Unwrapping: Review of WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND by Shana Galen

WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND - awesome title, don't you think? I thought so and that was why I was very excited about receiving an ARC from Shana Galen to read and review. I hoped I was going to be in for a ride and she didn't disappoint me. Release date: September 1, 2012.
**ARC received in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND:

He had a perfectly orderly life...

William, the sixth Duke of Pelham, enjoys his punctual, securely structured life. Orderly and predictable—that's the way he likes it. But he's in the public eye, and the scandal sheets will make up anything to sell papers. When the gossip papers link him to Juliette, one of the most beautiful and celebrated courtesans in London, chaos doesn't begin to describe what happens next...

Until she came along...

Juliette is nicknamed the Duchess of Dalliance and has the cream of the nobility at her beck and call. It's disruptive to have the duke who is the biggest catch on the Marriage Mart scaring her other suitors away. Then she discovers William's darkest secret and decides what he needs in his life is the kind of excitement only she can provide...

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Juliette may be known as one of a trio of the finest courtesans in London but things aren't always what they seem. She's accustomed to notoriety but when she opens the Morning Chronicle to find she's been linked with the Dangerous Duke of Pelham, she's not sure what to make of it or if she wants to be for he's not the friendliest of sorts, hence his nickname. Upon their first meeting, he proves himself to be all she had originally thought - rude, obstinate, arrogant and the most incredibly handsome man she'd ever seen.

Wil - Pelham or his grace to everyone else but Juliette - lives a life of strict regimen. He rises at the same time each day, eats meals at the same time every day, and does nothing spontaneously - ever - that is, until he meets the most incredible and spontaneous woman ever, the notorious Duchess of Dalliance, Juliette. On the cusp of his marriage to a woman he doesn't love but is willing to accept, the last thing he expects is to become entangled in a mystery involving one of the notorious Diamonds - London's most celebrated courtesans. Now, he's not sure of anything or anyone much less his own feelings about his past, his present, or his future. All he knows for sure is that his fiancée is missing - dead by Juliette's declaration. He's sure there's a dangerous man by the name of Lucifer who is endangering Juliette and himself. And he's totally sure and distracted by his attraction to Juliette which threatens to be his greatest undoing.

WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND by Shana Galen carries the reader on a delightful roller coaster of emotional ups and downs that keep you wondering if this pair will ever have a happily-ever-after. Shana Galen has a unique talent for doing this in her wonderful books and this historical romance is no different.

However, when I first started reading this regency romance, I wasn't totally sure I was going to enjoy myself. It was difficult to endear myself to the characters but that soon changed almost instantaneously as we left the ballroom. Pelham is stuffy and arrogant. He's totally unlikable and then suddenly, you start to see the twinkle develop in his eye. A twinkle brought on by a woman who, at first glance, seemed cold and unwilling to allow herself to feel anything for a man but who quickly comes to life and is soon as warm as the brilliance contained inside the most beautiful diamond for which she's named. I quickly fell in love with these characters. I was equally enamoured of the supporting characters especially the Countess Sinclair.  I'm very much looking forward to the rest of this series for, as usual, Shana Galen has me hooked - completely and desperately.

I highly recommend WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND by Shana Galen. This historical romance will have you smiling, frowning, grumbling, and then cheering! For WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND is romance at its best and most sensually charged.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Also, if you're interested in learning more about what it's like to be an Avon Addict for Avon Romance, check out my interview on the Happy Ever After Blog at USA Today Online:
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WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND by Shana Galen, Sourcebooks Casablanca, release date - September 1, 2012, available in print and ebook format.