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Diamond Brides
The Australian's Society Bride
Parties at the luxurious Blanchard estate draw the cream of society. Dressed to impress, glamorous women swathed in diamonds and designer outfits make a beeline for Boyd Blanchard, heir to the family business—and the most eligible bachelor in Australia.
Leona has known Boyd since she was a child, and he still has the power to turn her emotions inside out. But he is so out of her league that she carefully hides behind a wall of cool indifference. Until the kiss that sets the tongues of society wagging and gives Boyd the means he's been waiting for to make the stubborn, sensual redhead his….
Leona has known Boyd since she was a child, and he still has the power to turn her emotions inside out. But he is so out of her league that she carefully hides behind a wall of cool indifference. Until the kiss that sets the tongues of society wagging and gives Boyd the means he's been waiting for to make the stubborn, sensual redhead his….
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2008
25 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Way
614 books163 followersMargaret Way was born and educated in the river city of Brisbane, Australia. Before her marriage she was a well-known pianist, teacher, vocal coach and accompanist, but her hectic musical career came to a halt when her son was born and the demands of motherhood dictated a change of pace.
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
On a fortuitous impulse she decided to try her hand at romance writing and was thrilled when Mills & Boon accepted her first effort, Time of the Jacaranda, which they published less than a year later in 1970; a feat that brought tears to her father's eyes. Some seventy odd books have followed resulting in a loyal readership whose letters provide a source of support and encouragement. A driving force in all her writing has been the promotion of her much loved country, Australia. She delights in bringing it alive for her readers; its people, way of life, environment, flora and fauna. Her efforts so far have not excited official recognition, but she expects one day she will be awarded the "Order of Australia."
Her interests remain with the arts. She still plays the piano seriously, but her "top Cs" have gone. She is still addicted to collecting antiques and paintings and browsing through galleries. She now lives within sight and sound of beautiful Moreton Bay and its islands, inspiration for some of her books. Her house is full of books, spectacular plants, Chinese screens and pots. She is devoted to her garden and spends much time "directing the design and digging and providing cold drinks and chocolates."
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 2, 2018
I can handle, even enjoy, class and social conscious in a Regency romance. Heck, I've gotten a kick out of the media's side eyes about Megan, a mixed race-divorced-AMERICAN, marrying the adorable and beloved Prince Harry of the British Royal Firm.
What I have a problem with is the same issues in an Australian romance published in 2009. Is it a wealth issue, a racial issue, a Harlequin Romance issue, or all of the above? Isn't Australia essentially a democracy?
The vanilla h, second cousin three times removed, has been in love with the H, the alpha heir to the cattle estate forever. The h's mother is still mourned by EVERYONE including the H and his dad which leads to some distressing thoughts to me as a reader. The distressing thoughts increase when the H's manipulative JR Ewing-style papa goes off the rails at the thought of the H and h getting together. JR has a plain and downtrodden heiress and an arranged MOC all ready for his son. Again... 2009!
Okay, I was skimming as I had just a few hours to get my next book on Open Library, but that was probably best.
Creepy and murderous overtones lay over the romance as the Pater of the family makes himself ill in order to stop the engagement between his son and the daughter of the woman he may or may have loved.
Did the bad Dad push the heroine in front of a car, was it the evil woman the H hates, or was it the pathetic daughter from the wealthy family? Did the father try and do her in or was he the hero that saves her? Another romance that would have been better off a mystery with just a couple of extra chapters.
What I have a problem with is the same issues in an Australian romance published in 2009. Is it a wealth issue, a racial issue, a Harlequin Romance issue, or all of the above? Isn't Australia essentially a democracy?
The vanilla h, second cousin three times removed, has been in love with the H, the alpha heir to the cattle estate forever. The h's mother is still mourned by EVERYONE including the H and his dad which leads to some distressing thoughts to me as a reader. The distressing thoughts increase when the H's manipulative JR Ewing-style papa goes off the rails at the thought of the H and h getting together. JR has a plain and downtrodden heiress and an arranged MOC all ready for his son. Again... 2009!
Okay, I was skimming as I had just a few hours to get my next book on Open Library, but that was probably best.
