough series, it can be read as a stand-alone. The only thing you need to know for this book that happened in the previous book was what and where they were before Raphe Matthews inherited a title, which can be explained in about a sentence. Rafe and his new wife need some time alone so they arrange it where Coventry will be his sister's escort to all their social functions with the help of Coventry's mother and the girl's eccentric aunt.   

Amelia Matthews has no luck when it comes to deportment whenever she is around Coventry, she always finds herself in a situation that doesn't show her at her best. He is seemingly perfect and that alone makes her nervous and always manages to mess up around him and the fact that he manages to point it out as well is even more disconcerting. Amelia is willing to go along with the matchmaking her aunt and Coventry's mother have planned but Amelia has plans of her own. Now that she is in a place to help the children of St. Giles she will not be stopped, she's going to start a school and already has the property. When Coventry finds out about Amelia's plan he is proud of her endeavor and is willing to help, but when it turns out that someone doesn't want Amelia there he will protect her and not just because he promised her brother he would. 

Coventry alway thought that Amelia was the prettier of the two sisters but now that he's spending more time with her he finds that he actually wants to spend time with her even if they do end up arguing most of the time anyways. He has convinced himself he is not in the right place to court and eventually get married he has other obligations, but his feelings for Amelia make him want to rethink his stance on that. 

Overall, it was a good read. Coventry and Amelia had a nice romance both of their hard headedness and their inability to communicate with each other and not to mention jumping to conclusions (Amelia) get in the way of them finding their HEA much sooner. I love Sophie Barnes writing style, she has a great narrative going on switching the third person POV of Amelia and Coventry it gives great insight into the characters. The mystery was really good, I wish there was a little more to the romance. I liked the little tidbit letting us know what the third book is going to be about.      

ARC REVIEW A Most Unlikely Duke by Sophie Barnes

The start of a new series A Most Unlikely Duke is a great start to the Diamonds in the Rough series. As always Sophie Barnes writes a great tale and a wonderful romance. Following your heart and breaking the rules never felt so good.

Raphe and his sisters lost their parents young with no welcoming family to take them on and creditors beating down the door Raphe does the only thing he can do and that is to go to work for one of the creditors. As he grows he trains to be a bare knuckle fighter and starts paying off his father's debt that way. Fifteen years Raphe and his sisters have lived in St. Giles just barely scraping by, Raphe has no love the aristocracy. One night Raphe receives a message that changes everything, he is the sole heir to the Huntley dukedom.

Lady Gabriella use to be the wild one, she was the peculiar one, but once her sister ran off and married a man against her parents wishes all the while breaking of the engagement to a Marquess. Gabriella's choice of wanting to marry for love was thrown out the window and now she must do as her parents wish to set straight the reputation of the family, even if the man is detestable. The Earl of Nugent is the detestable man who (like most men back then) is just looking for pretty arm candy. Gabriella however has a brain and likes to use it especially when it comes to entomology. Gabriella is also unaware of her looks, her sister was always the pretty one to her.

Raphe and his sisters, Amelia and Juliette, move into the Huntley townhouse right next door to Gabriella and her family, they make quite the impression. Gabriella feels sympathetic for the sisters and against her parents wishes she offers to tutor them in the way of high society. Despite the rocky introduction Raphe and Gabriella start to fall in love. Gabriella wants to do right by her family but her feelings for Raphe have grown strong enough that she finally stand up to them. Raphe has only confided the truth about his past to two people Gabriella and Duke of Coventry, who proved himself a good friend. Gabriella's father not trusting Raphe dug until he found out and forbid the match, it's isn't until after Victoria, Gabriella's sister, shows back up that their father has a change of heart. Raphe's past however is not done with him and it just maybe the one thing to ruin the reputation and his sister's chances of making a good match.

Overall, this was a great read. The Raphe and Gabriella were first and foremost the majority of the storyline, several little things that deviate from them but ultimately add to the building of the relationship. All those little things build up to a great ending and a wonderful romance. Raphe proved himself to be a loyal protector and so sweet.