Creepy and murderous overtones lay over the romance as the Pater of the family makes himself ill in order to stop the engagement between his son and the daughter of the woman he may or may have loved.
Did the bad Dad push the heroine in front of a car, was it the evil woman the H hates, or was it the pathetic daughter from the wealthy family? Did the father try and do her in or was he the hero that saves her? Another romance that would have been better off a mystery with just a couple of extra chapters.
June 29, 2012
Kept waiting for something interesting to happen. Two inhumanly gorgeous, well-connected, young and talented people face a tempest in a teacup because only one of them is a billionaire's child. Oh the humanity.
June 28, 2021
A cute little romance. There were characters you liked and characters you wanted to hate.
It was nice to read a romance where neither main character was nasty. The impediments to their HEA were from outside sources and the story on how they handled it.
A good read.
It was nice to read a romance where neither main character was nasty. The impediments to their HEA were from outside sources and the story on how they handled it.
A good read.
February 10, 2026
This is a classic category romance that delivers exactly what fans of Harlequin-style comfort reads are usually looking for: a glamorous setting, a proud hero, a capable heroine, and a relationship that softens from tension into genuine affection. The Australian’s Society Bride leans into familiar tropes such as marriage of convenience, social expectations, and emotional misunderstandings, but does so with enough warmth and sincerity to keep it engaging.
The Australian backdrop adds a pleasant sense of scale and atmosphere. The world of high society and wealth feels suitably polished, yet the story never loses sight of the emotional stakes between the two leads. The hero’s initial reserve and sense of duty give way to vulnerability over time, and the heroine’s resilience and quiet strength make her easy to root for. Their chemistry builds gradually, and while the conflicts are predictable, they are handled with a gentle touch that suits the tone of the book. There is also a blackmail or pressure-into-marriage element early on, very much in the traditional category-romance vein. It is more situational leverage and obligation than outright cruelty, but it does shape the emotional tension and may not work for every reader.
Where the novel loses half a star is in its pacing and familiarity. Some emotional beats resolve a bit too neatly, and readers who prefer more layered character development or sharper tension may find it slightly lightweight. The dialogue and plot turns follow a well-trodden path for the genre, which can make parts feel more comforting than surprising.
Still, as a cozy, escapist romance with a satisfying emotional payoff, this is an enjoyable read. It is the kind of book you pick up when you want something polished, heartfelt, and reliably romantic.
The Australian backdrop adds a pleasant sense of scale and atmosphere. The world of high society and wealth feels suitably polished, yet the story never loses sight of the emotional stakes between the two leads. The hero’s initial reserve and sense of duty give way to vulnerability over time, and the heroine’s resilience and quiet strength make her easy to root for. Their chemistry builds gradually, and while the conflicts are predictable, they are handled with a gentle touch that suits the tone of the book. There is also a blackmail or pressure-into-marriage element early on, very much in the traditional category-romance vein. It is more situational leverage and obligation than outright cruelty, but it does shape the emotional tension and may not work for every reader.
Where the novel loses half a star is in its pacing and familiarity. Some emotional beats resolve a bit too neatly, and readers who prefer more layered character development or sharper tension may find it slightly lightweight. The dialogue and plot turns follow a well-trodden path for the genre, which can make parts feel more comforting than surprising.
Still, as a cozy, escapist romance with a satisfying emotional payoff, this is an enjoyable read. It is the kind of book you pick up when you want something polished, heartfelt, and reliably romantic.
March 27, 2023
Very strange for a Harlequin unless it’s a reprint from three or four decades ago.
Both MCs described as over-the-top beautiful types in a story that was styled to distance the reader from the characters. Older Harlequins were written like that. Also, the male lead, Boyd was Uber rich, handsome, powerful and male with no real flaws presented.
I did appreciate that there was a reason given for the behavior of Boyd’s father, the control freak Rupert. But the characters - Leona being so young, Boyd being Supermale and the over dramatic ending - read like a Harlequin from the 1960s though the cover presented it as being a more recent publication.
Both MCs described as over-the-top beautiful types in a story that was styled to distance the reader from the characters. Older Harlequins were written like that. Also, the male lead, Boyd was Uber rich, handsome, powerful and male with no real flaws presented.
I did appreciate that there was a reason given for the behavior of Boyd’s father, the control freak Rupert. But the characters - Leona being so young, Boyd being Supermale and the over dramatic ending - read like a Harlequin from the 1960s though the cover presented it as being a more recent publication.
August 7, 2021
I did not like it, there were way to many characters to care about them or their motivations. It felt like a soap opera (I loathe soap operas after years of being obsessed with them). I didn't like that I never really felt I knew hero or what he really felt or how he felt about heroine in the years before story started. Np.
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February 2, 2026Sometimes a reader and writer are on different wavelengths. This is one of those times. No judgement, but I’m entirely lost in the sea of names, and confused by the potential love interest being her cousin? 🙃
August 29, 2024
It was a little boring in the beginning.
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February 8, 2011The Australian Society Bride, by Margaret Way, narrated by Federay Holmes, produced by Whole Story Audio Books, downloaded from audible.com.
The Blanchards are the richest family in Australia, and the son and heir to the fortune is Boyd Blanchard, the most sought-after bachelor in Australia. Leona Blanchard, raised in the same house with Boyd but not a close relative, was always in love with Boyd and he took care of her starting the day her mother was killed in a freak accident jumping a wall on her horse. Leona knew that Boyd’s father had in mind that Boyd marry another heiress. So Leona didn’t allow herself to have hope for Boyd. But, on a weekend visit to her uncle’s house, she and Boyd find themselves strongly attracted to each other. She finds out that Boyd has always loved her too and was waiting for her to grow up. But when they announce their engagement, Boyd’s father is set against it and will do anything to stop the marriage. Not a particularly exciting book. Lots of romantic feelings and descriptions of sex. The narrator was excellent.
The Blanchards are the richest family in Australia, and the son and heir to the fortune is Boyd Blanchard, the most sought-after bachelor in Australia. Leona Blanchard, raised in the same house with Boyd but not a close relative, was always in love with Boyd and he took care of her starting the day her mother was killed in a freak accident jumping a wall on her horse. Leona knew that Boyd’s father had in mind that Boyd marry another heiress. So Leona didn’t allow herself to have hope for Boyd. But, on a weekend visit to her uncle’s house, she and Boyd find themselves strongly attracted to each other. She finds out that Boyd has always loved her too and was waiting for her to grow up. But when they announce their engagement, Boyd’s father is set against it and will do anything to stop the marriage. Not a particularly exciting book. Lots of romantic feelings and descriptions of sex. The narrator was excellent.
August 28, 2014
Boyd and Leona have grown up together. Each secretly has feelings for the other. Leona doesn't feel like she is good enough for Boyd.
At a family even they share a sizzling kiss. Then later on, after finding out Leona's stepbrother had tried to steal the family jewels. Boyd decides it's time they get married.
Boyds father is unhappy with the union, and tries everything to stop it.
An enjoyable read on the whole, although I did find it annoying that it took them both so long to say, they loved each other.
At a family even they share a sizzling kiss. Then later on, after finding out Leona's stepbrother had tried to steal the family jewels. Boyd decides it's time they get married.
Boyds father is unhappy with the union, and tries everything to stop it.
An enjoyable read on the whole, although I did find it annoying that it took them both so long to say, they loved each other.
September 22, 2011
I just started this book, but so far the story line is very similar to another book by the same author, "Wedding At Wangaree Valley". Well I finished it. I liked this book better than "Wedding". The story was more realistic, except maybe the ending. Just disappointed because the 2 books had the same storline.
June 30, 2015
its a nice book,far-fetched but nice. loved the characters in the book the plot of the book even though a bit common i loved the flow of the novel till the end. Its a good book for a nice quiet picnic. Margaret out did it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2011
Re-read: April 18, 2011 Reason: downloaded audiobook from NetLibrary. I'm Spring Cleaning and I forgot I had read it already. Too many books. So little time.
December 6, 2010
Good book. Read it on my iphone
August 10, 2012
This story was just... (lost for words) it was well written loved the storyline and i just couldnt get enough of this book
January 24, 2016
Los chantajes así me pueden! Me encantó!
March 18, 2016
Nice romance, good plot line with interesting characters
August 10, 2012
great book
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews